The beginning...

Being in Korea for the last 8 weeks has been rather...interesting...In a fantastic way. I came here as a means of self improvement on many facets, to learn about a culture and people that I was never exposed to and to earn money. Essentially, I was trying to kill 30 birds with 1 stone. Though still early in the contract, there are still uncertainties with my goals but I do know that these last weeks since I've been here has changed something in me. Something that I had not planned on.

The thirteen hour flight to Korea would be the definite starting point for my insights.

My goodbyes to my parents were short and and definitely easier than I anticipated. I was too excited to have any lingering second thoughts and doubts. Except for one.

"Will I be able to make a lot friends and connections?"

I hadn't met any TaLKers aside from chatting through facebook, but I didn't dwell on that. I was trying to take everything at the airport; the people, the smell, the sounds, and the TSA. I couldn't help but recount a story of my good friend Alfonso who always gets pulled in for "random screenings". Accordingly to the TSA guy I was talking to, that's racist and illegal.

Airplane isles are terrible. Hardly anyone can pass through.

I found my seat number and when I looked down I saw a pair of shiny Drew Carey-esque glasses staring back at me from behind the complimentary blanket. Buried beneath that overlapping fabric maze was Jean Moon Lee. My first TaLK friend, of course I didn't know it until we talked(...puns).

It was terrible for me to make new friends when I relocated when I was a kid. I had to over come that and develop new skill sets to be friends with those around me, which I did.

As I look back to the beginning, I realized that I had no trouble meeting people. It was a big concern for me since if I couldn't be social, I would have lost a lot of opportunities to meet different people, do different things, and gain a better experience. Life in Korea would suck if I didn't put in the effort to meet new people and to see so they were like. It was just natural for me and I really had nothing to worry about.

It was and will be a fantastic adventure.


-Mr. Tea.



More to come: friends and cohesion of groups, interactions between people, English camp and forming new groups, foundation of friends, getting pissed, teaching and self realization, traveling, trip to Asan, insights and similarities of cultures...and more when I think of it...

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

I haven't been able to update my time in Korea these past few weeks since I've been very busy. Since Blogspot sucks at uploading alot of photos, I'm just going to upload it to picasa.

Korea

Have fun. I'll be adding actual insights soon.

-Mr. Tea

Goin away.

Less than a week left and I haven't even packed yet. No use in panicking since I'm not bringing much anyways. I got my itinerary in the mail last night or early morning. I came back from a great last day at work. Learned quite a bit about various people, black mail stuff. Haha. seriously, black mail stuff. Regardless, I'm flying out August 1st at 12:50 in the morning. That's pretty early. I still have some loose ends to take care of, but that's only a few phone calls.

I had a talk with a friend last night and she asked if I was scared of this entire adventure at all. All I had to say was "No, I'm pretty numb." All of which is true, and it's a bit weird. I don't know why but I don't feel a single things, no anxiety, no fear, and no sorrow. Ah, strange things.

-Mr. Tea

"It's all about location, location, location."

"Good news everyone" as Professor J. Farnsworth would put it. In this case it's something awesome. I just checked my TaLK account and I've been placed at an elementary school! I'm going to be teach at 이평초등학교 (Ipyong Elementary School) for a whole year. That's exciting news and I look forward to experiencing new things. I know I will be missing a few people, but I'm okay with that. I'm on to bigger and better things!

Anyways, these two paintings were done 2 days ago on my front yard again. One is a plant that my parents grew and i have no idea what it's called. The second painting is the rooftop of my neighbor's house. I haven't officially introduced myself to them as I am seldom home. Not that it matters anyways, I'm leaving in two weeks.
Here's a few realizations when I was was self-reflecting these past few days. I've realized that
a) I don't understand color and how it works at all. Also, i can never get the color right. I know people say practice, but it'll be great if there's guidance. Guess I'll have to be a Master Colorist the hard way.
b)I need to find a way to be motivated instead of constantly being lackadaisical .
c) I have no flavor. I hate to admit it, but my work is usually influenced by something I see and is hardly ever original. I wouldn't call it plagiarism, but there are certain things that I know I borrowed. Not just that but to me, my art style seems so plain. My rudimentary aethetics are so booooring. You might think that I'm just drawing attention, but it's a legitimate concern of mine.
d)I am very bad at realizing/analyzing what I see and process. Art can resonate with me and I know when it's good art or bad art (according to my personal preferences, anyways), but I can't always pinpoint why it resonates. Either a lot of people at college can see it and I can't, We're all on the same page, but I'm willing to admit it, or they're full of it and can talk their way out of a paper bag (I've seen many of these types). It's safe to say I'm confused.

