Getting Ready...

So...

The time for preparations have arrived.  This is no longer something that will happen eventually... this is now something that IS happening.  In two and a half weeks to be specific.  What's that you ask?  Did I ever imagine myself leaving the country for a year to teach kindergarteners how to speak English?  Never.  But all that has transpired since my graduation from the U of M in spring '10 has lead right up to this.

You see, back then, I didn't think it were possible to leave the country for a year, to leave everything I've known here in Minneapolis and go to some crazy country (yes korea has running water, no I will not be living in a grass hut).  So I started life... I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life so I got a crappy job with the plan to just move up in the corporate ranks and figure it out as I went.  Well, turns out me and my sarcastic nature don't like being micro-managed all day for a paycheck that can barely cover my student loans.  So I did some soul searching and came to the conclusion that I'm a teacher.

So of course I was excited to find a teaching job!  The problem is that I have no license and schools aren't interested in a mathematics major with no experience.  Lets just say I had about as good of a shot of getting a job in a school as Mr. Sandusky.  So after being denied any responses from over two dozen schools I happened across a post about teaching in South Korea.   I figured it couldn't hurt to submit a resume, and to my surprise, I got an email about a week later!  So I figured that it wouldn't hurt to go to an informational interview about it, and thats when I got hooked... I spent about 5 hours researching Korea and the culture interested me so much that I made a decision to move forward.  Let me stop here and say there is no way I would've done this if not for the support and encouragement from my family, and mostly my fiancee.  She has been absolutely wonderful in this whole process, and I'm going to be very sad to leave her.  I would have stopped right after the interview if she hadn't told me it was a great idea.  However, she is the awesomest (most patient, most selfless, most humble, really just insert anything positive here) person in the world, so she encouraged me to go.  So after I secured her for life, (I put a ring on it...) I decided to go for it.  So, after going through all of the paperwork, fbi checks, passport shennanegins, and other fun things...  I'm finally ready to leave!  The entire process took about 4-5 months, but I'm finally going.

Why am I going?  Well, there are many reasons.  For one,  it will be excellent for my resume.  I hope that it will no longer be laughable after this little excursion.  Maybe I can come back and do something I'm good at now that I have credentials!  Another reason is to better myself.  Yes, I could do that in Minneapolis, you are quite correct.  However, its going to be easier going to a place where I can completely reinvent myself, because nobody knows me!  Not that I want to completely reinvent myself, I just could... So it should be great, and hopefully the Brad that returns will be in better shape mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Why are you blogging about it?  Do you really think you are that special?  No, no I do not.  The only reason I am going to do this blog is because of the many people that have asked me to do so.  So, it would be appreciated that I receive a little feedback along the way, just so I know I'm not writing to no one.  Because that would be sad.  As for the name of my blog: Some of my buddies call me B-rad and it just so happens that I am rad and I'm going to Korea, so naturally I made it the title of my blog. It may also have something to do with the fact that the domain bradinkorea was taken... but thats neither here nor there.  Anyways, goodbye for now, I look forward to sharing my travels with you.

Brad