Sofie to Korea

As of today there are only six weeks left before I board my Seoul-bound flight. In many ways this is the worst amount of time to have to wait for something. It’s so close that everybody around me keeps talking about it and asking me about my preparations; yet still so far away that I cannot start packing or doing anything in real preparation for my stay. All I can do is study, anticipate, and wait, wait, wait!

Luckily, I have a bunch of work deadlines coming up to take my mind off Korea. Don’t get me wrong. I couldn’t be more excited about going, but it’s super stressful to move halfway around the world, even if just for a year, so sometimes I like to not think about it for just a little while.

I always teach my students that “proper prior preparation prevents poor performance!” So exactly how far along am I in my own preparations?

My flight is booked. I’ve found a furnished place to stay in Seoul. I’ve managed to sublet my current apartment. I’ve been declogging all my closets in order to have to pack as little as possible. I’ve submitted all my visa documents to the embassy. I’ve reached a decent level of Korean fluency. I’ve been added to the teaching schedule at Sogang university, and have started preparing my teaching. I’ve ordered new business cards. I’ve bought comfortable clothes suitable for the Korean summer.

I’ve done a lot, but somehow I still feel so unprepared. I guess there are things in life I just can’t prepare for. Some things will just have to work themselves out once I get there.

For now, I’ll just start preparing for the weekend. Happy Friday everyone!