It's a Boy!

Attention! Following our 16 week appointment, we have some exciting news! Justin and I are having a son!! I had to point and laugh at him during the appointment because he has been convinced the entire pregnancy that our child is a girl.

Initial feelings are terror! I know nothing about little boys! But I am pretty sure my husband knows a few things about boys so I think we might be ok. Now I am just getting very excited about celebrating the impending arrival of our little baby boy, who we have decided to name Lucas :)

Halloween Extravaganza 2011

Halloween this year was pretty awesome despite living in a country that does not really celebrate it. We kicked off Halloween weekend by going to the First Alleyway's Trick or Taco night. We invited Jason and Emily to come with us and it was a delicious, awesome night. We did not go in costumes but our friend Tony who works the bar upstairs definitely did and I managed to get a pretty good picture of it:

his make up is awesome because I happen to be a huge of Mr. Jack Skellington. :) The special for the night was two tacos and a draft beer. Since I am currently unable to imbibe alcohol at the moment, Tony was nice enough to accommodate me with a Shirley Temple :D We also ordered poutine and chips and salsa. For those of my friends who do not know, poutine is french fries covered in brown gravy and topped with mozzarella cheese. In other words, it is amazing!

After dinner we went on a walk downtown in search of a Tom and Toms cafe because they have great pretzels. On our trip we found a Korean dressed like Santa for Halloween selling fried potatoes:

I can't explain why Justin looks so disgusted but it is the best photo-bomb I have ever seen, lol. We found Tom and Toms and enjoyed some Cinnamon sugar pretzels with Caramel sauce and I had a hocho. It was an amazing dessert and even more amazing is this awesome picture a Korean dude let us take of him. His outfit was just too amazing to not photograph. Thanks so much Emily for having the guts to take my camera and get the picture!

We got home and surprised Gorbachev with a Halloween costume: Pikachu. Unfortunately it was too small so we could only make him wear it long enough for pictures!

The next day we watched Cloverfield with Jason and Emily in the evening and were surprised with plastic Jack-o-Lanterns full of treats! On the actual date of Halloween, Justin and I enjoyed Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes, The Walking Dead, and Friday the 13th. I had never seen Friday the 13th before and when Jason jumped out of the water at the end I literally jumped n the air and screamed my head off. I am sure our neighbors loved that at 2 in the morning! Now we are just focusing on getting everything ready Thanksgiving which should an amazingly awesome day with a lot of the comforting foods we remember so fondly from home!

Gwangju International Community Day/Halloween

The holidays have been fast approaching and trying to decide how we will celebrate them in Korea has been a fun process so far. Halloween weekend kicked off the season in a great way beginning with a delicious trip around the world.


The foreigners of Gwangju are lucky enough to enjoy a center that is dedicated to the international community here. One of the activities sponsored by this organization is the International Community Day. It is mostly a food festival that also showcases talents from the many countries represented. We were also participating in the festivities by donating three sample sets of cupcakes to the Sungbin booth for a raffle. It was really being involved but even more fun eating all the amazing food..

Once we dropped off the cupcakes I was starving (because I am pregnant, so I am starving all the time) and we set off in search for food. It was so hard to choose, but since I am pregnant and have a neverending appetite, a food festival is heaven for me because I can just eat all day! We started with Kenya. I recently had Ethiopian food while in Germany and was eager to try more African food. We had Githeri (a sort of beef stew) and a flat bread that came with it. It was by far the tastiest country of the day!

By the time we were ordering our food it was time for our friends, Jason and Emily, to perform on the talent stage so we hopped on over to watch/hold their camera steady for them during their performance. I enjoyed a personal shout out in a song that should probably win award for most awkward mention in a song: not wanting to go the sauna because you have to be naked lol.

After their performance we hung out for a bit and I decided it was time to see the world. After traveling to Kenya, we went to Japan for some kebabs. I have already forgotten what it was called but it was delicious. Ironically, the line for Japan was very long and full of Koreans. (They don't really like each other much on account of the occupations and such) After Japan, we went to "Canada" which really represented the U.S. as well :) We did not eat anything because we can get that stuff all the time at the First Alleyway :D After that we watched a kid totally eat it playing on some stepping stones in a fountain, which was really awesome. Then we traveled to Spain for some paella, Malaysia for a giant pile of the world's spiciest food. It was rice, chicken curry, some kind of chili, an egg, something with coconut, and a few other things. I could only take a bite because my body cannot tolerate things that spicy these days. We ended our food experience with India by enjoying some Biryani and curry.

The end of the day for us was celebrated with the coolest drum performance I have seen in Korea, and that is saying something because they are usually awesome. These people had so much swagger and confidence which is unique here. They also set their drum sticks on fire while playing and played a track of metal guitar in the background. It was the closet to metal music Justin has gotten since he got here so he was a very happy camper.

We decided at the end of the performance we were satisfied with the day and went home to get ready for a night of Halloween shenanigans with Jason and Emily. It turned out to be an awesome day :)

The Coolest and Weirdest Feeling in the World

Today we had our 12 week appointment. In America this would be just a checkup, but in Korea I receive an ultrasound at every visit. I have been impatiently waiting for this appointment because I knew at this point we would be able to see a little tiny person in there, and possibly even a little tiny person moving in there! I drank bunches of water on our walk to the hospital and waited for no more five minutes though it felt like a lot longer, then got called in to talk to the doctor.

