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A little peek into a lovely styled shoot I did this weekend...and a shot of behind the scenes (it is winter here so please excuse the oversized pj's!) to give you an idea of what goes into a photoshoot like this one.
Happy Tuesday everyone, Christmas is just around the corner!
x
Dear readers,
I have mentioned on various social media platforms that I will soon be launching my new website, and my new stationery store. I have had a few hiccups along the way, the main one being the postal system in South Africa. I want to make sure that I have an absolute sure way of getting you your lovely goodies before I launch.
Please bear with me while I do my best to figure out all the nitty gritty logistics on this exciting new venture.
In the mean time, I am leaving you with some images to get you excited for what is to come soon.
P.S As a thank you for being so patient, I will soon be hosting a giveaway next week of some of these delightful goodies! So keep your eyes peeled!
x
I am so excited to introuduce you all to the second lovely lady in my new series {Life After the Dress}. I started this series last month with Natalie Hutton (click here to read her story), and in it I will be interviewing ladies of all ages and asking them about their lives, after their big day. It is my hope that you feel inspired, and leave my blog feeling hopeful and happy, with renewed energy for your relationship, or excitement for what the future may hold for you.
For a lot of woman, it is too easy to get caught up in the fluff and glitter of the actual wedding day, and very little time and thought is spent on preparing for what comes after. Marriage is such a wonderful journey, and once the cake has been cut and the guest have left, it's just you and your new husband, and the rest of your lives.
I hope you enjoy reading Chelsea's story, I so looking forward to meeting this bundle of energy (her travel blog is just such a rich source of information, and she has wonderful advice for traveling with your hubby, and tips on keeping in your budget too!). You can pop on over to her blog here.
Enjoy!
x
Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)
Hi everyone! I’m Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels. A blog to spark your wanderlust, encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and explore, all while staying on budget! My husband and I were married three years ago when I was 22 and he was 27 (I’ll let you do the math ; ) Scared by the thought of ‘settling down’ after we got married, we packed our lives into two suitcases and headed half way around the world to South Korea to teach English. We’ve been here almost three years now and haven’t looked back!
Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?
I had to think about this one since it’s been awhile since I’ve seen the movies! I would have to say Ariel based on her sense of adventure and curiosity of the unknown!
Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?
My husband and I have a little bit of a different story. Long story short, I saw him through friends in common on Facebook and added him on a whim. After two months of talking, he got up the nerve to fly to Chicago from Tulsa where he was living and visit me for the first time. So the first time we actually met was in the domestic terminal of the O’hare airport! If you want more of the ooey gooey details you can read the whole story here.
Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?
I wish I could say that my wedding day went smooth but as with any big event, there are always bumps in the road. But with all that being said, nothing horrible happened and I still remember the day for the most important part, saying goodbye to dating and hello to life living with a boy!
My biggest advice to brides is to not sweat the small stuff. At the end of the day, it won’t matter anyway. I remember my mom rushing into the bridal suite hours before the wedding, stressed that the rental company had delivered one less tablecloth than we needed. Expecting me to be equally stressed by this I simply told her that we would have one less table then. I had gotten to the point that I didn’t care about the small details anymore, what did that matter when all I really wanted was to have fun that night and get to the honeymoon!
Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?
Yes and no. Which I think every married woman can relate to. I was never one of those people with rose colored glasses on who thought that marriage was going to be love notes and snuggles in bed every day (even though I wish!) Marriage is challenging in new ways everyday. It stretches a person, makes them realize how much work a successful relationship really takes. Sacrifices must be made, feelings must be cared for and communication is key. I say all this but at the same time, it’s the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had. When we look back at our relationship when we were first married, we thought is was so great. But we had no idea how much better it would get with time. But it takes all of that hard work and all of those trials to go through to get us to where we are today. Especially living abroad together we have learned to heavily rely on each other, to be each other’s biggest support system. Something I think would be possible if we never left the states but not in the magnitude that it is now.
Q6: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?
