Last week I made it through the interview process with EPIK (English Program In Korea) and I’ve been accepted into the program! I’m still unsure where I will be working, but I’ve requested Gwangju as my first choice. It’s a medium-sized city in southwest Korea that offers some great outdoor adventures and is relatively near the coast…for those hot summer beach days, of course.

Naturally I’m freaking out. Well, not all the time, but a significant amount. I’m signing a contract with the Korean government to live in a country I’ve never been to, I know little about and don’t speak the language, and I’m working at a job I’ve never done before and didn’t study. There’s plenty to actually, logistically freak out about I guess. Sometimes when I let my sense of adventure take over I start to see the incredibly difficult moments that are sure to come, and the memories that result from the best and worst moments. This is this rollercoaster I live to ride.

I’m very aware that I’m going to get frustrated. I’m going to feel culture shock like I never have before because this will be the first time I’ve spent over six months in one place outside the US. The language barrier will become a constant battleground that I will need to combat with my own Korean language study. When I’m dying for a bacon egg and cheese on a hard roll at 9am on a Sunday, I might just have to eat Kimchi. Things are going to be difficult, but not impossible. And the frustration will taper over time and give way to appreciation. I never said it would be east, but I’m really banking on this journey being worth it.

So now I’m still in New Jersey, exploring and revisiting some of my home state’s best places. On May 14 I will begin my job at Silver Bay on Lake George in New York’s Adirondack mountains. This is by far my favorite place on Earth and I’m so happy I have the opportunity to spend months here, healing my soul in the way that only the Bay can, and refocusing my energy so I can handle the craziness that’s coming in stride.

I should hear back this month about my placement. I will sign contracts, apply for my Visa, and then I will begin the neverending research on the neighborhood/city/region I’ve been placed. Updates are coming, I promise.