Living in Another Language

a travel & adventure blog

  • About
  • Blog
  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • Bali
      • Borneo
      • Japan
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • Fiji
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Hawaii
      • Texas
    • Cruises
  • Reviews
    • Accommodations
    • Tours
    • Locations
    • Products
  • Photography
    • Tutorials
    • Photojournalism
  • Travel
    • Guides
    • Travel Tips
    • Expenses
    • Travel Blogging
  • Work With Us

Archives for February 2013

Bored on a thursday night?

Written by: Amanda // Category: Photography

This coming weekend we are so excited to have Ethan and Sandra come visit us in Geoje! They are traveling all the way from Seosan; that's about a 6 hour bus trip. We have quite the weekend planned, full of xbox gaming (for the guys) and crafting (for the girls). We also managed to buy 32 Chinese sky lanterns to fly tomorrow night. Yes, you heard right. We thought that having a few dozen would make the beach trip that-much-more epic, and the pictures would be awesome. Yes, it's always about the pictures. We were able to order the sky lanterns online (at that cool site we use all the time called Gmarket) for 800 won, that's about $ 0.78. We ordered the 'assorted colors' pack, and are now the proud owners of pink, purple, blue, orange, ... Read More

Osaka aquarium kaiyukan (part one)

Written by: Amanda // Category: Japan, Photography

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was built in 1990, and remains one of the largest aquariums in the world. Of course, the marketing dept. claims it's the largest, but after a quick google search, I quickly proved them wrong. The aquarium does however hold an impressive 29,000 animals, including their featured whale shark and manta ray. Derik and I had the opportunity to visit the aquarium while we were in Osaka, Japan, and would highly recommend it to anyone. I'll give more details on our aquarium visit in the next post or two, but for now I'd like to wet your appetite with images from the jelly exhibit. Jellyfish have always been one of my favorite sea creatures; I could watch them swim around for hours. There's something so mesmerizing ... Read More

The time i went to north korea (DMZ)

Written by: Amanda // Category: South Korea, Travel

You read right-North Korea. I remember talking with a coworker while living in Portland about a 'mysterious' tour to visit the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. He had been there in the 80's; not more than a month after a shooting incident happened in the JSA.  He had told me it was one the most memorable trips he had ever been on, and would go again. I remember thinking that he must have been absolutely crazy, and there was no way I would put my life in danger just to see North Korea. I mean, who knows when some tourist would be crazy enough to run out across enemy lines and guns would be fired? Then I moved to South Korea. I know it sounds weird, but in the year that I've been living here I haven't actually heard that ... Read More

Weekly photo challenge: forward

Written by: Amanda // Category: Japan, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenges

This week Wordpress' photo challenge is to take a picture of something that defines the word 'forward' to you. Earlier this week D and I went to Japan to get his visa renewed. On our trip we stopped by Universal Studios in Osaka. I've never seen so many characters in one place. I could 'people watch' there all day. I managed to catch these girls toward the end of the day. Not only are they physically moving forward in this picture...but their fashion personifies the definition of 'fashion forward.'  I absolutely love each and every girl in this picture, and it remains one of my favorites from the day. Stay tuned for more pics from Universal! ... Read More

A trip to the bamboo forest

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living, South Korea

A couple of Saturdays ago Amber, Kelly and I went to visit the Geoje Bamboo Theme Park. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised! There was a certain 'stillness' to the forest, and would be a great place to relax and take off stress. This bamboo forest was the first one that I've been to since our move to Asia, and I wasn't disappointed. Not only was it only 2,000 won to get in ($2.00), but it was a short 20 minute drive from my house. The walk through the forest takes about 40 minutes (at a leisurely pace) if you don't stop to eat lunch or go zip-lining. We decided to forgo the ropes course/zip-lining this time, due to the disappointed looks we would have gotten from our men once they found out what we ... Read More

Year one

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living, South Korea, Teaching