The visit was really reassuring because I want to have a natural childbirth I have heard epidurals and c-sections are sometimes not even mentioned to the mother, they are just done. I talked to my doctor about what I want and dont want when I go into labor and also informed her I want the baby in the room with me rather than in the nursery to promote successful breastfeeding and she was completely understanding. She said she always recommends having the baby naturally before any intervention. I was so pumped! Then we got to the ultrasound and I started to cry..

There is a little baby in there and it moves and flips and apparently high fives the camera. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen or felt but also the weirdest thing. It is so hard to completely understand the fact that what I am seeing on the screen is actually inside me because I cannot feel the movement yet. It was so reassuring the know that the baby is doing great and has grown so much! Almost 6 cm long and lots of healthy active movement. I feel so blessed and scared and a million other things at the same time!

I miss my family while I go through this. Part of me wishes so much I could have driven to my folks house after the visit to show them the video they made for me, but on the plus side we have a dvd. I put on fb immediately so they can watch their little grandbaby swim around. I hope they enjoy it. I have watched it over and over again. And for you viewing pleasure (for those of you that did not see it on fb) my ultrasound:


Bubble at 12 weeks 0 days:

The Blue Nile

For my last night in Germany we decided to go out for dinner. It was a nice break from the packing and laundry and attempts at homework. Sean mentioned an African Restaurant down the road, and as I have never had African cuisine before,  I was up for the challenge.

We walked in and were immediately pleased to find that while the menus only came in German, our server spoke amazing English. We asked some questions because none of us knew anything about African food and ended up ordered a combination platter for three that came with lamb, beef, and chicken. He then proceeded to bring us a GIANT silver plate covered in a type of bread and our dinner. I was so pumped because I have always wanted to try the food that comes on one plate and you all share. We had curried (I think they were curried, either way they were amazing) veggies, lentils (which I had never had and LOVED), spiced chopped lamb, spiced chopped beef, and a more mild chopped chicken with vegetables, salad, spinach, okra, sour cream/yogurt.

One of the best parts of this dinner was that Kay Marie absolutely loved it! We could keep her off the plate! The server even brought her her own pate of lentils because like me, she loved them and wouldn't stop eating mine lol.

We ate practically everything on the plate and I have to say it was one of the best dinners I have ever had. I love it when being adventurous pays off so much!

I wish dearly I knew of an authentic African place in Korea but I am pretty sure that may be difficult to find. It is ok though, something else to look forward to when we move back Stateside :D

The Day We Found Out We Were Pregnant

I have spent the morning discussing pregnancy with a close friend and I found myself going over the day we found out we were going to have a baby. I realized that it is a pretty funny story and that my friends and family might enjoy reading about it, so here goes.

First of all, Bubble was a very big surprise. Justin and I were not trying to have a baby. So I was not on the lookout for pregnancy symptoms. A few weeks before I found out, I started becoming very lethargic. I was exhausted all the time no matter how often I slept. Second, I had a few days where I would suddenly become nauseous or dizzy, but it would pass in an hour or so. Now both of us apparently briefly thought pregnancy, but did not say so out loud. I was in a very stubborn bout of denial. My week of sugar pills came and went and then two days of my new pill pack and still nothing. I bit the bullet and bought a pregnancy test when I went to get some take out. The entire time, saying NOTHING to my husband. "No need to freak him out when I am sure it will be negative," I told myself. I put the pregnancy test away in the medicine cabinet to be taken in the morning and sat down to eat and chat with my best friend on Facebook.

While talking to her I mentioned I thought I might be late and after explaining the sugar pills and new pills she informs me that I do not really need for the morning. I can take it any time of the day at this point if I am. "Well, I have to go anyway, so I will be right back." I took the laptop in the bathroom with me (still not a word to my husband) and proceeded to take my test. I sat it on the sink and impatiently waited for it to tell me I was not pregnant.

Instead it told me I was. After saying "omg" to Nadia about a million times I realized I had to go out there and face the music. I was unexpectedly pregnant in Korea a million miles away from my family. By the time I opened the door, I was holding the test, crying, and hyperventilating. Justin looked up and saw the test, saw my reaction and said, as calm as if we were talking about what was for dinner, "You're pregnant." Well I didn't even say yes. I just started crying and hyperventilating even more. But then my husband got up and walked over to me, calm and collected and a smile on his face. He hugged me and said, "This is good news." Now while I am sure this was meant to reassure me, his positive reaction only made me cry more because he was being so sweet. We stood there while he tried to calm me down and then eventually we walked to the couch to eat dinner and figure everything out.

Now I will tell you, he somehow fell asleep that night as soon his head hit the pillow. I couldn't sleep at all so instead I spent the night researching having a baby in Korea. The internet is a real nightmare sometimes. I read so many horrifying stories that by the time morning came, I did not even want to go to the doctor. I was convinced we had to go home immediately. But after talking with several expats who have had babies here, we have decided to at least stay here until the baby is born. We will see what happens after that.

