Warrior Preparing for Liftoff

Well, I got back from Enlightened Warrior Training Camp in one piece. Thanks to this intense experience, I finally learned what it means to operate from the heart instead of the head. This lesson wasn't cheap; not only did it cost a lot of money, it also cost a little blood, and plenty of sweat and tears. I feel like a new man. For a more detailed description, you'll have to go there yourself. I've been sworn to secrecy regarding the specifics of the process, and if you ever go there yourself (which I recommend only if you want to become a better person), you'll appreciate why. Advance information would significantly lessen the impact of the experience.

When I arrived home, I found my mom preparing a special beef dinner. Surprisingly, she found a recipie that she hadn't made yet, and, of course, it turned out fabulous. My mom and I both shed a few tears. I'm not sure what she was feeling, but I was realizing that I'm going to miss her cooking, among countless other things that are so wonderful about my mother.

Well, I leave the house in a little over twelve hours, so I've got to get back to packing. I just found out that the school will give me up to $500 above the cost of a regular airline ticket to cover extra baggage/shipping. Thank God!

Prayer Requests: Please pray that I would be able to safely pack everything I need to bring, and get it through all the security and customs checkpoints OK. Please pray that my contact at the school would have a safe drive to the airport to pick me up. Please pray for all the packing, preparations, air travel, and immigration details would go smoothly. If anyone asks, I'm just visiting the country, and my contact and her husband are friends that I met online, which is true. I guess this is the way it's done in Korea. I just have to stay calm and centered, which is easier now that I'm an Enlightened Warrior.

Please also pray for my family, especially my mother, that we would have peace about this parting. Pray especially for my mother, as she will miss me very much. Pray also for me, please, as I just finally got in touch with how much I love my family, and I will miss very much being able to share this with them.

Finally, please pray that I would continue to stay in touch with my heart, and operate from my heart, instead of operating from my head as I have for so long. I think I finally understand what that means, what that feels like. Please pray that I would continue to improve in this area. Thank you.

Departure Preparations, Part 2

Well, I had to repack both my bags to put the denser things in the smaller bag (since they both have the same weight limit), but I was able to get a bit more in my bags. I'm now actually able to bring board shorts, regular shorts, and my special memory-foam pillow! (I was worried. The pillow is heavy, and essential for me to get a good night's sleep.)

I also got a magicJack (from Radio Shack), which uses my computer and a broadband connection to create a telephone jack that will work anywhere, with the same area code and number. I used my mother's area code, of course. This will allow me to call her from Korea without having to set up special software on her computer. Thanks to my friend Jerry for turning me on to this device. I'll let you all know how it works.

Tomorrow I leave for Warrior Camp. They don't say much about what I'll be doing there, but they do give me a detailed packing list. I'm just about finished with assembling the items listed. I've got to go finish packing and get to bed. So long for now.

Departure Preparations

Well, I made it to my parent's house in Brentwood, CA with everything that I didn't sell, give away, throw away, or accidentally leave behind. I got rid of a lot, but I was still left with a fair bit of stuff to deal with here. Some is being given away, some will be sold by my parents, and some they will store here for me. Meanwhile, I'm packing for Korea.

I'm also packing for Enlightented Warrior Training Camp, which will last almost a week, and I will get home with less than 24 hours before I need to leave for the airport. So far, I've finalized the contents for one of my bags, the super-large square duffel with wheels, although I will have to put some things back in it before I leave. The scale, however, says I can't add any more stuff and stay within my free baggage allowance. (I left myself 2 lbs. or so to spare.)

It's become very clear that I'm not going to be able to bring everything I want to. Hopefully, I can at least bring everything I need. This is like putting together a large, 3-D puzzle, with no picture to look at, a lot of extra pieces, and complex resrictions on how they can be put together. But, as everyone in my family knows, I'm good at puzzles, and I love a challenge.

This whole process has been pretty hard on my mom. She and I are very close, and she knows she's going to miss me very much. Even though I'm excited about this opportunity, I wish I could do this without having to leave my mom half a world away. There's really no easy way to do this.

Prayer Requests: First of all, please pray for my mom, that she would adjust to these big changes, and have peace about my well-being. Pray that my dad would be able to provide some comfort for her when I'm gone.

Please pray also that I will be able to make wise choices about what to bring and what to leave behind. (Some of these choices are emotional; I don't really need my crew hoodie, but I'm loathe to part with it. It's a little bit of home, like Sam Gamgee's salt.) I have two checked bags, each with a 23-kg limit, and a carry-on with a 7-kg limit. Please pray that I would be able to bring everything I need.

Finally, please pray that all the travel arrangements would go smoothly. I have an e-ticket reservation for August 29 on Singapore Airlines flight 15, nonstop SFO to Seoul. Please pray that there would be no problem with airport security or Korean immigration officials. I should have no trouble entering as a tourist. Please pray for a smooth flight as well.

Thanks to everyone who's been involved in this process, whether by providing resources, information, or simply encouragement. I wish I could credit everyone here, but I'd be sure to leave people out, so I just want to say thanks.

My mom is calling me to dinner, and I don't want to miss any more precious time with my family. Until next time, this is Sean Pearson, signing out.

Lassen Report, etc.

Well, we arrived back in Santa Rosa on Sunday, 2 August 2009. It was great. We had thunder and lighting (none dangerously near) and hard rain the last night. (It didn't make the trail muddy, just kept the dust down.) We all got out fine, and everyone had a great time.

All this past week I've been attending an all-day ESL teacher training institute. It's been great, but it hasn't left me much chance for things like correspondence or blogging.

I can now report that I had two telephone interviews before I left, and both of them resulted in job offers. I've been to this point before, and had a good job offer pulled after I sent in all the paperwork. I feel better about this one.

I am applying to teach at a private Christian school in South Korea. They want Christian teachers, and they have openings for math teachers who can teach in English. Since I have a degree in Mathematics, and English is the only language I can teach in, that should work out well. Their application was heavy on my Christian beliefs. (They want to know how I feel about charismatic gifts! It felt like an application for a youth pastor at a conservative Protestant church.)

For this position, I am told that I can go there on a tourist visa and apply for an E-2 visa when I get there. That will streamline my preparations, certainly. I've just finished Korea Calling by Allegrea Spect & Jay Freeborne, and they say that's the safest way to go. They say, go on a tourist visa as a free agent, and look around. I want a bit more security than that, but it's reassuring to know that I shouldn't have much trouble finding work once I'm there.

Well, it's after 23:00, and I've got to get to bed. Just one more thing: I am actively preparing to leave, and I have less than two weeks before I need to be completely ready to go. That means that if anyone has any unfinished business with me, it needs to be wrapped up ASAP. Thanks for understanding.