Big Sista is Watching You...Sorry Andrea :)
I'm at "Cookin" in Gyeong Ju
Hello JK...You're cute, even though you are evil
Look somebody had a baby
David...David...David... One of my students.

Hey guys, this is what I found on the internet after extensive searching on how to get an F4 visa in Korea. It seems relatively painless and I hope that it works. I'm going to try it in a week or so.

Dan

Thanks to Alpha from Dave's ESL Cafe :)

I decided to write this because there seems to be some confusion as to how to go about getting an F-4 Visa, and not to mention because I ran around like a chicken without a head trying to get an F-4 Visa.

A. First, you need to obtain these documents, and must be at least 22 years old (American age) in order to apply for the F-4 Visa.

2 copies of your Naturalization/Citizenship certificate (if you don't have the certificate, go to the American embassy to fill out a form to obtain the number, and the date that you became a citizen. Type a simple letter stating the information, and if your name changed when you became a U.S citizen, state that you are the same person from the Family registry, e.g My korean name is xxxx, and my American name is xxxx, and I am the same person, and take it to American Citizen Service at the embassy to have it notarized. Need two copies. You can use this instead of the copies of the certificate if you don't have it)

2 copies of your passport

2 copies of your family registry (if you were adopted, contact G.O.A.L, http://www.goal.or.kr/, they are a non-profit organization that aids adoptees, and will be able to tell you which adoption agency you went through, and give you their contact number to obtain copies of your family registry)

2 passport photos (you can get them at the subway photo booths, and will cost 5,000 won. The machines only take 1,000 wons, and will give six passport sized photos)

61,000 won

B. Second, take the documents, and go to Korean Immigration office in Seoul.
On the first floor, you will see information desk, ask to get a form in order to get a lost nationality certificate. Fill out the form, and go to the room on your left (from the entrance to the building), but before you go inside, take a number for lost nationality certificate from a small machine in front of the room.

Give the civil servant 1 copy of your Naturalization/Citizenship certificate, 1 copy of passport, 1 copy of your family registry, and the completed form. Then give c.s 1,000 won for a revenue stamp.

After receiving the lost nationality certificate, stop by the revenue stamp room on the same floor to buy 60,000 won in revenue stamps (right from the entrance of the building.) Go to the second floor, and turn right for Visa issuance room. Take a number for Visa, and fill out the two form to your left.

Give the civil servant 1 copy of your Naturalization/Citizenship certificate, 1 copy of passport, 1 copy of your family registry, the revenue stamps, 2 passport photos, lost nationality certificate, and two completed forms.

You should be able to pick up the F-4 Visa after five business days.

Disclaimer: This information is only up to date as of 8-19-2004. The required documents, procedures, regulations, and laws that govern acquiring an F-4 Visa may change, and you should contact the Immigration office, or Korean embassy if in U.S to find out the required documents, procedures, regulations, and laws governing the issuance of F-4 Visas.

I have too many songs! I don't know what to do! I have like 16 days worth of music now and I don't know how to access the good ones! Cataloging this shit could take years!

Aaaarrrrgh!

My new favorite group is The White Stripes.

New playlist is...

The White Stripe's Hectic Mix

Stay tuned to my next blog.

One of my students yelled out in fright and warning when I held a red pen in my hand. I was simply taking the roll and well, the student was worried that I was writing her name in red. Apparently, if I wrote her name in red, I would have condemned her to death.

Creepy isn't it. How much power to do Korean teachers really have?

PEG Black Tuesday October 29th, 1929
The DJIA was on a 6 year bull going from 85.76 to 381.17 . The market crashed at 230.07 on Tuesday, October 29th, 1929

It was 55 days after the market hit 381.17 for the market to crash.

Next bull market started on July 24, 1984 - DJIA closed at 1086.57 it was a three year rise to its peak of 2722.42, August 25, 1987. 55 days later it crashed again...strange huh?

Alan Greenspan came to the rescue and stopped it from causing another recession and raining on Reagan's parade.

