Looking forward

I thought that Chicago summers were bad, I was wrong. Korean summer is proving to be the worst. So hot, humid, no air conditioning in school and no waterfront to make it all worth it. I have a rash on my butt and stomach from sweating and I have no appetite for food besides ice cream.

BUT! Only 2 weeks until vacation!

For vacation Derek and I are going to Taiwan for a week. I am excited to hang out in Taipei, sit on the beaches of Kenting and go hiking in Takoro gorge. The weather may not be better, but I am sure I'll enjoy it more when I'm not dealing with crazy kids. If you don't know much about Taiwan, it is basically a foodie's paradise. Here is a CNN article about the food and most of it looks amazing. It also has many terrains, is super cheap and has a high speed rail across the country. Vacation should be an easy, breezy, stress free affair.

After Taiwan, Derek's brother is coming to visit! I am so excited to show off all of our Korean knowledge and share our experiences with someone from home. It will also be nice to get Danny's impressions and remember what it felt like when all of this wasn't so normal to us.

I am so excited for these next couple weeks, and I'll even be excited when it's over because then it will be only 3 weeks until I go home for my sister's wedding! On a scale of 1-10 for anticipation and excitement to go home, I'm at a 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.

365 Challenge

I've decided to take on a 365 day challenge. I am challenging myself to Instagram 1 photo everyday. Follow me @caroline_st if you're interested.

Travel Tuesday: AirBnB

Have you ever heard of airBnB? It's where people but up extra bedrooms, cute camping vans and other unconventional places to stay on vacation. Derek and I have been perusing the sight the past few days and booked a place to stay in Tokyo, with what looks like an awesome couple, and in Osaka where we are staying at a place with a hot tub on the roof! I am sooooo ecstatic that a website like this exists.  

There are reviews for each spot so you know what you are getting into, and it costs about the same or less than a hotel/hostel. You also get the advantage of getting information from a local, perfect for figuring out what to eat and how transportation works. Also, I have to say it is much more appealing than sharing a 6 bed room with strangers. The AirBnB picks look awesome too. They have categories like tree houses, tents, VW vans and so many more. I don't know if I'll ever go back to using anything else again!

Also, more travel tips.

Life Update

Derek and my future in Japan. 

Hope you enjoyed the picture posts! I love looking back at all the pictures and posts I've written on here and realize how much I have done, especially considering I don't post a lot. Now that the holidays are here, this blog helps with the home sick blues that I am starting to get. So with all this in mind here are a few things I am looking forward to.

1. Friend thanksgiving- I bought over priced cheese and it is taking all my willpower not to eat it right now.

2. English festival ( being done that is)- For our english festival we are having all the classes put on plays and sing songs, sooooo cute! But before it's soooooo cute I have to finish writing a few plays and make the kiddos practice.

3. Japan! Derek and I booked a trip to Japan from January 19th to the 30th. I can't be more excited to experience the history, eccentricities and food of Japan! I think Japan seems so romantic in the snow. ( ps damn Japan is expensive!)

4. Korean- I have gotten great joy lately out of identifying words I know in people's Korean conversations. I also love it when my students are on almost the same lesson as I am in Korean. I get a chance to show off but then students think that I am suddenly fluent and start speaking to me in Korean, putting me back in my place.

Moving Abroad

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It has been almost two months since I moved to Korea, time flies! Unfortunately,  time doesn't work that way for everyone. In the past months at least three people in Daegu have decided that they wanted to go home. While I don't know any of them personally I can't imagine how much it sucks to spend so much of your time and energy into moving and not like it at all. So I thought I would put in my two cents about moving abroad and what to consider.

I think many people romanticize what it's like to live in another country. Many think that everything will be different and maybe even they will be different, but this is not the case.  You are who you are, and moving somewhere else won't change that. You may find out new things about yourself or the experience may help or inspire you to work on parts you don't like, but moving won't change the inherent you. 

Overall, life in other countries looks pretty much the same. You go to work, have work related issues, and try hard to be good at your job (especially as a teacher). You go home after work, relax, try to make new friends and go out on the weekends. In the end, you still have to find what makes you happy in your free time.  

What has made moving a good experience for me is that I was very truthful about my situation and expectations. I loved my life in Chicago and while I sometimes miss it, I know that I have not chosen a better life path just a different one from the one I had in Chicago.  I also knew that living in another country would be hard. I feel guilty at least once a day about not speaking Korean and awkward more than once a day. 

There is also Derek. I know that a lot of my happiness is because I am sharing the experience with him and we have each other. I think it would be much harder without Derek and am not even sure I would have ever come to Korea. We remind each other that we have to make the best of our experience by exploring or trying new things, otherwise moving would be a waste.

In the end, I encourage people to think about moving abroad (come to Korea!) but you have to be very truthful to yourself about why you want to. 

My Favorite Travel Phone Apps

Almost every blogger seems to have their favorite phone apps and I'm no different except that my favorites are probably the most simple apps ever.