So far, my proposed solutions to these problems are:
a)Study and observe alot more which leads to
b)I have no clue how to be motivated. I may just have to wing it.
c)It might be counter intuitive, but I might have to "steal" a lot of things I like about art and fuse it into a piece of metal, which then would be refined and forged into a sword.
d)Perhaps I should start critiquing a lot more.

Of course, this is just referring to my artistic abilities. My personal list is elsewhere and that's only for me. Possibly a therapist. maybe.

But enough about that, here's a shot of the school I'll be going to:wooo! Looks kinda barren and rather cold, but I'm a bear.

-Mr. Tea

A very hot day...in LA

This heat wave seemed to have come from nowhere and it's caught me off guard. With conditions being terrible, I decided to go outside and paint. I tried my hardest not to butcher these paintings (which are small, about 3x5). It was very zen to sit under the shade, observe, and to paint. The green blob is a cactus flower next to the tree I sat under and the second is a vignette of a view I had. It had an interesting negative space.

Anyways, I have only 2.5 weeks before I ship out. I'm rather amazed at myself for not being pressured to get everything ready, but it seems things are smooth. Of course, it may get bumpy near the deadline, but I'm trying to avoid that. I should probably go get a few power converters...

-Mr. Tea

Obtaining Your E-2 Visa

This is from my experience from the LA branch of the consulate and provided you have your contract.

----------------------------------------------------------

Things you'll need:

- Passport sized photo (I took a print out and was told to go across the street to take a real photo) $10

- Visa E-2 application

- A copy of your contract (in my case, the TaLK contract)

- Cash Money: $45 (may have changed since this post)

- Passport

----------------------------------------------------------

To get your E-2 Visa (in LA):

1. Go to the L.A. Korean Consulate at 3243 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010. Their hours are from 9-12 and 1-6 Monday through Friday. The number to call them is (213) 385-9300

2. As I have mentioned in my previous post, the commute to L.A. is terrible so go around 10. If you get there at 12-1, you're going to have to wait. Park in the lot right next to the building (don't worry, it's free for the first 20 minutes).

3. As you enter the door, you are going to have to go through a metal detector and once that's done, head to the left and around the corner. The window 2 is your destination as it says "VISA"

4. The wait is very quick if you go at the time I recommended. Just hand over the photos, the application, the contract, the passport, and the cash. She'll give you a receipt for the transaction. DO NOT LOSE THIS RECEIPT AS YOU WILL NEED IT TO RECLAIM YOUR PASSPORT.

5. The turn around for this process is a single day.

6. Return the next day and reclaim the passport. This should take 5 minutes at most if you time it right. Since you're already in Downtown L.A. at that point, you might as well visit Little Tokyo or Korea town.

7. Best of luck.

-Mr. Tea

Procedures to go Apply to TaLK (Los Angeles)

I know this process is hard, time consuming, and generally confusing despite the effort that the TaLK office has put in. I'll break it down a bit from my experience doing it from Los Angeles.

To apply, you'll need:
-Knowledge of when the deadlines are(There are 3 rounds; the early, the on time, and the late. I barely made it before the on time.)

-Completed Online application A+B+1000word essay (Try not to go over 1000, but no less than 950)

-A sealed Transcript (order it before you even come in. It takes a week or two and costs around $10-$20)

-A lesson plan (found on the TaLK website. Just think of a skill that you would like to teach the kids and work around that. Don't make it too complicated, they're just kids you're gonna be teaching.)

-Two Signed and Sealed recommendation letters (Someone you can trust and would be honest and helpful. These recommendation letters aren't the regular essay-like letters, but rather systematic and graded. Take a look and you'll understand)

-A criminal record check (This is by far the most confusing and time consuming. I'll break it down a little later on in this post. $50-$60)

-Confidence.

