Me, putting my EPIK color post-its to good use!
Tick-tock… Vietnam. I leave this Friday! I’ll be launching solo again. I don’t know what to expect or how things will play out, but this time I’m excited. I certainly have more of a positive outlook on solo travel than I did last year and I have Thailand to thank for such amazing and serendipitous experiences! But maybe Korea has something to do with it as well… (more…)
Mood: “Am learning to ride a motorbike in Pai” (Thailand)
This has been my Skype status, since November 2009, and it occurred to me why I haven’t bothered updating it. My first attempt to master “traveling alone in a developing country”, was my greatest achievement in the past year; and (more…)
Totally cool layout! The bottom blue box even translates some of my words into Korean.
(They translated “sex-ifed“. I’ll need to ask a Korean to translate my own word back
to me to see what it means in Korean!)
The August publication in Daegu Pockets is out and I am in it!
Published! One of my blog articles is in this month’s August edition of Daegu Pockets. It’s a very cute 2 page spread, so I’m particularly stoked and tickled! FYI- Daegu Pockets is a magazine publication primarily for expats and Koreans (more…)
Korea is a pretty safe country to travel if you’re a woman. But being a solo traveler – difficult and delightful can share the same coin. While I thoroughly enjoy relaxing into bonding with fellow EPIKers on group day trips as we weather the inevitable culture shock together; excursions alone while initially dreaded, gives me valuable time to explore, grow and reflect upon my new cultural surroundings at a relaxed pace. Plus, I get to take out the DSLR!
But… I don’t always gave ample time to research my cities. If I’m doing a weekend or day trip, researching accommodations and train times are my only afforded concerns. Why? Take my recent 2-day weekend trip to Busan. I didn’t know if I was serious with myself about going to Busan for the weekend or doing it solo! 9:30a Saturday morning I woke up and realized I was and off I went! My sightseeing itinerary however, was a giant question mark…
Things to note about “day-tripping” as a solo traveler
1- She triumphs all the time
The heroine of my own travel story, every time I do something which I think may encounter self-hurdles, I hear a magical and triumphant “ding!”
(more…)
How do you take a bath in Korea? Let me tell you how I just did it. I washed over my sink and shaved my legs by propping them up on my toilet lid. Yes, a toilet lid can have more uses than just one when you’re in an efficient country like Korea…
My Korean bathroom (sink/toilet/shower compressed in the same room) is smaller than my NYC apt bathroom
But all smart-assing aside… You haven’t heard peep from me in a while as I’ve been in an intense transition, which just hit rocky; and the “rocky” is something I’m working through. I’ll fast-forward over my escape from the draft of flu, my partial hearing loss due to airplane travel with a cold and my suspended bowel movement which had me alarmed for several days. I will blow past my initial romance phase with Korea- my wonderful EPIK orientation, experiencing Korea for the first time, the “Oh snaps, I love being here!” No- I’m gonna start my Korean blogging with my first “real” GRRRL whimper… the moment when “yours truly” turned girlie whiny and wanted to book the (more…)
Buh-Bye! (my fave- Local Kine cards)
Hello all you GRRR’s & BRRR’s,
Winter is still here, but I’m hoping for warm times ahead…and soon!
On a cold note-
I’ve caught one and tomorrow, I will be off to a place which is said to have “stabbing cold” winters. “Stabbing cold”… hmmm… Well, if I come back with black-and-blues and holes in my chest, then we’ll know that’s true. Otherwise, let’s hope tons of Zinc, Vitamin C, a thick coat, thermals and leggings do the trick! (more…)
Attention all travel photographers, tourists and souvenir shoppers… want to spread the spirit of travel around and add some fun to your souvenir gift giving? Inspire others with your travel photos?
Souvenir gifting is often “a hit or miss” practice.
When a friend brings back a travel souvenir for me (and it’s not edible or chosen with my personality in mind), it can sometimes feel like, well,… junk! Likewise, I know there are times that I’m a “souvenir junk” gifter too! Perhaps I might occasionally nail a person’s personality with a souvenir; but most often, my gift souvenirs are (more…)
Update on my big move:
Next week I’ll be leaving Hawaii for Korea! It’s a bit stressful for me now and unfortunately, my family is buffering the bitch in me (it’s always the loved ones, who get the short end…). How stressed am I? My body is communicating to me via adverse reactions. My last big move was to New York – I broke out in two months worth of hives on my back legs! Current symptom? Anal retention. My body is tense and only tons of laxatives and cleansers can unlock it; ultimately, leaving my GRRR in an uncomfortable whimper and me, with a sore ass! How’s that for irony- literal and metaphoric?
So last week I had lunch with my warm friend, inspirational coach and local celebrity jazz musician, Jimmy Borges.
We talked about my move into expat life, the unknown of what might result of my year abroad and how the ticking clock of (more…)
Trying to learn a new language or in a rush to learn the language of the country you’ll be moving to? Here are some tips to help you with your memory technique, as well as ideas to help you optimize your speed learning process.
5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY TECHNIQUE:
1- Practice first thing in the morning.
Did you know that the morning is the best time for learning and memorization? Your mind is fresh, alert (after you’ve had your coffee…), retentive and most permeable to suggestion.
2- Create your own immersive environment.
Dress up in your sari or beret and bombard yourself with the language in various forms- watch films, listen to radio news and music, listen to language tapes, join language groups. The more you surround yourself with a language, you become familiar with its sound and the way it’s spoken. This will help your mind’s receptivity to it- intuitively, rhythmically and tonally.
3- Employ active listening.
Listening to a language doesn’t have to be a passive sport- you can add other activities to it to optimize your lesson and make it fun. Be creative! If (more…)
