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Tag: teachandtravel

March: Digital Declutter

April 13, 2020April 14, 2020Leave a comment

Maybe you have heard the term digital minimalism. Or maybe it is just me who is constantly seeking out ways to be happier with less: less noise, less clutter, fewer things and worries and comparisons. Paradoxically, being content with fewer of these mental distractions means freeing up more mental energy and time to work towards … Continue reading March: Digital Declutter

We Came Home

March 29, 2020April 10, 2020Leave a comment

To be honest, finding the motivation to write in self-quarantine has been a struggle—ironic, considering all the free time it creates. But, alas, after fielding messages from concerned friends and family, I finally sat down to put an update in writing. So here we go. To those who did not yet know: surprise! Joey and … Continue reading We Came Home

It’s Not All K-Pop and Kimchi

March 8, 2020March 9, 20201 Comment

When we left Korea for Japan in mid-January, the term coronavirus was, itself, novel. At the airport there was a standard number of people wearing face masks—it being flu season in an airport in Asia—but having now been on this side of the world for over a year, a layperson in a face mask didn’t … Continue reading It’s Not All K-Pop and Kimchi

February: Single-Use Plastics

March 2, 2020March 17, 2020Leave a comment

When I lived in Thailand, everything came in a plastic bag. Iced coffees in takeaway cups: bagged; fresh fruit from the market: double bagged. The one that always killed me was when I would stop into a 7-Eleven post-run on a humid evening, red faced and dripping with sweat. I would grab a plastic water … Continue reading February: Single-Use Plastics

Life After Korea: What’s next?

February 25, 2020March 13, 2020

This is going to get honest and personal. You ready? I have always had drive; simultaneously I have always lacked any clear direction. I have struggled with finding something that I feel truly passionate about, and therefore finding somewhere to channel my focus, my energies, and my talents. In college, this uncertainty manifested in choosing … Continue reading Life After Korea: What’s next?

Snow Day

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020Leave a comment

I woke up Sunday morning and I really did not want to go to the gym. I was still sore from climbing earlier in the week, and "going to the gym" is not as simple here as it is at home. To go to the gym is a commitment: a 15-minute walk to the bus … Continue reading Snow Day

Return to Japan

January 28, 2020February 13, 2020Leave a comment

Three weeks in Japan is the recharge I needed to remember the thrill of exploring a foreign country. After enduring eight months of the mundanity of day to day life in small-town Korea, my initial excitement of living abroad had simmered; Japan has revived the enthusiasm. Once again, I am reminded of the joy of … Continue reading Return to Japan

Teacher Update: English Camp

January 10, 2020March 17, 2020Leave a comment

The Korean school year ends with the calendar year, followed by the longer of the two school breaks: winter break. During this time, it is not uncommon for a foreign teacher to be “asked” to host an English Camp at one of their schools, as I was. My instructions were these: the first week of … Continue reading Teacher Update: English Camp

Humidity, Hiking, and Hopeful Thinking

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019Leave a comment

Summer has hit here in Korea... oh man. We are talking 100 degree days, 100% humidity, and UV index levels of 11 (read: extreme!). On days we get a little relief from the glaring sun, it pours down rain (did I mention 100% humidity?). Unlike in Oregon, where summer rain brings a clean sense of … Continue reading Humidity, Hiking, and Hopeful Thinking

Girl vs. Korea

June 20, 2019September 1, 20191 Comment

I’ve never had a job—or, in my many years of schooling, a schedule—so jarringly emotionally inconsistent as being an English teacher in Korea. Seriously. One day things will be great: the bus will come on time; I will get to school early and the other teachers will be in a great mood, offering me coffee … Continue reading Girl vs. Korea

Week 1: Making the best of things

April 27, 2019August 19, 20191 Comment

For the months leading up to our big move, I tried to keep my expectations of what was to come in Korea low, nonexistent even. In a situation that was totally out of my hands, speculating about where I would be placed, what my school would be like, or what my apartment might have seemed … Continue reading Week 1: Making the best of things

Sakura, Sakura

April 13, 2019August 19, 20191 Comment

It’s the eve of the day marking one month since we arrived in Japan. We are in Fukuoka, and it’s the first night of our last stop before heading to South Korea. We walk through the clean city streets with significantly more awareness than when we first arrived in the country: we know to wait … Continue reading Sakura, Sakura

I am a native Oregonian and a graduate from The University of Oregon on a mission to explore the world and make a difference.

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Recent Posts

  • May: Buy Nothing June 3, 2020
  • April: Cleaning Out the Closets May 12, 2020
  • March: Digital Declutter April 13, 2020
  • We Came Home March 29, 2020
  • It’s Not All K-Pop and Kimchi March 8, 2020
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