Many of you may not have noticed, but we've officially been in Korea one year. I honestly didn't notice until I was asked on our one year anniversary...how long I had been in Korea. Thank you stranger for reminding me, or this blog post may not have happened. I guess this month also marks a year of blogging. I couldn't be more in love with my blog...thanks for reading it. I've actually been quite surprised and blessed with my readers. I originally just made the blog for my family and friends to read, but then 10,000 views later I realize that it may be (hopefully) benefitting others too! Thank you for your comments, suggestions, and emailed questions. One year. What can I say? It's gone way to fast. I am so thankful that my husband ... Read More

Be mine

Written by: Amanda // Category: Baking, Food, Holidays, Recipes

I used to dislike Valentine's Day. I won't use the word hate, because it would take a lot to get me to actually hate something. I never celebrated Valentines Day in high school or college, I actually celebrated quite the opposite. I celebrated being single with some of my closest girl friends. We would get all dressed up and go out on the town, having a grand ol' time. I was the girl that would be randomly sitting in my dorm lounge when the flower guy would come in on the 14th of Feb. and ask me to deliver the flowers to room ___. I politely would accept, but it was not with a willing or happy heart. This didn't just happen once or twice either. I never celebrated Valentine's Day while dating either. I considered it to be a day in which ... Read More

French press lattes

Written by: Amanda // Category: Food

I've always had a love for coffee. It wasn't until I moved to South Korea that I realized just how strong my love was. Before I knew it, I graduated from 'candy coffees' into sipping iced americanos in the summer. I supposed it's healthier for me. I never was into making coffee at home very much, but that was due to not having a coffee maker! Then, we met Jared and Amber. They're quite the coffee experts...growing up with only the best! They not only have a french press back home, but they have a drip coffee maker, AND an espresso machine! After hanging out multiple times, I've quickly adapted and became a part of their coffee drinking 'club.' Then, they bought me my own french press! I've never had one before, so I was quite excited to ... Read More

Weird Wednesday (02/13)

Written by: Amanda // Category: Weird Wednesday

Tomorrow is one of the most romantic days of the year. Flowers, chocolates, hearts, and lace clutter the stores, begging you to buy something for your loved one. I was very pleasantly surprised that Valentine's Day is also celebrated in Korea. However, here it's known as the holiday where men buy things for their women...then White day comes along exactly one month later, and women are expected to return the favor to their guys! After living here a year, there is one thing that has caught my eye about this country. They take even the smallest reason to celebrate love. cutesy notepads, pencils, shirts, phone cases, ect...are all available here, applauding relationships. It's a HUGE deal if a couple (young or old) stays together 100 ... Read More

Next Page »

Currently on Instagram

2020 has been a year has it not? As much as I love 2020 has been a year has it not? As much as I love social media, I found myself taking a break as the things we were all going through made social media so insignificant to me. 

In January/February I had a miscarriage. It was a horrible way to start the year, and little did I know it was just the beginning of it all. 

Even with the loss, hardship of moving back to the US in the middle of a global pandemic, and navigating our new lives here, we were given many blessings. The greatest of those was finding out I was pregnant again in March.

It’s a scary time to be pregnant right now, especially after a miscarriage, because doctors visits are very minimal. Also, Derik was never able to come to a single visit. I was terrified something would happen and I would be told bad news and have to face that alone. But God was gracious to us. 

We kept our special little secret to ourselves, and it wasn’t until our third trimester before we told immediate family and close friends. My pregnancy was very private for me, and a special time to bond closely with the babe growing inside me.

Our sweet little girl arrived November 30, and yes I had to deliver with a mask on, but she is perfect and I truly feel our family is complete. 💕🌈
 
“When a rainbow appears, it doesn’t mean the storm never happened or that we are not still dealing with its aftermath. It means something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy, and hope.”
I am in love. As I’m sure every other plant/mons I am in love. As I’m sure every other plant/monstera collector is when you get to behold such a beauty in real life. If there were ever #plantgoals, this is it. 

Since moving from Germany, it has been a long and slow process getting our life back to normal. All of our belongings have yet to arrive so we’ve literally been camping in our house on an air bed and camping chairs for two months. 😂 All that to say, having to start my plant collection over again here stateside has been so much fun! I will miss the plant prices if Germany, but the selection here blows my mind. Anyone else obsessed? We’ve lived here for almost 8 weeks now and I already have 11 plants 😂😬😬😬. I don’t have a bed or a couch, but by golly I have greenery. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️🌱
Oh my heart. I’ve been trying to figure out the Oh my heart.