I need to RELAX! I’ll be honest, I married a daredevil. The more dangerous the activity, the more my husband wants to do it. When we were first married I was so uptight! Always telling him to be careful, telling him not to do certain things because they were dangerous. After a year of this I learned that he’s a big boy and he loves me and therefore would never do anything that he knew was beyond his limits (duh). Too bad I didn’t learn that sooner!
Q7: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?
Adventurous, spontaneous, comfortable
Q8: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you’ve learnt the hard way?
Always be in pursuit of your love. After being married, it can become all too easy to get too comfortable in marriage and as a result stop trying. I encourage everyone to continue to date his or her spouse throughout your marriage.
You can find Chelsea at the following places:
I hope you enjoyed reading the second post in my new blog series, if you did, leave me a note in the comments. I love hearing from you! x
If you would like be featured here on my blog, drop me an email (citygirlsearching-at-gmail-dot-com).
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!
x
And so another month has come and gone. We are enjoying the beautiful Autumn colours and falling leaves here in South Korea (we don't get anything like the colours here back home in South Africa) and so have been going a little nuts over the reds and the yellow hues. But, it means winter is fast approaching, and apparently our little town of Buan gets a ton of snow. Brrrrr!
But, at least the snow makes pretty pictures (trying to look on the bright side here!) and it also means a new, big and fluffy feather duvet is a completely justified purchase, right??
Heres to a new month full of opportunity. Happy November everyone.
x
Today marks the second month of Redesigned by M's wonderful photography styling challenge. Each month we are given a new theme, and we have until the first Monday of the next month to post our photographs. The photographs must be unedited, and must have been taken since the start of the challenge in June this year. Click here to see my photographs from last months theme {Morning}.
Some of my thoughts behind my shoot:
These photographs are of my friend Cassandra's room here in South Korea. Here in Korea, as part of our contracts with our schools, we are provided with housing. Now housing is a pretty strong word for most of our accommodation. For the majority of us, we are given a single, one room apartment (one room meaning that that one room is your bedroom, kitchen, lounge, study and entertainment area). We eat in our 'rooms', we get ready in them, we relax in them, we sleep in them. Thank you to the lovely Cassandra for all her idea's, and for putting up with me climbing all over her pretty room.
On that note, here are my submissions for the theme {bedroom}:
If you'd like to find out more or even join us in this wonderful challenge,click here
Make sure to pop on over to see the other members of our challenge:
At The Corner Of Happy And Harried
The Delicious World Of Chefette Spicy
Last weekend I took some photographs for a new friend. Readers, meet Laura. Laura is a newlywed, she is married to Rich who is Korean American, and they have just landed on South Korean soil for the start of what will {hopefully be} a long stay.
I am helping Laura re-brand her blog, which at the moment is housed over here. She writes hilariously about her adventures here in Korea (she is a whole lot more funny than me, and she writes so well). If you'd like to get more of a feel of life here in Korea and the odd things that happen to us on a daily basis, pop ob over to her blog and say hello. I will let you all know when her new site is up and running, and you can get a little feel for the other creative things I have been keeping myself busy with (blog re-branding).
This past weekend Farmboy and I headed to the city of Pohang which is on the eastern side of South Korea. We met up with some new friends, Laura and Richard (who are just the nicest and coolest people ever...they both lived and worked in Hollywood...and have loads of stories about all the celebrities that ate in the restaurants they worked at. How cool is that?!). I am going to be sharing some gorgeous photographs I took of them soon! Laura also writes a hilarious blog about life here in Korea...click here to visit her blog.
Here are a few Instagram snaps of our whirlwind weekend (it was a 5 hour bus journey to get to them from us here in little ol' Buan, and so many a nap was taken, and the evidence is below. I became a cushion for Farmboy, I'm sure that should have been the other way around?). We ate lots of delicious (that does not include the bug larvae!) food and had a wonderful weekend away. We also spent our first night in a Love Motel (but thats a post for another day).
