Just Take a Bow

Catching Up 1: Painted Hills, Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 12:56:00 +0000

Uh-ho. I let time slip away from me and it's been weeks since I left Oregon. And I still hadn't posted anything. Oops! I'm going to quickly play catch-up, now, before returning to regularly scheduled Korean programming.

Photo by Lauren Lark Photography.
When I was visiting home in August, my friend Lauren and I went on a small road trip to Central Oregon because she found out about this magical place called Painted Hills. In the John Day Fossil Beds, ticked away behind the hills, are these gorgeous testaments to nature.

Oh yeah, it was also pretty flippin' hot.

She caught me being silly to take a photo of a sign.

Photo by Lauren Lark Photography.
This sign.

We almost didn't find it and were running low on gas at one point, but we persevered and managed to see this place. It makes me wish I still lived in Oregon because I know we would have adventures like this a lot.

Basically all of Oregon is gorgeous, but it was really different from the lush, forested Oregon I've known my whole life living there. Hot, far away, but totally worth the trip.

Photo by Lauren Lark Photography.

And Now a Break from Regular Programming...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 01:16:00 +0000

If you live in the US, you need to care about Net Neutrality. If you don't live in the US, you probably still need to care. Because cable companies are doing their best to, in my estimation, destroy the internet.

From the Fight for the Future website itself: "Imagine all your favorite websites taking forever to load, while you get annoying notifications from your ISP suggesting you switch to one of their approved “Fast Lane” sites.

Think about what we would lose: all the weird, alternative, interesting, and enlightening stuff that makes the Internet so much cooler than mainstream Cable TV. What if the only news sites you could reliably connect to were the ones that had deals with companies like Comcast and Verizon?

On September 10th, just a few days before the FCC’s comment deadline, public interest organizations are issuing an open, international call for websites and internet users to unite for an “Internet Slowdown” to show the world what the web would be like if Team Cable gets their way and trashes net neutrality. Net neutrality is hard to explain, so our hope is that this action will help SHOW the world what’s really at stake if we lose the open Internet.

If you’ve got a website, blog or tumblr, get the code to join the #InternetSlowdown here."

As bloggers and consumers of internet content, we rely on the internet. How many of you have small businesses, stream content, enjoy surfing the internet? Then you need to care about this.

Family Trip to Ecola Bay, Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:16:00 +0000

Everyone says they love beaches, but the beaches along the Oregon coast aren't the ones I think most people imagine. The rocky landscapes along my home state's coastline are popular because of their rock formations, foggy tendencies, and gorgeous forests that but right up to the sea. This particular beach isn't far from where The Goonies was filmed, if you know it.

To get to the beach, there is first a small hike through some gorgeous Oregon forest. It was pretty foggy in the morning; it's pretty normal for the Oregon coast. Pretty, right?

We set up a spot on the sand, I posed for a dorky photo, and then my sister and I hiked off into the distance to play in the tide pools and rocks.

Being back in my hometown and back in the Pacific NW was amazing. It rekindled my love of the area and the scenery, but it also made me a little sad because I know, even if I decided right this moment that I wanted to move back, it wouldn't work. Not right now. Maybe in the future I will end up there, but for now I have to keep on like I am.

Anyway, if you have a chance to visit the Oregon coast--any part of it--do it. I can't think of a single place along the state that I've visited and thought wasn't worth it.

And Here We Go

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 02:10:00 +0000

I resurfaced about a month ago, and then disappeared. My reasoning was good--I flew home from Seoul to Portland to visit friends, see family, eat too much food, and remember just how clean the air in the Pacific NW really is. I barely had time to see all the people I wanted to see, let alone even think about scouting out wifi and blogging. But now I'm back in Seoul, I feel revitalized and ready to take on my second year in Korea with a vengeance.

I'm gonna share some Oregon highlights from my trip (I only got home a few days ago!) and then I want to make more of an effort to visit new places in Seoul so I can share them with you guys.

Stay tuned!

I'm in Love with This Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 06:03:00 +0000

I just recently bought this dress at a Korean clothing market and I love it. I'm already sad because I can tell the fabric is the kind that won't stand the test of time and I will have to say goodbye to it long before I'm ready.

