D-10 Last stop Oxford

Last stop before I fly to Korea? Oxford, England.
I am currently sitting in a cafe across from one of the dozens and dozens of colleges at Oxford University. This is the last International stop on my journey before I fly to South Korea. On Wednesday I return to home to France to frantically begin packing a year's worth of deodorant (which is supposedly, outrageously expensive in Korea), vitamins (also very expensive in Korea), and shoes (because my gigantic shoe size (9) is not easily found in Korea).

I am definitely awaiting my departure with eager anticipation, and slight nausea. This mixture, of positive excitement and more negative nervousness is keeping me on edge. I recently completed the online TESOL certification Fulbright requires, which helped tremendously in giving me a more concrete idea of what teaching English will look like. My previous experience of teaching has been on a volunteer basis, and never in an official position. I am unsure what teaching English in an official capacity will bring with it. Will it be more structured? Will there be more pressure? Will the students be excited to learn? I suppose I just have to wait to find out! Not something I do so well...

D-25 Let The Preparations Begin

What do European cities have to do with Korea? Not much, except that I am currently living with my parents in France, as I prepare for my year of teaching English in South Korea.

The view from the restaurant terrace

Yesterday my parents and I took a trip outside of our city, to the small village of Cassel, settled on top of one of the only hills in the region. This Flemish-French village featured a long, cobblestoned road that rattled our brains as we journeyed to the top of the hill, however the view was reward enough. After a wonderful lunch on the breezy terrace of a restaurant, we walked through the city square where a music festival was being held. 

I returned to Europe, the place of my childhood, the beginning of May after graduating from Roanoke College in Virginia. As I prepare for my year in South Korea, I cherish the moments spent under the shadows of ancient cathedrals. The historic aura pervading all European countries wraps me in a familiar cocoon. I am leaving for Seoul on July 8th, and before then will have visited Ireland, Belgium, England, France (where my parents live), and Germany (where my grandmother lives). Sometimes I wonder what it would be like not to travel so much, but then I shake my head. I am thankful, so thankful for opportunities to travel and see the world, that I have had all my life. 

The restaurant 

When I first moved to France as a 15 year old, I had to learn French from scratch, and it was hard. I still do not speak French fluently, but spending the time here preparing for South Korea reminds me that I have lived in a country that I do not speak the language or know the customs before. If I did it once, with God's help, I can do it again. 

Music festival Cassel

This is my first blog post, of many more to come, detailing my adventures as an English teacher with Fulbright Korea. I hope that this blog will be a help to anyone considering to apply for a Fulbright ETA. If you have any questions, feel free to comment! I began my own process of applying to Fulbright May 2015, and I would have never successfully completed this long journey without the help from my professors at Roanoke College and friends who have gone before me as ETAs. So don't be shy!