Being a Hagwon Teacher - First Impressions

Where has this job been all my life? Seriously - at AOE, I constantly felt like I spent so much time chasing after students for makeup work or calling parents because the kids weren't doing their work to actually grade their homework and assess their skills in a timely manner. Likewise, I was too busy rewriting IEP goals and scheduling progress meetings to actually make the accommodations for the students in my class. In short, planning was getting in the way of teaching. Here, that's all I'm responsible for: to teach. It's kind of nice.

I remember before I came, I read all of the online reviews of CDI and saw lots of negatives. People complained about the teaching hours, of the rules, and how mindless the structure is. I've decided that these people never had a teaching job in America. The structure is the same everyday, but it seriously beats staring at a class and realizing the lesson you planned will not work and you have five seconds to pull something out of your ass before the kids figure out you have no clue what you're doing. The rules are nothing uncommon compared to what was required of teachers in America - one person I think complained about having to cover her tattoo......ummm....yeah.... When you're part of one of the most respected professions, it is kind of expected that you at least act like an adult. The hours do kind of suck, but they are probably the least surprising aspect of it all. If you show up in this country as a hagwon teacher and aren't aware that you'll be working evenings...well...just go back to America - if you seriously were unaware, you don't have enough common sense to be here anyway.

I do have to say that I feel more like a daycare counselor than a teacher, though. Because hagwons are businesses, the idea is to attract and keep students. You can have as awesome as a curriculum as you want - if you can't keep the kids, you aren't surviving. This was something that bothered me about AOE - we made a lot of degrading decisions (such as accepting makeup work 3 months later) for the sake of keeping our numbers - but somehow, I kind of understand the concept with CDI. Probably because I have yet to be asked to do something that compromises my teaching morals. I'm getting off subject. The comment about the daycamp counselor comes from the delivery. We are teaching, we do have a curriculum with goals, but the way we're supposed to teach it is to sell it - is to keep the kids almost entertained. I think I'm wary because this isn't hard work at all. AOE was - AOE kicked my ass and completely turned me into a monster. When I go back to America, I'll list CDI on my resume as teaching experience, with all the BS verbal jargon, and when asked, I will talk about how it's one of the highest rated private academies in South Korea, but I'll know. I don't feel like AOE was real teaching experience either because it was a whole lot of babysitting and absolutely no follow through with expectations. Maybe there is no such thing as real teaching experience - or maybe AOE and CDI have been more than I am giving them credit for.

Teaching here definitely kills a lot of Asian stereotypes, too. These kids are just as lazy and prone to mischief as American students. The only difference is that they back down sooner (well, most). The girls are in no way as boy crazy as my middle schoolers in America, which makes teaching *really* nice. It's funny - they don't even talk to each other. The boys are just like American boys, though - they either are your favorite or your least favorite students. I told one of my classes that they would have no problem fitting into an American classroom.

Some stereotypes are true - like the math thing. It's not because they're Asian, though - it's simply because they don't repeat the same math curriculum for grades 1-5 and then start learning new things in 6 like we do in America. Some of the kids are bad at math, though - I asked one of my students to answer 50 thousand plus 50 thousand and he just looked at me blankly (he did, however, know 50 plus 50). The politeness thing I think is more true because they don't really understand, and therefore don't use, sarcasm. A few of my kids get it, but those are ones who have lived in America for a number of years. When teaching sarcastic tone in reading class, I really had to exaggerate the author's words to get them to see it. Most students are polite, but there are definitely a few who are downright rude. One in particular comes to mind - and if you're one of my coworkers in Suji (and still reading this =p), you know exactly who I'm talking about. However, teaching my American misfits for so long has made me kind of like the rude ones, so I'm not gaining any gray hairs over this kid.

I've heard getting into high school compared to college entrance in America, but I don't think that's an accurate comparison. These students put a lot of stress on which high school they attend, whereas I think there's a pretty big "It doesn't matter" attitude with college...maybe the Ivy League schools. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that more kids in Korea care about their high school than kids in America do about college.

