#Korea Week 4 – Home for a Moment

#Korea is a weekly series on my blog documenting my time leading up to and during to my year in Korea. Check out the original post for a longer explanation here.

WEEK 4: April 30 – May 6

What a week it’s been! I do have some actual news related to Korea, so here are those updates:

• I was officially accepted by Jeollanamdo. First, you have to be accepted by your recruiting agency and then you fill out an official application for your specific province. For JLP (Jeollanamdo Language Program), they make their decisions for August/September intake around early May.
• I went to get my fingerprints done for my FBI background check. I got mine done at the UPS Store. Let me tell you, the only other place I’ve seen worker morale so low is at the DMV. I don’t know if I feel bad for the manager on duty for working with incompetent employees or if I feel bad for the employees working with such a temperamental manager… The FBI background check is going to take forever, but if I remember correctly it wasn’t nearly as long as they tell you it might be on the website. At the longest, expect your fingerprints to take 2-4 weeks and then your FBI check to take 8-10 weeks. They’re pretty clear on the site. After I get this, I’m going to have to go down to DC to get an apostille, which is why I thought I’d choose DC’s Union Station as my picture of the week.

In other news, I packed up all my clothes in my room as my parents get ready for the move. I’m actually writing down every article of clothing I own so I can keep track of everything better, and it’s helped me get rid of even more clothes. I figure if I don’t want to go through the process of recording the item, I don’t really want to keep it.

In half-marathon news, I got up to 9 miles under 2 hours on the treadmill and ran/walked a quick 4.3 miles outside. I think me not running straight for as long is more mental than anything else. While I was out getting my fingerprints done, I got measured for a pair of running sneakers, which have made all the difference. My friend mentioned going to a podiatrist and getting fitted for orthopedics as well.

I also had my itinerary changed so that I don’t actually miss the half marathon. Originally, I was supposed to fly out at 1:30 p.m. from Raleigh for Nepal, but they kindly changed it to 4:45 p.m. So, yeah, it’s going to be quite the hectic day with a half marathon in the morning and a flight at night! Going to need to watch some Casey Neistat videos to make me feel better about this…

That’s about it for now! I got a Bolt Bus to NYC for the week after someone in one of my groups posted a great deal (only $50/night!). I figured with all the chaos of my parents’ house being packed up, and I could use the space and alone time to get some serious work done.

OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS

• I wrote a piece for Cheapoair’s Miles Away blog on leaving Korea.
• Why have I never heard of “Dear White People” before? The Netflix show is absolutely fantastic, and Samantha White feels like a kindred spirit.
• I’ve been trying function of beauty shampoo and conditioner, and I’ve been loving it. I’ve been obnoxiously showing it off to my mom and sister all week because it really does feel healthy and silky. Plus it smells amazing. I’m planning on alternating it with my other shampoo and conditioner so my hair doesn’t get too used to it. [They do have a URL situation where I get $5 while you get $5 off, so if you want to try it out, use this link here]
• I’m trying really hard to get into liquid lipsticks (and lipstick in general), and it’s SO hard. My cousin-in-law sells Lipsense, so I have two shades from her and two Revlon shades from CVS. I keep watching videos on application, and somehow I end up looking like this.

That’s about it! Until next week :) 

want to support?

I’m always grateful when friends and readereach out wanting to support There She Goes Again. Truthfully, I’m just happy my posts are helping people travel! If you’d like to support the blog, here are some companies and brands I’m affiliated with. Simply click the links, and I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!