Bboys and cultural trips

 So it has been too long since I've written but not much has happened. I had my birthday, finished my vegan stint and started planning a trip to Thailand/Home. This last week probably had the most excitement to it.On Saturday my friend came down and she and I went to a Popping competition. Below are two videos that I took with my phone so the quality isn't great, but still...It's obviously exciting when you see people you know doing what they like to do so I had to post the first video. I know a few of the guys in the crew and you'll be able to tell that as a whole they're pretty amazing people. A lot of fun and great energy :D

 The next video, the quality isn't great because we had to stand on the sidelines a little more literally than before. But the guys in white are in a crew called Atomic, they ended up winning the Poppin Grand Prix. I didn't get the final battle because my battery ran out. If anyone knows where I can link more videos or info on them hook me up!

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After that I went to Gunsan to have a splendid time with my friends at a local club. There were a couple of different DJs playing mixes and they were amazing! It's a small club and my friends had already met the DJs and bartenders so I was treated quite nicely :D  They are all a part of this company called Yellow-C (Yellow Sea, get it?) so if you want to know more about them gooooo HERE.

After a lovely weekend us Jeollabuk-do Province people went for a family outing to Gyeongju where we went to theme parks, museums, temples, and my favorite...mountains! Here are some photos from the trip.

Japanimation!

After almost a month here is my Japan post, days 1-2 of 4. Sorry about the crappy quality of the pictures but they were a bit o a hassle to upload and something went wrong after they were enlarged :(

Japan Day 1:
So our trip to Japan began the Thursday before last with us leaving Jeonju around 4 pm for Busan. We all met up at the bus station, grabbed some nummy mandoo and hopped on the bus



After arriving in Busan we decided that we would wander around for a little while to see the town before heading over to the airport where, we had all agreed, we would spend the night. After stumbling upon dinner...

...and tennis shoes in a crane machine...


...we decided it was time for coffee. So we went to the cutest little cafe just down the road from where we had eaten called King Kong Coffee and satisfied our three "c"s, coffee, cake and chocolate!



After sitting about for a while, amusing ourselves with such games as "what sound can you make?" and "can you lick your elbow?" we decided to make our way to the airport. On our way we were quite silly and made friends on the train who gave us not one but TWO boxes of octopus balls! They were soooooo yummy!



We thanked the men that gave us the snack and hopped off the train, heading for the airport. Well...when we got there the entire airport was dark -_- we asked the security guard what time the airport was open and hopped back on the train headed to Sasang before the rail topped running. When we arrived back in Sasang it was around midnight so we found a 24 hour McDonalds and hunkered down for the night.

Day 2: By the time 6 am rolled around I was 4 cups of coffee deep and ready to sleep a little at the airport.



So off we trundled to the train, zoomed along to the airport, and crashed on the terminal couches once we were all checked in.


After sleeping for a little while and heading to information to deal with some baggage issues we hopped on the plane and off to Japan! It was a pretty lovely flight with a complimentary meal!


After arriving in Japan we were promptly ripped off by a woman in the train station. But being the forgiving souls that we are *ahem* we promptly figured out where to go an were on our way!


After getting to the hostel and checking in we jetted over to Roppongi, the area were the most foreigners are found. It was nighttime so we spent most of the time poking around in some shops along our path to Tokyo Tower!



When we finally made it to Tokyo Tower we went up to the first and only open observation desk...and we may have snuck a wee bit of Sake up with us.



With that we passed OUT! It had been a long day so we went straight back to the hostel where we crashed in our lovely yellow submarine-esque pods.


And so completes day 1 and 2 of our splendid excursion. Be back soon with more :D
I hope the world is good to you!
Sara

What a Hip Cafe: Caffe Pompi

So this is a new blog feature all about cafes in Korea. If you are unaware, as I was before coming to Korea, cafes are a huge part of Korean life! So let's get into the first of hopefully many editions of... What a Hip Cafe!

So our first Cafe is Caffe Pompi located in Ajungli, just off the main drag across from Hyundai. It's tucked just off the main road allowing for a nice calm environment to sit for hours and do some work.

Aside from having a good environment, the decor and service are awesome. When you get your coffee you also get homemade sunflower seed cookies. How do you know they are homemade? Because if you sit there long enough, like I did, you start smelling the cookies baking. You can even see the girl behind the counter making them if it's a slow time of day. The cups are adorable with the pops of color, kind of like those velvet pictures from the 70's that you would color in with felt tip markers. Are those still around? If so I want one.

On to the Decor! Let's start with my faves, the hand painted walls. Of course I am in love with this painting in particular because...well...it's the little prince, and if you know nothing of me you should know that my love for vintage thing is only surpassed by Le Petit Prince.

Another lovely painting is the name of the cafe on the wall just below a collection of goodies they serve here; makes me want a french press so badly!

