Friday Letters #31

Happy Friday Y'all! 

Oh man, I am so ready for the weekend. I don't have huge plans, but I'm ready to sit back and relax. 

I thought I would change up my friday letters and try linking up with Kate's Daily Diaries. I have decided to try to make a nice combination between my letters and a weekly diary. 

So here we go. 

Dear Saturday and Sunday, I had such blast exploring Busan and Jinhae for the Cherry Blossom Festival. While the Cherry Blossom festival was quite amazing, the best part for me was feeling the sand beneath my toes again. The water was freezing, but I was so happy to put my feet in the water. I miss Hawaii so much, and I'm glad Busan is not too hard to get to so maybe a beach trip can happen this summer. Speaking of… Dear KTX, I really enjoyed my 4 hour train ride. I especially loved that we rode first class for the trip. It's amazing how great the public transportation system is here in Korea. Dear Cherry Blossom Festival, Yes yes- the trees were great. The couple outfits were better. But the giant cotton candy was really what grabbed my attention. For real- this thing was like three times the size of my head, and it was delicious! I have no regrets. 

Dear Monday, With our weekend trip- you came a lot faster than I expected. But luckily, my middle school students are preparing for their exams, so I was able to leave an hour early from work. Woo hoo. I snuggled into bed and watched an amazing episode of Grimm. Dear Tuesday, I got to leave early  again! Other than that nothing exciting. Although- I did sign up for the GRE. I will be taking that bad boy July 13th. Dear Wednesday, I had a great day at work. And I finally got my mile time to 10 minutes. While that might sound slow to some, for me, it was pretty amazing. I also had a guest post over at Amy's side of the blogging world. I wrote all about Hawaii, and I'm so thankful that Amy gave me her space to share a little of my story. If you didn't check the post out- you should. And if you don't know The Tide That Left- you should. 

Dear Thursday, I was really lazy and slept in till 11:00. I'm not going to lie- it felt pretty nice. Dear National Siblings Day, I didn't even know you existed, but many thanks to my older sister for reminding me. I am truly lucky to have such amazing siblings. I can't wait to get back to Georgia and see them. I am blessed to have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I absolutely love having a big family. 

And Dear Friday, Well- thank you for showing up. I am ready to snuggle up and watch Netflix. 

Dear Weekly Inpsiration, Like always- reading blogs is one of my favorite parts of the day. Here are a couple posts I loved this week. 

Rachel over at Rachel Boulevard shared her Road Trip Essentials. As someone who loves a good road trip- I loved this post. 

Kaelene over at Unlocking Kiki shares some great tips on Beating Writers Block- let's be honest- who doesn't struggle with that from time to time? 

And that's a wrap for this week. 

Love, Alex 

{Linking up with Kate} 

Weekend Sneak Peek {Travel Tuesday}

Happy Tuesday Y'all! 

Since we got back late Sunday night, I haven't had time to completely organize my pictures from the weekend. I also didn't get my weekly posts up early like I usually try to do, so today I thought Travel Tuesday would be nice and simple. 

I am really excited to share our trip down south with y'all, so I thought I would post a couple sneak peek pictures of the places we saw last weekend. I know it's a super short post, but I am playing catch up this week. {Sorry.} 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend. 

 {Busan}

 {Temple by the Sea-Younggungsa- Busan} 

[Cherry Blossoms in Jinhae} 

I hope y'all enjoyed this little sneak peak. I promise better posts are coming. 

{Linking up for Travel Tuesday} 

Oh Korea: Couple Outfits

Happy Monday Y'all! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Matt and I had a great trip to Busan and Jinhae, and I can't wait to share the pictures from the weekend. But for now I want to share a part of Korean culture that I absolutely love. 

Couple Outfits. 

Here in Korea being a couple is really important. Almost every holiday or festival is somewhat geared towards couples. And when you are part of a couple- you want everyone to know it. Thus, the couple outfit. 

While we were in Jinhae for the Cherry Blossom Festival, there were couple outfits galore. While Matt was busy snapping pictures of the cherry blossoms, I was busy trying to find as many couples as I could. Here are some of the outfits I was able to take a picture of. 

How awesome are these couples? I love the couples that are literally matching from head to toe. Same shirt, pants, jacket, and shoes- that's true love right there. 

Parents also tend to dress their children the same as well, but Americans do that too, so it's not as cool as this couple...

I had a blast being a creeper and taking pictures of all the couples. I was so impressed with some of the clothing pieces some guys were willing to wear. {White pants, pink shirt, yellow hoodie with blue dinosaur…} 

This is one of my favorite things about Korea. I can't wait to get some couple outfits for Matt and I. 

So what do you think- Couple outfits: Yes or No. 

Friday Letters #31

Happy Friday Y'all! 

And with a snap of my fingers, the first week of April is done. It seems like this year is determined to march by quickly. 

Today I am co-hosting Casey's blog hop Fresh Face Friday, and I am super excited. And if you're here for the first time from the link-up- Aloha and Hello. Please feel free and stay awhile. 

