Getting my E-2 Work Visa & a 6 Month Goal

There it is-E2 Korean Visa!

I just got my E-2 Korean visa this past week – whoop!  Looking at it, the fruit of my efforts and travel goals begin sinking in… I feel nervous, weird, most definitely excited and I even begin to feel like I might be a bit Korean!  Most of all, this visa stands for the achievement of a goal.

When I applied for this ESL teaching position 5 months ago, I thought it was going to be a breeze- like filling out a long form/questionaire, writing an essay and flashing my passport. Afterall, it’s a popular work-travel choice for many traveler’s and graduate students looking for an expat experience. What I eventually realized was that this process required so much more…

GRRRL TRAVELER’s Travel Challenge #2: Becoming an Expat

by Christine Ka’aloa

The gamble we take in following dreams is that we are never certain of the outcome; yet, a staid and sensible path can be just as uncertain.

Finding the GRRR to embark upon bold new adventures, which remove us from trusted and worn paths, can feel both terrifying and exhilarating. Terrifying, because we must call upon our self-belief to guide us through “the unpredictable and unknown”. Exhilarating, as we are released from our own self-created prisons and given freedom to grow towards our passions, experience new challenges or changes within ourselves and to create a lifestyle that is potentially more meaningful and extraordinary.

When our country’s recession created a drag in my career as Shooter-Producer of reality TV shows, I

GRRRL TRAVELER’s Challenge #1: Being a Beginner Female Solo Traveler

by Christine Ka’aloa

The saying,  “A stone’s throw in a pond creates a ripple effect…” feels true of the moment. As of recent I have been juggling a lot of weighty decisions about travel, making it more of a lifestyle and what happens when you have no travel partner.

My GRRRL Traveler Challenge #1 : Become a  female solo traveler of developing countries.
My GRRRL traveling dreams and the courage required to embark upon them don’t magically create themselves, without some effort on my part to rub two stones together! I rub and I rub and ask myself- Why would I want to travel alone? That little voice inside says- “…because you love to travel…You love to explore new cultures and have adventures . Why WAIT on someone else to allow you to do that? Go for it -or – regret not trying ! And there you have it.

For me, solo travel is an opportunity to continue my travels, without being :
a) at the mercy of friends’ work-vacation schedules or luxury budgets
b) searching for travel buddies to match my wish list of developing countries
c) dealing with others’ fickleness

While twiddling my thumbs waiting, often I feel like I’m standing out in the rain, praying for lightning to strike