Pause: I think Coffee Bake bought a new CD. Fantastic :)

Next week will be the last week of the term. I've fallen in love with one of my afternoon classes and will be so sad when they transfer to evenings. Evening students are so blah, whereas the afternoon students are so enthusiastic. I've said a few times that I want to continue to teach them, but I think the transformation will break my heart.

New Definition of "Alone in a Crowded Room"

It's kind of surreal living somewhere and not speaking the language. I don't know exactly what I expected, but it's not completely awful. The worst part about not having my Alien Registration Card yet is the inability to communicate with _anyone_. I pretty much have to take complicated plans with people as there is no way I can get any sort of message about where or when to meet. It's also frustrating with people back home - I'm getting quite a demand to call friends and family members, and I don't think they realize that me getting online is either a few minutes because I got to school early, and am on that virus-packed computer, or it's because I managed to find an unstable internet connection at a local coffee shop. I feel guilty that I cannot stay in touch - especially during this first month - but there's really _nothing_ I can do. Korean law states that I have to have proof of residency to start something like an internet account, and I'm still waiting on that. Oh government processing time.

I think about the version of myself in America. I was so addicted to my cell phone and the internet. Here, not being connected is resulting in spending a lot of time alone, something I promised myself that I wouldn't do. I don't mind it so far - it's kind of a weird, adventurous thing, but I'm wondering when it will all seep in and I'll start getting lonely. I wish I was brave enough to walk up to Americans here and say, "Hi, I'm new in town and have no friends. What are you doing after work?" I'm still not sure if foreigners are allowed to band that kind of stranger connection (this is reminding me of Dr. Wilson's Sci Fi class - the whole thing about The Other), or if we're supposed to be trying to blend in. I see lots of foreigners together in this town - or walking around alone with a sense of confidence like they either don't need people, or are on their way to meet the scads of friends they already have (and don't need anymore, thank you), and it reminds me that I only know seven other people in this town. Maybe in Suji we're only supposed to hang with people from our own hagwon. If I weren't totally frightened out of my mind of getting lost, I'd attempt to seek out my training buddies, who I think are probably more in this whole, "I'm trying to meet people and be social" newness in Korea.

There are so many couples in this coffee shop. Every girl in Korea has a boyfriend. Ugh - that is something I definitely don't envy..

Holy god, if my parents are reading this, please be advised that I am not as miserable as I actually seem - that my coworkers are freaking wonderful and are doing a great job teaching me how to get around. Today, when we left Suji to go to a late lunch, Thanh and Dan pointed out the subway stops and bus numbers that get me back to Suji. A few days ago, Lisa gave me a subway map in English. I'm just sad because in two weeks, three of my coworkers, who make up the majority of our dinner plans, are leaving and I feel that means I should be officially over my New Girl phase and know how to do things like get around outside of Suji and order food for myself. It will actually be good that we're getting three new people as they'll be like me in wanting to get out and explore, as opposed to already having all that wandering worked out of their systems.

I feel like I need to be like Samantha in that last episode of Sex and the City - where she wipes her eyes and says, "Okay ladies, let's [perk up]. I'd like to show my face here again."

I'm labeling this post "pre-departure" for a reason: If I could go back and change anything, it would be learning hangul. Even if you don't know the actual spoken language, knowing how to read is insanely helpful when navigating the subway/buses, or trying to order in restaurants.

In happier news, I updated the photos in my Mobile Me gallery..

Welcome to Suji - A Brief Look at the First Two Weeks..

Not having internet makes updating this a pain. It took longer than I expected to move into my new place, which happened finally on Wednesday, and I've been too busy learning CDI structure and setting up my crib to ask the school about helping me to set up my own internet account. I'm kind of using February as my irresponsibility month, which I think is perfectly acceptable and I will freely pass on the torch of not-having-to-do-anything-but-live-in-Korea to the newcomers next month.

