Art and Travel Ramblings
Canceled plans, canceled trips: No week in Ireland or Comic-con weekend this year, no birthday celebration with friends and family (I turned the big 3-0 at the end of March), and hoping that my wedding in November will still be able to move forward. As I’m writing this I can hear the kids who live […]
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All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. Road-tripping through the North Island of New Zealand is a delight in endless spellbinding views. From ocean cliff-side (read: nail-biting) winding roads to barren and windy desert to lush forests, valleys, and mountains. It’s no wonder New Zealand is […]
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“What business does an Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?” Amidst snow-capped mountains on the South Island of New Zealand lies a striking slope overlooking the sweeping Rangitata Valley. This impressive hill was the location of Edoras, the capital city of Rohan, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And wow, […]
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“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door…You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Nestled in the rolling green hills of Matamata, New Zealand (pronounced Mehtah-Mehtah, and oh yes I really butchered this pronunciation before I was corrected) […]
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For one of our last weekends living in Korea, we decided to finally go up to the Seoul Sky Observation Deck at the top of Lotte World Tower 롯데월드타워. This is a building we’ve seen every day for a year from our apartment window, and often visit to eat and shop there, but this was […]
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Spring is the time of renewal, growth, and in 2019: California Poppy Bloom insanity. With an unprecedented rainfall this year, poppies (the state flower of California) have sprouted in droves – creating a “super-bloom”. This usually only happens once every decade or so due to the typical lack of rainfall in the California desert. Hillsides […]
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What’s emulsion? ampoule? essence? A 10 step beauty routine? What is this?? If you’re like me, you might have been totally lost when seeing these products crowding the shelves for the first time. And having all the details written in Korean didn’t help me understand them any better. As a complete and utter novice, I’ve […]
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Getting started on your journey of living and working abroad is a daunting task on its own, and trying to coordinate as a couple can feel even more monumental. Before my significant other and I began, I immersed myself in scouring the internet for advice and stories of others who had gone before me. The […]
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The final class of my last semester teaching for Chungdahm Learning in Seoul, South Korea was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life thus far (as cheesy as that sounds). Saying goodbye (or annyeong 안녕) to the land of kimchi, soju, and gorgeous mountains was not an easy choice. The joys of overindulging […]
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A few weeks ago, Korea celebrated the holiday of Chuseok (추석) – which is most comparable to American Thanksgiving in which you spend some quality time with family while you consume (engorge) your daily calorie allotment in one meal and loosen your belt a few notches. Overall, the main theme of these gatherings revolves around spending […]
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Clumsy Adventurer 