Enjoy!
x
Most of the time life is just peachy here in Korea for the Huttons. I often get lovely emails from readers who tell me that they really love reading my blog, and that it looks as though we live the perfect lives. I am always thrilled to get such lovely messages from strangers, and most of the time, the reason everything seems to be so peachy is because I consider myself an incredibly positive person, who tries her best to make the most of every situation. And I believe this is really important. Life isn't perfect for us, its really, really good and we have lots to be thankful for, but at the same time, we try our absolute best to make the most of each and every difficult situation we find ourselves in. Like the time we booked an incredible trip to Mongolia (flights and all), and were told a week before that we had to cancel it due to our leave not being approved. Or the time that Farmboy was stranded on an Island for the best part of 2 days because of a storm. Or the fact that we miss our families a lot of the time and are scared that we may not see some of them ever again.
Though all of this, and the crazy situations we find ourselves in daily here in Korea, I try to think about how God is using the situation for his good. Often, I'm left feeling frustrated, and crying out about the unfairness of it all (one of the reasons that made leaving South Africa easy this year was that I was unable to find a job. Even with my degree, even with my postgraduate degrees, even with my skills in photography and design and social media, I was unable to find a job). But then God reminds me just how much I have to be thankful for. Despite my inner turmoil and feelings of inadequacy, He reminds me just how much I have accomplished, and how much I am still going to do.
The past few days have been incredibly stressful in our little household. My computer has been freaking out, and as I use my computer for just aboutEVERYTHING I do, this has been a pretty bad thing. I have a Macbook Pro, an awesomely powerful machine which has been excellent for all of the design and photography I have been up to lately, but, being such a powerful machine, it's going to be extremely expensive to repair. Apple don't ever repair faults, they replace. So, even if it's a small part that has given up the ghost, they will be replacing my mainboard. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, and I will be finding out later this week.
In the meantime, I have loads of projects I am working on, client photographs to edit, my new website and online store to finalise and launch, and I have no computer. Needless to say I have been very grouchy and feeling a bit like the world is going to end. I have been taking on too much, and something as small as my computer going on the brink should not be having such a devastating effect on me.
BUT, after the tears and the shouting (my poor husband has had to deal with a bit of a monster the last week) I have finally got the point of it all. I know that God is trying to teach me something (I am not 100% of what it is yet) but I know that I have been spending far too much time caught up in the online world, and my blog, and I have been missing out on a lot of 'real' life. I have been missing out on small moments that I should be enjoying with my husband. Instead I have been huddled up in bed, intensely focused on my blog and Facebook and twitter and Instagram and and and. Looking up only vaguely to grunt a thank you for the copious cups of tea being handed to me.
And just when I thought I might hit breaking point yesterday, I saw the above quote. It has helped put things into perspective for me, and I hope it does the same for you.
Here's to a new week, seven new days full of promise and hope, and life and laughter. And chocolate, there's always chocolate!
x
Last weekend I went off on a little adventure without my hubby side kick, to the traditional South Korean Hanok Village in Jeonju. It was there that I met up and photographed a delightful couple, James & Minhee.
Mr & Mrs Urban got married in July this year, and as a way of celebrating Minhee's South Korean heritage, they wanted to have some photographs of themselves in the traditional Korean Hanbok (wedding dress) to show James' family back in America. I was thrilled that they chose me to be their photographer, as this is the first shoot of this kind that I have done (and I hope to do many more!).
James and Minheem you two were a delight to photograph (Minhee was just as easy as sunshine to capture, and her natural beauty just shines though...no editing needed!).
I wish the two of you have a lifetime of happiness and joy, wherever your futures may lead you.
{Minhee...I hope you enjoy these photographs, the rest of them will be on their way to you soon!}
I am very excited to introduce you to the first lovely lady in my new blog series entitled "Life After the Dress". In this series I am going to be interviewing lots of different women from all walks of life, and asking them about their lives after all the fluff and excitement of their big day. I hope that their stories and words of wisdom will inspire you, and that you enjoy following along in this series as much as I have loved putting it together.
I also hope that those of my readers who may not be in a relationship or who may not be anywhere near ready for marriage, may feel inspired by these wonderful and very different stories. There is no cookie cutter for the perfect relationship. Life is about learning and growing, and trying to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. If you are able to be that person with someone else, how wonderful. But that is not always the case. Be happy and content with where you are right now, you never know what {or who} may be waiting around the corner.
