가자

가자 means Let's Go! in Korean, which I think is an apt phrase, since I have less than 1 month left until my departure for South Korea. It's incredibly scary, but it's also so, so exciting! Things have started to fall into place, and while I am still nervous, the excitement is starting to take over. My friend Veronica studied abroad in Japan and is applying to the Peace Corps, so we always have lots to talk about! It's nice to get advice from someone who has lived in Asia, and it's nice to chat with someone in my hometown that's planning on doing something similar.

As I said, things are falling into place: My visa arrived quite swiftly (thanks express mail!), and though it looks quite different from my other ones (ie, it has no photo), it's still super cool that I have 3 visas for living in 3 different countries before I'm 25. My final documents arrived safely in Korea, and today I went and got a consultation at the travel clinic, which turned out better than I thought- only 1 shot (hep A, which I need another one later but whatever) and some pills for Typhoid. It cost a bit and my insurance doesn't cover it, but better to be safe than sorry. The counselor wasn't worried about me getting the other ones like Japanese Encephalitis or rabies, as long as I'm careful and don't spend extended periods of time on pig farms or getting bit by monkeys I guess. Lastly, my plane ticket is booked! The only one I got arriving at a good time was a 7 am flight to Chicago with a 4 hour layover to a direct (14 hour, YIKES) flight to Seoul, but there's at least 6 or 7 other people on the same flight, which is really comforting and will be really fun! I'm excited to start meeting other people on the program!

I've also been slowly assembling necessities for the trip, like clothes that cover my tattoo and cleavage (since cleavage is a big no-no), new shoes, water bottles with filters (I've heard conflicting reports on the water and also got advice from Ronnie about the lack of water at restaurants for dinner), and some new shoes.

Now that my documents are prepped, my visa is here and my flight is booked, all that's really left for me to do is assemble the other basics that I want to bring and pack. This week is definitely crazy, as I still have a couple of doctors to go to, like the eye doctor and the lady doctor, plus a full 35+ hour work week, but I only have 7 shifts left at BK (most likely my last 7 shifts EVER, but I never say never and I don't want to burn that bridge in case something happens). Then I'm going to see Casey in her show, Cinderella, and then I have to get ready for my cousin Katya's wedding! 2 weeks later, I'll be on a plane to Seoul!!!

In my little downtime, I will be spending time with my grandpa, who is visiting till the wedding, as well as watching City Hunter (a kdrama) with my dad, and trying to study some Korean, since mine is still nonexistent. Still not sure if I'm gonna vlog about my trip, it seems like a lot of people do and it might be fun. We shall see, I guess!

I have like 25 days to go. OMG!!!