I really like the layout of the cafe too, right as you walk in there is a little patio so in the warmer months you can sit outside and enjoy the neighborhood. Too cold to enjoy at the moment but once warmer weather comes around, I tell ya!

Oh, and probably the most exciting part of the cafe is something that would NEVER happen in the states, manicure station. Not only do they have nail polish, remover, and little nail goodies; but they let you use it for free and without "supervision". One of the coolest things about Korea is that they are all about the community so it's not that they trust you not to steal, it's that you just don't because then someone else won't benefit equally. Pretty neat right?
So of course I couldn't help but paint up my nails with a nice yellow and a bit of bling :D

Wicked stoked to go back and do my nails again...maybe tomorrow? We'll see. I have a long vegan stint coming up just for funsies and I am off to Japan on Friday!! I have more concepts for blog posts, so hopefully one a week I can do things like this. I mean, I go to enough cafes and take enough useless pictures of my coffee so why not?! Until next time, keep groovin' to the world.

-Sara

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First Phone Blog

Recently I have been finding that I use my computer less and less and use my phone more. Because of this I am going to try to keep up with my blog through my phone as well. So here is the first blog from my Galaxy Neo!! Not much in the way of excitement has happened since my last blog, though about half the family is now gone, super sad face to that. It has been a rough transition so far, and the 6 days without everyone has seemed like weeks. So to catch you up on the sadness lets go to the last week in January. We had a big goodbye gathering with the family on the 21st and 22nd. Then it was my dear friend Deanne's birthday on the 23rd. The only downside being it was Lunar New Years and most everywhere was closed and we were low on cash. So we found a cafe and had smoothies and honey bread... ...Followed by a dinner of snacks mekju and ramyun!

Fast forward to about a week later and it was my first short break. By day 2 I was going a little nuts after laying in my apt doing nothing. So my friend Yo and I had another epic adventure, this time with our friend Joon. I headed off to Bukdae, the college near both of our homes, and found a new favorite cafe called 10 gram. Super cute place, it has a tree in the middle of it and is a vintage lovers dream.

After YoHan and Joon came to the cafe it was about dinner time so we went to the vader burger place that you may recall from one of my earliest posts. Well I GUESS the name is Star Burger. Either way it was still delicious and we made a yummy mess!

After Star Burgers we went bombing around town to get some things printed for me, and then some dessert and drinks. There is a cafe, oddly enough directly across from 10 Gram, that serves cake and wine! So we stopped there but Joon had to run home to finish packing so Yo and I were left devour the goodness by our two-sies until our friends met up with us.

Fast forward again to about a week ago and I got the nicest care packages from my aunt, cousin, dad, and gram. Such a thoughtful thing to do, I am really grateful that they would send me a little slice of home during the winter season.

Not long after, most everyone left for the states. So now I am finding ways to occupy myself to keep from getting too sad. Mostly it just consists of sitting in coffee shops and getting personal work done.

Well that is the update for now. Check back in as soon as I can. I hope the world is treating you well.

~Sara

Revelations 1:9

OK, time for yet another lovely update. It's Early January, and everyone is sick! The entire Jeonju/Gunsan crew is undergoing some kind of crazy illness. Here's how I'm coping so far: blueberry tea, spicy soup, sleeping 12+ hours, and my bus driver. Now, if you'll take note one of these things is not like the others. Why my bus driver? Well on Monday he found out I had lost my voice and offered to take me to the hospital. Not being a fan of fast medicine in general, especially the first day I'm sick, I declined. Still when we neared my home he pulled the bus over, got out, and bought me a bottle of hot soy milk. Then he proceeded to walk me to my home and made sure I went in, turned on the heat, and was going to get some rest.

The next day he did relatively the same, only he brought a friend to translate for him and wanted to come up and talk with me in my apartment. I was very hesitant at first but in the end I am glad that I said ok. He bought all of us hot soy milk and we sat on my floor talking about my life, his life, and how he worries that I am all alone in Korea. It turn out he has a son in the states, and a daughter about my age who lives elsewhere. It was after I heard this that I realized why he was doing everything that he was. He is treating me the way that he would one of his own children. Both of his had "left the nest" for greater opportunity elsewhere and now he and his wife were left with a quiet house. All he seems to be looking for is to have someone to look after, and what better opportunity than a foreigner? After all, my cultural and linguistic knowledge are toddler-esque at best.

Since day one he has been asking me to go to church with him and today it was presented to me again. I talked with him through his translator and he expressed that he didn't necessarily want me to go to the sermons, just the lunches and social gatherings to meet new people. If it were any other day I would have said "no" but I just to happened to read an article in the Washington Post about atheism' place in society. I am beginning to realize that though these people meet and have lunch at a church, the power behind that symbol is in the people. Without the belief that the church is a house of "god" it is just another assembly hall, and so it would be for me. My place is not to enforce segregation because of my own beliefs, but promote tolerance for those other than my own. And so I accepted their offer, and next week I will be going to at least one lunch.

ok, enough about my journey of self discovery, photo time!