Now onto my letters. 

Dear Cherry Blossom Festival, Tomorrow we will be heading down south for our first ever Korean cherry blossom festival. And I very excited. We've never been down south, so I am interested in seeing how it's different from Seoul. We will also be stopping in Busan and I can't wait to stop off at the beach. It's been way to long since I've felt the sand between my toes. (Oh- how I miss Hawaii.) We will be taking the KTX train for our journey, and even though it's a 4 hour trip, I'm still excited since we got first class tickets. Fancy Pants is what we are. 

Dear New Blog Deseign, I love you. From the moment the proof came to my e-mail, I've loved you. Many Mahalos for Melyssa from The Nectar Collective for the beautiful design. For real guys, how wonderful is this design. I am one happy blogger right now. 

Dear Mom and Dad Ho, Thank you so much for Easter basket. We love it! I don't think our time in Korea would be as easy without our families back home always sending us stuff. We love getting care packages and appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts. We know it's expensive to ship things here, and love that you do it anyway. I can't wait to dig into this candy, although, we are waiting until Easter to start eating it. Now if only my mom will send me some Peeps…. :) 

PS. Matt posted a video of his kids trying warheads for the first time and it was hilarious. You can watch it here. 

PPS. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad Ho. 

{And yes, that's a bottle of Ranch} 

Dear Itaewon, As always, you were a pleasure. I had the best time getting my guacamole on. We actually got Brazilian BBQ and then I made Matt stop at Tomatillos for guacamole. But I just couldn't leave Itaewon without my guacamole fix. And it was so worth feeling way too full. 

Saturday, we went up to Itaewon to meet up with a friend of mine I met in Hawaii. We were roommates for a year and a half, and I was so happy we could meet up in Korea. Trish was a good sport to come out since she was not feeling too well. We had great a time, and really just picked up where we left off. It made me realize that I really miss having some girlfriends around. I don't really have any girlfriends here in Korea, and as much as I love my husband, I need a GF. So if anyone's in Korea and wants to be my friend, let me know. :) 

Dear Readers, We want to introduce you to the newest member of the Ho Family. 

Meet Norbert Weasley Ho. Our cactus. We love him. 

My weekly inspiration: 

Amy, over at Club Narwhal, shared a delicious looking recipe for Triple Berry Tarts. I actually think I could find all the ingredients for this here in Korea. 

Sammy. over at To Days Like This, talked all about her experience taking a tour through an ice motel. Jealous is what I am. I know I would freeze my butt off, but I wouldn't be able to say no to a night in an ice hotel. 

PPS. Four Years ago today, Matt asked me to marry him. Happy Engagement Anniversary Love! 

Welcome to the

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Seoul City Hall {Travel Tuesday}

Happy Tuesday Y'all and Happy April! 

I think Spring is officially here, at least in Korea. It's been nice to see all the trees start to come to life again. 

For Travel Tuesday, I want to share a building that we came across during one of our explorations through Seoul. Seoul is an amazing mix of modern and historic architecture, and I realized I've never shared any of the modern with you guys. 

Seoul City Hall 

City Hall is the glass building and the Seoul Library is the building in front. The library is what used to be Seoul City Hall, but the new hall opened in 2012. I really love the look of the new building. If you have time to wander around Seoul Plaza, you should. There is tons to do around this area and in the Spring and Summer there is a nice grassy area for you to use. 

We walked all around the building and it was pretty cool to look at it from the different angles. We didn't go inside, but maybe next time. It's so crazy how diverse the city of Seoul is. One week you are exploring a palace from the 1300s and the next you see the new City Hall that was built in 2012. 

{Linking up for Travel Tuesday}

How I Got Here {Expat Experience: A Link-Up}

Happy Monday Y'all! 

I hope your weekend was great. Matt and I were able to meet up with a friend of mine from my Hawaii days. We met up in Itaewon- had some delicious food and even better conversation. But now it's back to the grind. :) 

Today is the last installment of the March Expat Experience that Molly put together for us. It's been a great month answering the prompts given and really exploring our expat life. 

{If you missed the first and second weeks of the link up click here and here.} 

Week 3: The Process of Moving Abroad 

For us, the process of moving to Korea was relatively easy. The hardest part for us was deciding where to move to. We knew we wanted Asia, but exactly where, we weren't sure. 

Once Korea was decided upon we just sat back and relaxed- just joking- we freaked out and got stuff ready. It was a little different for us because Matt actually got to Korea three months before me because I needed to finish my teaching contract in Hawaii and finish moving ourselves out of Hawaii. 

(That was probably the most stressful part because moving all of our stuff from Hawaii to Georgia was a pain.) 

Here is the process of how we up and moved to Korea: 

1. Sign the teaching contract

2. Apply for an E2 Visa {You can read all about our Visa Process here.} 

3. Pack 

4. Get to Korea

5. Medical Check {You can read all about my medical check here. } 

6. Immigration Office 

*Just for fingerprints and random stuff. You will need a passport sized photo.* 

7. Alien Registration Card

 *This will be sent to your workplace.*  

8. Done 

Okay- so it seems pretty easy, but it can be really overwhelming. Like what the heck do I pack? 

