Wednesday, August 10, 2011
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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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 :)
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 :)
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 :)
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. :)
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. :-)
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.
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!
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