I've packed my bags, i'm good to go...

Chungdahm finally sent me a contract!! It has been a crazy process, with lots of paperwork and procedures that take forever to complete. The worst of which was the criminal background check. I ended up paying for what I didn't realize was an "informal" background check which of course was not official enough. Finally after several unsuccessful trips to my local city hall and police station, I realized that no one local knew anything about a state-wide background check or what an apostille was. Chungdahm requires the background checks to have this specific seal on them to prove that they are for realsies. Because I don't live anywhere near Madison which is where all of the documents had to be processed, I ended up mailing my request for a background check (with more $ for processing). After about a week I got it back and had to take it in to the courthouse to be notarized. A notary is basically someone who winesses you signing a document and puts a stamp next to the signatures. However, the background check was only the request paper with a red stamp that said "no record found", and no spots for signatures. I knew this would probably pose a problem, but I couldn't get the apostille without the notary. This sounds like a long, horrible process because it is. I took the document in and prayed that whoever I approached for the notary would be willing to help.