"Some economists believe that the roughly 60-year period between the two great crashes is no accident. They point to an underlying cycle of prices and economic activity, the so-called Kondratieff Wave. Indeed, looking back 60 years from the 1929 crash brings us face to face with another fiancial panic, the original Black Friday: September 4, 1869, which a business panic was precipitated by a group of financiers trying to corner the gold market."

Marc Groz

So I guess I should be careful around...2047...If the market peaks then and goes bull then I should start selling...shit i'll be 62 then...I think I should liquify my stocks when I'm 60. Now the real question is if I can hold on to them for that long....

I'm reading Jeremy Siegel's the Future for Investors. He's telling me that I'm falling into the "growth trap" and my investment strategy sucks.

He's probably right. I mean, I don't know exactly what I'm doing - yet I've made $2000 dollars in the last three months. Beginner's luck, I think. He's saying that I should be more conservative in my investment strategy. Hold the stock "FOREVER".

I don't know about all that, but he's saying that buying older stocks and reinvesting the dividends will make me more money in the long run. I don't think he's entirely wrong. I'm going to look into Kraft Foods, KFT, Coca-Cola, KO, General Electric, GE, Disney, DIS, and Exxon, XON and so on.

I mean it was a strategy I was already thinking anyway. Sort of... He's probably good at his job you know.

The Master doesn't try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for
power;
thus he never has enough.

The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.

The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.

When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.

Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.

"Teacher, Is it nip it in the bud or nip it in the butt?"

What are you doing this weekend?

Folks, it’s already Thursday so you should start making a plan for what you to do this weekend. Strangely enough, the weather has been getting warmer these days, so I suggest that you take a trip to Seoul Forest. It’s a great place to go to and they have deer, art, and mini steam shovels for kids to play on.

It’s on the East side of Seoul near Ttukseom Resort and you get there by taking the green line (line 2) to Ttukseom Station and go out exit 8. It’s about a 5 minute walk to the station.

You can also get there by water taxi.

The park is huge and it reminds of New York’s central. It opened on June 2005 and the city spent 235.2 billion won to build it. There are over 400,000 trees and 100 different types of animals. There are 5 different districts: Cultural Art Park, Ecological Forest, Nature Experiencing Studying Field, Wetlands Ecological Field, and Han River Waterside Park. The various areas include an outdoor stage, Seoul Forest Square, ecological play ground, butterfly green house, bicycle roads, and walking paths.

I was there about a month ago and my friend and I rented bicycles and we went around the park for a while. Everywhere we looked, there would be a new statue, plant, or structure that caught out eye. It’s a bit eclectic. We also saw a traditional dance performance there where the guys have a string thing attached to the hat and they twirl it around. It was really cool. We also got to see the deer in the Ecological Forest and the fish in the pond. I really enjoyed the Han Waterside Park because it had playground equipment that showed how the water cycle works. So be sure to check out Seoul Forest this weekend.

If there is too much time. We’ll do Idioms that we didn’t do last time.

Now if you have been in Korea for a while, it might be time for you to open up a bank account- hiding your money in the freezer is not the best way to save for retirement. It’s not a safe place and it won’t gain any interest.

The first thing you have to do is choose your bank. When you choose your bank, you should pick one that is foreign friendly and well established. These days many banks have at least 1 English speaking personnel on staff, so shop around to find one that seems to be staffed with English speakers. I am sorry, but I am not allowed to tell you the names of the major banks on the air, for legal reasons, but you can go to the Soul of Asia message board for that information. Ask around. Ask what banks your co-workers use. That’s a relatively good start.

So if you are ready to open an account, you must visit the bank in person and take your alien registration card and passport. If you did not receive the card, yet, then you’ll have to wait until your card has been issued before you can open an account. And be sure to know your home address.

Location is very important. Try to find a bank that has branches in places that you frequent. If you spend a majority of your time in Gangnam or Itaewon, then you should find a bank with a presence there. This is also very important when you are transferring money overseas.

When I first came to Korea I used one bank to transfer money overseas. Let’s name that bank K. Then when I moved to Seoul, I opened up a new account with a different bank, let’s call that bank S. Everything was fine with bank S for a while but then Korea changed some banking law and I was told by bank S that I couldn’t transfer money overseas anymore using their bank.
I had to transfer with bank K.