Blast from weekends past, the Korean couple who co-owned the hostel we stayed at. They invited us to stay, party, and watch the ball drop.

The check-in table at the hostel. Everything always looks so nice :D Kudos Korea, for having some amazingly cute hostels!

The mural on the main living room wall, painted by a local art student.

About a week ago my day were filled with goodies. First I received my first plant in Korea from my 6th grade teacher...

Then I got the nicest little package of goodies from my good friend Mason. I tried to make them last as long as possible, but I think three days was the longest I could restrain myself haha. My favorites were definitely the stroopwafels, with their crunchy cookie outside and gooey filling. I only wih I had thought to get some hagen das ice cream and make sandwiches with them. They are certainly dangerous treats.

Well, that is all for now. Hope to have more coming your way in the next week. Things are bound to get interesting as Winter progresses into Spring. Stay tuned for our next exciting adventure, curing the common cold! I hope the world is kind to you :D

-Sara

New Years Revolution

Ok, so this isnt going to be a typical post with updates and photos and whatnot, this one is more me talking out and setting down some things that I need. Not want, but need. I've come to realize that in moving to a new place I've changed a great deal, I've been exposed to more things, and ways of life and it is time for me to sift through all of the fodder to find what I want my life to be. It's not that I've "lost" who I am or "forgotten" what I want in life; it's more a re-evaluation of everything that I am and have done and if I'm happy with my decisions. If not I need to change some things, so here are some things that I am going to work on this year.

#1 NO and I mean NO resolutions
While it's fun to say "oh I'm going to lose this much weight" or "I'm going to not do this for a year" I've decided that this year is a year of trial and error.

Though I do really like this resolution :P They have a NYR generator here

#2 More homemade meals
I love eating out, who doesn't? But I have been finding more and more that i would kill for a sandwich or a cup of homemade soup in place of pizza, chicken (of any kind), or any quick meal. Maybe it's a little expensive to eat at home here, but I really miss taking the time to prepare and enjoy a good meal.

Having a super cute apron helps too :D

#3 Yoga
I'm not going to say how often, for how long, or what kind, because those can vary due to external factors. I will, however, say that I am going to do Yoga this year as often as possible. It's healthy, it's calming, and best of all it's something that I truly love to do.
I'm Technologically ignant! But here's a silly video I wanted to share on Yoga ^ ^

#4 Clean
I am not a filthy person...BUT I hate cleaning, and my hobbies require a lot of clean up. So I am going to try to be a little more attentive to that. Oh dishes will pile up and dust will gather, but I will try to keep up with my laundry and sweep my floor a little more often.
My usual philosophy :D

#5 Explore
As I have gotten more comfortable here in Korea I find that I have also become rather complacent with sitting at home doing nothing. I think I should try to be as adventurous as I was at the beginning of the year, and go out wandering the town in search of nothing.


#6 Me Time
This goes along with that last one. I have been neglecting myself lately, and I feel very bad about it. So I am going to try to fit in more "me" time. I'm going to make lunches to pack and bring on my walks around town. Maybe I will go to the library and get some work done. I even wouldn't mind taking myself shopping/to get my hair done some time. I find that I am becoming short tempered and easily miffed at the smallest things that people do, and I truly think it's because I'm not giving myself enough time alone to unwind and do my own thing.


That's all for now. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too much to think about for now. Anyways I have a little request, if you can post here please do, but otherwise just comment on my facebook post for this new blog. My request is that you tell me a food you really like to make during the winter, AND/OR if you are in Korea, any place that you explored that might be worthwhile this winter. I hope you guys help me out with this, I would love to hear what kind of foods you like and places you've been :D

So Happy New Year to you all, here's to living life the way we want to and having no regrets. Who knows what the New Year will bring but one thing is for sure, it will be like nothing that ever has been or will be, so appreciate it while it's here, I'm going to try my best to do just that :D

-Sara

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas from Korea! A day late but the Season's greeting is still there :D Having a rough time sleeping tonight so I will fill yo in on life since I last checked in. We had a Christmas Party! Once again we all piled into my "cozy" apartment for a Christmas celebration.



My Gram wold be proud of me. I made Kringle cookies for Christmas, granted I filled them with ntella instead of the usual yummy filling, bt it was delicious all the same!



After a weekend trip to Gunsan, a little coastal town, I came home to buy my Christmas present from Yamaha. I got me a brand spankin' new bowl-back mandolin! She was only a little bit more than my flat back but sooooo purdy! Next I just have to name her, and use her everyday! A feat that I dobt will be too difficult since today alone I spent a good two hours working on my C chords and scales :D



Well, until next time, have a merry holiday season. I hope the world is kind to you.
-Sara