Post Korea Decisions

Even though I'm only halfway through my contract here, I find myself trying to figure out what to do with myself after I'm finished. I want to travel to Chile to teach English so I can learn Spanish fluently and experience South America--a goal I've had for a long time--but I don' t know what I will do for the time between September and January (the earliest I would be willing to leave the States).

I have no job prospects at the moment. The biggest commitments to the States I have are: Eric, my family and my friends. And they are spread all over the place.

I have made a couple really awesome friends here, and one of them teaches at a university 2 hours away from Seoul in a quiet town with a beautiful mountain near by. She's trying to tempt me into staying on another year in Korea (though, I know she's not trying to really persuade me one way or another as she knows what a difficult call that would be). A university position would be the only way I would stay on here. They get two months off in winter and two months off in summer. Which means, I would be able to go home for the holidays and not miss the epic party season. Though it would mean missing people on a day to day basis. And it would mean procrastinating my time in Chile another year. Which means my Spanish would be getting weaker unless I took classes and actively pursued it here. Same for the violin. I need a teacher, and at the moment I really want to go somewhere with my violin playing. I want to go back to school and major in music (along with my green business plans).

As I already had plans to teach in another country, the time I'd be spending in Korea is not time I would be spending in the US. It's just time in a country I'm not as interested in as Chile or Argentina or France. I'd also have to learn more Korean if I were staying on another year.

I will not be able to pay off the debt that I thought I would at the onset of this venture, mostly because I spent far too much money on living expenses and ordering things online. But, if I stay another year I would be able to pay off a bigger chunk since I'd be saving on cost of living start up stuff--oven, space heater, fan, etc.

Santiago is closer than Seoul by 1000 miles, and the time difference is much more manageable. But, I would have to start all over and figure out what to do for the time before I was willing to leave the states again. I was looking into Americorps, since there contracts are only 9 months-1 year.

If I'm good, I could go back to school for music and take online classes while I'm in Chile.

I also want to be able to take my sister to Europe after she graduates from high school in 2012. And then I think it would be epic if she moved in with me for a bit so she could start to find her feet as an adult.

So much to think about. What says you, internet?