As I spend a good portion of my teaching encouraging students to identify a topic and main idea, I feel the need to include that here: My first two weeks in Suji have been a wonderful, and relieving, adventure full of good food, fantastic friends, and fun students. Be sure to underline the topic, main idea, major supporting details, and the minor details within each paragraph - also don't forget to circle transitions!

Each night, a good chunk of the staff (and with an 8-person staff, it's still a pretty small chunk) go out to dinner together, and this month will bring the departure of two of the key players of our nightly dinner rituals. These are the guys who've introduced me to such foods as chicken galbi (totally unsure of that spelling), pork bone soup (not my favorite at all, but worth the ehhhhh for that place's _fantastic_ kimchi!), bulgogi dobap, bibimbap in the stone bowl, the Korean version of fried chicken (which is quite similar to the American version), dopoki, and donkasu (again, totally not sure of the spelling of the last two...but I think the fact that I remembered them (!!!!!) should be celebrated as my coworkers have been incredibly patient with having to always reexplain what I'm eating!). Eating out here is so cheap - I think my most expensive Korean meal has been the equivalent of $5. Well, let me be a bit more specific: Korean food is cheap; American food is insanely expensive. Coffee shops are a good 20% more expensive than in America, and American restaurants are insane! Lisa - my HI - and I went to On the Border on a Mexican food craving, and things were about twice as much as they were at the OtB's in the States - plus they tack on this foreign tax..

Although, Suji is kind of the shaft when it comes to apartments, I totally lucked out with coworkers. They're all freaking awesome and, the best part, like to do things together (though, apparently this is new). Friday night, most of us gathered at Jen's and post-dinner snacked. It was a nice contrast to the staff breakroom. Somehow, I became the expert on how to prepare whipped cream (yeah, those of you who know me see the irony in this ;)), but it turned out, so I think I'll continue to let everyone assume that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to preparing milk products. Aaron brought these fantastic cookies and I'm refusing to ask him what they're called lest I purchase a giant package everyday.

Last weekend, two coworkers rescued me from purgatory in Suji and took me to Seoul. Saturday, Lisa and I had a girl's day at COEX mall as I decided that I really needed a handbag (do not ask why I didn't pack mine - I'm still confused as to what I was thinking when I was packing my suitcase). We searched all over the mall and eventually found one when we stopped at E-Mart on the way home. The day wasn't a total loss, though - there were lots of cute guys AND we found an On the Border. Expensive as all get out, but we found reasonable combo meals. I miss Mexican food soooooo much. On the subway back to Suji, we randomly got into a car that also contained one of my training buddies! It was so weird - out of all the subways in Seoul... Sunday, I was much more traditional with my Korean experience - Ben took me to a few street shopping districts near the Women's University in Seoul. I took pictures, which I promise to upload!! (Yes, I know I haven't been good on that promise..) That was the day I officially discovered street food, much to my mother's chagrin. When I am more confident in my Korean, I want to go back and look through the stalls for gloves and scarves.

To fund these shopping habits (including a very bad Lotte Mart hat addiction), I get to spend 6 hours a day with students who were *nothing* like I expected. I'm going to go ahead and break down stereotypes: Korean students are just as lazy as American kids, and many misbehave just as much, too. However, unlike Americans, they haven't really discovered the opposite gender...actually, the female students are usually my favorites (it was so opposite in America). They are the ones who usually find the right answer and participate the most. I often make reference to my "Birdie girls" - two classes of elementary students in what CDI labels the "Birdie" level (the easiest way to put this is to say that they are in the middle of the highest tier). They are the ones who have fun with the class and like to talk to me over break. One of my Birdie classes has decided that it's their job to teach me Korean so that I can read restaurant menus - they taught me the spelling for "bibimbap" and next week will teach me "bulgogi dobap". The middle school boys are one of two personalities: either they don't talk _at all_ or they do everything they can to cause mischief. One boy reminds me so much of the type of student I'd find in America that I sometimes forget that he is Korean. The elementary boys are more fun - they like to shout out answers and play hangman.

