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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Talk and Talk. And Talk.

This past month has probably been the most curious I've had yet in my professional life.

In addition to my English language teaching that I do for the private academy where I teach, I am now also the writer of a series of short story books for English language classrooms. The books are for a different academy entirely, so it's a professional writing gig in its own right. I've completed 15 books so far, and have more sitting on my desk right now, directly next to the laptop on which I write this blog, just waiting for me to finish this blog and get started on my next book.

Go me.

In addition to the above awesomeness, I am now an international radio star. Well, take that with a grain of salt or two, but it's true. I did a seemingly random interview for GFN, the Gwangju Foreigner's Network radio station here in Gwangju, discussing my life as a teacher and writer in Korea.  My interview aired on February 25th, 2014, at 11am. The name of the program I was on is called Hello Korea, and the segment I was interviewed for was Talk and Talk. It felt so great to be back in a studio after having been away from that part of my life for so long, and I realized how much I missed it. It was the first time I've ever been 'in front' or 'on air', and I was surprisingly not bad at it, and actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

It turned out that the interview I did for Talk and Talk was an audition to become a regular on the GFN airwaves. They liked me and my degree and knowledge about journalism and broadcasting, and offered me a spot as a regular weekly guest on the show Weekly Review, airing Sundays at 9am KST. Each week, I listen to three clips from another GFN talk radio show and dissect it in an effort to make it better. That started March 9th, and I've now got 4 aired shows under my belt. It's quite exciting.

I find it quite peculiar that just over a month ago I made the decision to return home at the end of this contract, and then all of these interesting developments began to take place for me professionally. There have been a few more work-related developments in the course of the past few weeks, and this is where I tell you that all of these wonderful things happening after my decision to leave have led me to do a complete turn-around of my thoughts and have ultimately persuaded me to stay in Korea for at least another year. The best part is, and this might sound petty until you understand the apartment culture of Korea, that I get to keep my beautiful apartment where I feel very much at home. Yippie!

I love and miss you all, and as always, the invitation is extended for you to come visit me and to be my guest in this amazing country that has slowly but surely become my home. 

2 comments:

  1. go kate!
    love, mom and dad

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations! Sounds like it was all meant to be! Jenny

    ReplyDelete