I'm supposed to be on a plane now. I'm supposed to be flying to South Korea, with nothing more than the bag on my back and a fistful of dreams. Instead, I'm sitting in my parents living room, watching a movie, and wondering what to do with myself for the week.
The clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland mean that no planes are flying in or out of Ireland. No planes are flying in or out of London Heathrow, either, and no planes flying over Europe. While the airline companies are pushing to get them back in the air, the prospect of actually flying anywhere til Thursday is pretty remote, and I don't know if Sunday is even viable, either. I haven't heard back from the school yet, but I expect an email from them any minute, telling me it's all going to be OK, and I'll be on the next flight over. Or that they're doing everything they can, and to hold tight until it's taken care of. Which of course, nobody can say, because they don't know how long it's going to last. In addition, apparently the cloud will move into Korean airspace on Wednesday or Thursday, and while the authorities expect it will have dispersed enough to not cause engine problems in jets, anything can happen. Literally anything.
My bag is all packed, has been since Friday. All my remaining clothes are in it, and I don't really want to unpack, wear, wash and pack stuff again. I finished up with the job on Friday, and I've everything ready, so I've nothing really to do until I get on a plane. My going away party last night, while it was really good fun, felt a little hollow knowing I wasn't going to be leaving tonight as planned.
I know I am not as badly affected as so many other people- at least I'm still at home, unlike all those stranded on holiday across the world- but I still feel a little bit put out. Everything I've been planning and preparing for the past few months is now looking much tougher than expected. I've overcome so many obstacles and put in so much effort, and this is just another massive problem. It will sort itself out, it has to, but in the meantime its a whole load of trouble and uncertainty.
There's lessons to be learned here, I suppose. No matter how much time and energy you put in to something, there's always something that can go wrong. Things you never even thought of- things nobody thought of- can turn around and bite you in the ass. I'm learning an awful lot about international air travel, and global weather systems, and crisis management. With this much time on my hands, internet reading is going to take up a fair bit of my time I'd say!
Anyway, I'm glad I finished on a more positive note. I'll keep posting any information I recieve, and I hope I van get on a plane soon!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Two and counting
So! Bags packed, stuff given away or put in the attic. All my things are taken care of. I'll include my list of things packed in a later post, maybe.
My visa is on the way back from Dublin with my brother. There was a moment of panic there when the embassy told me on Thursday that it hadn't been sent- thankfully I can count on Tommy!
My going away party is on tomorrow evening. Going playing Laser Tag, and then out in Brandons. Should be fun!
But the old saying "anything that can go wrong..." still holds. In this case, an unprecedented mass stoppage of flights due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Go figure. It would take an act of God to stop me getting to Korea. I'll prepare to head off this Sunday, but it's looking increasingly likely that the plane is not going to get off the ground. Even if it does, the airports will be mobbed, and it'll be an absolute nightmare. Oh well. Keep you posted.
My visa is on the way back from Dublin with my brother. There was a moment of panic there when the embassy told me on Thursday that it hadn't been sent- thankfully I can count on Tommy!
My going away party is on tomorrow evening. Going playing Laser Tag, and then out in Brandons. Should be fun!
But the old saying "anything that can go wrong..." still holds. In this case, an unprecedented mass stoppage of flights due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Go figure. It would take an act of God to stop me getting to Korea. I'll prepare to head off this Sunday, but it's looking increasingly likely that the plane is not going to get off the ground. Even if it does, the airports will be mobbed, and it'll be an absolute nightmare. Oh well. Keep you posted.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
12 days now!
Not even counting in weeks anymore- it gets a little more real every day! Today was a particularly busy. I got the number for my visa application, and booked an interview on Thursday in the Korean Embassy. Also got my tickets emailed to me. I'm leaving on Sunday week, the 18th April- the same day as Maconn Fionn, and the day after the party I had organised. Guess I can't drink *too* much that night, really don't wanna be hungover for a sixteen hour plane journey!
I spent the rest of the day sorting out all my belongings into three piles- bring, bin, and give away. I've loads of stuff to give away if anyone is interested. The clothes were the hardest part though. Throwing away what were admittedly rags, but rags that have been friends of mine for a very long time, was very very tough indeed. My mother was amazed that I could do it at all! It really is amazing, though, the stuff you accumulate that you don't need and never really use. I've a big chest full of the things I just couldn't bear to part with, and this will wait in the attic for me until I get home. The bring pile is very small indeed, and perhaps it's just aswell- I'm only allowed to bring 20 kilos with me.