I’ve been trying to figure out the words to say about our time in Germany, but my fingers can’t seem to type out how to express my love, gratefulness, thankfulness, sadness, and heartbreak I feel about leaving. Every country we’ve lived in has taught us something and has given us so many beautiful memories, as well as opened our eyes a little more to different cultures and ways of living.

But Germany was special. The first time we stepped foot into Germany was in 2015, and we loved it so much we stayed the extent of our travel visa (3 months). I was able to visit again in 2016, and then we officially packed everything and moved in 2017. Germany has always had my heart: the people, the festivals, the food, wine and beer, the immaculate home landscaping, and even all the rules that every resident is just expected to follow to a tee (like recycling every tiny scrap of trash). Our family grew from two to three while in Germany. Bringing our daughter into the world, and raising her for a year and a half in a different culture, will be one of the most beautiful memories of my life.

Our move was impacted by the COVID pandemic, and it took three long months of delays, red tape, and countless phone calls to get everything together so we could actually get on a plane and have our stuff packed and shipped to our new home. 
I am breathing a sigh of relief to know all the stress of everything is over and our new adventure can begin. I am mourning the loss of leaving Germany. I am in a weird transition right now trying to grasp it all, but here we are jumping into new things head first! We are back in the US for a while, in the beautiful state of Tennessee, and look forward to many new memories, travels, friends, and being able to spend time with family! 
Photos from my sweet and talented friend @juliejayphotos
I feel like I failed hard this year at Christmas m I feel like I failed hard this year at Christmas markets. We went to a total of ONE market, which is exactly 19 less than I told myself I would go to this year to make up for not going to any the year before 🤦🏼‍♀️(I was 40 weeks pregnant and not feeling crowds). I will say, it was a great one and the weather was so nice, we stayed out until the market shut down.

If there’s one thing I will miss most about Germany when it is our time to move, will be the sheer enthusiasm this country has for Christmas, and I’m not talking about consumerism. Food, laughter, friends, family, music, dancing: celebration. Also, Germany shuts down for not only one day, but THREE. Stores are closed, mail is not delivered, people aren’t out and about. Everyone is home enjoying time with family, and I love it. However, I may have gone into full blown panic mode Christmas Eve when I realized I had a total of 8 diapers to get us through until the 27th. 👀
We spent Thanksgiving back in North America: Whist We spent Thanksgiving back in North America: Whistler, Canada! A 10 hour flight from Germany , and I can’t say this one was better than the one we took over the summer on our trip to Alaska, but we survived! Entertaining a 11 month old for that long is much harder than a 6 month old, especially when they aren’t into sleeping on the plane AT ALL. 🤪

Whistler was beautiful despite the lack of snow, and we enjoyed our time with family, the delicious food, and as much sightseeing as one could do with a jet-lagged baby. 
This was actually my first trip to Canada ever, (unless you want to count the move my parents took up to Alaska from Arkansas when I was two. 😂🤷‍♀️ ) and I loved it! We would really like to take a big Canadian road trip someday and explore more of the country! 😍😍🇨🇦
Being a mama may mean I don’t always have time t Being a mama may mean I don’t always have time to put myself together, but I would rather spend the extra moments making special memories with our daughter that she can cherish forever. I doubt that she will look at this picture and see a tired, messy haired mama that’s barely had time to wash her face nevermind carefully apply makeup, but am hoping she will see a mama that never tires of carrying and cuddling her, or sharing new experiences with her. 💕
Oh Switzerland, you beaut.🇨🇭 We spent a coup Oh Switzerland, you beaut.🇨🇭 We spent a couple days enjoying the beautiful weather in the land of chocolate, cheese, mountains, and cows with bells 😍😍🤩. If you remember, we visited the same area  a month shy of two years ago but but the weather was quite the opposite! I’d have to say though, when you visit such a majestic and beautiful area, it doesn’t matter what the weather is, you’re going to be in awe and love it anyway!
  • About
  • Design
  • Work With Us
  • Contact

© Living in Another Language 2012-2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Site design by Alpine Lane.