Charlie Chaplin in Christchurch

After a blissful wedding weekend in the North, I headed down South to Christchurch. I was to spend the evening with another friend from my time at Disney!
These two ladies were lovely and the most gracious hosts!

They are also blessed to own a majestic Persian queen named Frida. I am not a cat person, but she was real cute. She showed her love and/or curiosity all night long, tenderly pawing my face. Or she hates me.

Alas, we would only spend one night together as I was leaving for my first ever Tour Group the next morning. Thankfully, my dear friend took me for a quick drive around the city and a last-minute-supply run. I forgot to get a converter at the airport. This is safe right? Meh, it worked like a charm.

We had lunch at the cutest cafe that could’ve been plucked straight out of Portland. Local art covered the walls, re-used industrial materials were given new life and purpose, plus, a secret bookcase door lead to the bathroom. Oh, and the bathrooms?? Depending on who you choose (Luke, Leia, Han…) you are read to while you do your business. I got to listen to a bit of Harry Potter! Let me clarify: there is not a random dude sitting on a stool reading in each bathroom. It’s a speaker people, simmer down.

This place was honestly my favorite part of Christchurch. Those tubes you see on the ceiling? They deliver fries. There’s also an old sewing machine which doubles as a water fountain. You have to run the pedal and turn the wheel. It’s hipster heaven, I know.

Another perk was a doorway that led to a video shop next store. That’s right. A good old fashioned movie rental store (and also a theater). They had categories! They were so specific and fun, plus apparently they change often. I’M MOVING TO NZ TO WORK HERE. I never wanted to leave. The only downside was this heinous thing:

This statue was so unsettling!! I didn’t notice that it wasn’t a person until I stood right next to him, and his red eyes were staring me into a pit of hell fire. Real creepy. First thing to go on my list.

As a thank you to my lovely hosts, I wanted to give them something special. I noticed they had a few original artworks hung from their friends. I decided to paint their dearest feline, Frida. She was an excellent model.

So, back to my super exciting Tour Group!! It was seven days long, covering most of the South Island. A friend recommended Haka Tours to me, having just went on a two week tour with them and loved it. Her pictures looked great, and their website was super helpful and detailed, complete with online helpers who answered any question I had, no matter how stupid.

They have a road-trip-with-your-mates approach rather than a rigid schedule of long speeches over the PA. This sounded perfect to me, so I went for it. As my first day was in Christchurch, we walked the city for a bit, funnily enough, re-visiting a few places I’d already been (including the cafe!).

Some history on Christchurch –  In 2011, the city was hit with an earthquake, causing several aftershocks for months afterwards. The city was devastated, leaving an eerie skeleton behind. After five years, there is still much work to be done. Where once stood the pride of the city, Christchurch Cathedral, there are piles of rubble and unstable scaffolding.

It truly was a somber sight, but seeing how people have come together in light of what’s happened was encouraging. On many buildings were massive works of street art, making an otherwise desolated place, look beautiful.

I was joining a group of sixteen people, eleven of which had already been on tour for a week on the North island. From here we were headed to Lake Tekapo. Which is where my next post is headed!

Everyday Life in Korea

One thing that I love about living here is how much money I save. Not only are prices super low and the exchange rates beneficial, but I just don’t spend as much. While I was living in D.C., the only thing everyone did was go out. Brunch, dinner, drinks, shows, etc. Everything cost money, and a lot of it.

I’ve gone out a few times, but it’s different in another country. I feel odd ‘letting loose’ here. I don’t want to misrepresent Americans, which I know is ridiculous. As if my actions could change an entire country’s perspective of the U.S. based solely on my drinking habits.

So when I’m not tiptoeing around, I hang around my neighborhood, Dongbinggo-dong. There’s two coffee shops right down the hill from me, both equipped with ample seating and WiFi.

I use them as an office. Initially it was because I had no desk at home and needed the work space, but now I’ve grown to like it. If I’m home, I get lazy and don’t want to write. Netflix, art projects, books, pretty much anything seems more fun. If I get out of the house dressed like a human rather than a sweatpants ad, I feel more energized and committed to writing. I love it because the plug-in stations face the window, so I can be around people, but anti-social too-aka-perfection.

Plus, there’s a perk. Macarons. I have never been a huge fan of these. Well, my friends, I was eating scum compared to these little pieces of paradise. I’m addicted.

When I’m not trying to write the next big fantasy novel, I like to take walks. Fall here was really pretty. Plus the leaves are humongous.

