Gyeonggi English Village

Greetings!

This is the first official installment in my year long blog about living and working in South Korea at the Gyeonggi English Village. I actually interviewed..auditioned..and received my contract almost 2 months ago, however the work visa application is a long (and frustrating) process, so things haven't moved as swiftly as I had hoped they would. Oh well, more time on Townline Lake for me!
I am pleased to report, however, that I have received my visa application number, and scheduled my interview at the Korean Consulate in Chicago for Friday June 20th!! Which means I will be leaving the states during the final days of June, the 28th-30th.

I am sooo excited about this opportunity to see another part of the world and more importantly to perform (and be paid for it)!! As an "edutainer" at Gyeonggi I will be performing original children's theatre pieces geared towards teaching the English language to the students and visitors at the English Village. This includes musicals, plays, street performances, story telling, parades, and (I'm told) even some line dancing! If you know me (which you do or you're probably not reading this) then you know exactly how up my alley this job is!

As a side note...after signing my contract with Gyeonggi I received my acceptance letter into the graduate music program at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. (I had auditioned at CU just before hearing about the job openings at the English Village.) The great people there have allowed me to defer my enrollment for a year (and keep my scholarship) so the tentative plan is to begin the masters program there in the fall of 2009 to study vocal performance and conducting. But (and I am living proof of this) who knows where life will take me and what connections I may make while in South Korea.

Ok, I guess that's all for now. I will do my best to keep this blog updated and to post some pictures as soon as I have them!

Jessica