And that is it Ladies and Gentleman. That is how Justin and I found out we were going to have a little baby <3

I Made it to Germany!

Well I made it! I am in Stuttgart, Germany with my best friend for two weeks. I feel particularly accomplished because getting here turned out to be quite a nightmare.

Let me start by saying because of my own laziness, I know maybe ten or eleven words in Korean. Because of where we live, I had to take a bus to Incheon Int. Airport. I assumed the buses ran all day. I got to the bus terminal at about 3:45 and proceeded to the ticket counter only to be told that there were no more buses traveling to Incheon today. I immediately start to panic because I am flying out of Incheon at one a.m. and my ticket was non-refundable. I call someone Justin works with so he can speak to the ticket lady and he comes back on the phone to tell me I have to take a bus to Seoul and then to Incheon. My bus also leaves in five minutes so I have to run to avoid missing it. I get on the bus and enjoy a very comfy ride to Seoul. The express buses that go there have huge leather seats and two little air conditioners per seat. Also because I bought one ticket, I got the side with only one seat so I did not even have to sit next to anyone. It was pretty glorious.

Three and a half hours later, I arrive in Seoul and proceed to the ticket counter to get on the next bus to the airport, only to be told I cannot purchase a ticket because its a normal bus that comes every twenty minutes and I have to go outside and find the stop. On top of this, my phone is now dying and I have not brought my charger because the phone wont work in Germany. Oh yeah, I also have only 10,000 KRW in cash because I was supposed to be able to purchase my ticket at the terminal which accepts credit cards.

I found a Shinsegae department store employee who probably deserves some kind of amazing prize for being awesome. He walked with me for thirty minutes until we found the stop and then on top of that he gave me some cash because the fare for the bus was 15,000 KRW. I almost cried when he gave it to me.

I board the bus and arrive at the airport exactly when I was supposed to be there to check in. I get to counter only to find out it is an issue that I do not have my alien id card. (I lost my wallet awhile back and have been too lazy to go get a new card) To top it off the visa sticker in my passport was the original one that expired in June. So the check in lady calls immigration in the airport to confirm I am not illegally in the country, checks me in, hands me my boarding pass, and tells me I need to go to the Immigration office to get updated documents so that they let me back into the country when I return in October. So I go to Immigration, get my new sticker, and make it through security with enough time to utilize the awesome free wi-fi and check in with my loved ones. I also used that time to make Nadia think I was mia because my cupcake business was so busy :D She had no clue I was really en route to her front door :D

The rest of the trip was really long but smooth. The airline was awesome and the food was actually pretty delicious. I met Sean at the airport, got a handy dandy temp pass for bases so I don't have to sign in and out constantly, and went to the front door. I rang the door bell, Nadia answered, and then this happened:

All in all it was a pretty awesome surprise and am so far absolutely loving being here. So far no real German adventures. I have just been enjoying the Super American-ness of military bases :D It is kind of like visiting home and then going to Europe at the same time. Of course I will continue to post accounts of our trips throughout the next two weeks :D

The Sweaters Have Landed!

After several unpleasant and uncharacteristic heat waves this month, it seems the Autumn weather is arriving! I had to wear a long sleeve shirt while out delivering some cupcakes and I could not be more excited.

Before moving to Korea I had lived in Jacksonville, Fl for 13 years. I have not experienced an actual Autumn since I moved away from New York when I was 11 years old. Now to some this may seem inconsequential, but to me this is a huge deal. I love Autumn. It is one of the prettiest seasons of the year and finally, this year I get to watch the leaves change color :)

I had been told over and over that Chuseok usually bookmarked the coming of the cooler temperatures, but we experienced a very weird extended summer. It started to cool down and then all of a sudden it was in the upper 80's again! Needless to say I did not take this gracefully. I have complained about the heat for weeks. Why? Because every year in Florida I have endured the extreme heat that lasts most of the year. I am in Korea now and this country is supposed to have four distinct seasons and I am very eager to experience them all! And now I get what I want because I am wearing a sweater! I cannot wait to take as many photographs of the trees as possible because let me tell you something people, Autumn is gorgeous. With it comes warm clothes, pumpkin and apple desserts, and turkey! This will be my first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home and also my first holiday season as a married lady so of course I am very excited to begin planning all the festivities :)

Now if you will excuse me, I think a hocho is in order.

Order Up!

Within a few hours of launching our company Facebook page, I received a request for some cupcakes. Needless to say I was over the moon about this. I was also nervous because I wanted them to be perfect. My customer requested six of my Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl Buttercream. These happen to be my favorite cupcakes. There is just nothing more classic than a good vanilla cupcake. We made the arrangements for pick up and I checked the pantry to make sure I had a sufficient amount of ingredients.

