Oh the Anticipation...

Welcome all to a blog that we will do our best to continually update with stories, photos, and videos as we begin our travels into VERY foreign lands. As the time approaches for us to say our goodbyes, we are in great anticipation for the upcoming year.

We've both felt a strong pull to step way outside of our comfort zone and into cultures different than our own. The Lord has provided us with this opportunity for just that. Going to South Korea has been in the back of our minds for sometime now and we even had an opportunity to go 3 days after our wedding for an entire year, but decided that may not be the best decision in our current situation. We continued to pray for an opportunity to step out of the comfort of our own culture in order to experience rich cultures elsewhere.

We were able to build a connection through a friend from college whose uncle is on the board of an elementary school in Seoul, S. Korea. Before we knew it we were in direct contact with the director of the school that we would potentially be teaching at. After many emails, questions, and interviews, the contract was offered for the two of us to begin a contract March 1, 2011.Woohoo!

We then started dreaming of a trip to S.E. Asia to do a little backpacking before we settled in Korea for full time work. Some of you may know that visiting Thailand has been on my (Chelsea) bucket list for quite some time now. It still feels surreal that we're ACTUALLY going! We've been in limbo the past few months deciding if this was where God was wanting us to go, yet He continued to prompt us forward with open doors. We took a step back with the ensuing political situation in the North & South Korea region to decide if it was even safe for us to go. After much conversation, prayer, and research we still continued the process of making the jump.

Only in the past couple weeks have we felt 100% that we are taking the right step. God has blessed us with loose ends tieing up much neater than we thought possible. We've sold a car, rented out our apartment, received all sorts or documents to send out for our visas, and have felt blessed by the love and support from our families and friends. We have, however, just broached one minor hiccup with a particular document in order to receive our official S. Korean work visa. We ask for your prayers in this because at this point it is completely out of our hands.

For those of you interested, our itinerary beginning Jan 14th looks a little something like this:

Jan. 14 : Fly from Vancouver, BC airport to Bangkok, Thailand
Jan. 16 : Arrive in Bangkok to stay for 3-4 days as we talk to other travelers about must see's. We will then travel south to experience the unique culture on different islands and villages on the mainland. After 30 days we will travel up north and are hoping to visit Vietnam.
Feb. 22 : Fly from Bangkok to Seoul, S. Korea to settle into our tiny little dorm style apartment and begin teaching March 1st.

Our contract in Korea officially runs from Mar. 1, 2011 to Feb. 28, 2012. There are MANY unknowns about our time there. We anticipate being placed in a tiny little dorm size apartment and we will find out upon arrival our class size, age group, curriculum we'll be working with at the elementary.

Although we will certainly miss our friends and family over the next year, we are confident this year will fly by and will strengthen Nathan and I as individuals and especially as a newlywed couple. We look forward to documenting these moments and keeping you all involved as we begin this adventure. Please feel free to email either of us with questions, encouragement, and updates on your end.

Bye for now! We shall see you in a year!

Much Love,

Nathan & Chelsea Pogue