Delays

Well after jumping through several hoops in pursuit of my chingum (real sword), such as a doctor's checkup, eye examination and a visit to the police office, I am still no closer to getting it. The police require a criminal record check from Canada which will take 2 to 3 months to acquire. By then it will be too late to begin practicing with it so we're weighing other options before proceeding any further. Also our immigration papers were returned to us informing us that we are to send them to Canada and not to Canadian Embassy, so once again we have to reacquire time-sensitive documents and send the package again. The whole immigration process is very frustrating as there are many steps, some which are unclear, others unecessary depending on your situation, some picky, some time consuming, and some absurd. On top of this, there is a job opportunity for me in Gunsan for 2006. We are considering it seriously as it sounds much more interesting, more lucrative and less time consuming than my current job. Even now in the hellish heat of the Korean summer I am thinking about staying another year, which is very different from the first summer I spent here when I thought many times, never again! Someone told me that this is supposed to be the hottest summer in 50 years in Korea. Looking forward to the fall is the main way I put up with the heat day after day...and summer has only just begun.