Discovering America, Part 2

Sorry for the delay to those of you who are actually reading this thing. I've made it all the way to Wilmington, NC to see Dave! My trip has been...well, both eventful and adventurous, but lacking any noteworthy tragedies. Let's see...

Awww :-)


Nebraska Mexican food!!


Amanda, before we played the American Idol game on PS2.



There were a million of these "Os" all over the city. For Omaha I guess?


Nebraska graffiti...




Warren Buffet's house. This man is worth how much?




Groping a statue


Sneaking onto the Creighton University Soccer field




Dave had a flat tire. Excitement!



Supervising



Yes, this was my one stop in Iowa.



There was a lot more than this, but I think this picture accurately sums up how big this place was...



Yay for Illinois!



Apparently the best view of Chicago.



We were literally the only ones in the restaurant!



Kelsey's roommate, unimpressed with Kelsey's fire-starting abilities. Notice the smoke-filled apartment.



Eating marshmallows! :-)



That's all for now...be sure to stay tuned for Part 3!!

Discovering America, Part 1

Well, I'm on Day 4 of my trek across America. I'll give you a rundown of the things I've seen and places I've been so far!

Day 1: Sugar Land, TX to Denton, TX

For those of you not in the know, Denton is home to the 3rd largest school in Texas, The University of North Texas. It's also where my little brother goes to college. We hung out, watched some football, and played "underground dodgeball" (so named because it is not sanctioned by the university). It was quite fun. There was even a guy nicknamed "Dragonslayer." Good times.

Dallas, as seen from my car:


Kenny and I doing what we do best:




Also, on the way there, I ventured into a gas station restroom. This is what I found:



Day 2: Denton, TX to Oklahoma City, OK

I left kind of late from Kenny's dorm, so I didn't make it all that far. Plus, we stayed up until like 5am. So my second day ended early. This is what Oklahoma looks like from a car. Don't get too excited.

Indian casinos in Oklahoma!


I stopped off in Norman, OK (home of the University of Oklahoma), but I didn't stay long because the football game was about to end.


It's kinda pretty at night...



Day 3: Oklahoma City, OK to Hutchinson, KS

Why would someone purposely drive to this place? I don't know. All I know is it is exactly as exciting as it sounds. I got there at like noon and literally did nothing all day. There really was that little to do.

Kansas welcomes me. Thanks Kansas.


My room wasn't ready when I got there, so here I am "discovering America" in the hotel lobby.


Day 4: Hutchinson, KS to Omaha, NE

Another fun day of driving across states that are known for corn! I wish I could say things got more interesting, but they didn't. As you can see, Kansas and Nebraska look pretty similar.


Is it Kansas or Nebraska? Hmmm


And here I am in Omaha! Looking tired! :-) More to come soon!

Road Trip!

Apparently going halfway around the world isn't enough for me. I feel the need to travel across the country, visiting friends and local attractions in that time-honored American tradition: the road trip.

Now, for those of you who are unaware, a solid road trip both contains and lacks some very important aspects. For example, visiting questionable roadside attractions and staying in seedy motels is a must for any successful adventure. The correct automobile is also vital; nothing will suffice besides an impractical, gas-guzzling, standard Camaro Z28. That being said, there is no room for major planning. A good map is essential; an itinerary for the meek. Three weeks of nothing but true, American grit.

Alright, so I'm not quite as adventurous as I seem. I'm mostly visiting friends and relatives and using my plethora of Hilton HHonors points for any hotel stays. I also have an itinerary. Not all is lost however: I am driving a Camaro.

Official Documents

As you may have guessed, part of the whole process of being able to work in a foreign country is obtaining at least like 37 freaking documents. All of which have to be all official and everything. Psh. It's like I'm gonna be in charge of kids or something over there...

Anyway, apparently you need a criminal background check, passport, university degree, transcripts, birth certificate, work visa...the list goes on. I'm actually not complaining though, because none of this stuff is all that hard to get. It's just tedious.

Here are a few of these official documents. Pretty exciting, huh? Like my sweet bedspread?


Here I am, excited to finally have a passport! Oh the places we'll go...


Disappointment at the ick passport photo
(I covered up my info so you crazies can't see!)


And realizing that I've never actually been anywhere...



Just Alan! :-)

An American in. . .America

Well hello there! I'm starting this blog because I, like so many others, have decided to travel to South Korea to teach English. I thought this would be a fun way to update my friends back home, as well as make some new ones! I'll be talking about everything from the process of obtaining a work visa to eating crazy Korean foods.

So...why Korea? Well, after spending hundreds of hours online, researching every country imaginable, Korea just seems like the best fit. The cost of living is low and wages are high, native English speakers are in HIGH demand, and from what I read, foreigners are viewed favorably, especially Americans. Plus, it's an adventure! Why not?

So who am I? Well, I'm Alan! I'm from Sugar Land, TX, a suburb of Houston. I graduated with a degree in English in 2007 and have held a variety of jobs. First, I worked as a real estate agent for a small, family-owned company. That was a nightmare and luckily only lasted a few months. Then, I worked in the world of finance/investing. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I made a LOT of phone calls...*cough*telemarketing*cough*

I've also been a swim team coach, substitute teacher, and bartender! Pretty diverse, huh? Aside from working, I was a competitive swimmer my whole life. I still work out a few times/week, and TRY to do the whole healthy thing. I collect DVDs like I have money to burn. I also spend far too much time online!

So where am I in the process? Well, essentially at the beginning. I received my passport in the mail yesterday, complete with an unflattering photo of myself. I've spoken to a number of recruiters and schools, and am still exploring my options and all that.

I'll leave you all now with a little vid I made of my home in Texas!