Remember, this is from my experience from the Los Angeles Area.

I suggest getting this all in order before moving on to the next part, but if you're short on the deadline, the criminal records check can be submitted a bit later. The drawback to that would be delay in acceptance results and if you have a big blemish on the record, you've wasted your money and time.

-Submit your Applications A + B + Essay

-After the TaLK office has been notified of your submission, Jai (pronounced like the letter "J") at the TaLK office will give you a call to set up an interview appointment.

*Note: The drive to Downtown LA is horrible so it's best to hit the roads after 10 AM and leave before 3 PM.

Location:
680 Wilshire Pl. Suite #200
Los Angeles, CA 90005
1-213-386-3112 ex. 201

-At the interview, dress semi casual, be relaxed, be polite, be confident and be yourself. Don't stress about it too much, They're just trying to see why you're doing this and if you have a team player personality. You'll be fine. Also, it's a good time to submit all of your documents while you're at the office (why waste time and gas money?)

*Another Note: There's a little parking lot to the left of the building. Go in there and get the pink ticket. Up in the TaLK receptionist office, ask them for the ticket validation. Get it stamped and bring it back down to the security guard sitting in his booth next to the entrance and he'll give you a special coin. Use that coin for the exiting booth. (Normal quarters won't work)

-The process time took about 3-4 weeks so just chill and wait for the email. BE SURE TO ADD talkkorea@gmail.com to your address book so it doesn't get lost in the spam folder (It's not very pleasant, trust me). Call up Jai at 1-213-386-3112 ex. 201 if you have any questions.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Criminal Records Check (I had a lot of trouble with this part)

-First, get a live scan at the nearest location possible. You'll have to sign a form and they'll finger print you and send for a record check. You only a need state level check (not FBI) and make sure your hands aren't mangled like mine, it only makes things harder. The cost was about $57 for me and it takes about a week or two for the results. Open it once you get it and make sure there's nothing wrong with it.

Note: bring 55 dollars in cash. ($20+$9+$26). Go around 9 AM and you can do this in one trip.

-Next, go to the Norwalk City Hall located at:
12400 E. Imperial Hwy
Norwalk, CA 90650
Be sure to avoid the solicitors. They are really pesky and can't be up to any good. Go up to the 5th floor room 5214 and get your background check notarized. It'll cost you $20

-In the same building, go to the 2nd floor room 2001 to get your notarized background check authenticated. It'll cost you $9.

-Now drive all the way to Ronald Regan Building
300 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
and go to the 12th floor, room 12513 to get your authenticated notarized background check apostilled. I arrived around lunch time so it was packed and some of the workers were at lunch. It wasn't pleasant. It'll cost you $26. The building is hard to find. Fortunately, I found public parking a block away and asked the attendant.

So if you were efficient, you could have the interview after this AND turn in all of the documents at once. Huzzah. Best of luck. My next post will be about what to do after you get accepted so look forward to it.

Also, I would like to give credit to: http://melandsteveinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/getting-criminal-background-check-in.html for helping me when I did it myself.

-Steve T.

Goin to Korea

After hearing about the Teach and Learn in Korea (or hereby known as TaLK) program from Joanna, a good friend and former TaLK scholar, I decided to take the plunge and embark on the new life adventure. As a child, though I remember very little of it, I am told that I was very out going, adventurous, daring and mischievous. I took sometime to assess my current life situation and I found that I had lacked experience of a foreign land and a foreign culture. Some of the great people I know and I've heard about took time in their life to face something completely different to their own accord and I believe it is that that makes them wise and mature. For example, my good friend and former professor Mark Michelon took 12 years off from his Masters/Bachelors career to pursue his passion (skiing, teaching) before he returned to art and my older brother who went to Hong Kong for a year and subsequently found his passion for photography. These two are merely examples of great people that have inspired me and made me want to do it. It's not something normal people do and to be honest, I've never liked being called normal nor do I believe I am. I rather be different, I rather have great stories to tell and great experiences to live and see things not many people see.

Screw normal, I rather have an adventure.
-Steve T.