Enough of that Homesickness Lark.

It had to happen at some time or the other, and homesickness sure came in a big way. Sunday I was a mess, didn't get out of bed, slept, didn't eat. I ended up crying out loud come 9pm and knew I had to do something about it. So I  searched skype and facebook for someone to talk to but had no luck. It took all the courage I had to ring someone I had only just met, but I'm glad I did.  I rang my new friend Sam who lives an hour away and cried and wept through the phone to her. She was so great, told me to calm down, sleep the night away and put on a brave face come the morning.

Monday morning came and I managed to put a brave face on but inside I was a quivering mess. Managed to have a quick skype with mum which calmed me a bit and ended up telling my work mates that I was feeling homesick hence the quietness. It was quite good to be honest actually because one of the girls lived in NZ and China for 2 years and she told me how she coped with homesickness. Her advise was to study by day and drink by night which made me laugh.

My kids are so incredibly cute that I couldn't help but turn that frown upside down and come home time I was feeling relatively normal again. During the day I had made a decision though and that was that I needed to start cooking. It's been nine weeks since I cooked a meal and that seems crazy to me because before I left I was cooking every weeknight at work and often at home. Cooking is something I enjoy and am good at so I decided to spend the extra money and start it up again. (Grocery shopping here is actually more expensive then eating out, crazy huh).

So I got home and whipped up a home made meal............

A beautifully delicious egg, ham and mushroom sammie mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Ok, ok it's not exactly a gourmet meal but for me it was precisely what I needed and topped off with my Watties homestyle sauce (thanks Kevin) it was beautiful. The simple action of preparing a meal instantly relaxed my mind and gave me great satisfaction. 

The next day I was craving the same thing but mixed it up a bit by making a three egg omelet with added onion and capsicum.

Had to break it into three as my plate is so incy. 

I had bought quite a few veges and as I have dinner dates tomo and friday I decided to cut them up and freeze them. As I was cutting them up I was wondering whether I was meant to freeze them raw or cooked so I did a quick magic google search. On my new phone I might add, where I simply speak into it and say "search how to freeze veges" and just like that this site popped up which I found incredible.

http://www.gardenguides.com/416-freezing-vegetables.html

Not only does it tell you how to prepare the veges for freezing but breaks it down into each individual vege. I had not  realised how complicated it all was. Decided I didn't have much better to do with my time so here's a quick lesson on how to freeze carrots, capsicum and onions because I just know you want to know lol.

Chop your veges to desired size

Blanch the carrots for 3 minutes in boiling water

Drain and soak in iced cold water for 3 minutes. (ideally use a large bowel but I'm working with what I've got here) 

(note to self next time do not have the washing machine going at the same time, the spin cycle just about knokced all my hard work on the floor).

Lay raw capsicum and blanched carrot in a single layer and freeze for 30 mins.

Didn't have a tray so just used the freezer shelf

My freezer also doubles as a dressing table lol.

Mix carrots, capsicum and raw onion to make your own frozen veges.

So now it is Wednesday and the homesickness has all but disappeared. It did help talking with my besties Jess and Suzy back home and I realised that Korea is the place that I need to be now.

 I was watching Pretty Little Liars last night and oh so sexy Ezra Fitz said this " A quote by Joseph Cambell. It goes... you must give up the life you had planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you".

I'll leave you with those words to think about.

xx

Yes I was told

It's spring time, the blossoms are beautiful, the sun is shining, there are more people out and the nasty cold has gone. I've now been living in Seoul South Korea for 8 weeks and I feel the initial honey moon period is over. :(

I was told this would happen by everyone who I have met and have been here for longer. I remember thinking, but how could you get bored here, its fascinating, there is so much to see, it is so different. The naive thoughts of a newbie.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bored, I'm not homesick it just turns out that life gets in the way. Let me explain.

