Welcome Everyone!

After months of procrastinating, I am finally relieved, yet excited to launch the debut of my new blog titled "Randall and Kimball." After leaving the Oasis concert at AllState Arena on a cold, bruising, and unforgiving December night, I took the #81 bus to the Lawrence Red Line stop to sleep overnight at my friend's place in Uptown/Andersonville. It was during that long bus ride from Jefferson Park to Lawrence that I happen to notice the Kimball Brown Line station. When I was taking my TEFL certification class, I would take the brown line up to Montrose; Kimball is the last stop on that line. After boring myself of listening to the audible CTA voice that would say "Next stop at ________ and Lawrence," I figured it would be slightly amusing to have a bus stop named "Randall and Kimball." The name is a satirical take on my birth name, and also pays homage to my favorite CTA line.

After graduating from UIC in May 2007, I soon discovered how much different my expectations would be. I was coming off a successful internship at Comcast SportsNet Chicago, and had ended my last semester at UIC on a very positive note. I soon began to acquire new connections, and started networking throughout the Chicagoland area in hopes of landing a job in media. During that summer, I kept striking out, and worked at a job I wasn't particularly thrilled at. This past summer, I was laid off and went on a full-blown job search that yielded very little returns. It was during that summer that I decided to look into the possibility of teaching overseas.

As the economy sank further and further into the abyss, I realized how much more lucrative the idea of teaching overseas would be. There was nothing for me lose at this point. So, I went ahead and took classes for my TEFL certification in the Fall, and applied for jobs in South Korea. Soon afterwards, I accepted an English-teaching position in Korea through the EPIK (English Program in Korea) Korean Ministry of Education program. Once I receive my work visa, I should be ready to leave towards the end of February, and be placed near the Busan metropolitan area (Southeast Korea) teaching middle to high school students.

I am eagerly excited about the opportunity to live overseas for the first time ever. Granted, it is nerve-wracking; however, I am up for the new, everyday challenges that should soon await me. After spending the last year and a half with so much uncertainty and restlessness, I am anxious to start 2009 in a proactive approach.

With this blog, I greatly look forward to sharing many of my intimate stories throughout my journey with all of you. I am also aiming to use this blog as a resource for those who are interested in teaching and living abroad, and as an outlet to discuss events and issues that impact our society today. Thank you and I look forward to having you as my readers :-)

Sincerely,
Randy Kim