Don't worry. I'll make sure to take some outfit photos wearing this sweet, sweet dress as soon as I can, friends.

Out and About in Dongdaemun

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:00:00 +0000

Though the summer heat+humidity combo is slowly killing me here in Korea, sometimes I still go outside and see what there is to see. A friend and I went to the Dongdaemun Digital Design Plaza to wander around the crazy architecture piece. We only managed to stay outside for about thirty minutes before seeking shelter.

Photo from the Korea Herald website.
It looks like a space ship, right? Crazy cool building, honestly. Inside are some art exhibitions that change regularly. Here are a few more bright and sunny snapshots from the day.

In an effort to escape the heat, we walked along Cheonggyecheon AKA Cheongye Stream (Korean doesn't transliterate well into English sometimes!) for a while. And then we called it quits and found a building with air conditioning!

Bonus: This tiny picture has a tiny Sarah in it.

My Coworkers and I

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:02:00 +0000

Last school year (AKA the first six months I was here) I was reasonably happy at work. This year, when most of the staff at the school switched positions (this tends to happen yearly in Korea and no, it doesn't work particularly well), I ended up with two of my favorite people in the building. I'm looking forward to the next 8 months of getting to work with these ladies because we get along well and act like idiots together.

I think there are about 200 hundred photos from the hour and a half we spent at this place (because that's how Koreans roll). I look like a total idiot in 99.6% of them. If you don't believe me, just scroll down...

Weekend Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 11:56:00 +0000

I live near a charming, manmade stream in my neighborhood that is the perfect place to hide away and pretend I'm in nature instead of the center of a huge metropolis.

You can see to my side there, a pitcher. I made some delicious tea (Madame Butterfly from one of my favorite tea shops back home in Portland) and we sat outside, in the "nature", talking and reading books. It was lovely.

Rest assured that you will likely see this stream area featured many more times this summer. It is going to be one of the only ways to beat the heat when I'm trying not to spend a fortune running the AC.

Wintertime Gyeongbok Palace

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:50:00 +0000

As I was looking through photos I took a few months ago, I can't remember what it felt like when it was cold enough to form ice on open water.

Sometimes, I still don't believe I live here.

Lazy Girl's Dress Up

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 09:35:00 +0000

I wanted to play dress up with my clothes as I try to figure out what to do this summer, but... I also didn't want to go through the hassle of actually putting on any of my clothes. So I swept the floor (I'm no animal!) and played. This was my favorite.

Now I just need to find sandals before wearing real shoes becomes too painful...

#Recycle?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 06:28:00 +0000

The most beautiful planter boxes outside my motel in Gwangju.

Boseong Tea Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 02:24:00 +0000

Click the purdy picture to see it bigger.
I love tea and I love travel, so jetting off to a famous Korean tea field during a vacation time seemed like the right thing to do. I want to go back and also check out the green tea spa and Yulpo beach nearby, but I had a good time.

The smell was inviting and the view was breathtaking. This is the kind of thing that gives me wanderlust.

Summer Fairy

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 00:14:00 +0000

During travels down south in Gwangju, I found a thrift store and happily left with this uneven-edged fairy dress. It cost less than $10, which was a bonus.

Let's Be Real

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 00:09:00 +0000

It's been a long time.

I've been sick (thank you pollution), I've been busy, and I've frankly been burnt out. I have thought about my blog often and wondered whether it should even remain up because the kind of blogging I was doing when living in Portland is not sustainable while here in Korea. I have no one to help take outfit photos, I am often too busy during daylight hours to properly create content, and I am at a loss. What should this space be?

It seems that simply removing it and pretending these years of my life were never documented and shared would be a waste. I have halfheartedly tried to change the structure of what I do here, and it has never stuck. Mostly, I admit, because of me.

This is no longer a fashion blog. It cannot be because I cannot sustain a blog with continued content on just that. I want to share fashion when I can, but I have to talk about Korea, my life, my work, music, and everything in between. Part of me still thinks I should just remove this blog from the internet, but I can't bring myself to do it. This has been with me more than three years and I like that I have boldly and publicly documented my life.

