Another few weeks have passed here in Chicago without much change. The holidays have come and gone as usual. I have just passed the one-year mark since my departure to Spain and it is such a bittersweet feeling. I remember being so fearful of leaving the US and now I cannot wait to leave again. I also had such high expectations of what my life would be after college. Needless to say, I have come nowhere near those expectations which saddens me more and more everyday.
I must say that I have been good about keeping on target with my goals for getting abroad and even added some interesting twists. But let's start where I left off...
I've been applying and researching for more grants in Spain. I just finished 2 cover letters in Spanish (a difficult task because I rarely use my Spanish since graduating); I have completed everything for the major grant that Dani found for me and all that is left is to mail it in and wait for a response.
I took a trip to the English Consulate downtown this past week in order to get my dual citizenship rolling. It was pretty much a wasted trip because they told me that everything, even my birth declaration has to go through Washington DC. I was hoping to avoid this time strain but there's is nothing I can do about it. So I have to put this on hold for a bit because I have finally realized that my eyes and my heart are too big for my wallet, and with the final of my student loans beginning this month, I have very little money to spare. But hopefully a better job is waiting for me around to bend so I can finally put all my hard work into action.
I am slowly starting my other TEFL courses. I get to do them on my own time which is a blessing and a curse all in one. With work being slow these next few weeks, hopefully I can motivate myself to get a jump start on them.
Probably the biggest twist and main reason for this post is a decision I made after careful consideration a few weeks ago. I have been so hell-bent on returning to Spain (which has not changed, however...) I never even considered teaching anyplace else in the world. So after much research, I have decided to leave the States a few months ahead of schedule and teach in Asia.... South Korea to be more specific (no they are not the ones that are anti-American). I'm going just for the summer, but the pay is amazing, all accomadations are included, as well as roundtrip airfare. But I have a method to my madness... with the outrageous prices of airfare right now, schools in S. Korea with pay for both flights to and from Korea. Therefore, I figured that I will have my school in Korea simply pay for my flight to Spain. Save myself almost $1000 while gaining teaching experience and learning about a brand new culture. Plus, I figure that the culture shock will be so incredibly massive in Korea, that by the time summer ends, Spain will be the closest thing to America and my adjustment back into the Spanish way of life will be easy. A few people that were in my TEFL courses earlier will already be in Korea by this summer, so I am confident that my transition will not be terrible. I have contacted my advisor from my TEFL course, and he is helping me prepare my resume and getting ready for some interviews with Korean schools. He says that by mid to late February, I should know where and when I will be arriving in S. Korea.
This was actually the easiest part of my journey so far. If I wasn't so smitten by Spain, I may have chosen to remain in Asia for more than just a summer. But with my dream in arm's reach, I am not slowing down. I know what I want and I'm no longer afraid to fight for it. All I have to do is be patient and wait out the winter which already seems never-ending.
Until next time,
<3 Brittany
