10.31.2010

kate has a blog? with a weird title?

It's true.

Cup-Kate: Me, endearingly nicknamed by my friend Erica. A nickname that has been a hit among our friends, and so, will stick and title my blog.

Rice: Here's officially announcing that I'll be eating a lot of this come next summer when I move to South Korea. There may be some noodles and fish mixed in, as well, but "cupkate and rice and noodles and fish" seemed excessive.

What's with the url address? "Katerbait" wasn't taken.

So, whaaaa? Yes. South Korea. Born with the travel bug, having grown up going on awesome overseas adventures with my brother and fabulous parental g-units, I've not had the chance to expand my explorations as much as I always imagined I would in my 20's. A trip to Africa and a trip to Peru, with several mini-adventures around the USA and Canada, and I'm not satisfied yet. My 20's are quickly coming to a close. It's time (go Rangers) to scratch.that.itch.

A little over a month ago, I came home from my short adventure in Peru with Globe Aware (more about this faboo volunteer program later), where I was inspired by the people I met: Some had saved and traveled the world for 12 months, some built up their paid time off for extended 6 week vacations, etc, etc. Suddenly, spending a whole year anticipating a measly 2 week trip seemed silly. I Googled myself crazy when I got home. Next on my bucket list? SE Asia. Length of next proposed trip? At least 6 weeks. Which turned into 3 months. Then 6 months. I finally decided I should live and work somewhere for a year, fully immerse myself in the culture, explore and learn about my immediate surroundings, save the dollas (ehrr, the won), and travel more extensively afterward.

Old Man Pops, who has lived in Taiwan, Borneo, and Kuwait, suggested teaching English. What? It's that easy? It IS that easy to take a job and live overseas. There are a million details to going about it that I will share in future blogs, but simply put, there's a huge need around the world for native English speakers to teach. Research showed South Korea to be an incredibly lucrative opportunity, a safe and beautiful home base with a fascinating culture, and so, I was sold. I'll be on a plane next summer to live in South Korea for a year, with highly anticipated plans to travel 3-6 months after my teaching contract is over.

So...with much to be done, let the blogging of this upcoming journey commence!

xoxo - cupkates and katerbaits