Simply, I was told I could only transfer money overseas using one bank and it was against the law for me to transfer using any other bank. These measures were implemented to cut down on teachers teaching illegally. They said if I wanted to fill out some paperwork and wait a couple of days then I would be able to transfer money using my new bank. I found that it wasn’t worth the hassle and so, I closed my account at bank S and just switched back to my old bank.

So pick the bank that you are going to transfer money overseas to, because it will be a hassle to change it over later.

There is no charge for you to open your account, but you should put in 50,000 won or so into your account to start. There might also be a charge to get an ATM card, this is usually only 2-3000 won.

And when you do apply for your ATM card, be sure to tell the bank that you want a debit/check card. This kind of card will have a visa logo and it will allow you to use this card to make purchases inside of restaurants and shops. The other kinds of card will not. It will only let you take money out of ATMs.
Seriously, folks.
I am not kidding. I know, you would think that they would know automatically assume that you want a debit/check card. Don’t assume. Be sure. If you don’t know how to say it in Korean then call the BBB at 1588-5644 for help. With some cards you can get a T-money embedded card. This is more expensive and often I only see it on credit cards

Also, my writer said that he found some information that since September 2007, some banks will not allow new foreigners to open an account for three months as part of an anti-phishing scam. This sounds a bit ridiculous and suspicious. I guess these banks just don’t want to deal with foreigners and this measure is their way of telling them that they don’t want their business. Now, I don’t know which banks have these measures. If anyone was told by a bank that they couldn’t open, up an account, then I would really like to know. Please send me a call.

Now, all the people that I talked do haven’t had any problems opening an account.

One more thing, if you want to be able to access your account using your computer, you’ll have to request that as well. They will then enable you to do this and they will give you a special decoder card so you can log into your account.

Now regular bank accounts will pay any interests. But you can make deposits for a certain period of time and those will gain interest. They have 3 month, 6 month, and year options available. Of course, longer the deposit, more of a return you will get.

Also you can exchange your money into different currency and keep that in your account. For example, you could exchange all your woney into British Pounds and then just keep that money in your account. The pounds will not gain any interest, but when there are currency fluctuations, you can flip your strong currency for weaker currency.

Honestly, I’m kicking myself because I could have exchanged my won into dollars months ago and then I could have changed them back for more won. So…I suggest you change some of your money now into different currencies just to be safe.

Let’s take a quick break now and then we’ll come back to talk more about money.

Welcome back and let’s get back into talking about money. I got some more information on the three month restriction for foreigners on opening accounts from korea4exapats.com.

It reads, “As part of the fight against (voice mainly) phishing, Korean banks announced that beginning September 2007, foreigners would not be allowed to open a bank account for at least three months after obtaining their alien registration card. Further, foreign account holders are to be limited to over-the-counter transactions and not allowed to use the ATM's for their banking for three months after they have opened their new account. However, we've noted that the policy isn't applied to everyone and that whether or not it is applied at all, varies from branch to branch, even within the same bank.”

My writer just told me that these phishing scams are quite vicious and they are being blamed on foreigners.

Okay, now I think we are safe because we don’t speak Korean, but I here’s what I heard was happening.

This scam is like a new form of kidnapping and ransom, but without all the dirtiness of actually kidnapping. What these scammers will do is to get a child and the mother’s cellphone number and they will call the child while they are walking home or they are away from adult supervision. Then the scammers will call and then hang up. They’ll call again and then hang up. They’ll keep doing this until the child finally turns off the phone. The kid will then go play with friends or something.

Then they call the mother and tell her that they have kidnapped her child and that she needs to transfer something like 10 million won in 20 minutes if she ever wants to see her child again. Of course, the mother will try to call her child and when she finds out the child’s phone is busy, she’ll freak out and believe that the kidnappers have actually kidnapped her child. And of course, she’ll transfer the money. Sometimes, I’ve even heard that the scammers have a way of forwarding the call mother’s call to the child back to themselves, so when the mother calls and then the kidnappers pick up- she’ll really believe that her child has been kidnapped.