The other big thing I did was visit the barber. I went in and asked her to make me look really neat. This involved cutting my (not too long, but not short) hair, and shaving my beard. Ouch! I've had that beard for a long time now, and it feels so weird to be without- the breeze blowing across my face, the smooth feel of the skin there. I still think of myself as a man with a beard though- it's just that now it's hidden under my skin. I then went into Boots' and bought rasors, shaving cream, aftershave- the works. If you're going to do something, do it right!
So here we go- 12 days and counting. But you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and it'll only be eleven! Tempus Fugit, my freinds...
I spent the rest of the day sorting out all my belongings into three piles- bring, bin, and give away. I've loads of stuff to give away if anyone is interested. The clothes were the hardest part though. Throwing away what were admittedly rags, but rags that have been friends of mine for a very long time, was very very tough indeed. My mother was amazed that I could do it at all! It really is amazing, though, the stuff you accumulate that you don't need and never really use. I've a big chest full of the things I just couldn't bear to part with, and this will wait in the attic for me until I get home. The bring pile is very small indeed, and perhaps it's just aswell- I'm only allowed to bring 20 kilos with me.
The other big thing I did was visit the barber. I went in and asked her to make me look really neat. This involved cutting my (not too long, but not short) hair, and shaving my beard. Ouch! I've had that beard for a long time now, and it feels so weird to be without- the breeze blowing across my face, the smooth feel of the skin there. I still think of myself as a man with a beard though- it's just that now it's hidden under my skin. I then went into Boots' and bought rasors, shaving cream, aftershave- the works. If you're going to do something, do it right!
So here we go- 12 days and counting. But you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and it'll only be eleven! Tempus Fugit, my freinds...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Start at the very beginning...
It's a very good place to start.
I've been wanting to go teach in South Korea for some time now. I had the notion a year or two ago, then after doing the TEFL course last summer, I decided the time was right for me. I started a job very shortly afterwards though, and wasn't able to follow through. I was still looking at placements and considering my options, casually applying, but not really getting anywhere. Then my good friend Aiden O'Donoghue put me onto a very respectable looking hagwon (private language school) named MoonKkang, and managed to swing himself a job there aswell. Maccon Fionn Macnamara, another lad who was on my TEFL course also managed to get a job there too, and for a while it looked like I would be the only one of us left in Ennis! But fortunately, things fell into place, and I was told on Paddy's day I'd a job in Korea.
I'll be working in Daegu, the same city as Aiden and Mac, and while we'll be in the same company, it's different branches, so between us we'll meet a good few new people. My branch is in Siji, near to the soccer stadium, and has ten other foreigners, a couple of whom I've already been in contact with. So I've an idea of what to expect. But also, I suspect, I'll be very bewildered too...
When I signed the contract, I was told I'd be starting May 1st. I got an email from the HR manager this morning saying that the teacher I was replacing wanted to leave a little early, and could I come sooner. So now my departure date is April 20th. That's three weeks time! So much to be done. I wrote out a list of things to pack and jobs to be done, and there is an awful lot! I have a week off work next week though, and I'll get loads done then. There's injections to be got, insurance to be bought, going away partys to be had, and lots of other little things to be taken care of, before I even start to pack a bag.
This is long enough for the moment. I hope to come back to it fairly regularly though, so continue to watch this space.
I've been wanting to go teach in South Korea for some time now. I had the notion a year or two ago, then after doing the TEFL course last summer, I decided the time was right for me. I started a job very shortly afterwards though, and wasn't able to follow through. I was still looking at placements and considering my options, casually applying, but not really getting anywhere. Then my good friend Aiden O'Donoghue put me onto a very respectable looking hagwon (private language school) named MoonKkang, and managed to swing himself a job there aswell. Maccon Fionn Macnamara, another lad who was on my TEFL course also managed to get a job there too, and for a while it looked like I would be the only one of us left in Ennis! But fortunately, things fell into place, and I was told on Paddy's day I'd a job in Korea.
I'll be working in Daegu, the same city as Aiden and Mac, and while we'll be in the same company, it's different branches, so between us we'll meet a good few new people. My branch is in Siji, near to the soccer stadium, and has ten other foreigners, a couple of whom I've already been in contact with. So I've an idea of what to expect. But also, I suspect, I'll be very bewildered too...
When I signed the contract, I was told I'd be starting May 1st. I got an email from the HR manager this morning saying that the teacher I was replacing wanted to leave a little early, and could I come sooner. So now my departure date is April 20th. That's three weeks time! So much to be done. I wrote out a list of things to pack and jobs to be done, and there is an awful lot! I have a week off work next week though, and I'll get loads done then. There's injections to be got, insurance to be bought, going away partys to be had, and lots of other little things to be taken care of, before I even start to pack a bag.
This is long enough for the moment. I hope to come back to it fairly regularly though, so continue to watch this space.
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