 

I love this building. I think it’s a museum or something, but I like to pretend it’s an upgraded Sandcrawler.

Is my nerd-bone showing??

Honestly though, my adventures have been spread out lately due to the cooooold weather. But in a positive light, I have been trying to catch up on my reading (Tolkien takes forever) and postcard project.

I’ve been exploring watercolors, as some of you may remember, and recently found paint-able postcards. It combines two of my favorite things: art and mail!!

I’m still trying to get my mom to start painting again, so I bought her a blank set too. I sent the first one out yesterday, hopefully she gets the not-so-subtle hint. Also, I am terrible at animals. This was supposed to be a wolf….

I did take my first trip since I’ve been here though! Stay tuned for my Tokyo Christmas adventure!!

Lost in Namdaemun Market

In an attempt to figure out the Seoul Metro system, I chose I’Park Mall as my first destination. This place is huge. I’ve been there countless times and still get turned around. It has a an IMAX movie theater, a wedding floor (yes this is a thing: reception,ceremony, and photos all on one floor!), restaurants, and a million and one shops for every possible thing.

It is apparently the weirdest thing ever to eat alone in South Korea. I get the strangest looks when I ask for a table for one. Whatevs, I can get my Pho on solo.

Did I mention this mall has a pet shop?? I got lost once and found this tiny little corner shop filled with the cutest puppies known to man. Naturally I was drawn to the baby schnauzer, best dog ever. (RIP dearest Rudder)

 

The struggle was real guys. Leaving-Target-with-only-one-item real.

Speaking of cute, I couldn’t help sending my nephew a postcard as soon as I got here.There is nothing better than getting mail as a kid. (what am I saying? There’s nothing better than getting mail, period.)

My next adventure was taking on the Seoul Zoo. This place is huge. And basically on a mountain. Ok, a really big hill. There were tons of old couples all decked out in hiking boots and walking sticks, itching for the gates to open. I now understand and will wear better footwear next time…

Though it was a trek, the zoo is gorgeous. There are painted lines that correspond to your map, telling you which animals are on which line. I recommend going in the Fall, because the trees were beautiful.

You have to choose your animals wisely. See, if you want lions, (these lazy good-for-nothing lions) you have to really want it. Because you have to climb a humongous hill to get to them.

After the zoo, I felt ambitious and energized (more like winded, but running on adrenaline at this point) and took the metro to Namdaemun Market. This is another touristy neighborhood known for its intricate markets and street food. I got lost immediately.

Not really in the shopping mood, I looked for the food. I couldn’t tell you at all what I ate, but it tasted great! This thingy was some sort of fried bread with a sweet red bean mixture inside. Super cheap too!

I went down some steps, hoping to find the metro, but found myself in a massive underground mall.

While it did hold some 90’s treasures, I managed to emerge back into daylight. To calm my panic, I sought out some java, and found
Tom n Toms.

With four levels of coffee-lover heaven, I was able to calm down and let Dexter Morgan sooth me back to normal. (yeesh)

I don’t mind getting lost as much as I do here. Seoul is an interesting city. It has so much of the old and new mashed together. I can’t wait to visit the palace and old villages. Until next time!

Green Tea & Itaewon

Whenever I move to a new place, which is often, I usually hibernate for the first three months. No, I don’t sleep all the time. I simply don’t venture much further than a two mile radius outside of my new home. I know, lame right? Why move across the world to stay in and read?

Well first of all, reading is cool no matter where you are in the world. Second, my body and mind need a reset period. I just left everyone and everything that was familiar. I don’t do well jumping into new environments with no prior knowledge of what I’m getting into.

Call it an introvert thing or just a recluse-parading-as-a-world-traveler thing, but I eventually get over it and start exploring my surroundings. With baby steps.

First thing’s first, I needed a drink. Luckily I have a cute coffee shop right at the end of my street called MaBoo (in English)

It couldn’t be more me. The one thing I was missing in D.C. was a good coffee shop that I could settle into for more than five minutes. There’s WiFi, tons of seating and a calm artsy atmosphere.

I’m not sure if this was a serious contribution to the foundation, but it was cute nonetheless.

I got a Chocolate Chip Mint-Green Tea Frappuccino. It was delish.
I may as well give up collecting receipts since the only thing I can read is the price: 6,500 WON. About $5.50.

I love walking aimlessly, although in a foreign country it can be a little risky when all the roads twist into each other and look alike. I saw some interesting things on my way. South Korea is all over the thrift shop game.

