Repatriate Me!

I haven’t done much towards my move lately. I’ve had a fair amount of time, but have just been making excuses. At this point I really need to get something done about finding out what is needed to sponsor my wife to become a landed immigrant in Canada as well as bringing the kids over. I also need to ramp up my research and solidify my plans for the trip to Ottawa this summer. Here is a list of things that need to be done.

1. visit the Canadian embassy web site and print out the applications necessary for visa sponsorship for my wife
2. contact the embassy about any questions not answered on their site or the forms
3. find a cheap place to stay in Ottawa (for about 7-10 days this July)
   1. the size of a closet is fine as long as it’s clean and cheap – I’m only going to be sleeping there.
   2. see if I can find a deal on car rentals (this one can probably wait a little longer though)
4. do more research into the different burbs and areas surrounding Ottawa – I’m actually willing to live in a small town as long as it’s within 30 minutes drive of Ottawa.
   1. Also need to learn about which schools are good and look into what programs they offer to kids with weak English skills
5. learn more about the real estate market
6. make an appointment with a bank to talk about the possibilities of a mortgage – am concerned about this as I wont’ have a job when I get back nor will I have a job history, though I’m hoping that being able to plunk down C$150,000-175,000 on a house will help. Pretty sure banks like big down payments as that should mean a lower risk to them.
7. business regulations: especially running a business out of your home. What type of business is allowed, taxes, fees etc..
   1. Is there any advantage to joining a local chamber of commerce now – i.e. well before I arrive.
8. I also need to seriously do something about building up a network of contacts in Ottawa.
   1. would love to hook up with other families with kids around 4/8 years old or with mixed kids – mine are white Canadian (me) and Korean (my wife)

There's more, keep reading

On Friday I went for a walk through the underground blackmarket area in Shinchon Seoul. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, despite it being only a ten minute walk from home. I went back Friday evening for a walking tour through Shinchon and also stopped for Chicken Galbi.

Shinchon is a very very popular place for younger Koreans, and expats, to hang out. It’s walking distance to three universities and only 2 subway stops from a third (which actually has it’s own thriving nightclub scene). In any case I’ve lived nearby Shinchon for 13 years and figured a little video memories would be nice.

At this point I rarely head into Shinchon in the evening, I’m more of a morning coffee shop kind of guy or else I’ll be there around lunch time for some food. But night time here is a good time for video.

Yesterday, I also spent some time modifying the templates to this site to better accommodate video. At the end of November last year, I bought an HD Camcorder (Canon Vixia HG20) and am planning on shooting lots of video around Seoul and Korea.

Shinchon Black Market

A walk through the underground black market area across from Hyundai department store. This place has really changed a lot since the late 90s when it was much busier and crowded.

Chicken Galbi

Can't go wrong with chicken galbi for dinner. I ate at one of the most popular chicken galbi restaurant chains in Korea. They actually have three branches in shinchon. I went to the best location there.

Shincon Tour

A walking tour through Shinchon including a walk past all the love motels which you can rent by the hour.

I know I haven’t exactly been posting a lot lately. Anyhow once this snow disappears, I’ll be back to regular posting. I’m actually planning on going to the Canadian Embassy web site and finding out more about the visa process. Probably download all the forms and go through them and then call the embassy if I have any questions about them.

On an unrelated note. This morning it was snowing the second heaviest I’ve seen it in Seoul in my 13 winters. It may not be a Canadian winter, but it was definitely good for my kids to play in.

Happy New Year everyone.

Tons of Snow