Goodbye Korea!

I can't quite believe that Farmboy and I have been here in our little town in Korea for 3 years and that it is time for us to say goodbye. We have had a wonderful time living and teaching English in South Korea and have had so many adventures over the years (the biggest one was definitely rescuing a little black and brown ball of fluff who has grown into a most handsome wolf).

As we wrap up our final days (as of writing this we have 2 more days in Korea and will land in South Africa on Monday, 27th June) I wanted to leave you with a few of my previous posts to keep you entertained until I am back here on the blog.

We have had some complications with getting our dog, Shadow back home, and currently he is waiting to be allowed to board his flight back to South Africa. We aren't sure when that will be but have been told it could be on Monday (fingers crossed!). South Africa has really strict pet import policies, so not only does it cost $1000's (and yes, I literally mean thousands of US$) but animals are not allowed to fly with you on the plane but must fly as manifest cargo. So please keep little Shadow in your thoughts for the next few days as he waits to find out when he can fly. I am a bit of a wreck right now as he has to stay at a boarding kennel until his flight and I can't see him. We also have to pack up three years worth of stuff, fit it into two little suitcases and say goodbye to the town that has become out home. There have, and I'm sure will be, more than a few tears shed as we say our goodbyes.

So in the mean time, here's a bit more 'light reading' for you for the next little while.

See you soon,

x

Our final few weeks in South Korea - A Daily Vlog by Farmboy

Today is the 6th of June, and in T-minus 20 days we will be boarding a flight that will take us back home to South Africa.

Farmboy and I have been living in Buan, a teeny tiny countryside town in South Korea for the past 3 years. We are about to wrap up our final teaching contract and head back home to sunny South Africa,

It's been an incredible adventure filled with all sorts of challenges and excitement (the biggest being the rescue of our Korean street pup, Shadow):

Over the past 3 years we have traveled to Bali, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo & India all while working a full time job teaching English. I've written travel guides to these countries as well as posts filled with photographs of each place. Click the images below to read and see more:

We have also spent many a weekend camping, something I never thought I would enjoy before I met Farmboy. You see, I really am a city girl, but somehow the inconvenience of toilets or showers pales in comparison to the beauty of the places we have camped in.

It's been so worth the few moments of being uncomfortable. Click the images below to read and see more about camping in Korea:

As we get ready to pack up our lives here (and as I attempt to take back every single item of Korean stationery and beauty products!), Farmboy has taken on the challenge of a daily vlog.

These videos are a really fun glimpse into our lives here in Korea, and they also take you behind the scenes of what life is really like here in Asia.

I hope you'll join us over on Youtube and that you like and subscribe if you enjoy the videos. Farmboy will be documenting these final few weeks as well as the whole process of taking Shadow home (dealing with the steps and processes of taking a dog from Korea to South Africa) and of course us fetching him on the other side after his stay in quarantine. 

Here is one of the vlogs from our weekend in Seoul, enjoy!

#FromBlog2Biz - Come and join My Journey from blogger to business owner as I take you behind the scenes of my business journey

Dear friend.

I have lots of big changes coming up in the next few months. The first of of those big changes being my move back to South Africa after being here in Korea for a total of 4 years. Farmboy and I are headed back to sunny SA at the end of June with our pup #ShadowTheJindo (in case you were wondering what was going to happen to him).

Our plan, after returning here to Korea after a year living in Daejeon in 2010, was always to spend 3 years traveling as much as we could (click here to see our travel guides for places like Borneo, Vietnam, Bali and so many more!!) saving as much as we could, and just enjoying our first few years of marriage together. It's been an amazing adventure so far and we have loved ever day of the past 3 years.

Throughout this time, and actually going all the way back to 2010, I have been an avid blogger, sharing photographs of our lives, useful information on everything from rescuing a dog in Korea to how to take better photographs for your blog. And so, armed with nearly 6 years of blogging 'wisdom' I am embarking on a new adventure...to turn this blog into a full time business! 