Basically I realised that I can't keep going the way I did for the first month I was here. I seemed to have a never ending supply of energy, I visited a new place each night for dinner, I  met up with new and exciting people all the time. I walked for hours around new places and over planned at work because I had so many ideas. Don Don Don. A month later and reality hits. Working a 9-5 job totally zaps the energy out of me. By the time I finish work all I want to do is go home and have a feed and chill out. Last week I pushed myself to do something after work each night but this week I've been out once and that was enough for me. It's a really weird feeling because I want to see everything and there are so many opportunites to meet up with people but then I simply do not have the energy. Basically I think it all comes down to the fact that although I truly love my job I wish I could just travel for the year and  have more than 2 full days a week to explore. But I guess that is life huh, unless maybe I can find myself a rich man who can pay for my wunderlustful life style.  (comment below if you fit this criteria) Bahahaha keep dreaming SAM.

I heart NZ

I'm soaked. Absolutely drenched to the bone. My shoes are falling apart and my jeans are falling down due to the weight of the rain they have collected. I'm finally home after travelling 50 minutes (standing up)  on an overcrowded, wet, noisy and smelly subway and walked 10 minutes in the pouring rain, dodging huge groups of drunk business men. I know for a fact that if I was home and had just completed the same journey I would be in the foulest of moods. But you know what I am ecstatic! I have had one of the best evening so far in Seoul and I feel great.

SHOWER TIME before I die of hypothermia.........

It's 11.30 pm, wow what a day, what a freaking awesome day.

Before I begin.

"Its so hard to be away, and I wish that I could stay 

But the weather is getting better and I think I need some space 

But ill be back again some day and everything will be the same"

Ladi 6 with Shapeshifter! From the moment I heard Shapey  I loved them. Seeing them perform live was breathtaking. Pure musical genius When ever I find myself in a panic or I simply want to hear a kiwi accent I press play on the i pod. Shapeshifter are always first preference. On the tube home I  had my eyes closed and found myself lost in these lyrics by Ladi 6. They seem so relevant to my situation right now. I realise that the song goes on to be a love story so I am not taking it literally but oh I just love it.

Just watching this video brings up so much emotion. Living in Seoul is like being in a polar opposite universe. These things just do not happen here. I love it here, I love the city life, the fast pace, the utter crazyness of it all, but deep down I bloody miss New Zealand and the culture that makes us Kiwi. I will be back again someday and everything will be the same. 

I did plan to recount my epic evening, but all I want to do now is play all my shapey songs and drift into a peaceful dream of Summer, the beach, my friends, my family and all that NZ represents.

Titiro whakamiharo ki nga tamariki a Tane
E tu whakaruru hau nei
He taonga whakamiharo
He tirohanga ki tuawhakarere

Thought I was in the middle of a riot.

Had my first mediocre day in Seoul today, due to only a few hours of restless sleep so decided to treat myself  for dinner and get a pie to fix my mood. To any kiwis that are currently living in Seoul we have Jesters!!!!!!!

http://www.seouleats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1200335-720082.jpg

I wont keep this secret to myself here are the directions:

Seoul, Yongsan-gu Itaewon-dong 127-102-797-8290Directions: Go out Itaewon Station Exit 3 and walk straight 5 minutes.

And omg it was so good! Had a good ole steak and cheese and decided to go for the topper option. Nothing better than a pie topped with mashed potato, mushy peas and gravy. I added a huge amount of tomato ketchup and ate in silence enjoying every mouth full. I so desperately wanted to get an apple, cinnamon and custard one for dessert but alas I am dirt broke and have to live on only $5  a day until pay day! In fact this splurge means that I have to walk home tomo because I can't afford the bus fare. It's all good though because Mum sent me over my kicks so I'll be sweet!

http://www.jesterskorea.com/images/SUBS_LAYOUT_000/goods/topper.png

After licking the plate clean I decided to check out some shops as I didn't want to go home and sit by myself. Found a few clothes shops and really liked the fashion. Lots of knits, lace and pretty patterns. I'm going to be fine finding tops but all the jeans and skirts wouldn't have even fitted one of my legs. The large was a kiwi small! The girls are so tiny here. I saw a XXXXXS!

