Living as an expat, far from all things once familiar, is sometimes a surreal experience. Since leaving the states just over two years ago, there has been tragedy upon tragedy that we don't find out about until we wake up and check our Twitter or Facebook the next day. All of these experiences have been heartbreaking but they don't feel 'real' in a sense since we're so far away. All we have are second hand accounts from social media and news sites to find out the latest news from back home.
But with the recent tragedies in Oklahoma, it hit close to home. Just two hours from where both of our families and all of our friends live, I can't help but think about how this time is different. This time it was too close for comfort. But on top of all of these feelings, I have an overwhelming sense of pride of my country and my state with how we bond together to help each other out in the midst of chaos and heartache.
So today I focus on the good, the positive, and strive to think that above it all, there is still good in this messed up world of ours. Today I am thankful for:
Families being safe and sound
Romantic gestures
My sister and her ability to make me laugh at anything
Friends both old and new
For parents being able to come and visit
For this guy, plain and simple
This fur ball
Lazy weekends spent in hammocks
And this beautiful country that we get to call home
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by the tornadoes this week. I am proud to be an Okie. 'I've never been to heaven, but I've been to Oklahoma.' Linking up with Lisette, Rolled Up Pretty and Shanna
As foreigners, living in a country where we don't speak the language, making friends can be slightly more difficult. Since living here, we have found friends in...well, less than conventional ways compared to back home.
Our favorite story is when we met some of our closest friends in the grocery store. Compared to other towns in Korea, there's actually a ton of foreigners where we live. But even though we're not as far and few between as other places, there's still that camaraderie between foreigners here that leads us to give a knowing smile or friendly hello whenever we pass each other on the street.
Have you seen this Seinfeld episode? It's kind of like that but with 'Hey! You speak English?! I speak English! Let's be friends!'
But even though there are plenty of other foreigners, other foreign married couples our age are still uncommon, especially when we first moved here. I remember every time we would pass one on the street, I would nudge hubs and say 'look, a foreigner!' It was as if we had just spotted a rare animal species.
So when we were grocery shopping one day, and we kept bumping into this other foreign couple, it caught our attention. We'd nod to each other, exchanged a friendly 'hello' but then just went on our way. Well after about the dozenth time, and after hubs hearing me say 'they look nice' one too many times for his liking, he did what he does best. Embarrassed me (don't worry, most of the time when this happens, it turns out well in the end). As we were driving out of the parking garage we passed them...again. But this time hubs stopped the car, rolled down his window and yelled 'Hey! How are you guys? Are you new in town?' Thank goodness they were and we started chatting, exchanged phone numbers and the rest is history. Don't worry, they know the whole story and still for some reason hang out with us. My point is, sometimes it can be hard to meet new people in a new town, sometimes you have to risk getting out of your comfort zone. But more times than not, it's worth it.
So how do you make friends in a new country when you don't speak the language?
Join a Facebook group- many times, especially for expats, there are Facebook groups for foreigners in a certain area. I know that where we live there are several just for teachers, moms, other working expats in our city in addition to groups for just about every activity imaginable.
Find local city expat groups- along with Facebook groups, there are expat groups that meet up during the week for different activities such as cooking, hiking, or touring around the city.
Pick up a new hobby- I know that in our case, once we moved abroad we had a whole lot more free time than we did in the states. Since moving here we've started several extra hobbies and activities that we wanted to in the states but never had the time to. Pick something you're interested in, find a group and get going. You never know who you'll meet along the way. Volunteer- this is a great way to not only meet new people in your area with the same passion as you but to get to know the people in your country and help out.
Join a church- our first year abroad we simply watched the podcast from our church back home. While it was great, we were missing out on the incredible community and support that we have now found in our current foreigner's church.
Start up a conversation- remember that couple that we stalked met in the grocery store? Yea, it can be awkward just starting up a random conversations but sometimes it pays off to be that overly friendly person.
Sign up for language classes- this is not only a great way to make living in another country easier, but you can also meet a ton of other people wanting to learn the language and make friends with the locals that teach the classes.
What's the weirdest way that you've met someone? PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win $750 in cash! Enter HERE Also, enter HERE for a chance to win a free pair of sunglasses from Firmoo!
Happy Saturday lovelies! Life is good. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I'm helping to give away $750 in cash! Everyone could use a little extra cash in summer time right? There are trips to take, swimsuits to buy and barbecues to host.
I only wish that I could enter! So what would I use it on? As an expat and travel enthusiast my mind now thinks in airline ticket prices. So instead of thinking about how I could buy a summer wardrobe or day at the spa like I would when I lived back in the States, I now can't help but think how with $750 I could buy a plane ticket to pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia! Enter below for your chance to win and let me know what you would do with the extra cash!
Dear Teacher's Day, when we taught kids, we got socks as a thank you. As appreciative as I was for new cartoon covered foot wear, I think I enjoy our gifts from our adults students a tad bit better.
