My GPA was good, I studied hard and was ambitious, but like many of you, I was about to graduate and was terrified as to what my future held. I had spent four years grinding pencils and memorizing seemingly useless jargon. I wanted something unusual and strange in my life, something that would help launch my goals and yet be lucrative at the same time. This is when I decided to say goodbye to America and seek employment in the most geographically and culturally distant land of South Korea. For months I spent sleepless nights researching and establishing contacts abroad, only to find out that this was going to be easier than I first thought. Before I knew it, I was on a 14 hour flight from Dallas TX. to Seoul, S.Korea with my “working” Visa in hand. I sat staring out the window the whole time and pondered the unknown world that awaited me, not knowing if I was more excited or scared.
That was 14 months ago, and I still reside in South Korea. Since that time, I have come to meet the most wonderful people from all over the world. Koreans love Americans, and I can feel their acceptance and accommodating demeanor in almost everyday. The world as I knew it stands still and I experience a new lesson and learn more about me as each day passes. The foreign community is tight here in Busan, and weekend excursions to go skiing, hiking or sightseeing is commonplace. Buddhist temples are a stone throw away, Japan is a 2 hour ferry ride across the Korean Sea, South East Asia is a short flight away and the nearest mountain is nearly on my doorstep. I have little to worry about here teaching English because my school pays for my apartment, I don’t need a vehicle due to an excellent public transportation system, my health insurance covers almost every penny and the school provides roundtrip airline tickets. Also, even though Korea is the 11th largest economy in the world, the purchasing power associated with my salary allows me to live like a King and still save a bundle.
I am not sure how long I will remain here in Korea, but it may be a long time. The business opportunities are endless and the market here is one of the most rapidly increasing in the world. This is an opportunity that I felt needed to be shared and is not as difficult as one might think. I invite anyone who is interested to contact me.
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
Austen Kennedy 2006 A&M-C Graduate