What will Mocha Do (WWMD)?

Hello my lovely readers,

I made a few promises about updating more often but it never happened. I feel terrible about it and I really have no excuse. I'm a lazy person by nature. I work hard at work, but things change when i get home. My mother should know best.

Anyway, I have an important announcement to make. Yo guys remember I applied for EPIK way back when? Well, I also applied for graduate school (Temple University Japan) and to a program called TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program In France). And guess what? I got into all three. Yes, I'm awesome. I think so too. Just kidding. Kind of. Anyway, after much deliberation about what to do, hashing it out with friends and family, and even making charts for pros and cons, I have decided that I will NOT be doing EPIK next year.

Some of you may be thinking "WHAT?! I THOUGHT SHE'D BE IN KOREA FOREVERRRRRR!!!!"

Honestly, i thought that too in the beginning. I still love Korea. It's a great place to be for a young teacher and the people here are very friendly. But I realize I inherited my mother's nomadic tendencies. I feel like if I have the chance to live in different countries, I should take it. This is not to say I won't be returning to Korea. I most likely will come back in the future because I really like it here. However, while I still can, i want to broaden my horizons. My blog name was originally "Mocha's Adventures in Korea." I have changed it to "Mocha's Adventures Abroad" to reflect this sentiment. I want to visit different countries while I can.

Now, what will I be doing? I'm not doing EPIK and I'm not staying in Korea. What will it be? France or Japan? Well... the short answer is... both. I Was accepted into Temple University Japan for the fall of 2016. However, I asked the administration if I can defer my matriculation for one year in order to do TAPIF because it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They focus on recent grads and graduate students, so this is really the only time I can do it. TUJ told me that it was okay as long as I re-apply and basically said I was a shoe-in to get it. Furthermore, this gives me time to apply for scholarships for TUJ because it's an american school, meaning it will still be super expensive.

So, from October 1st 2016 to April 31st 2017 I will be in France teaching English. And after that, I will attend TUJ as a TESOL graduate student most likely. While in France, I will also take the chance to travel to other European countries, so I hope you guys will read about my adventures. I will attend TUJ from the Summer, and hopefully finish in a year. I tend to take a lot of classes because otherwise I'd turn into a potato.

From now, I will be posting things about Korea until I leave, like getting to Seoul and Busan, life tips, paying bills, getting a new bankbook, and the like. I also plan to make a post about dating in Korea. I haven't personally dated, but I have witnessed a thing or two that you guys may find interesting. I will also be posting about the process of exiting Korea and the like.

However, starting in September, I will be posting about the process of going to France and how to get into TAPIF.

Cheers!