Korea: Round Two

Hey All,

We're here in Korea once again. We had a fairly uneventful flight- long, but good. I think the whole process is pretty hard on our bodies and Blake is currently fighting off a cold. We are in our new apartment in Seoul and it is bigger than we were anticipating. It is still one big room, but I think it's gonna work. We are currently consuming large amounts of caffeine at Dunkin Donuts in order to cope with the time change. We have been laughing about how different it feels to come to Korea this second time around and feel so at ease with everything around us. We were so lost the first time! We've missed this place and are happy to be back-we don't feel so much like foreigners.



Right now we're off to E-Mart to try to get the essentials and hope to visit our friends Daniel and Hannah (and new baby Jonathan) in Pohang in the near future. We'll try to update as we can- we still don't have internet hooked up at our apartment.

Update regarding the Visa Process

Our Visa has finally been processed and everything is ready for us to leave on August 26th. Thank you so much for praying about the situation. We were getting a little concerned about making our flight! I would ask you to remember Jenn and Jordan as they are still stuck in the process. At this point it looks like they will be delayed another week and a half which means they will miss training and the first week of school. Needless to say... they are feeling a little discouraged. I couldn't help but laugh as Jordan said he understands why consulates are targets for bombings. (he's not actually considering bombing though :) Blake and I will have to go blaze the trail ahead of them in Seoul and then try to meet up with them a week or so later. We're not quite sure how that's going to happen. In any case...we're in for another adventure! Thanks for tuning in!

The Dog Days of Summer

For those who don't know, this is our precious dog Bailey. We're worried that she's too stressed out! (Please notice the tongue hanging out!)

Update

Our original flight date to Korea was scheduled for August 19th, but we've been delayed because of the freakin' visa process. (For those of you who are ever embarking on this process, be sure to have a gazillion copies of your university transcripts.) Our flight date is now booked for August 26. My (Erin's) visa confirmation number came today, but we're still waiting on Blake's before we can go to Toronto for the application and interview process.

Last year when we went to Korea we simply booked our tickets and went to Korea. We had to make a trip to Japan in order to get the work visa stamped in our passport, but it really wasn't such the complicated procedure that we are going through now.

The reason this whole process has changed is due to a man by the name of Christopher Paul Neil. He is actually a Canadian citizen who was teaching in South Korea and sexually exploiting kids through the internet. German police were the ones who finally caught the guy in Thailand and now South Korea has responded by tightening the rules on who can be employed in the country. While it is an admirable thing for Korea to do a better job with screening people, it's a big pain for people like us and the process takes several weeks.

We were really hoping to be in Korea early so we could visit some friends in Daegu before we start teaching in Seoul, but at this point it looks unlikely. We would appreciate your prayer for Blake and I as well as Jenn and Jordan that everything would run smoothly and quickly with our visas!

Thank you!