Let Me Introduce You to K-Pop

For those who don't know me very well or have never met me, I have a great love for music. Not just any music. I'm talking about bubblegum pop! This should not come as news to any close friend or family member of mine. Ever since boy bands took over the 90s and made my teenage heart flutter, I have not been able to break away from it.

I bring up the subject of music because a lot of people have been asking me, "How will you survive without good music?" Of course with I-tunes and the internet, I do not foresee me having any problems discovering new music in the US from all the way in Korea.

During my research on SoKo, I just had to explore pop culture and the music scene. The information I found was amazing! While lots of the music that is popular here in the US has made it's way to Korea, they have what is called "K-Pop". It's a music genre that originated in SoKo and has grown popular all over Asia. Some of the popular bands include BigBang, 2NE1 and JYJ.

I have attached a video of Big Bang's "Tonight." Do I know what they are saying? Definitely not! Then I think, did I understand the provocative lyrics of Nsync or Backstreet Boys? Nope. Ahhhh I hope one of my little Korean children will grow up to be a K-Pop singer! (FYI-totally kidding) ;)

Big Bang - Tonight

waiting, waiting and more waiting...

Just so everyone knows, this has been such a long process for me. I started my aggressive research on teaching in Korea way back in October of last year. After deciding in early December that this was something I really wanted to pursue, I began sending out all necessary documents for authentication. It wasn't until April that I finally received the last of my documents from the government.

I got news from James, my recruiter, on Sunday night that my paperwork had arrived in Seoul. Woo!!! Major props to FedEx for getting it there so quickly. I sent my documents out Thursday and he had them in his hands by Monday morning, which is Sunday evening U.S. time. So just a FYI, if you plan on sending me a package I would recommend using FedEx ;)

James told me he is going to file for my Visa in two weeks since my start date isn't until July. After I receive my information I will then have to make an appointment with the Korean Consulate in Washington, D.C. This means I'll be making one last special, hopefully extended, visit to see all my friend in NOVA!

I'll continue to keep everyone updated on my process. Only 10 weeks left!