When I began telling people back home that I was moving to Korea, there seemed to be an inevitable and predictable thought process for the listener: confusion (“wait, where?”); shock (“but, umm, why?!”); fear (“but isn’t North Korea trying to bomb them or something?”); and excitement (“oh it sounds like such an adventure!”). Then came… Continue reading Falling in Love… Or Fish Tanks
Tag: Expat life
What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad
As I leaned my heavy head on the glass window, the dry and weathered countryside streaming past, the effects of the extra strong IPA, two days of travel, and jet lag pressed down upon my eyelids with urgency while I struggled to keep them lifted. I was home. As my dad drove us through the rolling… Continue reading What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad
The Story of a Letter and the Kindness of a Stranger
I love mail. I still remember the excitement that the mailbox brought to birthday season. On a warm summer morning, birds chirping lazily from the branches while bees darted busily from the fragrant jasmine bushes by the windows to the vibrant purple honeysuckle blossoms that lined the walkway, I would hear the squeak of… Continue reading The Story of a Letter and the Kindness of a Stranger
2013 In Review: One Wild Year
It’s incredible how quickly a year can pass. And the older I get the faster it seems to go. What’s up with that?! Yesterday I told of my “most ridiculous moments in 2013” because, let’s be honest, my life can be a bit strange at times. But I also wanted to do a more typical… Continue reading 2013 In Review: One Wild Year
My 13 Ridiculous Moments of 2013
I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but rather than Cupid shooting me through with an arrow of love, some other jokester angel must have sprinkled a dust on my head that has magnetized me to strange, awkward, and sometimes hilarious encounters. It is an ongoing phrase amongst my friends to say, “this… Continue reading My 13 Ridiculous Moments of 2013
Making Our Own Holiday Spirit for Christmas in Korea
One of my best friends is a few months pregnant right now but I’d venture to say that my food baby is bigger than her real baby. The last week of Christmas festivities has impregnated me with a belly so full of butter and sugar that I wouldn’t be surprised if I sneezed and gave… Continue reading Making Our Own Holiday Spirit for Christmas in Korea
Sh*t My Students Write: Part 2
A few days ago I posted about my urge to run away but instead making the decision to stay in Korea for another year. Thank you to everyone who messaged me with words of support and encouragement. I didn’t mean to sound quite so emo; even though things are a little rough right now, I… Continue reading Sh*t My Students Write: Part 2
The Tale of a Wannabe Runaway
Have you ever wanted to run away? I think we all have at some point. When I was young I sometimes gave my parents that stereotypical childish threat of packing my suitcase and leaving. They, of course, never believed me so one night I grabbed a backpack and snuck out. I made it as… Continue reading The Tale of a Wannabe Runaway
Say Kimchi! A bizarre photo experience
There was a (much more glamorous) time of my life when I was a “pageant queen” and little girls flocked to get my autograph and a photo with me. Akin to being a princess at Disneyland, it was a novelty I relished as a once in a lifetime opportunity; for, surely, never again in my… Continue reading Say Kimchi! A bizarre photo experience
A Farewell to Fall
A few months back I had my third grade middle school students write acrostic poems. I was blown away by their creativity and wit and stowed the stack of over 200 poems safely in a drawer, vowing to laminate and hang some of them on the wall in my classroom when I had the chance.… Continue reading A Farewell to Fall
An American Expat Thanksgiving in Korea
I love the feeling of a home once the last guest has left a party. The air is warm and cozy and an energy clings to the air, echoes of laughter still ringing from the walls. The few remaining dishes and scattered chairs don’t bother me; they’re a sign of the life lived and… Continue reading An American Expat Thanksgiving in Korea
This. Is. SPARTA! Conquering the Reebok Spartan Race in Seoul
Have you ever dreamed of crawling through mud and under barbed wire, scaling 10 foot walls, carrying sandbags up and down hills, throwing a javelin, or climbing a 20ft rope out of a pool of freezing water? No? But I thought that was everyone’s idea of a good time! Well, I suppose I always have… Continue reading This. Is. SPARTA! Conquering the Reebok Spartan Race in Seoul