I am very happy to now leave you in the hands of Natalie (who is actually my very own sister-in-law!).
Welcome Nats! It's so special for me to have you here.
Enjoy!
x
Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)
Hi there. My name is Natalie and I am married to a dashing Hutton called John. Our birthdays are 72 days apart (not sure why we know that!), making us both 29 years old at present and we are coming up to our fifth wedding anniversary in December! We live in our newly bought first home in a little village in the Midlands called Hilton, in South Africa. John is the best English teacher in the land, and I am currently loving children through remedial teaching at a local primary school. I'll be going back to university next year though to finish my studies towards becoming an Educational Psychologist.
Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?
I think I would have to say Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” Ariel is clumsy, I have no shortage of that! She is also a bit whimsical and shy, and she gets insecure about her decisions– but she is daring enough to hold fast to her dreams (especially when it comes to her prince).
Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?
I used to joke that I was going to university to find a husband....and I did haha! John and I were in the same church at Rhodes University and we were both involved in similar things – he was a youth leader, I was involved with the kids church; we went to the same camps; we had the same friends; we took the same subjects...there were lots of places that we saw each other but we didn't really know one another. He was known as Twitch back then – he was one of the popular gentlemen amongst our greater circle of friends at Rhodes University. All the girls loved him! I, on the other hand, was a super-nerd and hardly had a social life. My nickname was Fishalie (my maiden name is Sturgeon which is a type of fish; Natalie+fish=Fishalie). I was shy and worked a lot! I remember the first time I hung out with Twitch in 2006. A group of us were in his res room and we sat chatting and cracking pecan nuts from his farm for hours. He was a third year then and I was a second year. He had long hair and really wasn't my type. Then Twitch started doing sweet things for me: he'd leave cryptic notes on my windscreen wipers; walk me home across campus with an umbrella on rainy evenings; wash my dusty car; plan his route home via my res in the hope that he'd 'bump' into me...And then for the 6 days leading up to my birthday in 2007, he left me a birthday present every single day – either on my car or on my res doorstep – and this just blew me away. He was so romantic about this friendship pursuit! However, I was terribly cautious and 'ran' in the opposite direction until one night. John arrived at my res one , unannounced. I was studying (surprise surprise!) We still hardly knew each other then but he asked if he could have some Rooibos with me. To this day he mocks me that I had no sugar or milk for him and assumed he drank it black and bland like I did. I brought it out to him and to my surprise, I walked with him to the garden outside my res where we sat for hours chatting, watching the moon and looking at the stars. If you'd known me back then, you'd know how uncharacteristic this was. It was all terribly romantic and I have been lost in him ever since....It was only months later that I visited him on his farm in Creighton and he took me for a walk which lead to a picnic laid out for us amongst hay bales, where he read me a hand-written poem and asked me to be his girlfriend!
Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?
Our wedding day was a beautiful start to our marriage. At about midnight the night before our wedding, there was a humongous electric storm. It made me panic a bit, but I also believe that God knows every inch of our souls, and it almost felt like a gift because we both adore thunder storms. The weather played nicely for the actual day and it was cloudy for our photographs which allowed for gorgeous photos by our now world famous photographers – Jon and Tina Reid (based in London). Also, a good friend composed our wedding march, and two others wrote and performed a song for us. We were surrounded by love and beauty on the day. It really was a wonderful way to begin our precious journey together!
If I could go back now, there are little details I would change, but it will always be like that because you grow up, fashions change, your relationships change and you get to know yourself better in time. All these things are unknowns on the days leading up to your wedding though. Your wedding reflects who you are on the day you say “I do,”and that is what is important.
For all you beautiful brides-to-be:
Do pre-marriage counseling and ask those hard questions so that you are on the same page on the day you walk down that aisle to your prince!
Get someone to video your wedding. After 5 years, I find myself watching our video more and more - it is perhaps my biggest wedding treasure (and it is such a tear jerker!).
Enjoy your engagement season – it only happens once. Your wedding isn't the event, your marriage is. So build that friendship and enjoy that wedding day!