The day came and after dropping off some bagels and doughnuts to school, I came home, took a nap (because Bubble insists I nap daily now), and then woke up to bake away while my awesome husband went to pick up some boxes for transport. It is not every day that my baking endeavors go off without a hitch. Today, however, was one of those days. The cakes rose perfectly, right to the top of the cups. The frosting came out smooth and delicious, and I made just the right amount for the cakes so no ingredients were wasted! The finished product can be seen below and, not to toot my own horn, but my presentation has gotten better since the first time I baked these particular cakes :)

I packed them up in boxes, took a cab downtown, and enjoyed a delicious western breakfast at The First Alleyway while I waited for Emma to come pick up her order. I hope very much that she and her boyfriend are enjoying their cupcakes and cannot wait for her feedback! I could not be any more excited to be putting my full efforts into our business :D

A Little Slice of Home for 4,000 KRW

Homesickness. It comes with the territory when you live in a foreign country. No matter how awesome that country may be, no matter how many great new experiences you encounter, you still find yourself missing the familiar. Many people deal with homesickness in many different ways. Some people dedicate their time to creating a place that alleviates that sadness. In Gwangju, we are lucky to have several people that bring tiny parts of Western culture to our bustling Korean city. Two such men are Michael Simming and Tim Whitman.

The First Alleyway and The Underground Grocer are marvelous places. They are places one can go to eat familiar foods impossible to find elsewhere, and to have company with people who understand you. The simple experience of a slice of Key Lime pie, English conversation, and music you know and remember is a priceless experience, that happens to only cost 4,000 KRW.


Both of these men constantly look for ways to bring pieces of home to Korea for us so that we can go somewhere and feel like we spent a little time there. The Alleyway provides a dining experience that is delicious and familiar, be it a burrito, macaroni and cheese, or pie like mom used to make it. The Underground Grocer brings us grocery items that are either extremely difficult or impossible to find elsewhere, i.e. deli meats and Root Beer. I don't know if they realize how much the foreign population of Gwangju appreciates them, but they are definitely appreciated in our household.

Since I became pregnant, life has been very fast and eventful. I have found myself several times feeling extremely frustrated with life here be it as simple as food I want but can't find or something more inconvenient like a broken air conditioner and a language barrier. The last two days in itself have been very testing and a trip to the Alleyway for dinner was just what the doctor ordered.

Michael and Tim, if you read this, I want to say thank you for what you do for all of us. It makes living here that much more wonderful :)

The Perks of Working Without a Contract..

Great news! My employer informed me today I don't have to work anymore! Oh joy! Wait, doesn't that mean they fired me? Of course not, because they didn't even tell me. They told my husband through another employee (gotta love the obsessively non confrontational Korean culture). It looks like after being put on bed rest once since I became pregnant they have decided to let me go. The best part, you ask? There is nothing I can do about it. Even better? My husband works for them still so I have to be nice to them even though they fired me through a channel of people....in case you cannot tell, I am a little peeved.

Don't get me wrong. I have a dependent visa and I am not allowed to teach here with that type of visa (but it was not a teaching job so I think that is irrelevant). It was nice of them to create a job for me, it just was not nice of them to fire me in my first trimester.

Things have been very tense at work because we offended the owners wife. We got premium nuts for Chuseok on Friday night. We did not have work until Wednesday, but on Wednesday we found out she was mad because we had not thanked her for our nuts (despite the fact we had not seen her since we got the present, but that is besides the point). If the boss's are unhappy then we have to suck up no matter what. This is definitely a rant because we are pretty lucky to be where we are. Justin's school provides nice apartments and good pay. This school is one of the most reputable in the area. Still doesn't mean that the culture differences don't create frustrations constantly.

And please don't think of me as ethnocentric. Justin and I totally understand the importance of trying to understand and work within the Korean culture. I just sometimes feel as if I will never have any respect from them even though we do our best to do exactly what they want us to.

Well at any rate I guess it is good we launched our cupcake business when we did because I just lost a good chunk of money per month at a time when we need it most!

Ok rant over. Positive note? I get Krispy Kreme doughnuts tomorrow :D

Om Nom Cupcakes

Well it is official. I will be pouring the majority of my energy into our cupcake endeavor. We have named our business "Om Nom Cupcakes" and we will be making it possible for anyone in the city to order our cakes and either arrange pickup or find a way to deliver it to them. We are even most likely investing in a larger toaster oven for our place! I am super pumped and hopeful that we will be at least somewhat successful :) We have no other competition that we know of in the city because cupcakes are not too big in Korea from what I can tell. It took some arm pulling to get any Koreans to even try the cupcakes. When they do try them they usually say, "it is very delicious but too sweetey." The problem, I found is that they are expecting muffins. When we started selling cakes to a local cafe they asked us why the bread was so soft. After some prying we realized they did not understand it is cake, not muffin. In the end it has worked out because the cafe has been ordering them more and more often.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because I love baking and my husband loves coming up with ideas. With the holidays coming up we have endless experimenting and taste testing to do. If you are interested in trying any of the recipes we have done you can visit my baking blog here.

Bubble

I have not written in quite some time and that is unacceptable because Justin and I have received some amazing and very unexpected news. We are expecting a baby! May 4th is the estimated arrival date of our little boy or girl. We have made the decision to stay in Korea as opposed to going home and that has not been an easy decision.