Now I’m not sure how often this happens, but it must happen enough because each time I am transferring money over there is a screen that I have to answer “No” to because it asks me if I am transferring money because someone demanding I transfer money recently contacted me. I know this because every time I blindly hit yes, yes, yes, and when the anti-phishing screen comes up and I hit yes, the machine won’t let me complete my transaction.

Also some quick review. While most ATMs will be open 24 hours, some banks will not allow you to get money after 10. Remember that when you are planning to be out all night partying.

And one last thing. If you are vacationing in another country you will probably be unable to use your Korean debit card to get money from foreign ATMs. So be sure to take out all the money that you will need for the trip or take your home country’s card with you.

When I went to Bali for vacation, I made this mistake because I tried to use my Korean debit card and it wouldn’t let me take out extra money. Luckily, I had my credit card so I was able to survive for the week. If I didn’t have that, I would have had to fast all week and beg on the street to survive- not exactly my idea of a tropical vacation.

Getting a visa in Korea can be a very scary, frustrating, and confusing process in Korea. Korea recently changed up the regulations for getting visas in Korea so getting an E-2 visa can be tedious with going through criminal checks, getting diplomas, transcripts and other things.

Oh, and tomorrow we will have Joe Waller who has been a recruiter for many years and he has a tremendous amount of knowledge on the subject. Be sure to message us questions you would like answered or you can call us tomorrow at 02 778 1013.

Today I wanted to go over the different Visa categories and I have decided to do this in the form of a song.

Are you ready?
Sung to the tune of Old McDonald:
Young John Finkle came to Korea ABCDE
And in Korea, he tried to get a Visa FGHME
With a diploma check here and a criminal check there, a here a check there a check everywhere a check, check.
Young John Finkle got a visa ABCDE

(Pause) Fine. I won’t torture you anymore with my horrible voice. Good thing I’m on radio or you would be able to see my red face.

Korea has 36 different visa types that are each designated with a letter and a number. The letters range from A-H and then it skips to M. Each letter designates a different type of visa.

For example lets take the A visa. There are three types. A-1, A-2, and A-3. You get an A-1 visa if you are a diplomat, an A-2 if you are a government official, and an A-3 if you are part of a treaty.

The B-visas are special exemption visas and there are only two types: B-1 and B-2. B-1 means you are exempt from a visa and B-2 means you have a pass without a visa.

Now I’ll go through the different categories of visas.

C visas, which range from C-1 to C-4 are short term visas reserved for short term business guests, employees, and tourists. If you are a tourist to Korea, you’ll get a C-3 visa. Now there are some countries that are exempt from getting a visa. Canada has a 6-month tourist visa and Australia and USA have a 90-day.

D-visas are for students and investors. If you have a whole lot of money, like 50 million, then you can apply and get a D-8 visa. If you want to study at a Korean University, you can get a D-2 visa.

E visas are probably what many of you have and they are reserved for teachers, consultants, and entertainers. Many Koreans refer to this as the Weiguk visa. I think that E-2s are the most common and its title is “English Conversation Teacher.” So if you are being asked to teach math or Spanish, fold laundry, cook, or do anything like that- stop. Just teach conversation. E-1 visas are for professors and E-6 are Entertainer visas. Usually these visas are single entry, so that means that if you are going to travel outside of the country, you need to go to your immigration office and change it to a multiple entry visa. The last time I checked, the fee was around 70,000 won.

You don’t want to get to the airport for your trip to Thailand and find out that you can’t get back into the country.

F-visas are resident visas or for overseas Koreans. If you are married to a Korean or if you have been here for over two years, you can get this visa. These have fewer job restrictions. For example, you can quit a job when you want and not get kicked out of the country. Also they need to be renewed every two years, instead of just one.

A G visa is just a special category and I don’t have any information on it. I guess if you’re James Bond, you’d get this super secret visa.

H-2 visas are working holiday visas and they are 5-year visas and they are for overseas Koreans that could be from China, Russia, and other countries. Getting this visa is quite competitive because preference is given to those that are proficient in communicating in Korean.

If Taxis aren’t your thing and you feel that the subways are just a little too crowded then there is another form of transportation (beat)if you are feeling aquatic.

