I'm planning to do something very very similar! I'm double majoring in Germand and Japanese right now and my plan after college is to teach in Japan for a while, then Korea, then hopefully Europe someday, though the jobs in Europe are fewer and farther between compared to Asia.

I also plan to get my masters eventually. I definitely am not planning for marriage, and to be honest I don't know if I ever intend to come back to live. Although, you never know, I'm still young.

My focus is to learn my target languages, but I'd also really like to lose some of this weight. My main goal is to be 180lbs or less(hopefully less) when I head to Asia and I hope that if I still have some to lose it will be easier there. I'd like to live somewhere I don't have to own a car!

You may need to start out in Korea or Taiwan to get some experience in order to eventually get an awesome job in Japan. That's what my brother did, and he speaks fluent Japanese and has a pretty good job, but is still striving to get an even better job. You kinda have to work your way up, and learning Japanese gets you even further.

I may be wrong with this info, but that's what I learned from him...

I have a couple of friends that have taught English in Korea and they loved it. Apparently, you can make quite good money (many companies pay for your accommodations)! I considered it - but like I said - too much culture shock! I'm really not a very adventurous eater....

There are a lot of teaching jobs in London, which is great. They hire overseas teachers because we're willing to work for less to have the experience of living in this city! lol

Many of my friends have done the Korea teaching too.... a few have also done China, and right now 1 is in the UK. (others are still in China and some in Macau and Malaysia)

Loving all the chit chat going on in this thread.... no one should consider sharing their thoughts/experiences hijacking.... this is open for all to discuss.... and me to rant LOL



Speaking of rants.... today's is food quality.

I wasn't sure when I would get to this one, but I decided today it is.

Let me backtrack....to China - don't drink the water, wash things very well, salads don't exist in most restaurants and if they do they come with mayo...lots of mayo (mini-separate rant - I think China has a surplus of mayo...since they put it on everything, sushi, every sandwich, salads and not just a little like 2-3 tablespoons.... insane!)
I had the worst food poisoning of my life in China - (so I thought) couldn't eat for 2-3 days, and was as grey as my silver trenchcoat... and semi-delirious.... but I only got really sick that one time, and a 2-3 other times from too much spicey food.

Enter Egypt.... you can drink the water but it's like drinking from a swimming pool (heavy chlorination), the produce must be cleaned EXTREMELy well...salads exist.

I was sick every weekend for the first 4 months I lived here last year... I had food poisoning 3-4 times last year...and I encountered the REAL worst food poisoning of my life... I thought something inside of me had ruptured the pain was so intense...I couldn't stand, could only lie down in the fetal position... I went to work.... with a fever.... but said I wasn't coming in the next day...I went to a doctor who took 1 look at my tongue and diagnosed food poisoning... gave me some pills and sent me on my way... a few days later I was okay, but the pain took a bit longer to go...

He also said I should eat yogurt daily... that actually helped. I also stopped eating raw vegetables....

Even now I almost never consume raw veggies (some fruit) and still eat yogurt daily... I have been sick about twice since coming back in August, but nothing too major...... and no food poisoning.

I was at the point last year where I said if this continues I can't live here anymore...

Egypt - 2 Melissa - 1

Good for you, you are brave enough to do the things I wanted to but was too chicken to do!

ugh!!! What a nightmare. Surprisingly, I didn't get sick once in Saudi from the food. Even eating shawarmas in the markets on the street, etc.

Anyway, I have 2 tips you may want to try. One of them is my own tip - if you can order or get your hands on some "Grapefruit Seed Extract with Echinacea" (Nutribiotic brand) this will help immensely with your stomach. It neutralizes the acid in your stomach so bacteria/parasites can't grow. It is my number one travel tip and I take it on every trip (after a nasty bout of typhoid in Turkey!).

the other tip is from another blog, from a person living in a rural area in the Philippines. She washes her veggies with a combo of bleach and hot water. not sure of the actual amount of bleach, but you may want to look that up. apparently there is major bacteria on the raw veggies and fruits from manure, etc., that can make you sick. Just a suggestion to look into?

This is probably one of my favorite threads so far on 3FC! Let's keep it up!

BreathingSpace - Love the tips! I will look for the grapefruit seed extract, probably when I go home for Christmas.

They sell tablets here for washing stuff, and for harder skinned things (apples, etc) I just use soap and water.... at this point I feel like some of it is just my 'fear'.... but I miss salads.... when I go home I eat so much salad (home made, so it's not one of those 'fake' healthy salads)

I'm so glad people are digging this thread, makes me happy to see other people who have worked internationally (or wanted to travel) chime in and share thoughts...

well there is a major protest/demonstration being called for tomorrow (Tuesday).

As such, the schools have decided to shut down, so I have the day off.

We had our 'emergency' plan meeting at work, and I'm not too worried, I just hope the violence is kept to a minimum and things will resolve as quietly as possible.

Stay safe!

why dont you buy something like this http://www.amazon.com/Better-Chef-Bu...ords=stove+top
or this http://www.amazon.com/Waring-DB60-Po...ords=stove+top

no flames to deal with we have those used it for camping and what not. my sister had one in hawaii when she had a really tiny apartment.

Going2be- I have found a better option, a room mate who will do the cooking so long as I do the dishes!

though your idea is a good one too

haha ok woot

sorry I haven't been around... things have been busy and stressful.

Had another creeptacular run in with a skeevy taxi driver... this was one watching pron on his iPhone, showing it to me and kept saying 'nice".... then started to unzip his pants... not sure WHAT he thought was going to happen, but I made him stop the cab and got out and walked the rest of the way (was coming home from a party around 11:30 at night)

ugh... I still stress out when taking cabs now...

major upsets at work.... stress is super high, just trying to survive until I go home on the 18th.... definitely need a nice break back home.

Hope you are all doing well.

Yuck!!! Did you pay him for the ride?

Stay safe. When is the lad day of the semester?

ugh!!! gross!!!!

there was a lot of that in Saudi in the markets, when girls would try on abbayas the men would try to rub up against them.