Found the body shop and spent a long time, spraying, smelling and spending my next pay check in my head. After spritzing with my new favourite fragrance "Cherry Blossom" I felt is was time to start the 20 minute walk home. It had got bitterly cold as the sun had disappeared so I pulled up my scarf, put on my gloves and with my head down battled the rush hour crowd.

All went smoothly for the first 10 minutes until I heard a shrieking high pitched whistle and looked up to be faced by lines and lines of police officers. Hundreds of armed men with shields and batons.

http://photo.phyang.org/image/seoul_riot_police.jpg

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera but this is basically what I was faced with.

They were lined up in army formation and were marching side by side in time to the leader. Up until now I had only seen the odd police officer here and there, so this was a huge surprise. I looked to the middle of the intersection and there were police directing traffic and along the sidewalks were buses upon buses that were labeled police.

So automatically my mind goes into overdraft, oh god its a war, a terrorist attack, omg all of the prime ministers are attending the Summit Nuclear Security conference down the road, has there been a bomb scare. North Korea is invading. Ok calm down. I look at the nearest person and ask what's happening. Stupid Sammie! this guy stares at me blankly obviously confused by my language. Shit I think to myself imagine if it is something big and no one can communicate to me what is happening. I suddenly realise that the general public are going on with their own business and do not look freaked out. I keep walking desperately searching for a white face who I can talk to. Keep walking. Bingo "Excuse me... what is happening? Should I be worried?" The American smiles and simply says Obama is just down the road Korea are putting up a huge Police presence so he feels safe.

 Well I'm glad you feel safe Obama because I nearly had a damn heart attack!

Somewhere over the rainbow

A little favourite of mine.

Well well well, never in my wildest dreams did I think I could be transported back in time to the sixties. Never did I think I could find a slice of wood stock in the heart of Seoul. Maybe it's the inner hippie in me but find a place to be myself I did find. Saturday night allowed me to free the bohemian flower child inside me. And no this doesn't mean that I rolled a joint and took a toke because anyone that knows me will know that I am very against drugs. I just love the tranquility of being close to others, sharing smiles and laying around on cushions relaxing and laughing, enjoying a moment of peace.

RAINBOW Bar  located in Gangnam is just amazing.

As you enter you are given a bag where you put your shoes and winter coats in.

You head to the bar where you order your drinks. (They are famous for their buckets)

This was a particularly delicious vodka and fruit punch concoction.

They offer over 40 flavours of hookah to enjoy with new friends.

The atmosphere is brilliant.

Rainbow is Korea’s most unpredictable Hookah/Cocktail lounge club located in the brisk heart of Seoul. Rainbow welcomes you with around 40 different hookah flavours and a wide range of cocktails, including our wondrous self-made ‘Rainbow Cocktails’ and the famous ‘Rainbow Buckets’ for those of you who would like to share the love along with our delicious munchies. We have fused an impressive variety of themes into Rainbow which gives the place its unique cultural character and its profound and mysterious vibe that will blow your mind as you walk downstairs on your visit. Those themes may include Indian, Jamaican, Hippie, Thai, Chinese, Western, and last but not least, Korean.

On weekdays, you are invited to sit back and relax enjoying the variety of Rainbow’s musical preferences such as reggae, folk, old school/modern rock, acoustic, pop and ethic. Yet on Friday and Saturday nights, we party it up with live performances by Korea’s Indie bands, followed by three DJ performances each night.

We are especially famous for things such as our top-class quality hookahs, Rainbow Buckets, live performances and the peaceful atmosphere. In the presence of all of this communal joy, we hope you can appreciate the idea of Rainbow that is to give everyone a good time. We believe it is a place you can come and chill with your friends, party, meet new people, spend time with your loved one or even enjoy some peaceful alone time. All that being said, we leave it upto you to find your own interpretation of our slogan:
LOVE & PEACE WITH RAINBOW. 