Seoul has 12 water taxis that run along the Han River that run from 10am to 8pm and they make 12 stops. They stop at the Jamsil Ferry Dock, Tkukseom Park, Seoul Forest, Jamwon Pier, Yeouido 119, Mangwon, Nanji, and others. There are 3 different lines: the green, blue, and orange. The Green goes from Jamsil Pier to Nanji and it is primarily a tour taxi. The Orange and purple lines are business commuting boats. The Green goes from Jamil to Nanji and the Orange starts at Ttukseom Resort and ends at Yeouinaru Station. This is on the purple line, line 5. So if you are headed to the Yongsan area this is a fun way to get there.

I am, personally, a huge fan of the water taxis because you get away from the maddening crowds and there is sense of romantic freedom out on the sea.

OK, I don’t want this getting out, but you know the famous scene in Titanic when Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio do the whole flying thing on the hull of the boat? I totally did that.

The other people on the boat were envious. I know it.

The water taxis run every day from 8am to 10pm. During the mornings there is only a 10-minute wait and in the evenings they run every 15 minutes.

There is a fixed price of 5000 won during express hours which are from 7am to 830pm and from 6:30 to 8pm. These taxis go from Ttukseoum to Yeouido and Jamsil to Yeouido.

I’m not going to lie to you, it’s a bit more expensive but if you have a lot of friends, it’s really quite cheap. Fares range from 5,800- 60,000 per trip. The 60,000 is if you are going all the way from Jamsil to Nanji.

Also, that is per boat, not per person and that deal is good for up to 7 people per boat. For example if you are going from Yeouinaru to 선유도, the total fare is 11300 but if you have 7 people and you divide it up, then it would only cost 1,600 won. I think that’s totally cheap. Now if you want to have a private vessel with your loved one, you can easily do that. I suggest you get a bottle of champagne and a couple of baguettes with cheese- this would make a perfect date.
(Coughs…pause and a little louder)
Again, This would make the perfect
date! I hope my numb nut of a boyfriend gets the hint.

Anyway, the water taxis are a wonderful way to get around in Seoul. Be sure to make reservations at 1588-3960. You can also make online reservations at www.pleasantseoul.com

Let’s talk about business cards: the Myeongham. It is a very important thing in Korea. From what I heard, it comes from ancient times when people would sign everything with a special stamp that would give their name in Chinese. This was stamp was a person’s signature and it was a very official seal.

So if someone hands you a business card, you should not look at it for a second and then throw it in your pocket.

I know in America, people pass out business cards like grains of rice at a wedding, but in Korea, most people selectively pass them out.

So if a Korean person gives you a card, humbly accept it. Bow as you hold it with both hands, say thank you (komapsumnida) and study the card.

I mean really look at it. You can even make a comment about their position like, “Oh, wow, you are the assistant to the secretary of the interim CEO.” It doesn’t matter what their position is, just make that person sound important.

You should then get your own card, but don’t be too hasty. Be graceful and respectful while handing it out. Just imagine you are the Karate Kid in the Green Tea ceremony. Present it with both hands and bow when the person grabs it.

I know this sounds like a very complicated system for giving out a business card, but the card is sacred here. It is a promise, it’s a sign of position, and a sign of partnership. Position and status is very important in Korea and the business card is in recognition of that.

So even if you’re not going to do anything with the card, just accept it like you are.

Cut this if it is running long

And one more thing! Don’t ever, ever write your name on the card in front of the person who hands it to you. I did this once and, if you want to get the evil eye, this is what you do. I once did this to a Korean guy’s card because I needed to write down some prices of a camera he was trying to sell me. When I started writing on his card he went off. He started cursing like a Korean Elementary school student. He said 18 and called me a dog baby many times. You know what I mean. You can translate 18 and dog baby yourself.

So don’t write on a person’s business card.

I want to be a Malady or a Manjuma when I grow up.

32,800 won in coins....+20,000 in bills I cleaned out everyone.

Ryan is my Nemesis. I took him in the end. He is too rash, but his insanity saves him.

I think I need to start a podcast from the land of the not quite right.

I've been listening to the Dawn and Drew show through iTunes 4.8. Dawn and Drew are really interesting and fucking great. Sorry, but my brain is fried today so I can't really think right now.

I need to rehydrate myself.