We each packed two 50 pound suitcases, a small carry on, and a personal item. We had done a bit of research on what they would and wouldn't have in Korea before we started packing for Matt. 

Since Matt was going first, we packed what we thought he would need and then if he couldn't find something- I would ship it or just pack it when I came. 

Here are some things I would pack if I was coming to Korea for the first time: 

1. Medicine- They have pharmacies here, but I've found the medicine to be a bit different. Sometimes not as strong as I want, and sometimes too strong. 

We packed: cold medicine, allergy pills, excedrine migraine, and then stuff for stomach problems- you know just in case. 

2. Deodorant- Just go to Costco and get yourself enough for however long you'll be here. Koreans don't wear deodorant. I have seen deodorant at the foreign market in Itaewon, but it's really expensive and there's not a lot of variety. 

3. Clothes- This is obvious, but I will never find my size clothes here in Korea. So I packed up what I thought would be enough for the year I would be here. I've also ordered stuff from Old Navy a couple of times and had it shipped. Also, don't bring nice clothes because the washers here will destroy your clothes. This tip goes for shoes- if you are bigger than an 8 1/2 bring shoes! 

4. Top Sheet for the Bed- They have bottom sheets, but I haven't found a top sheet since being here. Now- it hasn't killed me, but if it's going to bother you- pack a thing of sheets. (PS- I haven't found good quality sheets at all.) 

5. Personal Medicine- Whatever you are taking bring at least a 3 month supply of it. 

6. Spices- We've been able to find a lot of spices, but somethings they don't have. So I brought a ton of cooking spices with me, and it's been so helpful.
7. Outlet Converters- We bought a couple at Radio Shack, and they are great. We bought a couple here in Korea and they are kinda crappy quality, so I would just pick them up in your home country. Matt recommends getting a transformer converter… whatever that is…
8. Personal Documents and Pictures- Make sure you carry on all your personal docs (marriage license, birth certificates, etc) You'll want tons of pictures of your family around. 

Things Not to Pack: 

1. Towels- We read that Korea wouldn't have big bath towels to buy, so Matt brought a few with him. But they have them. 

2. Tampons- If you are in a bigger city- you can find tampons no problem 

3. Extra Contacts- Just bring your prescription and you'll be fine 

4.  Toliteries- They have western brands of most of these products. You will find shampoo/ conditioner, body wash, lotion, contact solution, razors. They have it all here! 

And I think that's all I have to say about packing. I would make sure everything you are not taking to Korea is somewhat organized and in a safe place back home. There have been a couple things I've wanted my mom to send me, and I'm glad I had everything organized so I knew exactly where to tell her to look for it. 

{Matt at the airport- man was that a hard three months apart} 

I hope this was somewhat helpful. If you have any other questions let me know. 

Linking Up with Molly 

Friday Letters #30

Happy Friday Y'all! 

And just like that March is basically behind us. It seems like Spring is finally here in Korea. Although I'm sure it will be way to hot pretty soon here. 

On to the letters. Really this week was pretty boring, so this will be nice and to the point. 

We did happen to see Captain American on Wednesday, so Dear Captain America, I really had no desire to watch your movie. I had a hard time watching the first one, and really didn't need to see the second. However, my dear husband really wanted to see it and so we went. And I actually loved it. It was a really good movie, and I would probably see it again. Although, I don't know if that's because not a lot of movies come here, or because it was that great. 

Dear Korean BBQ, Like always, you were the perfect end to my work week. Always so delicious and a perfect way to unwind and spend time with my love. I love that we have our own special place we go to each week and that we are regulars. I love that the employees all pretty much know us and always have huge smiles when we walk in the door. 

This week was even more exciting because a 'fight' broke out between a group of guys while we were eating. I say 'fight' out because it was basically two guys holding onto each other while their friends try to pull them apart. But one guy did slap another guy, so that was exciting. 

Dear Cherry Blossom Festival, I am so excited that we will be traveling down south next weekend  for the festival. We will be stopping in Busan for a few hours, and then heading over to the festival. I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms- I hope it looks as wonderful as all the pictures show. This destination was on our Travel Plans for 2014, so I am happy to be crossing places off our list. 

{via}

Weekly Inspiration: 

Megan over at Megan Joy Jaunts, shared the Plaza de Espana this week. I have to admit, Spain has never been on my top travel list, but I love reading Megan's stories and seeing all these wonderful places. 

Miho at Wander to Wonder, talks all about the wonderful Hyde Park over in England. I have to admit- this post made me a little jealous. I miss living right next to Hyde Park and being able to wander through it on a daily basis. 

And Casey at The Road Less Traveled shared her amazing experience at the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio in London, and again, I was filled with a bit of jealousy. I can't wait to Harry Potter world to open up in Osaka so I can get a little piece of the HP world. 

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! 

Love, Alex