Dear Summer Vacation, planning for you has officially started. I can't wait to finally road trip across Cambodia and see these things in person! I'm so incredibly thankful and beyond grateful for these trips we get to take together and the memories that we create along the way.
Dear China, even though I hate the fact that you charge $200 for a tourist visa for Americans, it's pretty cool that you have free layover visas. If you have a flight leaving within 72 hours of landing, you can enter the country for free. At least that's what we've been told. We'll be trying it out when we have a 10 hour layover in Shanghai on our way to Cambodia. Dear Hubs, I came home from work and found this in our living room. I love our version of 'glamping' complete with chick flicks and chocolate chip cookies. You sure do know how to make a girl feel special.
Dear Buddah, thank you for being born and thank you Korea for recognizing it as a national holiday and therefore canceling all work. I love Korean holidays. Which leads me to... Dear Monks, as peaceful as your chants are and as much as I typically like to listen to them, this is not the case when you do it over a mega phone every night at eleven o'clock.
Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a FREE pair of Firmoo sunglasses. Just in time for summer! Enter here.
Someone once asked me if hubs and I ever fought on trips. We're married, of course we have. People are simply not meant to be around each other 24 hours a day. Throw in unfamiliar territory, different languages and you've got yourself a dangerous mix. Traveling as a couple is not always easy but if you figure out what works for you, it can be the most rewarding experience with memories that last a lifetime. At the beginning of our relationship we were horrible at traveling together (thankfully this isn't the case anymore). We figured out (a little later than we would have liked) that we simply traveled differently. I loved to have a plan. My friends and family know well that I'm a huge planner with lists and time tables. I probably sound like a blast to travel with right now. On the other hand, hubs is the very laid back type. Always wants to be on the go and be doing something (the man cannot sit still) but doesn't really plan out a whole lot ahead of time on vacation. We've found out that while we travel in different ways, there is always a compromise. For us, before we take a trip, we find all of the places that we want to go or see and what days we will see which. So on the day we know what we want to see (for my sake) but we don't have a strict time regimen and have plenty of spare time in case we run into something else we want to do (for his sake). We've also found that these tips have helped us a ton while traveling or planning a trip: Learn about each others strengths and weaknesses with traveling. I happen to love budgeting and looking for activities and things to do (bring on the travel books and brochures) while it gives me a headache to even start to look through the hundreds of hotels in each area. Hubs says I get emotionally attached (completely true) and then I get discouraged when it's either all booked or turns out to be way out of our price range. Luckily for me, hubs actually enjoys hotel hunting and always seems to find just what we're looking for. Figuring out our roles in the planning process has saved us so many headaches and frustrations. Have a plan. Even if that plan is to not have a plan. Laugh! So your luggage got lost, you missed your flight, and the hotel room was not the one pictured online and even included complementary bug house guests. There's sometimes not a whole lot that you can do about a certain situation but laugh it off. Pack snacks. We both can get a bad case of 'hanger' so I make sure to always have some nuts or granola bars handy. Budget for splurges. As big of budgeters as we are, it's ok to splurge every once in awhile (the experience could be well worth it) and we even include a 'miscellaneous' area in our trip budget for such cases. Spend time alone for an hour or even a day.You're bound to have different interests and want to see different things on a trip. I like shopping, hubs wants to scuba dive with great white sharks (after seeing this video, I'll be on the boat thank you very much). It can be fun to go do it alone and then meet up for dinner and catch up on what you did that day. Discuss what is important to you while traveling. I think that the best things that we did was to sit down and talk about what things were most important for us on the trip. Was it sight seeing, relaxing, taking tours, going to museums or eating? Everyone has different quirks with traveling. If you talk about it beforehand you can save a lot of fights and tension and enjoy your trip to the fullest. What are some of your favorite tips for traveling with others? PS. I'm currently taking over the sweet Casey's blog while she's away on vacation! Check out her page where I'm listing my top five travels! Linking up with Lisette, Rolled Up Pretty and Shanna
This is true beyond the expression of words: I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown, eat interesting food, dig some interesting people, have an adventure, be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It’s not what Tom Friedman writes about, I’m sorry. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking twelve miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people — Americans and Europeans — come back and go, “Ohhhh.” And the lightbulb goes on.-Henry Rollins
GIVEAWAY
Some of my favs from their site. To check out their full collection go here.
Summer weather is finally here and that means it's time to restock on this season's latest styles of sunglasses! (I always lose mine so that means that I'm in desperate need of some new ones!) By now, I'm sure you've heard of Firmoo, an online retailer that offers great styles of both glasses and sunglasses at very affordable prices. Well in celebration of summer approaching, I'm teaming up with Firmoo to give away six $20 vouchers to use towards the purchase of a pair of sunglasses. BUT, if there are over 50 entrants, Firmoo will also give one lucky reader their choice of sunglasses for FREE! So spread the word! Entering is easy! Just enter the Rafflecoptor below! Plus don't forget to go the their website and comment below on which pair you want to win! The winner will be announced once the giveaway ends on the 25th of this month. Good luck!