It freaking snowed last weekend and now I have to put forth a lot of effort at thinking about not falling. I tempted fate the other day when I slid (on purpose) across the basketball court that I cross on the way home from my apartment, as afterward I slid on accident and almost fell (and possibly would've brought Lisa down with me - I told her that if I fall, she's falling, too).

Must prep. Am an idiot and forgot to print out the teacher guide - I never use it except for the answer key to the exercises. I'm such a bad English major - I don't even know the correct answers to exercises made for middle schoolers!!

Goodbye Training....

I should probably write entries as things happen, or at least make a list of what to write about later, because time goes by and I completely forget about what That Moment was like.

I did have my first experience of American food in Korea. Near the training center was a McDonalds, and I went with one guy (Andrew, actually - he seems to feature in the adventure that was training). I was really curious as to how they serve American food, as I know that we tend to botch dishes from other cultures (New York style Chinese - that's all I have to say ;)). I had a bulgogi burger, which was a lot like moist pork. Definitely something that is missing from the Mickey's menu in America. It smelled just as bad as American McDonald's though. The other days, I stuck to the kimbop and dumplings place a few blocks down.

The rest of training was a blur. Tuesday night was definitely the worst (well, not counting my breakdown on Thursday night, but thanks to people named Andrew and Ed, it didn't end in tragedy (tragedy in this case being failing training and having to move back to America - yes, I know there are worse things)). Wednesday night, we went through this huge moment of "Screw it," and went to Lotte Mart for Korean bbq supplies. That was the first night I've actually made it to dinner - usually, I was either too busy or done with food for the day. I think all training groups go through that - the first night of complete anxiety because we have no clue what to prep, and then the second night of going, "Eh, we got this".

Fortunately, a group of April teachers cornered their trainer who admitted that unless Chungdahm had a Talk with you, you were in good shape to pass - bar any instances of showing up to final mock day inebriated, or just saying, "Yeah, I didn't prep this - let's talk about bunnies". I imagine that this moment involved a dark corner and boards with nails driven through - if I'm wrong, please don't correct me.

For those who are coming to Chungdahm later this year: the last day just involves being tested on a few class schedules they give you on the last day, and mock teaching the lessons you've been mock teaching all week. Pretty much, I think they're just looking to see if you've learned anything. I'll reassure you now, if you make a huge mistake (like if you do something like not prep the in-class quiz for answer justification.........no, that wasn't me at all ;)) but pretty much show that you have improved from your worst moments earlier in the week, you've got it. The fine-tuning is something that'll happen at your actual school - I've already been over with my Head Instructor the things I need to work on, and from what I've gotten from my coworkers, everyone pretty much sucks their first week, but it's easy to pick up on the stuff and improve.

The actual contract signing was very anti-climactic. My Chungdahm recruiter (who is different from my Aclipse recruiter) sat me down and asked how I thought training went. I was pretty honest (I even said that I wish Aclipse knew more about the training materials so I was better prepared - a small shoutout to Sean :)). Pretty much, I signed the same contract that they issued a month ago, and was told that my taxi would be there in 40 mins. We were all busy signing contracts during that last hour, so there was really no big goodbye.... I was actually the first one to realize it was time to leave..

Long cab ride later, and.....Suji.

Unlike previous promises of annotated picture posts, my day one in Suji post will actually come soon..

"Eat My Foot, Fish!"

Day one of training brought together sixteen of us! I had no clue there were this many CDI teachers in the hotel - I guess we're all just really good at hiding from each other. Training was short - just an introduction to how the rest of training will go, and the taking of The Big Scary Test. Totally passed - despite my panic attack when I realized that I hadn't studied *anything* about the history. Definitely don't blow off that part! The reading portion made me realize why my students hate the FCAT so much - the questions do seem "trick" and you're constantly second guessing yourself. My test looked like a weather map when I was done with all of the circles and arrows all over the place.