I have also had a hard time imagining that there is anything about my life that someone would want to read. I want to accept that I lead an interesting life and that means I need to keep moving forward and, hopefully, there will be some people who want to share that with me in the end.

Day of Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 02:38:00 +0000

Sometimes*, the days aren't glamorous. It's occasionally all about comfy sweaters, mugs of tea, and a book while you ignore the rest of the world for a day.

I need the moment of rest, too, because I'm about to ramp up my weekly activities in an insane way. (I'm tired of feeling like I'm never doing things.) Here's a quick look at all the new madness I'm planning to get myself into:

Freelance Writing for two websites building content about Korea, expat life abroad, and how to navigate the move. I'll be a paid writer soon!

Twice-weekly Korean language classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a few months to (hopefully) push me further into my studies. I've plateaued on my own and, since I'm considering remaining here another year, I want to improve.

Finding volunteer work in Seoul. I'm hoping to do some weekly tutoring for North Korean refugees, but getting in touch with the organizations is way harder than I anticipated.

Spanish conversation club every Wednesday evening to keep myself sharp. Don't wanna lose a language I'm already doing alright with!

So that's what's up. Outfit photos to come as soon as I, you know, take them.

*Most of the time.**

**Okay, all of the time.

Cherry Blossom Season

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 12:33:00 +0000

One thing I have associated with East Asia (aka Japan, China, Korea) for as long as I can remember is a vibrant cherry blossom bloom every spring. This year I got to actually live in a place where it happens!

My friend and I hiked through an area of Seoul called Namsan Park. It was really a combination platter--you can see the city, there are some gorgeous gardens, and up the hill is the famous Namsan Tower.

City to one side...

See? I was really there!

Hill and garden leading to the tower on the other side.
Anyway, part of our reason for going was simply to find some spectacular cherry blossoms before they started falling off the trees (which has already started happening just two days later...) and the other part was to stuff our faces. As night fell, we rushed to find some stunning nature. And we did:

I'm Digging Laura Mvula

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 08:47:00 +0000

I don't know how, but I recently came across an artist called Laura Mvula and her music is strangely addictive. There's this jazzy quality to it with a killer-but-subtle beat to it. I dunno, just check it out and see if you know what I mean!

New Dress, New Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 03:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I am fresh out of yet another Korean salon with another hairstyle that is almost what I went in intending to get. But first, let's check out this awesome dress I'm wearing! It comes from eShakti, and it's called their Morgan Dress. If I could justify it, I would probably buy every color.

The brand reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in showcasing a piece from their new product line. Understandably, I fell in love with this dress and knew I immediately wanted to have it. Lacking any measuring tape here in Korea, I made a guess from their standard sizes and prayed the dress would fit.

This dress has everything I need in a dress: pockets, shoulder caps so I can wear it in Korea, scandalous front cutouts to make people think I'm promiscuous. It's got everything! And my minimized wardrobe here in Seoul needed a colorful dress. Got everything on that list taken care of.

Sorry, folks. Chopped off my own toes!

My favorite part of this dress, hands down, is the geometric action happening at the neckline. Seriously, how could you not like it, too? If it isn't clear... I love this dress.

Now, if I may change the subject for a second... I walked into yet another Korean hair salon yesterday and explained--with photos!--what I wanted. And I walked out of the salon with neither the length nor the color I had wanted but... I'm okay with it. It's kind of like playing Russian roulette with your hair! I lost about 6in/14cm of hair! But it was all dead, dead hair that had been through a lot. It was time.

Goodbye, Furry Jegging Legging Things

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 09:46:00 +0000

Let's all take a moment to honor the passing of these leggings. Though they served me well through this cold Korean winter, they were not made to last and they had to be retired this week as the weather swings quickly into the warm side of the spectrum.

In the spirit of saying goodbyes, say goodbye to my hair as it looks in these photos... tomorrow's post is going to feature my new 'do! AND a gorgeous new dress that I got from eShakti. So yes... be on the look out for tomorrow. It's going to be a winner.