You can read the other parts of this journey here:

I am going to be using the #FromBlog2Biz hashtag for all social media posts (because who doesn't love a personalised hashtag, right?!) and by doing this I hope to make it easy for you to follow along on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.

It's a journey I am equal parts squealing with excitement over and absolutely terrified about. I have had a few smaller businesses over the past 6 years; my stationery store, freelance social media services, a vintage collectables store at the I Heart Market in Durban, South Africa and my photography.

I am still in the beginning stages of this journey and will begin my first post RIGHT back at the start...ie December 2015 and my thoughts and ideas and processes that have led me to be where I am today, and have shaped my ideas going forward. I have been wanting to document this journey in some way, and thought I'd do so here on the blog so that you can follow along. 

I'm going to be sharing with you everything I've done so far, what has worked, what hasn't worked and what I plan to do moving forward. EEEK! I am rather nervous about all of this, blogging about makeup reviews and sharing my photography portfolio is far less scary than sharing what I've had success with and what I've failed at.

If this journey sounds like something you'd like to be a part of/learn from/watch from a distance, please do leave me a comment below. I haven't quite decided on the format for this series yet (I am thinking about doing a mix of videos, live streaming on Periscope, emails and blog posts). This is why I've created the mailing list below for you to join and I would love for you to be a part of this adventure with me.

The #Blog2Biz mail list (which you can join below) is where I'll be letting you know the exact format for this series (whether I'll be creating videos, when/if I'll be on Periscope etc), as well as it being a place that to connect with you all. By joining, you'll also be able to gain access to the #CGScreative Resource library which is filled with loads of blogging resources, printables and what has made my list famous...beautiful stock photographs for you to use to grow your blog. 

Simply pop your email in the box below to join us & click the little check box  if you aren't already a CGScreative member and want to get access the resource library

If you too have been wanting to make money from your blog, turn your passion into a business or want to read more about all the nitty gritty details of what goes on behind the scenes of a blog turned business, then make sure you enter your email below.

I am SO excited to share in this journey with you! From the wins to the losses, the successes to the failures...Here's to the start of the journey!

x

Lorryn Smit Photography - Custom Creative Styled Photographer Photo Shoot

Earlier this year I was contacted by Lorryn Smit from Lorryn Smit Photography. Lorryn wanted to book me for my signature styled photo-shoots, as she wanted photographs taken to showcase her and her photography business.

Lorryn is a fellow South African photographer, based here in South Korea who specialises in weddings and engagements. I was honoured to be contacted by her as I have been an avid admirer of her work for a long time.

Lorryn wanted me to capture her in a very natural setting, while she was actually doing her own photo shoot. It was almost a photography inception kind of setting, with me behind my lens, capturing her behind her lens. It was a lot of fun and I so enjoyed being 'behind-the-scenes' of a fellow photographer at work.

If you feel a little shy in front of the camera (let's be honest, who doesn't!) then having your photographs taken while you do something that you love and are passionate about is a wonderful way to produce natural photographs that show of the real you. You can find out more about my styled shoots and how to book me by clicking here.

We started off in Lorryn's home and studio in Gwangju where I was able to get some more styled, lifestyle shots of her workspace, and then we headed off a coffee shop downtown. After a quick coffee (and Lorryn touching base with her actual clients) we headed off to the Asian Culture Complex to make use of the beautiful winter light, before finishing off at a gorgeous pine forest.

A big thank you to Aimee Klass of Aimee Klass Makeup who did Lorryn's hair and makeup for this shoot.

Thank you for picking me to capture these photographs of you Lorryn. I had so much fun working with you and being a part of your photography journey too. You are incredibly talented and I look forward to seeing of your beautiful work.

You can find & connect with Lorryn at the following places:

Website: http://www.lorrynsmitphotography.com/

Facebook: Lorryn Smit Photography

Instagram: Lorryn Smit Photography

If you'd like to have some photographs taken for your business or blog (I LOVE photographing fellow bloggers and creating images for you to use to promote your work and services) then head on over to my Hire Me page (click here) where you can read more about my booking process and my rates.