While I miss my friends and family and want them to be able to be as involved in this as possible, the economy in the States is horrible right now and I am not even finished with college yet. We could not possibly make the decision to leave our affordable health care, steady income, and stable living situation to go home to none of those things simply to be with family. It would be the most irresponsible decision we could make as parents. So we have taken the plunge and begun the journey of having a baby in a foreign country.

There are many positives to this decision but also many challenges. Most of the challenges come in the face of cultural differences and then paperwork after the baby comes. A nice perk of having a baby here is the cost and level of care. From what I understand Koreans have had trouble conceiving and carrying to term in the past, so prenatal care is extremely thorough and while sometimes overly cautious, it is nice to know they are always better safe than sorry. We get an ultrasound every visit and so far we have been 3 times and I am only 7 weeks along. It is so cool to watch the development even at this early stage. We were able to find a doctor that speaks English and even spent time in the States during her education which is comforting for us.

Another perk is the cost. It will cost us less to have a baby here without insurance than it would with insurance back home. Which says something about the growing problems we have in our country. For a normal birth we will pay a flat rate for the entire process. The delivery and 3-4 days in the hospital will be $1500.00. Of course back home you are billed separately for the delivery and hospital stay and that usually involves paying 20% coinsurance. Of course military personnel is exempt from this in normal circumstances. Our visits will usually run 20-30 dollars and that includes ultrasounds. Blood work is a little more expensive but still nothing compared to what it costs back home.

Some of the challenges come later. My doctor during my pregnancy is not the doctor that delivers my baby. There is a set rotation of delivery doctors there at all times and my OBGYN is not one of them. She strictly does prenatal care. I was upset when I heard this because that would mean a total stranger is going to be delivering my baby as opposed to the woman who I have gotten comfortable with over the past ten months. I have been told I can request to visit the labor and delivery floor to meet the doctors which helps a little. Also typically they take the baby to the nursery immediately and the baby stays there except for feedings. So we would not get to spend very much time with the baby for the first 3-4 days. I am told it is because the mother needs to rest. I would prefer my baby stay in the room with us most of the time. I was reassured by another foreigner here who had a baby and I can request the baby stay with us.

There are many other little cultural differences about pregnancy that have been interesting but I am trying to keep an open mind about being here for this. I miss my friends and family desperately but at least our parents will visit when the baby comes. In the meantime I promise to write as often as possible about our experience to keep our friends and family updated. :)

Rosetta Stone

This is it. I am going to learn Korean. Even if I only know basic expressions, I am learning something. I am only in one class for the next eight weeks and have been a little bored this past week. I was cleaning off my Macbook today while I was waiting for my students to arrive, and found Rosetta Stone. I forgot the previous owners had downloaded it onto each of their macbooks. So now that I have found the program I will attempt to learn some Korean. We will be here for at least two years, so it would probably come in handy to learn more than the few words I know. Hopefully it is not too hard. It sounds really difficult, but the Rosetta Stone uses a pretty interesting approach to learning a new language, and I think that will help make it easier.

Tutoring

I have been fortunate to have been offered a job to tutor two children (a brother and sister) until they leave for a boarding school they have been accepted to. I have been tutoring these children since May 3rd and our time together is coming to an end shortly. This will be the last month I will be their teacher and I am so sad to see them go.

Most expats teaching in Korea will tell you their students can be AWFUL. This is very true. They also tend to not get much time with their students, so actually being able to teach something substantial (like English as a second language) can be near impossible. I am lucky because I teach two children. I also see them for one hour every day of the week. In addition, I was given no curriculum or materials to use, so I got to write my own. This kind of freedom is rare. The best part, is because I have been given enough time and resources, I have actually been able to teach them. I have seen improvement in reading, writing, and speaking.

Now that I have been teaching them for several months, they have gotten very comfortable with me and are very talkative and playful in class. This is wonderful, because it is also rare, but it is also a pain sometimes because we get off track so quickly.

The other day, most of class was spent talking about Harry Potter and playing on my macbook. It gave me an opportunity to take their picture though :)

I am not sure what I will do when they are gone. I have enjoyed being able to teach so much. I have never truly loved and enjoyed my job until I began teaching Nick and Leah. When they leave, I hope I am not too sad. Besides, it will give me time to focus on my baking and my studies as I am officially a Junior now! Whether or not I am sad to be losing my teaching job, I am grateful for the experience. Nick and Leah have taught me a lot too :) For example, today they taught me Korean and quizzed me on money amounts. I got a high five every time I got the answer right :)

An Explanation

Well my original blog that was created to outline my adventures in Korea has become specifically focused to my recent cupcake endeavor. That blog will feature only entries specific to baking. This will be a continuation of my blog telling the story of all the wonderful things I experience here. Everything before this entry has been transferred from the first blog. Everything after will be new. 

Enjoy :)

The Sauna (June 2, 2011)

I have not writte in quite awhile which is horrible, because I have had a plethora of cultural experiences lately but I am writing now, so I hope my friends will forgive me :)

As some of you may know, I recently came down with a severe case of bronchitis. I am also scheduled to take a three day trip to Busan with my husband and another couple that teaches at our school. Well that trip was put in jeopardy when I woke up Thursday morning and was still very bad off. My friend Crystal had told me about the saunas here before, but I was afraid to go because you gotta be naked in a room with a bunch of other naked women. I was like nooo that is not for me.

