Living in Another Language

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Archives for July 2013

Why I’m the Worst Traveler Ever

Written by: Amanda // Category: South Korea

It's quite simple really. My mind and body behave like a 4 year old. I would have said like a 2 year old, but lets face it-they still enjoy their nap times. Even on trips. Four year olds however despise nap time. When I was nannying and babysitting, I couldn't get these little buggers to go down if only drugging were an option.  There's probably a reason I'm not a mother. Anyway, it may come as a shock to most of you, I'm a terrible traveler. Just ask my husband; oh wait, don't because he'll make it sound that much more worse than it really is. How does talking about 4 year old children tie into this? Well, after about one hour of a plane ride, car ride, train ride, or bus ride...i'm done. I can't stand sitting in those uncomfortable ... Read More

How To Be a Tourist in Asia

Written by: Amanda // Category: Friday Funnies

Derik and I leave in less than a week for Borneo! We're so excited, it's hard to concentrate on doing anything else. I have a feeling this next week will be littered with travel posts. Be prepared. I'm pretty sure everything from this point forward (blog related) will also be as procrastinated as possible. Perfect example: this post was supposed to be posted YESTERDAY as part of 'Friday Funnies' but now it's Saturday so.... I had an excuse though. I posted the most awesome giveaway ever from all my sponsors! Go check it out. Ever wondered how everyone travels in Asia? If you're really wanting to get immersed into the culture maybe following these guidelines will probably not help you. Guys, you should know, this list is actually ... Read More

It Wasn’t That Long Ago…

Written by: Amanda // Category: South Korea

I mentioned in a previous post that Derik and I's 3rd year wedding anniversary is coming up soon-August 16 to be exact. I've decided to share my gorgeous engagement photos taken by the legendary (hands down one of the best photographers I know) Alec Vanderboom. I couldn't have been more happy with our session-Alec thinks of everything!  He is dedicated to tell a story every time he takes a photo session, and if you've taken a peek at any of his photos, you'll see it right away. I love his creativity and genuine love for photography! Before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about our love story. I met  Derik my freshman year in college. We were both part of the same work-study program at school, and were actually assigned ... Read More

Blogging 101: WordPress Plugins

Written by: Amanda // Category: Blogging

I have exactly 20 minutes to write this post before I dash off to make some homemade pancakes for my husband and I to enjoy for dinner. I recently splurged and bought maple syrup from iherb.com, just because their shipping was free to Korea (I would have normally spent the 12 dollars I paid for the syrup in shipping), and NOW I have to incorporate that liquid gold into our daily diets for a while. I've missed maple syrup so much over the past 1.7 years, I feel like I should be writing a post about its wonderful goodness. As much as I'd like it to be, this post is not about syrup, but about Wordpress plugins. A week or so ago I wrote a post called Blogging 101.  I shared with you my wisdom (for what it's worth) on how to grow your blog ... Read More

Lately [10]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

The only thing that's been on my mind lately is the vacation that's literally just around the corner for us! I'm super excited about our trip to Borneo! It's been very strange trying to plan our vacation; Borneo isn't the typical tourist location. To be honest, I didn't know much about it until earlier this year. This island holds one of the oldest rainforest in the world, and has a fantastic tropical feel as well. We are wanting for sure to do a hiking trip up the largest mountain in SE Asia, a canopy walk, and a snorkeling trip; the rest will have to be on the fly. Unfortunately, due to the 'newness' of it hitting the tourist scene, I was unable to book anything online besides hotels! It's scary yet exciting at the same time. An unplanned ... Read More

30 day challenge

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living

I love challenges, especially when the goals are attainable. I try to challenge myself every day when it comes to my physical health. The nice thing about living in Korea is that I am not tempted with all the fatty, highly processed, junk many restaurants and stores carry back home. I'm also not that much into local traditional food. In the past year and a half I've incorporated a fairly clean diet into D and I's daily living. Our staples include salmon and tilapia, chicken, beans, and about as many fruits and vegetables we can find at the local market! I've also challenged myself in the fitness area. Gym memberships cost an arm and a leg per month, so that was out of the question right off the bat. I started doing at-home workouts. I've ... Read More

Korean Commercials Pt. 1

Written by: Amanda // Category: Friday Funnies

So it's Friday in Korea. Fridays are always a celebration to me and Derik...we both only work 3-5 hours on this day! He's out riding around on his motorcycle, so I decided to whip up a quick Friday Funnies post for you all. I've been thinking about this one for quite some time, and I'm so glad to day's the day I get to share some sweet stuff with you! Is it just me, or do commercials in other countries always seem funnier than the US? Could it be due to the language barrier? I'm not sure...but 90% of all Korean commercials leave me shaking my head. I've decided to share some classic examples with you today...enjoy the Youtube love. I'm giving you my top 7 (that I have found on Youtube anyway) starting from the bottom and working towards ... Read More

Weird Wednesday (7/17)

Written by: Amanda // Category: Weird Wednesday

It's been a while since I've done a Weird Wednesday post, so since it's Wednesday and I have a serious case of writer's block going on...I thought I'd give it a go. Although I love this country I am currently residing in, sometimes I get rather frustrated with a few things. The top of my list would be the language barrier. My husband and I have learned in the 19 months we've been here that there are quite a few things that get lost in translation. I'm feverishly studying up on my Korean through Rosetta Stone (who am I kidding it's been three weeks since I've done a lesson), trying my best to bridge the ginormous gap in our communication with the world around us. I am constantly impressed with the way Koreans try very hard to learn ... Read More

The temple on the sea

Written by: Amanda // Category: Photography, Photojournalism, South Korea

Notice anything different around here? Yeah, my last design didn't stick around too long. I'm very indecisive on certain things, and when I don't have it exactly the way I want, I change. :) This new design is a product of my curiosity as I dove head first into html and css coding, as well as my 'wanting something better' mindset. I'd have to say I'm loving the process of learning blog design! Each time I make a new layout for my blog, I learn more and more. Thanks for being patient readers and rolling with the flow. A couple of weekends ago I was asked to go on an impromptu girls trip to Busan. We had little to no agenda, and it was fun figuring out things to do on the fly! You may have read earlier, but we went to a cat cafe (yeah if ... Read More

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Currently on Instagram

Our adventures may be few and far between nowadays Our adventures may be few and far between nowadays, but the ones we get to take are oh so sweet. 

My daughters are now 2.5 years and 6 months old. Life never slows down, but only gets faster with each day we’re blessed to live. Social media may not be a part of my life how it used to be, and instead I’m working on living life intentionally each day as we raise our girls during these crazy times. 💕
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. 💕
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