Good Morning!

This is from a month ago- October 21st, but i'll still post it for your enjoyment.

Is it almost the end of October already?! Because it feels like mid July from where I am sitting. I think my landlord is testing out the heating in the apartment.. it's still in the 70's outside.. but we are partying like its 0.  I should be getting ready for work.. but if I move I might start sweating again. I am waiting until the last possible moment to change my clothes.

I am SURE that I will not be complaining about this for too long.. because in a few weeks all my cold friends will be wanting to finally stay with me in my apartment sized for babies : )

Basically my life mission right now is to establish a routine. I have been sort of randomly doing things here and there.. sometimes leaving Mokpo, sometimes staying.. which has been great, but I want to have a bit more structure. I have been climbing with a local gym and I joined a volunteer group to meet at an orphanage and teach English every Monday (we will be doing some fundraising for the holidays.. so make some room in your bank accounts! )

Now its November 23rd and I love being warm in my apartment and kind of have a routine. Here are some randon photos!

Wolchul mountain last weekend

Me on Halloween..and yes my spider only has 6 legs.

A middle school camp I volunteered at and loved! The students were so awesome.. it was a nice change of pace.

Fighting!

Hi..uhh..sorry : )
It's been a while.  So much has happened! I am having technical difficulties with my MacBook.  It officially won't connect to my phone any longer. But I got a korean phone so it's all good!

Since I've been in Mokpo I have hiked Seorak mountain with my bestest gal pal Emily who awesomely flew all the way to Korea to see me and check out this part of Earth. Hung out in Seoul and the visited the DMZ, toured Jeonju and Mokpo. I will tell those tales later : 0
They deserve their own post.  Had some birthday celebrations with new and old friends. Successfully finished more than a month of teaching. Joined the Mokpo climbing club. Climbed twice with the Jeonju climbing club. And, yes haven't slept enough. Haha.
Life has been great! Of course there are some bad days but I feel very lucky to be here!

Here is a picture... taken minutes before I busted my arse trying to save a family of fish stuck in a pool of random water... third time I bled thay day. Not sure if the Jeonju club can handle my accident proneness anymore! Koreans seem to have extremely good balance and never fall down.

Selfie Stick

hi!
Back to my Asian roots.. in the country I can't seem to get away from.  South Korea is continuing to charm me for the third time.  I began this journey with a 8 day stay in Gwangju for orientation with the other 80 teachers in my program. The orientation went extremely well! Even got married on the second day and won an award for being half Korean (aka having a keen interest in Korean culture).

Part of the ceremony involved a strength test to determine if my groom was ready for the wedding night.,, I got to wear a 5 layer traditional dress for an hour, bow to the ground numerous times, exchange some drinks in a ritual ceremony, and sing on the microphone in front of the whole orientation.  During the tea ceremony part I lost it and began laughing to the point of crying.. which fit well with the occasion I guess. All of this happened with no preparation and older women moving my body parts like a puppet. I volunteered with the impression that I will solely be playing dress up under my own will. 

 

Mokpo!

On the last day of Orientation a couple teachers came to pick me up and take me to my new home in Mokpo.. ahh I love Mokpo!  Despite my apartment being smaller than my childhood bedroom.. I think I will be very comfortable here. I am a 15 minute walk from the port and one of my schools (one with 34 students) overlooks the bay!

This is for real...

Damyang Bamboo Forest

Not a go pro

everywhere...

Here we go!

Hello from the Tokyo airport! I am too tired to move much and do not have the proper money to purchase anything. 2 more hours and I will be on my way to korea!

The past couple of weeks/ months felt like a dream. Luckily I have this blog to remind me of my past...

Oregon 

Utah

Nevada

California

Mexico

Missouri

Oregon

How lucky am I??!! Thank you family and friends for your support and advice and love and inspiration. I am so happy and wouldn't be living my dream without you!

People are so cool! 

New friends in Sayulita: Katrin and Janell

Lauren Birch becoming not Lauren Birch : ) sooo happy I made it home for this special girls special day!

and a little pre travel Portland skate session with this one and only super gal pal, Erin! 

Positivity Power! 

I am a taco

Hola amigos! 

This is my first time doing a blog on my phone, hopefully I will have patience. 

So Saayulita = surfing, tacos, surfing, tacos. 

And some work at the yoga hostel place I am staying before, after and inbetween. 

The sun here is a big ball of hot skin crispin eye dessert. 

Sunrise

Sunset

I have spent the past 3 evenings laying on the surf board- note: laying (Because there are currently no waves, or at least ones I can catch) and watching the sun go down and the water turn every color and oh my oh my, it's the best! 

If you are what you eat, then I am a taco. Viet was here for 6 days and ate 18 tacos! amongst other things with the same ingredients.  I think I have maxed out at around 10 and not sure if I have room for anymore!  According to some Mexican natives I have met, tacos are not your everyday food. They might be equivalent to an American hamburger (which FYI shouldn't be eaten everyday). 

Life is great, and I am learning new things everyday! 

And

It's currently thunderstorming, which was much needed!

Here is a post sunburn night of not eating tacos! OH, and I LOVE all the drinks here. That is cucumber lime water and have tried hibiscus tea, guava juice, horchata- a sweet rice milk, and more. 

Time for Bed

Hiiiiiii!
Here is a little somethin somethin for you on my last night in Berkeley.
I have enjoyed living in Berkeley/Oakland wayyyy more than necessary... because I am leaving the country      : ( sad       : ) happy      
Since my last post:
I continued the pet sitting gig, climbed in Tuolumne Meadows for a weekend, and explored the East Bay neighborhoods with my main squeeze Viet (who takes many amazing blog worthy pics)

Peaceful Warrior- Photo By Viet

Tenaya Lake: Photo by Viet

Something to be jealous about:
The owner of Buddy (the cat) happens to work for Pixar and invited me on a little tour of heaven.  If I wanted to work in a building, then I would definitely work here for all 9 of my lives. Swimming pool, soccer fields, kitchens, coffee, Mike, Sully, the Incredibles, and much much more! 10 times better than Disney World, and there aren't even any rides.

And that is it for my time here in California! It's been sunny and crazy and served me up plenty of life lessons.  Might have liked it jussttt enough to keep me from living abroad forever and ever. 

certified to Keep Your Pet Alive

Dear Family and Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that I am... Employed! You should all be proud of this Bay Area Pet Sitter Extraordinaire.  My current furry friends are Buggles the tiny bouncer, Buddy the sweet fatty, Niko the wise and hungry, and Mimi the super meower..who I called Milo for two weeks.  Although I would need to watch about 20 animals at once to make a decent living, at least its something!
 

Surfers in Santa Cruz

After a short but sweet visit to Santa Cruz, where I spent time riding my bike along the beautiful cliffy coast, I have been staying put and will continue to stay put (besides ONEeee more trip to Yosemite : ) ) for the next few weeks until I leave California to move on to international travel adventures...yipee!