I resist upheaval, and often I resist change. The change coming up in a few weeks though, is one that I am embracing. Nevertheless, leaving my home in Korea and job simultaneously is not something you can do without some residual stress. By being as proactive as I can, maybe I can keep this to a minimum.
One of the things I'm doing is packing up all my stuff now already. One shipment of books is already in storage. Every day this month, until Christmas I intend to do a little exercise, and then more and more. And I want to use the same approach to fold up and pack away my life here. Each day I intend to pack something else of my life here, away. I'll already thrown away just about all the debris i don't need. By Christmas day I expect the place to be empty except for the bed, my phone, my computer, and my bags.
One thing I am going to miss a lot about Korea is the internet: being able to download and watch whatever movie I want, playing these amazing internet games like Counterstrike, and just being able to use the internet whenever and not worry about speed or cost is awesome. It's an aspect of my lifestyle that is both positive and negative, but I don;t see how I will be able to maintain it in South Africa. Once there it may be difficult to post on this website, and I am not sure if any photographs I take will make it here. I will have to look into what can be done in that department.
I will probably also miss my own space. I will probably stay for a few days with a family here, and a family there. Of course it will be good to be with Dad at 108, where it's always comfortable, and homecooked meals and satellite TV just make life that much easier. That's somewhere where I can really relax and recharge before I make my next move. I have grown to be quite fond of my independent lifestyle.
Another thing to do is organise the actual trip, and let people know I will be around, and make sure where I am staying and what I will be doing.
I also need to consider a few possibilities in terms of work in South Africa. I'd love to get work in publishing industry. I'd love to make money through my writing, or being creative, possibly writing and illustrating children's books.
I received an email today from Rebecca Laird at Total Immersion. She explained how their organisation works, and what I could expect if I decide to sign up with them. So that is one possible (work) scenario that I'd like to investigate.
I need to gather and organise information in terms of the items I'd like to export to South Africa, and all other documents I will need to smooth out the transition process.
If I can leave Korea with a contract that will be helpful, it is always good to leave a job and know where your next paycheck is coming from. But I guess in my case it is not essential, and having some freedom is this area may open up a lot more possibilities than I am aware of at the moment.
I'd like to be as open and confident about the future in South Africa as I can be.
And if I return to Korea, I'd like to expand what I have been doing. From business cards and finally getting a handphone, to the actual setting up of an investment company for expatriates, or some kind of trade mechanism for produce or parts or something that isn't currently in place.
I also need to see what is the best way for me to go about acquiring property in South Africa. And where, and when.
The priority though, over the first quarter next year, will be the Ironman first, and work second. There is a lot to consider, a lot of options to look into. There's the JET program, there's Taiwan, there's coming right back here where things have been good. There's getting a TEFL in Thailand and following that up with applications for university positions. There are all the opportunities that possibly have opened up in South Africa.
Getting enough sleep and eating properly may seem rudimentary, but in this line of exercise - triathlon - the strain on the body is quite high. If you allow yourself to get an infection, or you get the flu, then all the progress achieved over the preceding weeks gets wiped out, and you have to start again. After starting off injured, I can't afford another setback. So I'd like to keep all my ducks in a row. I don't want any going down the drain.
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