Well I noticed in the shower this morning, that the steam made me feel loads better and I desperately wanted to go to Busan, so I decided to suck it up and try it. I got instructions from Crystal so I would know what to do as to not stick out like a sore thumb and walked over to the gym where the sauna is.

IT WAS SO AWESOME.

When you walk in to the room where the saunas are it is a huge room. On a wall there are showers, in the corner are stations with hand held faucets and chairs. In the middle of the room are two huge in ground stone hot tubs. Then on the opposite wall of the showers are the doors to the two hot rooms.


The shower alone would have been good enough for me. In our apartment, the hot water runs out in like five minutes so you gotta be quick. Shaving your legs is a nightmare and there is also no bathtub, so that means no relaxing baths. Well I got it all in today for only 5,000 won! I took a hot shower and even got to condition my hair. Then spend time in the hot room soaking up the steam and spent about twenty minutes soaking in the hot tub. After that, I walked my basket of toiletries to the scrubbing station and exfoliated with this amazing scrubber cloth I bought at the sauna and shaved my legs! It is the best shave I have gotten since coming to Korea. Shaving in a shower that runs out of hot water so quickly is a nightmare so this was an amazing luxury.

And the naked thing was not as weird as I thought it would be somehow. Everyone just kind of minds their own business, although while in the hot room, a korean women sat down next to me and spent five minutes finding a way to tell me my white skin was beautiful lol.

The best part is it worked! I feel SO much better! So it looks like I may get to go to Busan after all and I plan on going back to the sauna tomorrow just for good measure :) Really people, Korea is awesome and you should stop by :)

Puppies and Teaching! (March 14, 2011)

Today was a big day. And I will explain why very soon. Before I do, I would like to announce that Justin and I added to our family this weekend by purchasing a little black and white french bulldog puppy. His name is Gorbachev (they have matching splotches on their heads) and he is absolutely wonderful. We are skeptical as to whether or not he is really a frenchie, but we will know for sure when he gets a little bigger. For some reason the pet store decided to sell us the puppy when he was maybe four weeks old, so he is very high maintenance but adorable. Also at this point boston terriers and frenchies are almost identical. So we will see.

The other big news is earlier this evening I taught my first class. Honestly I kind of feel like I totally bombed it. I was super nervous because I taught in front of the owner of the school and it was a class of about 30-40 students. I think I probably did OK, but I was done with my lecture too early and it felt kind of awkward toward the end. But I did get them to interact with me a little which is apparently a miracle when it comes to Korean students and their American teachers. I eagerly await to hear what the owner thinks of my class but I am not sure if he will tell me or not. I hope he does because I am going crazy. Fingers crossed and prayers said that this leads to a job! We shall see :)

Homesickness (MArch 5, 2011)

Today I find myself missing my home. I am still in the habit of calling Jacksonville home instead of here. I should probably start making the distinction. I have had the opportunity to talk with a few of my close friends and catch up recently. While I am really glad I got to talk with them, it just makes me miss them more. Don't get me wrong, there are really nice people here that have been very welcoming and I am blessed to have friends here as well, but I miss all my friends. If moving to Korea showed me anything, it was that I had a lot of very close friends. For instance, my friend Raven recently got to participate in our cities "Art Walk" where local artists and craftsman sell their wares downtown. It is a lot of fun and I would have loved to have been there for her. My best friend's baby is getting so big so fast and I am missing all of it. I got to live with this baby from the time she was born, to when she was ten months old, and now she is talking and I have not even heard her say anything yet. I went to get pho with Justin and his best friend, and all it did was remind me of awesome pho dates with Nadia and Jenn. I just developed such special and close friendships before I left and it has been harder than I thought to be away from them. Now don't get me wrong, I love Korea so far, and am deliriously happy to be with Justin, but I would love to walk around Jacksonville and enjoy all the familiar places that are so close to my heart now. It really comes in waves so tomorrow I will probably be content with the idea of staying here for a long time, but for now I miss eating chinese food and watching Gilmore Girls with Nadia and KayMarie, I miss screaming my head off at Jags games and wandering around Riverside with Mary, I miss watching Walking Dead and taking late night sonic runs with Raven, and I miss pho dates with Jenn and Liam. I know that it is part of growing up, the whole moving away and starting your own life, but right now I just want to be home. I know I am supposed to be here, I feel a peace about it, but sometimes I just miss my home and my loved ones so much. I think it is tougher sometimes because I know it will be such a long time before I see them again. For now, all I can do is embrace where God has lead me and search for whatever it is He wants me to accomplish while I am here.

