SFO Terminal Thoughts

I’m at the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport once again.

I’ve been here before.

I’m sitting at the same table, at the same terminal I was a little over a year ago. This time, my computer is a little nicer, I’m carrying a heavy jacket and my nerves aren’t shot. In late December 2008 I took my first journey to Asia to study abroad in Singapore. Less than a year after returning, I’m heading out East once again. This time to South Korea, specifically, to teach. The equatorial tropics that kept me warm for six straight months was won’t be greeting me this time.

The last two weeks have been one hell of a whirlwind. Almost two weeks ago to to the day, I made the decision to move forward with my job placement with EPIK, the Korean government’s English teaching program for foreigners. Originally, I was to show up on Thursday February 18^th, but it was jut impossible given the time frame.

To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get a job. I felt like I just caught the train everyone else was after graduation, “there’s no jobs in America, so why not go somewhere else?” My good friend Peter did so last August in China, where English jobs are in near comparable numbers to its population size. Korea, on the other hand, has been harder to get into. The pay, standard of living and locations are in high demand, making it a much more competitive place. That’s why I’m very grateful for the position I have been given.

As of now, I have several hours to wait for my next flight. A good movie may need to be in order for the time being…