Beginnings . . . are hard.

Wow . . . well, this has been an experience already. I'm not sure about this blogging thing, so please bear with me if you're reading this, I have some learning to do.
I suppose I should give some background to why I am in South Korea teaching English, for those who don't know. So last November, I was freaking out because I had no idea what I was doing after graduation - I didn't have a plan, and for those who know me, you know I need a plan and that I love them dearly with all my heart. And when I don't know what's going to happen, I get a slightly nervous - which is probably an understatement. Anyway, I thought about going to graduate school this fall but then one day I walked by a recruiting table for teaching English in South Korea. It was just sitting there in the lobby of Ortner Center at Union College. I had always wanted to travel abroad, I'm a slight English/grammar nerd, and, being an elementary education major, well I love teaching. So I filled out an interest form before leaving the booth. As I was walking away, I thought to myself, Wait, what just happened? . . . Then everything started happening, fast. I prayed very hard, all the time, and talked with my parents about the pros and cons of this opportunity. They weren't exactly keen on the idea at first, but deep down I knew they were excited for me to have this opportunity.
Right before Thanksgiving, BOOM! I got a phone call from South Korea, interviewed and started getting approval from the Seventh-day Adventist GC (General Conference). I worked very hard at getting together my documents so I could get my E-2 Visa. My goal was to be in Korea by August 19 for the beginning of orientation - however, I guess God decided I needed to learn some lessons and grow as a person before I boarded the plane to leave.
The problems began this summer. I sent in all my documents to get an apostille on 2 different documents. The government decided that they only needed to tell me about one problem at a time instead of all at the same time, resulting in my documents being sent back and forth in the mail 3 or 4 times before I finally received my final document - in the second week of August. I realized then that I definitely for sure was NOT going to be making my August 19 goal. Well, ok, I could handle that. Being a couple days late for orientation wasn't going to be a big deal. So I sent all my documents South Korea (which costed an arm and a leg, by the way. literally . . . ok, not literally, but close enough. lol) and got my visa issuance number with in 2 days . . . TWO DAYS (on my birthday of all days - what a great birthday present!)! Usually it takes 10. I thought things were finally working out. I ended up not having to travel to the Korean consulate in Chicago but merely needed to send in my documents and visa application and fee. YES!! More things working out better than planned. So the next day, I sent everything in - got a phone call the next evening, telling me that my picture wasn't usable because it had a background. So I sent in a new one the day after that, but it was the weekend so it wouldn't make it until the next Monday. To cut to the chase, classes began on September 3 - I arrived at Incheon Airport on the evening of September 3 exhausted and possibly more than slightly scared at the reality that I was now in a foreign country without knowing a soul, the language, and what I was going to start teaching the next day. As I was unpacking my clothes in my new tiny and unfamiliar room that smelled funny and had people outside speaking a language I didn't understand, I almost broke down. I felt so alone in the world - that no one loved me or understood me. I felt I was going to be an instant failure. I even told God that I'd made a mistake, I wanted to go back home, that this really wasn't where he wanted me to be. That night was one of the worst I've had in a long time.
However, God sent me to Daebang School, where an amazing site coordinator from South Africa named Henri, is being extremely understanding, hospitable, and ever so helpful. My roommate, also from South Africa, named Nomfundo has also been a blessing, being encouraging and very friendly. Basically I have gotten the two weeks of orientation in a matter of sporadic lessons over the last two days. Two days - that's all the longer I've been here. Maybe it's the jet lag messing with me, but it feels like so much more than that. P.S., jet lag sucks . . . BIG TIME! Especially when you arrive in a country at night which is 14 hours ahead of your home and are expected to teach the next day at 7 a.m. with books you have seen for the first time that night. Craziness, right?! I guess that's kind of what this whole experience has been and will be - craziness. Living life as I have never known before, expecting the unexpected, not knowing what is going to happen the next day and being ok with that.
I will probably post a little bit more today about what classes and life here have been like so far. But right now, I have to go teach some juniors how to talk about going to an English overseas program and where they would like to go and such! Sorry if this post was too long, but it felt good to type it all out!