And finally, decide now not to worry about anything that goes wrong on your wedding day – your bridal party will take care of it!
Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?
It has, by far, been the richest 5 years of my life. I feel like it has been unique for us in that we spent the first 3 years of our marriage in Japan which was completely removed from everything familiar and comfortable. So we became each other's comfort and companions and that was a treasured start to our
marriage. We have had the opportunity to travel to fun places like Thailand, Philippines and China, and at times it felt like we were having a three year honeymoon. Marriage has been much more fun than I expected.
Q6: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?
I am a control freak and I am a lot more sensitive than I thought. I am not always right. God made John to complete my life and this has restored some broken areas in my life. Marriage has been a personal journey for me in getting to know my true self and that has been so exciting and wonderful! I have also discovered the hidden geek in me; that house work isn't my favourite hobby; and that I love
TV series and desserts more than I ever knew I did (it is so nice to share with someone.)
Q7: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?
Speck. Tack. Cooler. (aka spectacular)
Real answer:
Friendship. Beautiful. Fire.
Q8: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you’ve learnt the hard way?
I am humbled by marriage and it is a beautiful, challenging and constant refiner. I'll never forget these pearls from our pre-marriage counseling: Put God first because a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken; and just be the first one to say sorry.
I hope you enjoyed reading the first post in my new blog series. If you would like be featured here on my blog, drop me an email (citygirlsearching-at-gmail-dot-com). I look forward to hearing from you!
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!
x
A little glimpse into my life here in South Korea, teaching English at an all girls middle school. Middle School is the in between stages of Elementary & High School (we don't have such a thing in South Africa, we just have Primary & High School). I am officially qualified as a Foundation Phase Teacher, and so am equipped to deal with the ages of five to nine years. Not sixteen year old girls! But, my girls are just so lovely, and I so enjoy the time I have with them. I think I have been very lucky with my school placement, had I been put into a mixed school, with sixteen year old boys, I think I would have a very different outlook on life.
So here you go, some jump rope, tug of war and volleyball, throw in a healthy mix of peace signs and you have your typical South Korean school...
Everything here in Korea is packaged beautifully. Skin care products, stationery, hair care products, nail care...even the milk! I am going to have to devote a whole blog post to the stationery here (I have done a few before, click here for drool worthy letter sets, notepads and stickers!).
I stumbled across this delightful story this morning that I want to share with you.
{source}
Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked NO ADMITTANCE.
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy was sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."
Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."
Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.
Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. And He'll always be there to love and guide you on to great things. Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than the things you acquire".
****
I found the above on a wonderful website called " Inspire 21" filled with inspirational messages. The site is the perfect place for those days when you wake up feeling a bit 'blaahh' and need something to remind you of where you are heading in life. Often we feel that we are so incapable or ill equipped to deal with the many challenges life throws at us, but you just gotta' keep playing. You will be given all skills and tools you need need to succeed along the way, but you've got to keep at it in order to get there.
Have a wonderful Thursday everyone.
x
I haven't done many interviews here on the blog, but the few that I have done I have really enjoyed. Now, having been married for just over a year, I've been thinking about the weeks and months leading up to my wedding day. Did I imagine life would be like this? How much did I think being married would change our relationship? Has it been easy? Would all our issues disappear the moment we seal our futures with a kiss?
These were all questions I know I was asking myself before the big day, and so I thought it might be nice (and useful to those ladies out there who are about to get married) that I interview some women who are married and get their perspectives on married life. Being married has been one of the most wonderful adventures I have ever been on. There have been ups and downs, naturally, but it has been a fun-filled roller coaster of self discovery and joy.
I am wanting to interview a whole range of married woman here on my blog; young, old and newlyweds.
If you would like to feature here, I'd love to hear from you. Please do drop me a line here (or use the contact page above).
I look forward to hearing from you!
I hope you enjoy this new series, and if you have any questions, queries or ideas for what to include, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
I will be introducing you to the first lovely lady next week!