Costco! (March 4, 2011)

One thing you learn very quickly in Korea is an appreciation for rare food finds. What I mean is that a lot of things we hold near and dear to our refrigerators back home are either hard to find, or impossible to find here. For example, before making the trip to Costco, we found WishBone brand italian and garlic ranch dressing. This was a huge deal for us. We talked about how awesome it was for days. Ranch dressing does not exist here. It may say ranch on an occasional dressing bottle here, but it is a lie. A horrible, soul crushing lie. (I have a love for Ranch that is probably not healthy). So needless to say, part of the adventure of living in a foreign country is not experiencing the native cuisine, but engaging in an endless hunt for all things familiar. Locally so far, the best bet is European owned chain  Home Plus and local place called The Underground Grocer - a marvelously expensive place that has frozen vegetables, cans of Dr. Pepper and sometimes even sour cream!

Recently, Justin had a Tuesday off for a Korean holiday of some kind and while trying to decide how we would spend this awesome extra day off together, we decided on a day trip to Daejeon to go to Costco. And yes, we went on a two hour train trip to do nothing but go to a wholesale club. The train always feels way cooler to me than it really is, because I had never been on a train before I came to Korea. So the train ride in itself is very fun for me. Plus the view of the mountains was absolutely beautiful. I tried to photograph it but the camera I have currently is not the most awesome one sometimes. When we got to Daejeon, we paused outside the station to take photos of some really unusual paintings that are clearly not traditional Korean art. I decided it was a good idea to walk on a raised curb while I did this which ended in me tripping and smacking my right shoulder, hip, right and left knee, and right thigh onto the concrete. When I hurt myself I do it right. Go big or go home - that's how I live my life.

Anyways once we ascertained that I was not in need of immediate medical attention we continued on our way to the Costco which is literally on the corner next to the train station. It was absolute chaos inside this place and at first I did not think I would enjoy myself at all. There were people everywhere and in Korean there is no word for excuse me. They just push you aside or barrel their way through obstructions. It is something I am still trying to adjust to without taking every push personally.

We attempted to look at clothes but I am very sensitive about that right now because Korean clothes are small and I am, well, not. So we abandoned our search for a lighter jacket for springtime and went to the floor where they keep all the food. And here is where we found an array of things I did not realize I missed so much. We found Honey Nut Cheerios, bricks of Philly Cream Cheese, Turkey burgers, regular sandwhich (hormel no less!!), Velveeta sliced cheese, feta cheese, sour cream that does not cost an arm and a leg and last but not least: cases of Dr. Pepper. I have never been so pumped after grocery shopping in my life. I could not wait to get home and get everything put away and eat it all. I even ate a bagel when I got home and I wasn't even that hungry. I was just excited to have the option.

Before boarding the train home, we stopped at a place called New York Hot Dog and Coffee. Yes, this combination sounds nonsensical and disgusting, but they were DELICIOUS. We spent the ride home finishing up Megamind (loved it!) and listening to an audio book. All in all it felt like an amazingly productive day. The hunter found the things it was searching for: American brands at an affordable price in Korea. While Costco will be a once in awhile treat to ourselves, it feels really good to know if I am feeling homesick, there is a place that sells Kraft, and General Mills, and Hormel. :) 

I Have Been Remiss! (February 8, 2011)

So far I have been very terrible at keeping up with this blog! I have made it safely to Korea, am married, have been on my honeymoon, and have made it through my first week and a half in Korea successfully!


the flight was long and the first weekend here was a busy one. I landed, met justin at the airport the next morning, had a girls night with Crystal, and then Sunday was my wedding day!! Crystal was fantastic. She helped me get ready, did my hair, took photographs for me and then we got on the subway to head to the palace. It was a short ceremony but a really beautiful one and I cried like a baby almost the whole time. It was 15 degrees out that day so after a break in the warm coffee shop we ventured outside for pictures which can be found here:

Our honeymoon was fantastic but we forgot Crystal had the camera for the ceremony so we have no pictures from all the awesome stuff we did. Our hotel was just as amazing at it looked and we did not want to ever leave! We went to an amazing aquarium with  a shark tunnel and all sorts of awesome exhibits. We shopped a lot. We went to Hanok Village to watch the Lunar New Year festivities which might have been my favorite thing after the aquarium.  They had drummers and you could make your own kites. There was a game where you throw an arrow into a tall thin vase and I totally made it in! It was a lot of fun but it was good to go home to get settled into my new place.

A nice surprise was a taco party celebrating our marriage the Sunday after we got back. The other couples cooked us awesome tacos and got us a lot of really wonderful gifts. I got a matching apron and oven mit, we got wine glasses, dish towels, wooden utensils, candles, soap, and cake. It was so nice and we have gotten good use out of our gifts so far!

Gwangju is pretty awesome. I think I have taken to Korea pretty well and so far I love living here. Married life is wonderful and I have found myself on several occasions thinking is this really happening? I just feel so blessed right now. We have a lot to be thankful for right now and I am going to try to never take him for granted. I have been reorganizing and cleaning and decorating and the apartment is really starting to feel like a home  and last night I got to cook dinner for the other couples because we hosted Bible Study at our place. I got to wear my awesome apron that the other couples got me but the spaghetti turned out very spicy somehow. They said they liked it but it was too spicy for me!