That first day is also the day trainees go to the health center for screening. Whomever told me that they didn't have to give blood - well, that has definitely changed! They have an awesome system at the center: there are color coded lines on the floor, and you follow one of the lines to your respective part of the hospital. It made getting lost insanely hard (I still managed to do it, but just once...you know, as opposed to each time I had to go to a different station). I won't call him out too much in this blog, but if you're in my training group - all I've got to say is, Brian with his sample cup. ;)

Typed like a madwoman to get to this part. We all went out to lunch (more like "linner" as it was so late) with each other afterwards. A native Korean in our group took us to this Bibimbap place. I think the waiter was insanely relieved to know that a few in the group did speak Korean (I've given up for now - I'm way too overwhelmed with all of the newness). The food here keeps getting better. Not only do they really showcase the flavors to their best advantage, but also the presentation is so nice. The mushroom and bulgogi dish that I got came in this bowl where all of the different vegetables were arranged like a color wheel with the meat in this neat little circle in the center. Didn't get a picture - at that point, I wasn't comfortable enough with the group to admit that I am definitely *that person* who wants to photograph everything ;)

Afterward, eight of us went to see Dr. Fish. If you're also stalking my gallery, this is where I brought out the camera. The coffee was just as overpriced as in America, but "the rest" ;) was just 2000 won (equivalent of $2). After coffee and a long wait, we were taken up to this platform, washed our feet, and then stuck them into the best foot spa EVER. Well, I make that sound much less eventful than it actually was: after washing their feet, the guys stuck theirs right in - the girls, however, sat for a bit in this awkward position with our feet poised above the water as if we were never going to see our feet again.

Imagine those old gangster movies in which a body is dangled above a piranha tank - the fish swarm around, gnashing at each other as they wait for their meal. Well, replace those scary piranha with a bunch of fish that looked like minnows' relatives, and that's about what it was like. Yes, we were afraid of minnows - I'll say it =p. After sticking in our feet with some awesome facial expressions (totally captured Lydia's and Steve's on camera), these tiny doctor fish swarm around and chow down on all of the dead skin. They were like monsters - and definitely couldn't get enough of our nasty heel crusts. I experienced both tanks and definitely liked the one with a ton of tiny fish better than the one with the bigger fish - the tickling sensation was more pleasant than "ahhh!!". Anna, you will be glad to know that afterwards, we did wash our feet again and treat them with an anti-bacterial rub. For the rest of the night, we were all so incredibly aware of our feet. Totally doing this again :)

Fashion / Hello From Home

Everyone who advised to bring trendy clothes were so right: Korean ladies are so freaking chic. Walking around here is like being treated to a constant fashion plate - with as efficient as these people are, I'm so not surprised that the girls get up an hour early to be sure they look slammin' on the streets. Their hair is always perfect, and Korean ladies have the most beautiful shoes. The guys are pretty trendy, too - especially with their haircuts. Totally puts a shame to the way American guys style their hair: either clippers, or totally forget to use the scissors/soap period..

Someone on the Aclipse forum made a pretty snooty comment about how Korean women don't wear purple. Being the snot that I am, I'm keeping tally, and have officially reached the double digits. These women totally rock the purple - which they should, with their pretty white skin and dark hair. Wearing purple today to Training, Day 1 just to savor the moment.

I've been digging to the bottom of my suitcase each day to find my trendiest looking clothing so I "fit in" as well as I can with my short haircut and completely un-Asian features. Saturday was this cute little red dress with black leggings and boots; yesterday, I completely rebelled against the whole dark-clothing thing and wore blue jeans and a white sweater. At one point last night, I stood up and one of the rocks from my windowsill back home fell out of my shirt. It was awesome - like a little "Hello!" from home, or a bit of good luck for today's tests. The rock is now sitting on my bedside table, and I think it's going to spend training in my pocket.

I've Survived....So Far..

Hello from Seoul, South Korea! Unlike previously feared, I am not the only person in training. To borrow words from a fellow trainee, we are the most mismatched, eclectic group of people, but somehow it works. My hotel roommate is from Canada, and we've bonded over Degrassi and their awesome healthcare system. The two boys are both from the northeast and have bonded over the supporting opposing baseball teams. My only experience with northeastern baseball is the episode of Sex and the City in which Carrie dated the "new Yankee". But I think I'll keep that contribution to myself.