One of our absolute favorite things about Korea has got to be the coffee shops . In every town, on every corner, now matter where you are, there will be at least one coffee shop for you to get your caffeine fix. And more often than not they are beautifully decorated and styled to fit the different personalties of the owners. How sweet is this little Cafe Alice in Gwangju?
Cafe Alice serves the most delicious bacon and cheese grilled bagels and a variety of other 'very Western tasting' sandwiches. Definitely worth a stop even if only to have on of their Paul Gaultier inspired glass bottle Cokes.
It's just around the corner from the Emart in Sangmu.
We are in the second week of October already, and it's starting to get very chilly here in South Korea. I miss last months lazy Autumn evenings, wearing pretty dresses with no need for a cardigan. Now its straight into jackets and scarves and hoodies and boots!
So long September.
x
I have joined a wonderful new photography challenge held by Redesigned by M. The challenge is designed around styling your own workspace for your photoshoot and was created with two main outcomes: learning how to use your camera in its fullest capacity, and learning how to be your own stylist for a shoot.
I absolutely loved this challenge, as for me, the best part of any shoot is the styling element, where I have to move around objects to create the 'perfect' shot. Personally, when I take photographs, what I love most is the small details, the tiny bits that make up the whole. This is exactly what I get to do with this challenge.
No editing may be done to the photographs, apart from edge cropping, and all photographs have to have been taken since the start of this challenge in June this year.
If you'd like to know more or if you want to join the challenge, pop on over toRedesigned by M.
This months theme was {Morning}
I spent a lot of time thinking about this theme, how to make it unique, trying to get all artsy farsty with it. I really wanted to use the beautiful natural light that comes in through our bedroom window here in Korea and brainstormed how to style my shoot around that.
Here are the results. Hubby had to be very patient with me, but I quite like how the photographs came out.
What do you think?
Make sure to check out the following other bloggers and their entries for this challenge:
At The Corner Of Happy And Harried
My Food Tapestry
Inge Kathleen Photography
The Delicious World Of Chefette Spicy
Farmboy and I have been married for just over a year now, so I thought I'd take a little time to tell you how we met and how our love story began. It's quite a long post, so grab a cup of tea before settling in.
I was in my third and final year of University, having decided that I was going to make the most of the short time I had left, I joined a campus based NGO called Galela Amanzi (which means 'pour the water' in one of South Africa's many languages). Galela Amanzi had been voted the Campus project for the year, and was aimed at setting up water tanks to collect rainfall for the local townships. So here I was; the epitome of a city girl, sparkling earrings, nail polish that matched my scarf, and perfectly done makeup...all ready and eager to get involved in something meaningful. And there he was, unshaven, barefoot, plaid wearing...ready to make the world a better place.
Here are a few photographs to help you set the scene:
One Friday evening, after a long meeting about how we were going to manage to secure funding for our next water tank, it was time for the committee set up for the fundraiser we were having the next day. It just so happened that Dale and I were the only two available to make the t-shirts needed for the boerie roll (a South African take on the American hot dog) sale. I had no problem meeting Dale alone at his house, I did have a boyfriend at the time of nearly five years, and thought it would be absolutely fine to hang out with a rugged but all too intriguing (don't forget the barefoot part!) farm boy.
Something happened that evening, something that I could not even begin to explain. Maybe it was listening to a young man open up about the huge part that God played in his life, or listening to tales of real farm life, or maybe it was just the intensity of hearing someone not afraid to speak their mind and being open about their faith that did it, I'm not sure. Having been brought up Catholic, having a Jewish Dad, not really ever being interested in going to church, and having gone through the disintegration of my parents marriage, something happened to me that evening. I realised that I was far too attracted to Dale to spend any more time with him while having a boyfriend, and I flew home that Sunday (two days after making t-shirts) to do one of the hardest things imaginable... break up with my boyfriend. It was not an easy decision to make, I hod to break someones heart, to break something that was over five years in the making. But, although it was difficulty and there are a million different ways it could have been done, it was the right thing to do.