All in all it has been an easy transition for me. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I am so excited to see what God has in store for us this year. :-)

Brides, Bachelorettes, and Goodbyes (January 19, 2011)

Well I am in the home stretch and I have to say I am super exhausted and I am starting to get anxious, but of course am still really excited to finally see Justin. This last weekend was busy, and fun, emotional, and tiring. Friday night I celebrated my bachelorette party with my good friends. We went to a popular Mexican restaurant in town and enjoyed tacos, margaritas, and naughty presents and treats. Surprisingly the most scandalous gift came from my mother-in-law! But then again I should feel blessed that I am so close with her! It was an absolutely perfect night and I was so happy my friends were able to come and celebrate with me. I also got some awesome gifts!

Despite being sleepy and somewhat hungover the next day, I got up at 8:30 for my best friends wedding ceremony. I was her maid of honor :-) My soon to be cousin did my hair and it looked fantastic, ran errands, purchased last minute accessories and got their gift. Getting ready was fun because we discovered the corset  I bought made it impossible for me to breath properly. It also made sitting down a very difficult task. We took pictures, got through the ceremony (and I did not lose the ring or fall while walking down the aisle!), and headed to the reception dinner to close out the day with some drinks, some cake, and some fantastic food. It was the best time I have ever had! I had never been in a wedding and it was a very big honor to be in one where my two best friends were getting married to each other! The reception was awesome and I was able to get some fantastic pictures of the day that I will now share as well:

All in all, it was a very fun and awesome couple of days and I am so happy that I got to experience it all before I leave! Sunday was busy with dress altering and then a dinner with Justin's godfather. He was so nice and he gave Justin and I a very generous gift for our wedding! Monday was the first really hard day of many to come. Reality set in when I went to meet Sean, Nadia, and the baby for breakfast at Cracker Barrell. They were heading to Georgia after and I would not see them again before I left for my new home in Korea. Nadia is not someone that likes to be touched very much, but that girl gave me the tightest hug she ever has as we said goodbye. We hugged and we cried and then I drove home. Justin's parents were very sweet when I got back and Justin's dad said I should look at this as a blessing. And I do. I am blessed to have friends that I will miss so much and that will miss me so much. And we will have the internet also so it is not really completely goodbye. But it is still so difficult. I have never lived away from home, and the closer it gets to the 27th, the more anxious I get about everything I am doing. Everything but the wedding. :-) I am pretty sure we have everything for it figured out and I get more and more excited about starting my new life with my best friend. I joke with him sometimes that I am luckiest girl in the world, but I hope he really knows that I mean it. I am so incredibly blessed to have someone like him to spend my life with. I could not ask for anything more than him and as I begin to write my vows, I hope I am able to express that to him so he understands just how happy I am. For now, the goodbyes continue as does the packing and schoolwork. Finals the same week I move is proving to be just as stressful as it sounded.

Because in Korea, We are Ballers. (January 12, 2011)

Justin booked our honeymoon hotel today! We are staying for four nights and four days at the Park Hyatt in Seoul, South Korea. We get a late checkout so we get to take our time instead of rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off. And, because Justin is so fantastic, he booked a spa package while we are there! I absolutely love the spa :-) This is a perfect situation for a honeymoon because we get married two days after I arrive in Korea. I will be exhausted and adjusting to the time difference. This way we get to relax, go to the spa, stay in a beautiful hotel, and of course go to Dr. Fish! I am so unbelievably excited! For those of you who have not heard of Dr. Fish, it is a pedicure in which you dip your feet into a little tank with fish inside it, and they nibble at you. I am really looking forward to experiencing that finally after hearing so much about it. And for  your viewing pleasure, pictures of the hotel room we booked!

Leaving Everything Behind? (January 11, 2011)

Ever since I made the decision to move to South Korea to be with my fiancee, I have run into mixed reactions. Thankfully, the majority of my friends and loved ones have been nothing but overjoyed and supportive; however, a few think I am really foolish and that it is a terrible idea. I was recently asked by a friend how I can do it. How can I leave everything behind and sacrifice so much just to be with someone? I don't know how that person views relationships or what they think it is that I have here in Florida, but I have to say I don't feel like I am sacrificing anything with this decision. Of course I will miss my friends and family very much, but the internet is an amazing thing. It has sustained a relationship for the last six months and has made it much easier to be so far away from my fiancee. How could anyone view such a blessing and opportunity as a sacrifice? In just a few short weeks, I will be boarding a plane to fly to the other side of the world where I will marry the best friend I could have ever hoped for and begin an unimaginably amazing adventure exploring a new country with new cultures and experiences. I can't help but be amazed at how great our God is when I look at my life today. Just a few years ago I would never have thought I would be with someone who is my very best friend and whom I love with all my heart. I never would have thought I could finish  my degree, and I absolutely would not have even imagined a move to another country! He has blessed my life so abundantly that when people look at me with shocked and horrified faces as I tell them my news, I can't help but share with them just how wonderful it is. My life has been turned into something that God can use. A life that has meaning and purpose and substance and it is the most rewarding and exhilarating feeling I have come across yet in my 25 years. I can't wait to share my last few weeks in the states before I leave on a jet plane to start my amazing adventure!