We'll get the obvious out of the way: Seoul is GIGANTIC. It is also insanely quiet and very clean for a city of this size - which I'm sure is due not only to the diligent street workers, but also the general politeness of the people...I bet Koreans just don't litter. I still haven't figured out the whole politeness/insane road rage connection with Koreans, but am sure it must relate to the whole big-city life. I think what makes traffic work in Korea is that after they get cut off by someone, or almost rear end another, they move on and don't hold a grudge. This would never happen in America - we're famous for following people back to their houses and letting them know just how much we don't appreciate their changing lanes without signaling. If Americans drove like Koreans, there would be many many more vehicular homicides.

One of my training buddies became an exploring buddy when we ventured out twice to get the lay of the land (and by "the land", we mean "the block around the hotel"). We got lost twice - the first time, I tried asking directions using my Pimselur-gained Korean, but I think all that resulted from that conversation was both of us understanding that the hotel was not at that particular restaurant, and that I speak awful Korean. There are American-restaurants EVERYWHERE. Despite being in a foreign country and feeling obligated to experience the food that this culture offers, I am kind of curious as to what they consider "American" food and kind of want to try it. I bet they are much closer than we are at our attempts at ethnic food. I did watch a commercial for a local Outback and saw that their shrimp were completely shell-intact. I'm kind of wary of that - do you cut off the heads and peel off the shell, or do you eat it whole? My only experience in a restaurant here tells me that Koreans have no problem explaining how the food works. Exploring buddy and I went to this Vietnamese place and needed a bit of instruction as to what to do with all of the various spices and sauces served with our Pho. The waiter flat out told me not to put the spicy peppers into my soup, which I totally appreciated. I did try a bit of the red pepper sauce and made a totally fantastic face. Thank goodness for rice noodles.

Posted some new stuff in my gallery - will make a post later explaining some of the shots (although, some do a good job of that on their own)..

Meds Overseas..

Visited St. Augustine yesterday for a final goodbye to my various crews. It was awful, and I had to call someone on my way home to keep from totally crying. The great thing about going on a Sunday was that the entire house was off at a decent hour, so we were all able to go out to dinner. As I'm going to Asia, they decided that the thing I would probably not get over there would be Mexican, so we went to El Potro (yes, much queso was consumed ;)) and then to Village Inn because they don't have ovens to bake pie in Korea ;)

Melissa gave me a fantastic departure gift: more toothpaste than you can shake a stick at! I know that Aclipse recruiters claim that the toothpaste over there *isn't* packed with sugar, but I want to be sure... I also went to Target and picked up a ton of deodorant. Later, at the house, I made a comment about visiting my old roommates; Dereck responded, "We are old and Audrey apparently has an odor problem!" I digress - at Melissa's, we ran into her neighbor (Beck: the woman who replaced Randy Taylor) who travels overseas a lot and she gave me this long freaking pharmacy list. Now, while I'm taking all advice with a grain of salt - especially as everything I buy must be *packed*, there were a few things I listened to:

• Culturelle - a probiotic. This was the only thing I listened to with the whole "Get a 3 month supply" advice..
  
• Immodium - still with this whole Audrey will probably get sick idea
  
• Monistat - TMI, I know, but in case any female is reading this who is also going overseas, their toilet paper may be a bit different than what we're used to..
  
• Benadryl
  
• Cold medicine in case you pick up something on the plane and don't know enough about the culture to get something

She also suggested to pick up feminine hygiene products in case what's sold over there is different - but several female Aclipse teachers have confirmed that they've been able to find Tampax, so I'm not taking that one too seriously.. I also picked up some Airborne which I will be taking religiously for the next several days as me=sick on the plane=awful.

While on this adventure, Jess tossed some wet ones in my basket. She said that her airplane ran out of water and it was nice to have *something* to was her hands with after going potty. Also, she said I may want them for things like wiping down surfaces before I sit down..

