"How do you shake the pressures of adult life and take the plunge to get out there on an adventure?"-Marla The best part about living and working in Korea is the financial stability it brings. It's no small secret that you can get paid the equivalent of $20-50+ dollars an hour here! Housing is usually paid for by employees,unless you do things independent like Derik and I. Saving is easy here, and so is travel. When plane tickets cost an average of $100-500 dollars to fly all over Asia, it's to big of a deal to pass up! Korea give quite a few national holidays, so even though we don't ever get contracted 'vacation days' to use when we want to, we have plenty of free time. We feel secure in what we are doing right now. We are able to ... Read More
Archives for January 2014
What They Don’t Tell You (Guest Post)
Have you met my girl Rachel? I reserve the right to call her 'my girl', because we're thick as thieves (can that be possible with just two people?). Basically, I love her to pieces. She's known for her rockstar blog Postcards From Rachel, in which she writes stellar post after stellar post. If you follow travel blogs/expat blogs, I'm sure you've already stumbled upon Rachel's blog. I'm so happy she's guest posting for me today, and I'm sure you'll enjoy her post as much as I did! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello, Living in Another Language readers! I’m Rachel and I blog over at Postcards from Rachel. I started my travel and lifestyle blog while living abroad in Scotland and now I ... Read More
Tips on Moving Abroad
There is nothing scarier than moving abroad, especially to a place you know nothing about. Before moving to Korea in February of 2012, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would be living in a 'real' house (or if I would be living in a grass hut), eating fish heads, and having to hand-wash my underwear (wait, aren't you supposed to do that anyway). Just like every other first time expat, I had no idea where to begin with the whole 'uprooting our entire existence' thing and moving to a land completely unknown. Now, after two years of being in Korea I feel like I can impart some elementary wisdom I've learned on the subject of moving abroad, in order to shed some light for someone else. Disclaimer: I'm not ... Read More
Blogging 101: When Blogging isn’t Fun Anymore
Trust me. It' happens to the best of us. You'll be typing along in your own merry little world when BAM it hits you. Blogging becomes a chore. Comments have gotten out of control (and maybe even down nasty). Your 'numbers' are taking a nose dive and it seems like no-one really even cares. So why continue blogging? Well here's why. 1. Answer the question: Why did you start blogging in the first place? Odds are you've lost touch with the real reason you started blogging. You've gotten so caught up in the giveaways, the link-ups, the comment driven posts that you've forgotten about what you really wanted to do with your blog. Did you start writing as a way to express what's going on in your life? Were you blogging to help keep in touch with ... Read More
10 Travel Resolutions To Keep This Year (Guest Post)
I was really excited when Casey (We Took the Road Less Traveled) agreed to guest post for me. If you're into travel blogs and you haven't discovered her stellar blog yet, then you must have been living under a rock. This girl constantly fuels my wanderlust with posts of her cruises through the Mediterranean, and hanging out in the infamous German markets. She'll make you green with envy quickly. And yet again she's giving us another excellent post, yet this time on MY blog! Without further adieu, Casey. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Travel Resolutions To Keep This Year 1| See less, experience more Amend to stop being one of those travelers that gravitates towards the predictable, ... Read More
What Not to Say to an Expat
We've been living abroad for a month less than two years now, and we've enjoyed every minute of it. We're constantly learning the ins and outs of living 'in another language' comfortably, and enjoy sharing what we've learned with our friends and families. We love having conversations with people about our lifestyle, however there are certain phrases that pop up every once in a while that either leave us speechless, annoyed,or downright clueless. I'm sure all expats can agree with something on this list. Don't want to frustrate your expat friends? Pay attention. ;) 1. "When are you coming home to visit? Seems like you travel everywhere else but home." The plain truth is traveling back to the US (especially from Asia) cost us about ... Read More
Your Questions Answered: Travel
Due to all the love and new readers I've acquired over the past few months, I decided it was high time to turn the tables and let you decide what I write about. There's not a better way to do this then a little Q & A. Although the questions often give short answers, maybe this will help you get to know myself, my husband, and our lifestyle better! I have divided the questions into three posts: Travel, Expat Living, and Miscellaneous. Today we'll cover the topic of Travel, but make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next two posts! Thank you again for your amazing response, I never thought I'd receive so many questions, or have that many people interested in what we're up to. :) "What are some customs that have stayed with you ... Read More
Initial Thoughts from the USA
I hadn't planned on writing any posts on vacation (yes I pre-wrote 20 posts prior to vacation), but since I'm sitting in bed sick with bronchitis and sinusitis, I thought it might be entertaining to write a post about our initial thoughts of the US. We've been out of the country for two years and this is the first time we've been back to visit. -Everyone is so nice. Seriously. I've never had a single person in Asia tell me good morning as I'm walking past them in the parking lot. The US customs agent actually carried on a conversation with us instead of scowling as he stamped our passport. -People must think Derik and I are freaks. We're walking around a grocery store pointing, oohing and ahhing, and getting excited about everything. ... Read More