Had my last day at Golden Gate Language School yesterday. Been there almost six years. Goodbyes have been a big part of my life, I guess.
So the fun continues. Last Monday, Greg sent me an email informing me that he had taken my papers to the proper authorities and that they had informed him that it could take up to two weeks to get me the visa number. Greg said he hadn't thought it would take so long and apologized that my arrival to Korea might have to be put back a few days or even a week. Although this was a little disappointing to me, my real concern was Ami.
Ami has been in the US on a student visa and for the last year she's been going to a local junior college. Because we were both planning on leaving next week, she went into the college just after the new quarter got underway and withdrew. As she wanted to get the full refund she needed to withdraw by Sept 30th. So she did and they informed her that because she withdrew, her visa status was no longer valid and...more importantly...that she'd have to leave the country by Oct 15th. At the time this seemed about perfect. But when Greg informed me of the above, I did the math and found that I might get a visa until about Oct 18th-19th. No big deal, I thought, if Ami is a few days late in leaving....right?
Well, I did a little research and it looks that if she stays longer, she could jeopardize any future visas she might need to apply for. So...better to let her go by the 15th and I'll just get there a few days later. But wait. There's more.
As the job is my job and as the contract for the job was signed by me, I wondered if Ami could live somewhere until I got there. So I called her and she, quite firmly, reminded me that she would be with her cat and that it would be much more difficult and stay with a friend or her brother because of this. Really I think it could be done, but I understand. I wouldn't want to burden a friend or family member with a pet either after they've already opened their doors to me. So I emailed Greg and told him that while the whole situation was no one's fault and that while it was a little disappointing to potentially be delaying my arrival, my true concern was that Ami and her cat would be homeless for a few days. He got back to me very quickly to put my fears at ease and told me that she could stay in the apartment without me until I got there. Situation resolved.
Other than that things are moving forward. I moved out of my apartment three weeks ago and have been living with my Uncle Ray and Aunt Judy down near Santa Cruz. It's been great and they've been spoiling me with food and drink and accommodation. As I mentioned before I got the apostilled FBI CBC a few weeks ago and took that, the apostilled bachelor's degree, my resume, a copy of my passport, two pics of me, and three copies of a signed contract and sent them all off to Greg. That's what he took to the Korean authorities and what I am waiting on now. As soon as I get the visa number, I will then have to take it, a visa application, my degree, college transcripts, my passport, and a photo of me up to the Korean consulate in San Francisco and get the real visa put into my passport. I believe this takes about a day. I will then book a flight and head out. Couple other loose ends to tie up here too while all that is going on, but no need to bore you with more details.
Almost there, I guess.
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