The ARC extension notice

About 40 days before your visa expires you will receive a notice in the mail. I was really hoping that I would be able to leave Korea without having to get my ARC extended. It's not a huge deal to get an extension, it was just something I wanted to avoid. However, I think the way the system works nearly everyone has to get an ARC extension.

I arrived on November 30, 2009 so that was the start date of my one year contract. That means that the last day of my contract is November 29, 2010. In order to collect my end-of-contract bonus I must teach on November 29th but according to this notice I must leave BEFORE November 30th. So the only way I could avoid an ARC extension would be to teach on the 29th and then head to Incheon Aiport which is logistically impossible. Hopefully one day contracts will be written to account for this process.

Some teachers will have contracts that end on a Saturday or Sunday so they can probably teach until the end and still get out of Korea before the ARC expiration date, but that didn't work for me.

I am going to the immigration office next week so I'll provide more details later. I know that the fee is 30,000 Won and I am expecting my school will reimburse me for that.

UPDATE: I went to the immigration office on November 1st with an employee from the Yeonggwang Office of Education. The woman at the immigration office said that I am OK to leave Korea on November 30th without extending my ARC. I showed her the notice that I received in the mail and she thought it was worded incorrectly. So, we'll see what happens when I leave.

Here's what the letter looked like. It doesn't say Immigration on it in English so I almost threw it away. The woman at the Gwangju office said this came from Seoul, not from Gwangju.


My expiration date of 2010.11.30 is clearly noted in the blue box. You can double click this picture twice and zoom in large enough to read what it says.


Here are the details on the back. At the very top in section 1 the second bullet point notes that you have to leave BEFORE your expiration date or get your ARC extended.


Here's what an Alien Registration Card looks like.


Under my picture you can see that the card was issued on 2009.12.15 and the expiration date is 2010.11.30.


The entrance to the immigration office.


The address of the immigration office.

The elephant market

There is a second market in town. It's very similar to the NongHyup market but not as large.

If you have questions about Yeonggwang and would like to contact me, please email me directly. My email address is jleonard518 AT gmail DOT com. You can also email Tony - vikton AT msn DOT com. Please put something like 'questions about Yeonggwang' in the subject line. Thanks, Jim.

This is the big intersection close to Sky and the bus terminal. Your co-teacher should be able to show you the bus terminal so I think directions from here are simple enough.


If you turn right at the GS gas station the elephant market is about 50 yards up on the righthand side. The neon elephant is fairly easy to spot.

The Yeonggwang General Store

When you first arrive you will probably need a bunch of household items for you apartment. There is store near the NongHyup market that carries things such as silverware, dishes, towels, pots, pans and glassware. They also have small tools like tape measures, hammers, pliers, duct tape and screwdrivers. I bought an electric heating pad for my bed there too.

They also sell plastic twine that you can use to set up clotheslines in your apartment. Having wasted 15 minutes looking for twine I feel compelled to give you a hint as to where you can find it. It's on the bottom of a display that is immediately to your right when you step through the door. If you find the steering wheel covers walk around to the other side of that display and look toward the floor.

I posted pictures here that show how to get to the store from the big intersection close to Sky and the bus terminal. Your co-teacher should be able to show you the bus terminal so I think directions from here are simple enough.

From this point the store is less than 4 blocks away. You cross the street an walk toward the white deliver truck (it's to the right of the red car).


This is the view standing in front of the bus terminal. The taxis are always lined up here. Keep walking.


This is just after you cross the street. Buses come and go from the bus terminal in the driveway where you see the blue sign.


A little further down. Note the electronic sign on the left.


A little further down you'll see the Paris Baguette bakery. Turn right down the alley.


The woman in this picture is standing in the alley.


Looking up the alley. Paris Baguette is on your left.


The store with the yellow metal arches on the roof is easy to spot on your right.


A little further up. You'll turn right down the alley before you get to where the white truck is parked.


Walk under this canopy. Note that the NongHyup market is immediately on the left.


The store is on your right. Note the stack of laundry racks. The entrance is just beyond the rolls of floor foam.


The entrance. There are stairs to the second floor on the right.

The NongHyup Market

This is the NongHyup market. If you're not quite sure where it is located follow the directions in the post above (A helpful store for household stuff).


Below are some pictures of individual food items and some shots of the market. I'm not trying to document all of the food products available in Yeonggwang. However, I do think it's helpful to have a glimpse of how things look over here. Hopefully it will make you more comfortable knowing that some familiar food are available and lessen your culture shock.

Frozen pork patties. I use these in stir fry.


Some produce. There are plenty of fresh vegetables.


A bottle of mokoki (rice wine). I don't drink it all the time, but it's not bad.


Green tea. I always keep some in my fridge.


Milk. I buy green caps. They have red caps (whole, I assume) and blue caps too.


My preferred breakfast cereal.


Bleach. I think Clorox is stamped on the bottle somewhere.


Female teachers always ask if tampons can be found in Korea. This is what they stock at NongHyup. I would assume that the selection is better at E-mart and HomePlus.


Ok, you can't find this in Yeonggwang but I'm getting lazy about where I post pictures. This is the coffee that I get from Costco. It;s roasted by Starbucks and it's MUCH cheaper than any other coffee you can get.


INSIDE THE NONGHYUP MARKET

This rack holds the garbage bags. I point this out specifically because it took me a long time to find them. It's up front near the check out stands.


This is in the far back left corner. On the top shelf they have boneless chicken breasts. They are really lean and not very expensive. I buy them frequently.


Some additional pictures.

Itaewon landmarks

It's healthy to take a weekend trip to Seoul at least once every three months. The bus ride is 3.5 hours from Yeonggwang to the Express Bus Terminal so it's a long ride but it helps to get away. The western area known as Itaewon offers western food that you can't get in Yeonggwang. From the Express Bus Terminal you take subway line #3 to the Yaksu stop and then transfer to subway line #6 and go three stops to Itaewon.

This is the new Taco Bell in Itaewon. It's closest to subway exit #3 at the Itaewon stop.


Geckos is directly across the street from the Taco Bell on the second floor. They have a great cheeseburger. It's closest to subway exit #4 at the Itaewon stop.


The Wolfhound is a Irish pub and they also serve a great cheeseburger. The Wolfhound in the alley behind Geckos, just turn right in the alley and walk 100 feet downhill - it's on your right.


If you come out of subway exit #3 it's straight ahead on your right.


If you keep walking past the Starbucks you'll eventually pass this gas station. The Rocky Mountain Tavern is about 2-3 blocks further down on the same side.


Here's the entrance to the Rocky Mountain Tavern. It doesn't have a big sign facing the street so you need to keep an eye out for it. The show NHL games, some are live and some are on tape-delay using a Slingbox & DVR.


BUS FROM ITAEWON TO INCHEON AIRPORT

The bus stop is right near the top of the stairs coming out of subway exit #4.


This store is directly across the street from bus stop.


Bus 6030 runs to Incheon. It's 15,000 Won and you pay cash to the driver. Someone told me it runs every 20 minutes but that definitely depends on traffic. The one time I took it (on a Saturday night) it took almost 90 minutes.


As a reminder, if you have questions about Yeonggwang and would like to contact me, please email me directly. My email address is jleonard518 AT gmail DOT com. You can also email Tony - vikton AT msn DOT com. Please put something like 'questions about Yeonggwang' in the subject line. Thanks, Jim.