Hello there. As I write this post I’m very excited to say that my signed contract, along with all the other documents required to get my visa sorted are currently airborne and jetting their way towards Korea, having left Paris at 1am this morning.

Having finally received my Apostle certified documents, one of which I had to resubmit as I failed to notice that the signature the authorised signatory had used was actually a stamp of her signature (How lazy can you get?). Respect is due to the FCO however, as they returned the documents with  a speed I would never have expected from any official office.

That only left the revised contract which was sent to me by the schools director earlier in the week. As anticipated the tax rate and holiday remained the same, but the missing sentence was corrected and, most excitingly, I was given the date of my first day at work, the 8^th December 2012.

Holy crap this is getting real to the point of near certainty. I’ve been so focused on getting the job that I have spent relatively little time thinking about what it means to leave home, family and friends for a year to live and work in another country. I also realise I’m pretty lucky, my conversations with a few older friends and family members seem to have a ‘don’t hesitate, just do it’ undertone that isn’t clear in conversations with people my own age. Others, such as the wonderful Sandy, a grandmother who works in the pub where I work, can’t stress enough that it sounds like a horrible idea and she doesn’t understand why anyone would want to go to Korea, or anywhere else for that matter. She certainly wouldn’t be happy if it were her children going. I can’t imagine not wanting to travel, but I guess everyone is wired a little differently.

So, I found myself in a position where everything was ready to go. I received an email from the recruiting agency saying they hadn’t hear from me in a while and wanted to know where I was with the documents. I didn’t reply but instead got together my Degree certificate (apostilled), CRB (apostilled), passport photos, a copy of my passport, a completed heath assessment form, my CV and finally my contract, all signed and completed, and put them all in a big envelope. The Korean address seemed hopelessly complicated but the man at the mail office said it was all good. Delivery by FedEx is pretty expensive, it cost me £47 to mail the package and that was the cheapest courier option, which is requested by the recruitment agency. At least now I know it’s on its way and visa applications can begin. Lets double check… yep, its still in the air after having left Paris.

That’s all for this week, more soon as things get moving.

James Vs World – Draw

I should also mention that this weekend I went to Teifi Tour with the wonderful Aberystwyth University Canoe Club and had an awesome time. It was so good to see my uni friends and same some goodbyes. You are all brilliant and I hope to see you all again in 2014 x x