I flew back the following day and began a whirlwind of a romance with Dale. In the beginning nothing mattered, it was all butteries and fairytales. But slowly, reality hit when Dale had to fly to Botswana for a research assignment, and I was left in my small University town, all alone, to think about what the last few months had meant. Had I jumped into this relationship too soon? Was I missing my ex? What did the future hold for Dale and myself? Did I need to be single to find out more about myself? Was I crazy? The only thing I never questioned, was whether I has made the right decision in ending things with my ex. Even though I missed him terribly in the beginning, our relationship had become one of deep friendship rather than romance.. I had peace about that decision, even if it was the only thing I had peace about at that stage.
A few months later I started going to church with Dale, and my eyes and heart were opened to the wonders of a living God. A god who loves and cherishes his children no matter what. All the terrible things I had done had been forgiven, I was washed cleaned of all I had been, and I was finally excited for the future and what it held for me, and my relationship with Dale. Nine months into our relationship, and Dale and I decided to move to South Korea to teach English. What an adventure. Living in a foreign country, having to adjust to a completely different culture and way of life was made all the easier by having someone special to share it with. The adventures in Cambodia and the Philippines, while managing to still find a good church to keep us grounded, was just a glimpse into life as a Foreigner in Korea.
We touched back down on South African soil in March 2011, to the reality of life in South Africa. Dale spent six long months looking for a job, I decided to return to studying my life long dream of becoming a a teacher and we both moved to Pietermaritzburg (Dale first to live with his Grandparents) and me following later on once my University year began.
Dale propsed a year later (you can read and see all the photographs of that very special day here) and we were married six months later on Dales family dairy farm in Kwazulu Natal (click here) to see more wedding photographs).
At the beginning of this year, after much discussion, Dale left his job and we arrived in South Korea for our second adventure of teaching English here. We are in a very small town in the South West corner of Korea. Our plan is to spend the next few years here, traveling the world and saving enough money to buy a house back home.
Adventures lie await for us, some disguised as difficult circumstances, others as interesting and new friends.
Life is what you make of it, it's time to stop worrying about what the future will bring and whether all your ducks are in a row. Enjoy every moment of every day. If you don't like what you're doing, stop. Take a break. Go on holiday. Tell that special person how you really feel. Smile at everyone. Thank God for the small, as well as the big things in your life.
And most importantly, take lots and lots of photographs as you go along.
x
A little while ago, Farmboy and I visited a dog cafe in Seoul (it's not what you're thinking...click here to see more) and this time we popped by a cat cafe to give these little ones some love and attention. The idea behind these animal cafes is that people, who are unable to keep pets in their homes (usually due to lack of space here in Korea) are able to spend time with animals in a 'controlled' environment.
The place is kept very clean, with you having to remove your shoes and wash your hands thoroughly before entering. Cats are generally very hygienic anyway, and their 'bathroom' area is a secluded, walled off area in the corner so no worries about that side of things. You simply pay an entrance fee which includes a drink of your choice, and then enter the kitty den and cuddle to your hearts content. These little guys were all pretty sleepy, but when the chicken liver treats were brought out we suddenly became very interesting to everyone. A delightful way to spend an afternoon in Seoul.
There are lots of cat cafes in and around Seoul, this one in particular was in the Myeongdong district. It's pretty hard to explain how to find it, but if you wonder around the busy streets you're bound to come across a banner filled with images of cute cats.
They are usually on the third/fourth/fifth floor of buildings, so keep an eye out on the upper levels of buildings.
There are so many wonderful people to meet on Instagram (come say hello to me too @roxypearce). While perusing for pretty bits of stationery, I stumbled across the lovely @win_naa who is from Malaysia.
I instantly started following her feed and every day I am able to get my stationery fix from her lovely images.
We have since become pen pals, and the images below are from my very first pen pal snail mail package from her. I can't wait to put together all the pretty pieces I have for her (I am after all in stationery heaven here in South Korea) pop on over to my Facebook page if you don't believe me. Everything she sent me was so thoughtfully put together, including a whole bunch of interesting facts about Malaysia.
There is something very special about receiving something in the post, isn't there?
Thank you so much for the wonderful package Win Naa, I so look forward to the many letters we will be sending across the seas to each other.
x
