May 2, 2013

• rough draft (in english)

  Dear Daejeon Immigration office in Seosan,

  I'm applying for the F-2-7 Visa. I've lived in Taean for around two years. Though I can't speak Korean well, I continue to study everyday. I hope to attend Gyeonggi University's Korean Language Program so that I can practice and live around Korean friends in that area. With the F-2-7 Visa, I hope to find a quick part time job so that I can practice my Korean more through outlets such as translation work. 

  I'm a student, so it's hard for me to find a job without my degree. I'm studying online, so I have both Korean and degree courses to study for. The reason for applying for this visa is beyond getting a job and finding money. I want to integrate into Korean society. I really like it here and want to stay here long-term to study Korean without the hassle of needing to renew my visa constantly. There are so many things I wish to do under the visa, such as volunteering my time at orphanages to legally teach English classes while pursuing my degree and to have more time to locate a part time job that doesn't take away work from other Korean nationals such as translation or multi-lingual assistance. 

  One of my dreams with continuing my education here in Korea is to build a relationship with your country and its people and sharing it with my friends and family back in the states. Even though I live in California, my city near San Francisco takes over eight hours to drive to L.A. The Korean population in my area is growing, but in my city there aren't many Koreans at all. I want to help spread awareness of Korean culture when I visit my family. I wish to renew my visa continuously and stay for over five years more here. 

  Probably one of the only reasons why I can't stay here my whole life is because I have to take care of my mother in the future because she has done a lot for our family. Even when I do go back, my mother and I have a long-term goal of opening a Pizza School in my city. My mom has always had the dream of opening a pizza restaurant, and I think that her dream can be fulfilled through Korea's Pizza School. The pizza is unique and different from the pizzas served in America. Actually, if I were to choose a restaurant, I would open one that specializes in gamjatang, my favorite dish.

  Unlike other foreigners, when looking for teaching opportunities in Korea, I actually didn't want to live and work in Seoul. The city I live in in California is a hour drive from San Francisco with a population size of Seosan. (Approximately 100,000 people). I don't like big cities but I realize that I need to move to one to meet more Korean friends and practice speaking to people interested in the same hobbies. I hope that I can reach out to rural schools in my free time with this visa and teach English for free because education is very important. I realized while in a rural area that education is hard to obtain because of the parent's work schedules and the distance that needs to be traveled to get to school. This is why I want to use the visa to also give back to rural communities like in Taean. 

  So please, if you will consider my application so that I can continue my stay here while legally seeking employment while studying here. I will probably only come back to the states once a year. I consider Korea my new home and have been blessed to have worked at such a great school. I got to intern and explore the possibility of becoming a teacher in the future, after I gain more real-world work experience to share with students. The only reason for going home next year is for my brother's high school graduation. Otherwise, this visa will work well just in case I need to enter and re-enter the country between employment just in case any family emergencies should happen. 

  • 11:16 pm
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