Annyeonghaseyo!

Hello, everyone! Annyeonghaseyo (안녕하세요), or just annyeong for short, is how you say "hello" in Korean. An appropriate, if cliche, way to begin my new blog.

On July 3rd, I will leave the US and fly to South Korea, where I will spend one year teaching English to secondary school students. This opportunity is funded by the Fulbright Grant, which I, along with seventy-nine other Americans, was awarded this year for the purposes of ESL education in Korea. I will update frequently on this blog with photos and stories of my experiences!

So far, my experience has been limited to the preparations I've been making for departure. Packing will take some time: can I fit a year's worth of clothes and educational materials into two suitcases? I also need to start thinking of gifts for my host family and host school. (I will be staying with a Korean family for the duration of the year, which will be fun and challenging, I'm sure.)

I've also been studying a bit of Korean. Although I did take one semester of Korean language classes in college, it was a few years ago, and playing catch-up is not easy. To supplement flipping through vocabulary flashcards and drilling grammar, I've also tried watching a few Korean dramas. The few that I've tried watching so far are pretty horrendous. I don't know how people get addicted to this genre! :P But feel free to suggest some of your favorites, and I'll check them out!

T-minus 19 days!