The A-List

It was very difficult, but I chose a group of teachers from the pile of email and info I'd received, and I am now confirming an interview schedule (well, the email's been sent, and it's 5:01 a.m. there, so I'm waiting for responses).

I was sad to let some of the interested teachers go, but at the same time, I am greatly relieved at the much more humane schedule I now have for interviewing in Seoul. Particularly since I'm still not clear on WHERE I'm interviewing them. If I'm to be schlepping all over Seoul (one of the largest cities in the world by population), it's best to have a couple hours between interviews, at least.

My Pusan interviews aren't many, so they are easier to do in a day, and I'll be able to do a weekend trip to Pusan, perhaps with my friend Sujin (who was my roomie for a few months when I lived in Namchang in '02-'03).

I'm also still waiting on a place to stay in Seoul - but I'm not worried. I know something will come through. At the least, I'll be prepared to stay at a Korean-style hotel (a yogwan), which might actually be preferable because I won't be worried by other people's space. I'm open to whatever opportunity manifests itself.

Interviews / Seoul

I've had such a great response from teachers that I am now whittling down my list. I can't possibly interview everyone in the few days I have in Seoul. This is good news, though, since I was afraid I wouldn't have any! The hardest part is figuring out where I'll do the interviews - I have some ideas but I'm focused on getting my final list down for now.

Still looking for a place to stay in Seoul. I'd hoped to stay with a friend's uncle, but that didn't work out (he wanted me to stay for a month or not at all - to tutor his kids in English for free, no doubt). I'm waiting to hear some recommendations from Chang.

I've been working on pieces of the script, getting ideas down and playing with how I'd like to construct parts of the film. Of course a lot of that will be determined by what I get in the interviews and the B-roll.

More soon.

Site Maintenance

Today I added a hit counter and the Creative Commons copyright tag.

PusanWeb

Thank you to PusanWeb for putting a link up for Korean Dreambus!, and also for offering to do a webcast interview. When that comes to fruition, I will post a link here.

Thank you, teachers!

I've received a plethora of responses from teachers in Korea on Dave's ESL Cafe's Korea Job Forum. Thank you to all who are interested in being interviewed. Welcome to the blog - make sure you check out the Korea Dreambus! description at the top of the "related sites" sidebar.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Yesterday I purchased my ticket from JFK to Seoul, via Olympia Tours in NYC. I got a great deal (I think) on a non-stop flight on Korean Air with the possibility of changing the return date with no penalty. This flexibility is great.

I've also decided not to fly to NYC, but take a bus. It seems longer, but it's not really, because I'd have to find a way to Syracuse from Ithaca, which is an hour and a half, plus another hour wait in the airport, plus the 1.5 hours flight. And the hassle of getting to Syracuse was giving me a huge headache last night. Taking the bus is a no brainer, is no more expensive, and also gives me that flexibility coming back. I've done that busride before and it's easy.

Great news from the recruiter -- they are going to help me set up my interviews. This is the last piece that I was worried about, and I am deeply grateful to them for supplying this crucial element. When they get their new website up, I will post a link here. Thank you to Patrick and Kristy!

This is the last leg of the pre-production journey. In four weeks I'll be in Korea. From now until then, I have a few things more to do, but I'm feeling very comfortable with where things are.

Moving Forward

Unfortunately, the recruiting company will not be able to work with me on the promo video at this time. It's disappointing, but not devastating.

I am still going ahead with a modified itinerary and fundraising activities. I will be a little more aggressive with fundraising at this point, but as I've said before, I will be applying for grants that should help defray the costs.

The plan is to fly Jet Blue from Syracuse to JFK, then a non-stop flight on Korean Air to Seoul. I will arrive in Seoul on 7/17, and will fly back to New York on August 4, arriving the 5th. My friend who's doing graphics and titles for the film lives in Queens, so I'll crash with him and his wife and fly out to Syracuse on the 6th of August. A comfortable itinerary, I think.

The greatest challenge I face now is getting the interviews lined up. Thankfully, I have a few weeks to get word out on websites and listserves, and via my Korean friends who might know EFL teachers there now.

Old Footage

Over the last few days, I've watched and logged the footage I'd shot during my stay in Korea 2002-2003. Chang transferred the miniDV footage to DVD for me.

Watching those images brought back a lot of memories and feelings, and reminded me of where I was in my life at that time. As much as I may miss Korea, my friends there, etc., I am reminded that I went there to get a handle on my deepest self, so that I could come back and live the life I am now leading, with a husband and a fulfilling career. I wouldn't trade my present life for anything. This is exactly the kind of perspective I want to communicate in the film.

The footage of me in the noribang is particularly moving - I spent hours in the noribang with my friends, and it seems like a lot of our memories were made around the singing room.

There is also a great deal of video taken at the beach and the seaside, and of course footage of crazy kids mugging the camera. I was taken aback while watching it, at how sharply I spoke to them when they tried to grab the camera. Clearly I was irritated - one of the side effects of teaching there, I think. There is no privacy and the kids there have no disciplinary boundaries (like "don't touch"). This was one of the things that used to drive me nuts - one of the things I'd lost sight of.

