my goals this week

Today is my first day of freedom. This is the first extended break I've had in the two-plus years since I started working at YB, and I'm so giddy I don't know what to do with myself. Alas, YB doesn't pay salary to most of us; we're part-timers, working for an hourly wage, which means that, the moment we stop working, we stop being paid. Actually, I'll still be working up until my departure on April 18: I've got content-creation assignments coming my way. (Joy. You know how much I love working with those guys.)

A few things need to happen this week, though: first, I need to get a loan. OneMain Financial, a service with branches in my town, keeps mailing me these flyers saying I'm eligible to get their lovely $6000 loan. I actually tried to get a loan from OneMain last year, but was unsuccessful because of a poor debt-to-income ratio (as I've said on this blog many times, I've got a mountain of debt). That was before I started doing content-creation work and thus upping my monthly take. I'm now in a better place, financially speaking, so I'm hoping that today's foray to OneMain will prove fruitful. If OneMain rejects me, I'll drive over to the local branch of my home bank, PNC, and try to get a loan from that entity.

One way or another, I've got to get that loan, because if I do land a job in Korea, I'll be spending like crazy as I settle affairs and pack up for the Big Move to Korea. Public storage, a second plane ticket, early-termination penalty for my rental contract... lots of money will be hemorrhaging. I also need some spending money for the upcoming trip: while in Korea, I'll be taking subways, buses, and taxis, shopping for food, and renting a cell phone for around $5-$8 per day, for a month. Before the trip, I've also determined to buy myself an iPad so I can stay plugged in with everyone via Skype and email. Am hoping that Korean Wi-Fi will allow me free access to the Net from almost anywhere in Seoul.

So that's the loan errand. Other errands this week include going to Catholic and Georgetown Universities to acquire official transcripts, then taking those documents, along with my two diplomas and my FBI background check, to the State Department to get everything apostilled (stamped and notarized). With that pile of apostilled documents and my recently updated passport, I ought to be ready for anything when I hit the peninsula.

Once I've gotten those errands out of the way (and, ideally, they shouldn't take more than three days total), I can concentrate on packing, and on any other remaining prep.

But first things first: the loan. I'm about to print out several months of banking and direct-deposit records, after which I'll be stepping out to hit OneMain and PNC, so wish me luck.


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