Back to this awful beast that is packing. I've eliminated the space bags because they just aren't flexible once the air is gone. Crossing my fingers in hope that I actually can fit it all x.x

But this time I have the Glee soundtrack!

I Don't Think I can Take It All...

Welcome to the world I call "Trying to Pack". I thought that leaving my previous high stress job had the whole panic attack thing licked.... Well, that was until I tried to pack everything I thought I might need in the next year or so into two suitcases with a 50 lb limit each. As shipping costs are a nightmare, especially if you want something like a tracking number, I'm trying to keep the amount Mom has to send me way down.

I'm taking more shoes than I care to admit on here - mostly because I'm sure my parents will read this one day and I can hear it all now. I believe that actually only one person knows the true number. Despite this, they're not taking up too much room in my suitcase (I'm actually shocked at how compact all *hmmhmmhmm* pairs became). I now only need to make room for one more Space Bag, and I'm beginning to think that it may actually be easier to try to pack in the clothes sans bag. Still need to transfer a few things from my carryon as, for some reason, I tried to pack *everything* I'd need for training week in that thing. Don't ask - I don't understand my strangeness either.

So of all the questions I've asked, I feel that this one is the most important: how many times can you reuse a space bag before the thing gives up and says, "Honey, just pack less"?

Resuming packing on Monday. If I can fit it all, I will be one very *very* happy Audrey.

Adventures and E-2 Visas

I didn't realize how nervous I was about the consul interview until the night before - I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear (ladies, you understand this one ;)), and I couldn't sleep. Like many, I'm not a huge fan of walking into a situation without knowing what would happen. There are all kinds of topics on this forum about waiting for visa codes, packing lists, information about various schools and areas of South Korea - but I was hard pressed to find anything about the actual interview required to attain an E-2 visa.

Be sure the contact your local consulate in advance. The emails from Aclipse tell you what to bring, but - at least in my experience in Atlanta - the consul may require more documents than Aclipse states, and s/he (or the assistant) will want them at least a business day before your appointment. He or she will also send you a *ton* of information - as I get lost very easily, I was especially glad to receive very detailed directions on how to get to the consulate office.

Everything else here will be pretty much Atlanta-specific. I'm not sure how much networking the various Korean consuls in the states do with each other, so I don't know what of my experience is similar with other areas. Just a disclaimer :)

I'll be honest - I dreaded the trip. Atlanta is far away (6 1/2 hour drive x.x), and I'm not a fan of big cities. I live in a town with one stoplight and about a thousand people. To keep me sane, I brought my mom and my best friend from high school (I say "brought" - they were more excited than I was), and made plans for things to do other than just go to the consulate so I'd have things to look forward to.

However, I had absolutely no reason to dread or worry about anything.

We found a hotel really close to the downtown area that wasn't insanely expensive. The Atlanta consul's assistant will suggest that you stay in a nearby Merriot/Hilton/whatever that's hundreds of dollars per night. Ignore that advice! There's a Country Inn and Suites and a Comfort Inn down the road from Turner Field. We stayed at the former for $79 a night. Definitely wasn't luxury accommodations or anything, but the rooms were clean, the place was safe, and, most importantly, the water pressure was *fantastic*.

We had an interesting time finding places to eat. Downtown Atlanta is full of restaurants, but the parking fees are insane! Our first night there was a Sunday night as my interview was Monday morning, and many places were closed. We ended up eating at this bbq place called the Bullpen across from Turner Field. The parking lot was completely barren - only one car, which was just someone who was visiting one of the two employees on duty. Going inside, it's easy to see that during baseball season, this is a happening place. As we were car-tired, the lack of crowd was nice. I had one of the best hamburgers I've had in ages. If you go there, look for a tall African American woman who smiles and laughs a lot - she should be tending bar or at the cash register - ask her to make you a Somebody Else's Husband. Tell her that girl who was going to Korea sent you ;)

