Here's a quick summary of what I had to go through to get to this point after I signed a contract:
After I signed the contract I had to wait a week or so for the Korean Immigration Office to process my paperwork and assign me a visa code. Then I had to make a trip down to the Korean Consulate General in Newton, MA to actually get a work visa stamped in my passport. The reason I had to go in person is because they require first-timers to go through an interview before they give out a visa. That was quite a day, mostly because I was mistakenly informed that the Consulate was in Boston, not Newton. But I did finally get to the Consulate for my interview. A few days later I got my passport back, complete with Korean work visa. Then the travel agency that MoonKkang uses had been trying to book me a flight for the past three weeks or so. Apparently it's difficult to get flights to Korea in mid-December. Now I finally know that I'll be heading out on the morning of December 14th. I leave Portland at 6:50am and have a short layover in Atlanta. I leave Atlanta at 11:55am and arrive in Seoul at 6ish pm, Korean time. Then I fly to Daegu and arrive around 8:15pm, Korean time. So it'll be a long day, but at least I have a definite itinerary this time.
In the meantime, Angie got her visa code a few weeks after me, conducted her interview, got her flights, and headed to Korea the day before Thanksgiving. She was a bit lonely at first, but I have been in touch with her and she's loving it! She said the kids are wonderful, the people are very friendly, and she's thoroughly enjoying life in the city.
I'll be sure to update once I'm there, but according to Angie I won't have internet at my apartment for three weeks or so because it takes the government some time to recognize that my presence in their country is legitimate. I will have internet access at school, though, so I should be able to check in periodically. Wish me luck!
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