My mom is already on my case about the rocking horses. ‘Buy me all the rocking horses’ she says. Sure no problem. There’s only twenty…

Don’t Blink. (keep looking Whovians!)

I walked a little further to the touristy neighborhood:
Itaewon (Eee-tay-wahn). There was a festival going on, so a gazillion people were there. Some accompanied by their very nervous pets.

Itaewon is a maze. (as is the rest of Seoul in my opinion)
Shopping in Itaewon can be fun, but you almost need to photograph your twist and turns to get back out. I got lost a few times. But I found a cool scarf and an old Sprite shirt.

I seem to have gotten in the habit of snapping photos of animals wherever I go. This little guy was tied up on my street and not happy about it.

He did not want his picture taken either and thoroughly chewed me out for it afterwards.

So far, I haven’t freaked out completely being a stranger in a strange land. Yeah, the 7-Eleven has dried squid, but they also have dried seaweed, my fave!

I’m adjusting to new things, like heated tile floors and ‘house shoes’ since you do not wear your actual shoes inside.

And thankfully, when I do get a little overwhelmed, I can turn to this beauty. I hadn’t seen her all summer since I shipped her off before my travels started. There’s nothing a little Beatles tune can’t fix.

Next post will feature adventures in Namdaemun, Yongsan, and more!

Suitcase Life: Brides & Beaches

Columbus to Oregon seems like a pretty straight shot, but apparently flying down to Georgia first sounds much better to Delta. (rude) But I did manage to scooby-doo all the flight attendants into giving me extra cookies ‘for my nephew.’ (ok, most of them were for my nephew)

Mission Accomplished.

I’ve always cried watching the Love Actually opening scene with all the tearful airport arrivals (I’m puddling just thinking about it). My nephew managed to cause a similar scene when he ran up to give me the biggest hug ever at PDX. I know I just saw this little bug in July on my road trip, but everyday I don’t get to see him is too long.
This boy truly holds my heart.

Why was I in Oregon? (other than to see my family and adorable nephew of course) I had a wedding to go to! I have known this girl since I was born practically. She and my sister were childhood friends, but once everyone moved away, our relationship grew. We bonded over singleness, LOST, small town blues and figuring out how to ‘adult’. (obviously I’m the only one with the single problem now)

Our moms were friends and always seemed to be pregnant together. Naturally, all of us kids became friends.

My brother and I were feeling how good we looked and insisted on a family photo shoot before heading to the wedding.

My nephew has spidey sense when you point a camera at him.
He always knows….

We saw people we hadn’t seen in over twenty years. It is weird, but oddly calming to be around people who have known you your entire life.

She was a beautiful bride and the wedding was perfect. Tractors, guns, line dancing and all.

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My mother figured since all of us were in town, we might as well have a family vacation. It was a pretty big deal since we hadn’t all been together in the same house in over five years. But first, I needed a day in my hometown with my sis.

I had to go to one of my old college spots, Bom Dia Coffee. The chai is so delicious, as are the avocado bagels.

Jackson’s Corner had a new location I wanted to see, so my sis & I went there and got a slice and a brew while we waited for my grandpa to finish his appointment.

It was finally time, my mother had planned a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast for the whole family. To get us excited, she got us ‘vacation socks.’

We were headed to Seaside, Oregon but first we had to stop in Cannon Beach. If you take anything from this blog, you need to understand how important it is to try the clam chowder at Mo’s. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it!! IT IS AMAZING!! Plus the view ain’t bad.

We needed to walk off our humongous, but delicious lunch. Haystack rock was calling me…

This is a pretty famous spot on the Oregon Coast. If you google those words, Haystack has its own subcategory. Plus, it’s one of the locations in The Goonies. Goonies never say die!!!

I’m a big fan of jump shots. Therefore, I made my family do them.
My sister looks like she just won a car.

I cannot jump very high, so I hide it by spreading out my limbs.
Illusions Dad, you don’t have time for my illusions!!
After too many attempts to admit, my mom managed to make it an inch off the ground, but not without great enthusiasm.
My brother is an acrobat in spirit. He can do anything athletic. Some of us were not too keen on this whole jumpy thing…

It was a lovely walk, but Seaside was calling our name

Before we left, I knew I had to do the Mermaid shot. It was a long time coming, and it was now or never. (really, the tide was coming in) In hindsight, I probably should have worn shoes to climb on the sharp barnacles.
(If I still had my fin, I wouldn’t have this problem)