A Great Sweater & Future Cooking Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 12:22:00 +0000

This country would certainly bankrupt me if I weren't frugal to a fault. People here buy clothes like they're disposable, so there is no end to new, interesting, and totally desirable clothes everywhere I go. Even on street corners being sold out of trucks!

Let's enjoy, for a moment, that the three pieces you see came from three different countries--Korea, Japan, and the US. Such international flair! (I'm finished with sarcasm, I promise.)

In other news, once I get some ingredients in stock (AKA the mail makes it here) I have plans to try a few recipes in my Itsy Bitsy Kitchen. These delightful culinary adventures include:

ovenless pita bread
ovenless pizza
rice cooker pumpkin bread
no bake chocolate pie

I hope I am not left disappointed! So far, I've been able to do a lot in my kitchen with nearly no tools and certainly no oven. Anyway, I'll leave you with one last, glorious shot of what it looks like if you are wearing my clothes.

You Don't Know How Happy...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:10:00 +0000

...one girl can be when she gets a free blender. In exchange for helping a girl schlep her ex boyfriend's stuff in suitcases on the subway for more than an hour and a half, I got external speakers for my computer, an expensive dinner, and this glorious blender.

Life will never be the same.

My first smoothie was a Carrot, Strawberry and Pineapple Smoothie with some almond milk and vanilla extract thrown in. I have been making smoothies several times a week. I also made HUMMUS. Two things I have been desperately craving are now within my power to make.

This is glorious. Glorious, I say.

Jumping the Gun

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 13:11:00 +0000

I was a little overly-ambitious with this outfit and should have worn just a bit more clothes. It had started to look so nice out, though, and I mistook it for springtime.

It's kind of fun to realize that I'm getting toward a point where, at any given time, I am half dressed in things I bought in Korea and half things I brought with me from the States. This shirt, skirt, and my stockings all came from places 'round here in Seoul.

I also have to show off this rad snake necklace that my friend sent me for my birthday. She has a matching one in gold, so it's pretty much like we have soul snake necklaces, right?

Hisssssssssssss.
In other news, the new school year just began here in Korea and so far it has been a hilarious combination of misinformation and confusion. I didn't even officially have a class schedule to work off of, so we hastily dealt with that in the morning.

Of all the things I have experienced in Korea, this lack of concern for timely decision-making is probably the most frustrating. I don't quite know how to explain to people back home why I can't make plans two weeks in advance, let alone six months.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up enough that I Can dress like this comfortably. Although there are some militant Korean girls who already are going out in sundresses, small jackets, and no leg coverings. They look miserable, but they're committed.

I'm so awkward. You're welcome, everyone.

A Christmas & New Year in Indonesia (Backlog)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:40:00 +0000

Since I was not able to be with my family as I usually would over these holidays, I threw caution to the wind and met up with some friends abroad--in Indonesia. Specifically, on Bali and Gili Trawangan in Indonesia.

Coast of Gili Trawangan
I honestly felt like I had walked into the pages of a travel magazine. I am not unaware of the fact that I am incredibly lucky, let me assure you. How many people can say they went to literal paradise for their holidays?

Pura Ulun Danu Temple in Bali, Indonesia. I can't imagine how this looks in sun!
Anyway, this trip was during that awkward period of time when I couldn't find the motivation to do anything at all (don't worry--it's back, now). But I still wanted to share a few photos with you guys from this trip and my more recent one to Japan. And THEN everything will be back in proper chronological order, I swear!

I just wanted to gloss over some of the highlights of this trip for you. Feel free to scroll and look at nothing but the pretty pictures, if you must!

1. Meeting up with two of the most fantastic people I know. I actually met them this summer traveling in Panama. We hit it off and I set off to Indonesia to meet them again. I almost managed to get a third time in somewhere between Laos and Vietnam, but it didn't work out.

2. Holding this adorable Luwak. They use these little guys to make Luwak coffee. Have you heard of it? It's the coffee where the animal eats the coffee cherry, poops out the bean, and people pay a ton of money for the coffee that is roasted from it. (Yes, I did try some.)

