Expat Diaries-Signs You've Lived in Asia

It's that time again! Link up your expat/travel stories below and make sure to stop by some other bloggers and say hi! We also have a very special co-host with us this month, Nicole from Treasure Tromp so be sure to show her some love as well! Thanks to everyone for linking up and spreading the word! We have had so much fun getting to know you all!

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Have you ever lived abroad and realized that you've developed tell tale signs that you've been out of your home country for awhile? I was skyping with a good friend of mine back home the other day when all of a sudden, she started to giggle over something I said. You see, when you live overseas for a certain amount of time, you're lingo beings to...change. College turns into University, air conditioners are now air cons. We've also started using the Korean word 'mogi' for mosquito in our household. But that's a whole other type of confusing that we will impart upon our children.

This whole conversation got me thinking about how else we'll stick out when we return back home and what are some tell tale signs that show that a person has lived in Asia for a little too long.

.You've mastered the art of chopsticks. Just call me the Mr. Miyagi of chopsticks.

.You consider squatty potties you thigh workout for the day.

.It looks as if you're preparing for the apocalypse when you visit Walmart back home. Because of course, not just one bag of peanut butter m&ms will do, you need five. When we visited back home, the lady at the cash register gave us more than a few weird looks as half a dozen deodorants, six containers of oatmeal and various vitamins and medicines pass her checkout line.

.No shower curtain in the bathroom? No problem. And let's face it ladies, the toilet is the perfect height to rest your leg while shaving anyway.

.You think it's gross when people don't take off their shoes when entering a house.

.You can't have a conversation without pausing to think of the correct word. When your job is to try and simplify the English language as much as possible, your vocabulary tends to go out the window.

.You can't wrap your head around a car that can comfortably fit people in the back seat. Our current car you have to sit sideways since there's not enough room for your knees to sit facing forward.

.You have to roll up all of your pants and pass them off as cropped pants because let's face it, that's as long as you can find them

.You bow...to everyone.

.You could have a degree in the art of charades. Ever had to play charades to find out where the lady doctor is? Pray you never have to.

.You don't understand what people do with homes more than 1,000 sq. ft...but you're still a little jealous of them anyway.

Are there any other signs that I've missed? Have you ever lived abroad and felt a little different when talking with people back home?

What's in a Name?

With the recent births of what feels like every single person on Facebook's baby, it's got me thinking a bit about baby names. And as you all know, the first name must correlate well with the last name. The girls at least have it easy and can marry out of it, but pick a bad name for the boy? And they're doomed for life. With the last name 'Diamond' I've got it harder than most people think. No, we're not related to Neil and you'd be surprised how many times I've been asked that question.

By the way, this is my old student Tim, pretty much the cutest kid you'll ever meet. 

In my graduating year of college, my final assignment was to make a website with my portfolio. The address was to be our full name. With the concern of a teacher, I had to search my name in every search engine imaginable. Because apparently, Chelsea Diamond sounds like a stripper. Lucky me. Thankfully, only the Chelsea soccer team and actual diamonds showed up. That's when my hunt for the perfect baby name began.

But so far, the names we like (for example, Ruby and Charlie) make them sounds like a stripper or a 1920's car salesmen. That's a big fat no. I'd really like my children to be messed up because of our own incompetence as parents and not because of the name we give them.

However, we do have that option of just being really mean and going ahead and giving them an obviously cliche name. Some of our favorites?
-Grey Diamond
-Crystal Clear Diamond
-Crystal Ruby Diamond (might as well go ahead and add a Sapphire somewhere in there as well)

But no matter what we choose, I know that it can't compare to some of the English names my Korean students have picked out over the years. My favorites of those? I've had a:
-Chocolate                                 -Strawberry
-Lyon                                         -Alva
-Zinee                                        -Tree
-Pamela (this would be ok except for the fact that it was a little boy)
-Pedro (this may just be my favorite of all time)
-Claude (but of course pronounced 'Cloud')

What do you think? Cloud Lyon Diamond? Or what about just Chocolate Diamond? Needless to say... the search continues.

Linking up with Ashley, Jean, Lauren, Kerry, Chrissy, Kenzie, Lisette

The New Norm Part IV

Sometimes living in a different country you forget that some of the very odd and different things around you are in fact...odd and different, they instead become a 'new norm' of sorts. So here are a few things that when I first came to Korea seemed odd but now are overlooked.

.Yes. McDonalds delivers. And by the way their delivery men drive, I can't imagine it taking more than a few minutes to get your order from across town. 

.We found out the hard way what happens when they overbook the bus. They have small stools in the overhead compartments that you sit on in the middle of the aisle. Thank goodness it was only an hour ride to where we were going.

.Street food is something that I never really experienced in the states but have grown to love since living in Korea. Breakfast, lunch or dinner people crowd around these stalls on the street to eat just about any Korean dish. Below you can see gimbap, ddeokbokki (rice cake in red spicy sauce...delicious!) and odeng (fish paste on a stick...no thank you).

.I have never seen people take the dentist's advice to brush your teeth after every meal so seriously until I moved to Korea. In every bathroom at work you can see everyone's individual cups and toothbrushes. During lunch time you can see workers walking the halls while brushing their teeth. Dentists everywhere would be so proud. 