My interview with the consul was the next morning at 11:00 am. Way overestimating downtown traffic, I was about an hour early! Fortunately, the International Tower is in the same building as the Peachtree Mall, so there was a coffee shop and a few places to browse as I killed time. There is free wifi, but it is quite misleading: that place is a black hole for electronic devices! I couldn't get cell phone signal, and my iPod had a hard time connecting to the internet. When you finally make it up to the fifth floor, the Korean area is pretty easily marked. Don't be fooled by those imposing double doors! You can just walk through. There's a small reception desk - just walk past that to the waiting area. The window for visas should have a sign, but if it doesn't, it's the far right one. All of the receptionists are insanely nice.

Again, this may be just an Atlanta thing, but the consul sees five people a day in one group interview. The assistant will tell you to be there at 10:30 to fill out paperwork. Well, I didn't have any paperwork, but I do encourage you to be there at 10:30 so you'll have an opportunity to visit with the other teachers. I didn't meet anyone who was with Aclipse or CDL, but it was nice to hear everyone's experiences. Two of the other four had gone through Adventure Teach, who sound like they're a pretty good recruiting agency (not as good as Aclipse, of course ;)); the other two found their teaching positions without use of a recruiter. After hearing their stories, I was so glad that I didn't go that route! One girl had no clue she had to send in her documents ahead of time - had there not been an opening in our group, she probably wouldn't have been seen. Plus, she paid like $4000 for her ticket (made me thank Raquel profusely again!). The other woman was better prepared, but she didn't know anyone else going over. I think we were the first ESL teachers she met. I pointed her in the direction of this site, saying that I'm sure they'd welcome non-Aclipse teachers.

The interview itself was fantastic! The consul explained his role, that he was kind of a representative of Korea to determine whether he thought we would be a good fit for the country. He said that many people are confused about his job, and he also thought it was funny that he had such an important task, but only an hour to make a full judgement! He also said that the face-to-face interviews were now required because there had been so many problems with foreign teachers in Korea - apparently, we Americans are greatly prone to drinking, doing drugs, and participating in sexual deviancy. Sadly, I could definitely see how that would happen. We spent most of our interview talking about current events and Korea's role in the global market before he addressed us individually to ask a few questions (this is where I misinterpreted what I'd read about the structure: although we were asked individually, he didn't see us individually). He asked most of us about our college and teaching experiences. Ironically, he didn't ask me about the latter. However, I was one of the last to receive the questions, and the others had all majored in something other than English, education, or foreign relations - when I told him my two majors (secondary education and English), he laughed and said I was perfect for teaching in Korea, and asked why I didn't go for Japan instead.

I do recommend knowing a bit about the Korean culture, as he did ask us what we knew. Also, be sure you are 100% positive of the pronunciation of your province/city! I pronounced "Yongin" incorrectly and he had no clue where I was talking about! (Or, well, in my nerves, I probably said something completely different from "Yongin"..).

One part I liked was that I could pick up my passport the next day. I was wary of having it mailed to me - I have a had time putting faith in the postal service (especially since they seem to have lost a pair of shoes I've ordered for Korea x.x). You can pick it up at 11 - so if you're planning on flying back that day, be sure to schedule a flight that leaves sometime after that :)

If you're a Floridian like me, Atlanta is also a fantastic place to buy a coat suitable for the Korean winters. Our hotel clerk provided us with a list of very detailed driving directions to a few of the shopping locations. He recommended the Lenox Mall (?), which ended up being awesome as I found a coat at Macy's that was on this insanely awesome sale. Also, if you end up there, totally check out the Lenox Grill! One of their specialities is their macaroni dishes - I had a foodgasm :D

I took a few pics at the Georgia Aquarium to test drive my digital camera. Quite impressed with the thing - especially since all of those pictures were taken without a flash. If you end up there after your interview, be sure to be near the giant shark tank for their feeding, 2:45-ish. Sadly, didn't get shots of those as my camera battery died (killed it with those jellyfish shots - but, as you can see, so worth it!) http://gallery.me.com/aeagle