3. Experiencing the unique Hindu culture of Bali. I fell in love with the place. Seriously, I want to go back and get to experience more of the different islands. Each one has its own personality.

4. Playing with monkeys in Ubud! Unfortunately, my friend got peed on by a monkey moments after this photo was taken.

5. Splashing around in these rice terraces. I'm not kidding. We were free to walk anywhere wanted in this place. We came across some rice farmers, sunk into plenty of mud (it was raining), and generally got super muddy.

6. Sitting at this fantastic place and drinking a mojito. Enough said. Who wouldn't want to sit here and look at a place like this?

You have to be careful when you travel, though. Because one you start doing it, you never want to stop. I'm already plotting with friends to find our next adventure during a four-day weekend in May. It's a miracle that I am still managing to save money while living here, isn't it?

Anyway, this turtle would like to bid you farewell!

Struggle Beneath the Surface

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:11:00 +0000

Moving to Korea, I remember telling myself I had to be prepared for that fact that I had moved to a country that was technically still at war with its northern half and a country that has compressed hundreds of years of development into around sixty. There are going to be struggles and growing pains. And on top of all that, this is not a Western country. This is a Confucian country with values and social order that will never become transparent to me.

It doesn't make it any less perplexing and shocking to me when I see evidence of a country that hasn't fully stepped into its chosen democratic identity. Korea wants to be modern, and a tourist destination, and perfect on the surface. It is not and, honestly, I sometimes doubt whether it will ever be. Let's talk about what happened yesterday, February 24, 2014. As one user on an ESL board for Korean teachers said, "All hell broke loose today in Gangnam."

I almost cannot find any information about what happened--in Korean or English--except for some expats' videos and posts, and an odd blog post by a Korean. They seem to be disappearing with every hour. Take a look at this video, and pay attention to a few things:

You're going to see two police officers (경찰) during this entire time (they have the neon yellow vests and gray jackets underneath).
It has still not been made clear whether these thugs are hired by the government or not.
I will not pretend to know the legality of these street food stands, but they are quite honestly everywhere in Korea.
This is part of the richest district in Seoul, known as Gangnam--yes, that Gangnam, from PSY's Gangnam Style.

Part of my love affair with this country is that I can walk down the street and simultaneously see third world and first world in a head on collision. But I think these moments of stark contrast are against the image that the government and Korean business want the world to have. But what the hell is this kind of behavior? The Korea I know is far more civilized. I'm beginning to see that I came in with false ideas about this country, and I think I came with my eyes much more open than many others.

In my attempt to figure out what this was, I found something strikingly similar that happened in 2011 in an area called Insadong (인사동) which, conveniently enough, is another popular tourist destination. The same types of street stands selling knicknacks and food are targeted, and the "thugs" seem even more organized in their efforts than the video from yesterday in Gangnam.

This one took me even more off guard because in the beginning of the video, in the top left corner, I'm pretty sure that is a line of police officers just chilling. Honestly, there are bajillions of police in this country, but I have yet to see them do anything except direct traffic or stand en masse around places where something might happen. I am beginning to question whether the police in this country really have any power, or if they are simply there for show.

Also perplexing to me is the lack of concern the majority of Koreans seem to have for this kind of thing. Comments on the videos are largely in support of the destruction of these carts (some claim that they are illegal, but I still don't know). Illegal or not, is this the way? If, as some claim, these efforts are to beautify Korea for tourists, the resulting blemish certainly isn't going to do them any favors.

Outerwear Love (Alternate Title: Best Coat Ever)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah with a Bow) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 23:40:00 +0000

I told myself I didn't need to own another coat. I told myself buying more outerwear was unnecessary in the face of my already bloated wardrobe (since I have little room here in Korea). And then I saw this coat... can you blame me?

I was looking for a well-fitted, neutral-ish long jacket and beyond that, I had no idea what I wanted. I was expecting a cream or grey coat, but then I saw this one and fell in love. Which was weird because I don't usually like pink. This is pinkish, though, not really pink.

But anyway, I love this coat. Did I mention that? The collar, the shape, the color... perfection!

No shoes, awkward face: you know that's how I roll.