1. My camera phone- Your phone's camera is the most useful thing ever when traveling abroad because it's the memory that you will never have. I have used my phone camera for remembering how to get to school, taking pictures of the street signs by my house, pictures of the Korean name of my home bus stop to figure out what lines stop there and taking pictures of Google maps to remember my way if I don't have WiFi. Pictures have saved my worries and time, I am so thankful!

2. Instagram- to show the people back home what a wonderful time your having and making your pictures look good for you. I love.

3. A language app- I have Learn Korean and it's amazing. It's much faster than looking it up in a book, it will tell you haw to say it and if all fails you can show it to the person so they can read it in Korean. Derek and I went to dinner the other night and I looked up how to say beef and beer, a lifesaver!

4. I-message or another free text app- This has been great in helping me feel like I'm not that far from home because I can still text my friends.

5. Google- for all those obvious reasons

I have a new found love for technology and can't imagine coming to Korea without it! I have no clue how I would have found Derek without internet and home would feel so far away. I am flabbergasted at how amazing technology is and that I never really appreciated  its usefulness until now, and I don't even get internet on my phone all the time. Korea is amazing for its' internet connections, all I have to do is walk down a main street and I can usually connect.

It's Friday!

Time to explore!

Tonight Derek and I are meeting up downtown with some friends we met during orientation. I am excited to take some time to destress and make this city feel more like my home. The plan is to eat, drink and be merry tonight. Hike tomorrow. Sunday contact home and fix up the apartment. 

PS It's odd to know that its the United States' Thursday, sorry suckers!

What to Pack?

Its about time I start packing and while I have thought about what I want to bring, seeing what little space I have makes me reevaluate what it actually important to me. I am a nester, I like a homey place that makes me comfortable and happy to be in. Naturally, I thought I would bring decorations and comfort items but having to pare them down has proven difficult. Here are some pictures of what I think is going to make the cut.

I'm taking one of my quilts (a hard choice to make), some small decorations, my favorite mug and if I could my mom.

Travel Tuesdays: Tour with the Locals

I always love traveling to a city where a friend lives. For me, going to places where locals go and eat is 80% of why I travel. The small cafe, independent store, lively neighborhood or park are always the most memorable.  But what do you do if you don't know a local? I think many cities have caught onto the fact that a cookie cutter tour is not what many tourists want.

In Chicago we have the Chicago Greeter where they pair you up with a resident who has similar interests to take you on a tour. Its an awesome program that I always get great feedback on at the tourism center (one of my many jobs).

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Now that I am going to Korea, I requested a visitor package and they too have a similar program Goodwill Guide. You can have a local give you a tour as well as take you to sights to translate and help with transportation. It is free but if you there is any admission you must pay for your guide, not too shabby.

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Another program is Homestay where you stay with a family instead of a hotel or hostel. Its an great idea to get comfortable and have an authentic view of the culture. Also, it costs only $40 dollars a night, an awesome price if you ask me for room and a great and welcoming experience to the country.

Via a great article in  National Geographic about expanding cities

Now that I know that many cities have programs like these, its going to be the first thing I research after I figure out cities I'm going to.


Also, things I am excited about in Korea and a Chicago photo walk.

I want to be better!

Whenever a big move happens on my life I can't help but think of the million ways I want to be better. It gets overwhelming and confusing.

Examples:
I want to be more artistic.
I've always wanted to make stop motion pictures
I want to be better at letting the people I love know that I appreciate them.
I want to get better at making friends
I want to make positive changes
I want to look more put together do my hair, put some more thought into an outfit, but I also want to have less stuff and be a smarter, less frequent consumer.


I want to try a lot harder, watch less TV and appreciate good food more.
I want to not over eat.



I know I need to pare this list down and focus because a new country will be overwhelming enough. I need to be myself.

I'm going to mull this over and I'll report back when I organize, prioritize and make a game plan for the long list that plagues me.

Travel Tuesdays:The Truth Will Come Out

 If there is one thing I know about traveling it is that your true self will come out and whatever your personality flaws may be they will be stronger than ever.

Example: We have a joke that it isn't a family vacation without someone crying in the Thrun family. Why? Because in our family we all have the unfortunate traits of having to be in control, always right and if stress enters the mix then comes the over emotional yelling with a finale of me crying. There was the navigational mix-up of 1996, canoe disaster of 1999 and many others.

We have learned a few lessons, like if at all possible avoid driving, planning days and transportation ahead of time is a life saver, and we will probably never go on a canoe trip again.

So this leads me to my new worry, can I keep some of my largest flaws in check while traveling with Derek? So far the only thing that I know is to bring snacks in my bag for his hungry anger. But what should I warn him about? That I need to be the first to find where we are on the map? That I can only spend 2 hours in a museum, max? And oh! the uncontrollable tears! We have only traveled to places one of us have already been, so that was easy, international travel seems much more daunting.

I know the truth will come out, so I guess this is my warning and my forward apology to him.