Another theme that keeps surfacing as I watch the footage is how my memory has become distorted, and how there were certain things I'd forgotten completely. In many ways I'd romanticized my life there, glossed over the hardships. Perhaps this is what we do with many situations. Though for sure, there were excellent memories and wonderful experiences to focus on. How deeply do I want to dig through this for the film? Something to consider.

Update on proposed recruiter video

Some radical changes since last posting. I am not going to be teaching at all this summer in Korea. I am going to make a film. I realized that a. wouldn't have time for filmmaking if I was working 8-9 hour days, 6 days a week (typical camp schedule) and b. wouldn't be back home in time to be ready to teach fall semester.

The recruiter has changed hands, and they underwent a re-org. There is another person in charge of the video project, and we are now in negotiations for that promo video. My goal is to make their promo video, so they would cover the cost of my airfare plus a small stipend and necessary production expenses (all at a tremendous discount).

I am very excited at this point; I feel like things are finally coming together. I am planning to arrive in Korea July 15 and begin shooting on July 16 - July 22 with Chang's equipment for the promo and my film. I will also be shooting again beginning August for my film with Chang's equipment, plus I'll be traveling in between and using my own camera at will.

I have submitted a proposal to the recruiter, so hopefully (by Monday) I should hear something from them. Fingers and toes crossed, everyone!

I am also raising money here at home to help fund my film. So far I have a graphics and titles package in-kind and a donation of $100. It's a great start! Will be calling on more folks soon for additional funds. If you're reading this and you'd like to support my documentary, please contact me.

Thanks!

The Wheels on the Bus...

Yesterday I received word from the recruiter that they are still working on getting a good summer EFL camp job lined up. So looks like P'ohang isn't going to happen. I'm fine with that. I don't much care where I end up as long as there's a bus and train station so I can get to Ulsan and Seoul.

I'm guessing the problem has been the fact that I need airfare taken care of. From what I've seen on Dave's ESL boards, summer camps don't always pay airfare. Some of them will pay airfare in exchange for a reduced salary. I offered up a set reduction in salary as a means of helping the process along. Most summer camps are paying in the vicinity of 2.5 and 2.8 million Won, and I'd accept 2.0 or 2.1 (which is what a normal monthly salary looks like in a year-long contract).

So the good news is that they haven't forgotten me, and they are still working on me behalf, which is a relief. I am a little concerned that they won't find a good fit for me and I'll be left with nothing. But as with any film project, there are variables and stumbling blocks, so I will choose not to let my worries get the best of me. I am proceeding as if I knew for sure that I have a job to go to.

A piece of good news

I just checked my passport processing status online, and the State Dep't. has mailed it to me. I should have it by Saturday.

This is especially good news because if I have to make other arrangements myself for getting to Korea, I will need to provide a copy of my valid passport.

Map of S. Korea

I've put up a decent map of S. Korea that includes P'ohang and Ulsan. I've found that many maps don't include Ulsan because it is a small city (only about 1 mil pop.), but P'ohang was so important during the Korean War that it's almost always included.

Anyway, you can see the proximity of P'ohang to Ulsan, and how far they are from Seoul (about a 5 hour bus or train ride). If you have trouble finding them, look on the east coast.

Notice the name of the sea - Sea of Japan/East Sea. This is a bone of contention between Koreans and Japanese. Hint: when in Korea, please call it the East Sea.

Still Waiting

I've spent the last few days working on the proposal for eventual grant applications. At this point I'll be applying for finishing funds after I've already shot in Korea.

Aside from that, the proposal has really helped me to give form and structure to the film (see previous postings). I've given this beast a name, too, based on one of the poems I'd written back in 2002 after a bus ride to Ulsan from the village I lived in. At the time, I had a sense that the poem would be important, and I was captivated by the notion that living in Korea was like living in a dream, only a dream that moved - like a bus. I'll put the poem up here soon.

Getting back to the pre-prod stage - one of the common misconceptions about documentaries is that they don't have to be planned out. "I just go to an event and turn the camera on, right?" Wrong. I've taught courses in doc production before, and I've always emphasized how much time needs to be spent in pre-production.

Still waiting to hear from the recruiter with a contract. I am getting nervous. However, I looked again at the one and only bit of info I received from him back in April, and it turns out the school he was steering me towards is not in Seoul, but in P'ohang. P'ohang is an east coast city not far from Ulsan (I have to get a map up here, don't I?), which is where I lived before. P'ohang was pretty much wiped off the face of the earth during the Korean War due to its proximity to the Pusan Perimeter, but it was rebuilt as an industrial city in the 60s and 70s, with steel and shipbuilding being the major industries. I would be excited to be on the coast again, and within an easy busride of Ulsan. However, the location does provide some challenges in getting access to Chang's equipment. We shall see.

At this point I am gearing up as if everything is in place, but I know that until I have signed a contract, nothing is in stone. As I said, I'm getting nervous.