Study Abroad & Be An Exchange Student!! :UPDATED

 

Can I really study abroad?!

 I've always wanted to go stay in another country for an extended period of time. .. now I may need to just to get the credits I need while perpetuating my matriculation needs.
                               
                             As you know I love south Korea, 

I'm working on learning the language and the most stressful thing is... I don't feel I'm learning it fast enough. 
Well here's a remedy for that. I have to have several years of study of a language to get my TESOL certificate.
The financial aid would actually cover my exchange to go study in Korea.
How does that work!
Well I would literally exchange with another student (apparently).
I would take the classes I need in Korea and they would count towards my degree.
Hmmm how can I make this happen!??

While up at WWU checking out the campus meeting with advisers I went up to the TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other language) office and met with one of the advisers.

She was asking about high school classes (languages specifically) and telling me what criteria I would have to fulfill as a TESOL student. One of them was a cultural fulfillment and the other language. If I took 1-2 years in high school it would cut my necessary class load dramatically. 

However I still would need language. They don’t offer Korean at WWU. There is German, and I can speak some German, but I don’t see it helping me in Korea… oh there’s Arabic it’s SUCH a cool language… but won’t help me in Korea.  The closest they have to Korean is Japanese… Not even remotely the same. Mandarin would have been better  (They might actually have that one now that I think of it) but regardless no Korean. 

I wondered down with my ‘buddy’(the buddy system it works)

 to the study abroad program and lamented how it was something I’ve

always wanted to do. 
She (my buddy) agreed.
Next thing I know someone is popping their head out the door watching us. 
Once eye contact was made he asked.

“Can I help you with anything?”

We explained we were browsing, and wished we could actually study in another country. 
She and I eventually went in to talk with them about her possibly going to Italy to study.  She mentioned the issue with the language courses and lack of availabitliy and I explained how I want to teach English in South Korea.


Next thing I know this green eyes goddess with beautiful earrings is standing in front of me telling me about the exchange program and how I can apply for scholarships. 
She is sending me links and information about an exchange program and how all credits earned still count towards my degree.

I’m like this inside

 

Part II

I get home and hunt out my last vestige of my life in Cheyenne, my high school transcript I got before I departed and went to Job Corps. Strangely I still have a notebook I’ve kept since I left (many moons ago) it has writings and letters and it had held my  last grades… 

I couldn’t find it.

I freaked.  

 I’m not only a pack rat I am lazy too. I had gone through the book recently and got rid of a few things… the grades being one of them. 

I didn’t think I’d need them anymore. I however had not emptied the garbage that held my grades. SAVED. I won’t have to do 3 years of a language, just 2~ or something like that. I’m still hashing this out. Shut up. But it saved me!!! I am saved.. kinda.

I have a lot of paperwork to go through, and 

 see what the options and possibilities are, but in order to get what I want/need, I may just have to go back to South Korea… poor me ... I’m so sad ... What will I do. 

There is a lot going on at home too, and I’d have to find a way to make it all work out.

Just having that possibility in front of me gets me more excited than anything else.

There will be more on this as I find out more.

I still have to submit my application and get accepted. So wish me luck.

  

UPDATE

This is the e-mail I got about the program I will be applying to:

I love my spelling mistake (*it's 3.0) I was excited, shut up :P