Copied from Rainbows facebook page.

Can you spot the didgeridoo?

Fantastic artwork and quotes plaster the walls

The rusta vibe definitely didn't go unnoticed.

If you want to find out more check out the facebook page.

St Paddy's Korean style

"Guys look! Wow now that's just spectacular"
"Shit whats that noise?"
"It's something on the bridge"

Everybody looks up and is momentarily frozen as we pass under the bridge that supports the subway. The noise is incredible as 20 plus cars clatter across the railway tracks directly above us. I scream out with excitement and joy. It's not everyday you sail under a bridge with 1000's of tonnes of train screaming along it while on a cruise boat along the Han River in Seoul.

Photo from 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Seoul-Han.River-Yeoido-Bridge-01.jpg

Photo from

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/cms/resource/07/216207_image2_1.jpg

In saying that it's not been an average day in Korea either. Infact for the majority of the day I've felt like I've been transported back to home, well home with a load of Americans and crazy Irish men.

It is after all March the 17th and that means its St Paddys day and there was no way that I was going to let the fact that I live in Korea stop me from celebrating this festive occasion.

My fellow kiwis were keen to join me in celebrating so they traveled to my place in Gangnam. First mission was to pick up a mattress for Rob to sleep on so we jumped in a taxi and asked the driver to take us to Emart. I was so excited, it was my first time to visit the store that claims to be a supermarket, plus clothes mart, plus everything else you need mart! And blow me was it amazing.

Bedroll $5.00, beer cheap as! The hugest pizza I had ever seen for $11.00 and we were on our way back to my apartment to get ready for a mean day out!

This pic does not do it justice, it was massive

Kiwi Rob with his kiwi beer that was only $3.

Us all greened up, with our home made stickers ready to hit the festivities.

(Cass, Korean beer which you can get at the supermarket for $3.60 for 2 liters!)

We had heard that there was a huge festival happening across town so we braved the subways and soon arrived at our destination, Sindorim. One of Seoul’s most popular and widely participated cultural events will continue to be hosted in the city – it wouldn’t be March if Ireland’s national day, Saint Patrick’s Day, wasn’t being celebrated.

Yep drinking in public is accepted here!

Subway was packed and a hot sweaty mess. I was lucky to grab a seat but soon regretted it as I realised the seat was heated and I was sweating up a storm.

We arrived in Sindorim and what we saw literally took my breathe away. 100's of foreigners, white people, talking English and doing things that only Westerners do! It felt like I had been transported home, up until now I had only seen a sprinkling of my kind through the city of Seoul. It felt weird for a few minutes but it also felt great that no longer was I the different one, no longer was I the one that was stared at.

We found a place in the packed outdoor stadium and begun to laugh and drink and people watch and talk to new people while watching Korean bands play Irish songs and drunk westerners Irish dancing. The atmosphere was alive with happiness and good spirited fun and we did the right Irish thing and drunk the afternoon away.

We reluctantly left the festivities at 4.30 because we had a boat to catch in an hour and at $60 a ticket we didn't want to miss it.

Riding the subway and transferring between lines while you are quite rightly intoxicated is hilarious! It is just so freaking busy here that it felt like I was swimming through a sea of people. Had to down a bottle of water before we walked to the docks to board our St Paddys day booze cruise!

On the way down by the river we found some interesting sculptures.

I bet in summer this place is beautiful.

The rest of the night was wonderful cruising down the Han river on a boat full to capacity with 600 people. Free beer all night. $2 spirits and a pig on the spit.

A night spent drinking and being merry with new friends was a perfect way to spend St Paddy's I guess it could only have been better if my NZ friends and family had joined us to.

Oh and did I mention the green beer! It was disgusting lol

Wanderlust

I couldn't decide which one I liked better, I just love this word and its meaning

I guess...

Oh now here's a book I would love to read, it is my birthday soon lol!

I did buy a book yesterday.

I want to learn as much as I can about this fabulous country.

"The land of Miracles"