.This one really caught me off guard when we first moved to Korea. Growing up, this symbol meant one thing and one thing only. And you certainly wouldn't find it plastered on buildings, or people with necklaces and rings with it. Guess my history lesson was lacking because number one, the symbol is backwards from what the Germans used and two, it's the traditional Buddhist symbol for a temple. I've grown used to it now but there are times where I still see it and it catches me off guard.

Have you ever stepped back and realized some of the very 'bizarre' things about the culture you live in? 

For more installments of this series, check these out:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Molly

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About Kayleigh: Wanderer at heart with a gypsy soul. Lover of coffee, books, wine and Sex and the City. Dating the love of my life with the sexiest smile. This blog is about my travels, life and trying to make my own mark in this world. I love adventure and am happiest when I own nothing but what fits in a suitcase, having no plans but to discover new places and make lots of lasting memories.

Her favorite trip: Italy would be my number one favourite place that I have been to so far. I love the coffee, pasta and gelato. Its so magical and has so much history.

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A Sweeter Life+Guest Post for Lost in Travels!

Korea has some of the most beautifully decorated, terrible tasting cupcakes I have ever tried. They're dry and not very sweet but hey! at least they look good! Well, a few weeks ago, my sweet friend, Amber, took me to decorate these aforementioned cupcakes for my birthday. There's a cupcake shop just down the street from her apartment where the owner teaches classes on the basics of decorating cupcakes.

I should probably note here that Amber is a natural at all things DIY. You know those people that make it look effortless enough that you think you can try but then it just ends up looking like a Pinterest fail? Yea, she's one of those.

Before we went, I was pumped, I was excited, I felt like all of my childhood dreams of becoming a baker were coming true. Although I'll be honest, I think I only wanted to be a baker so I had an excuse to 'taste-test' (aka stick my finger in the batter bowl) sweets all day.

The first thing she had us try were 'simple' frosting flowers which she would put into the freezer to harden and then we could layer them on top of the other frosting creations. She swirled the paper around, so effortlessly, making mock flowers that looked like they came straight out of Real Simple Magazine. My friend, aka Betty Crocker, followed her lead and produced several symmetrical flowers in a row. Me? It looked like a kid's finger painting session. And from a kid that was feeling free to 'express' themselves.

Our teacher kept giggling at my poor attempts and even held my hand to show me how to do it. When even that didn't turn out so well (ok, there was one that she turned her head to the side at and mentioned that it wasn't bad) she moved on to easier techniques.

We practiced on the bottom of measuring cups before moving on to the real deal.

These easier techniques I caught onto just a tad bit quicker and thankfully was able to make a few half decent ones.

I think form now on I'll leave the decorating to the professionals. But I've got to say that I have a ton more respect for these bakers!

How is everyone else at decorating? Am I the only one who will be buying my child's birthday cake at the bakery every year?

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Attention! Attention! We're heading out of town for the first week in August and I'm looking for some people to guest post for me while we're gone! I have just three spots available for purchase on my sponsor page. Guest posts would have to be turned in by the 21st of this month. Each is just $15 and includes a 250 X 250 sized ad on my sidebar for a month. It's first come, first serve so reserve your spot today!

Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Molly

Expat Diaries: Shoebox Apartments

Welcome to the third installment of the Expat Diaries! Go ahead and link up you expat/travel stories below and make sure to stop by some other bloggers and say hi! I so look forward to reading everyone's stories each month! Thanks so much for being a part of this!

So let's get started shall we?

We live in a small apartment here in Korea. Well, let me rephrase that to say that in American standards, we live in a small apartment. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have the size apartment that we do because we have known couples whose work has provided them with a 300 square foot studio apartment for the both of them. How they're both still alive is beyond me. But needless to say, all three of our apartments in Korea have been smaller than what we're accustomed to back home in the States. And while some things on this list may not apply to our current spot, they all could have been said about at least one of them.

So if you're sitting there wondering what qualifies as a small apartment or wonder if yours fits the bill, this should help. You know you live in a small apartment if:

.It takes you 15 minutes to clean the entire thing

.It takes just as long for it to look like a train wreck again

.It's impossible to lose or misplace anything

.You can vacuum the entire place without switching wall outlets

.You have an oven the size of a toaster oven and even that you have difficulty finding a place for

I'm just impressed we could fit a turkey inside. Even though it was so close to the elements that it had lines on it.

.You can see every room from one spot

.When the trash bag is full, you can smell it from every room

.If you leave the door open when showering, all the windows in the apartment fog up

.Your kitchen table is where you do most of your cooking because you can barely fit a cutting board on your counter.

Our first kitchen. I did most of my cooking on the table since I could barely fit anything besides a plate on the counter.

.It takes about five minutes for the place to cool down or heat up

.You don't have seasonal decorations, not because you don't want them but because you don't know where you'd store them

.You have a dorm sized fridge because you can't fit much else. Thankfully we were able to upgrade to at least a half sized fridge

.You don't have to yell or even raise your voice in order for another person to hear you across the apartment or in another room

.Your social events have a max capacity guest list

.You have to find new and unique places to store things...like under the couch

This is where we kept out out of season clothes

.You are constantly switching out the clothes in your closet because only one season fits at a time. The rest go under the bed or in our case...under our couch.

.Every time you buy something new, you have to get rid of something. Not because you think it's the  ethical thing to do, but because you don't have enough room.

.At least one or more people have to sit on the floor when they come over...good thing we live in Asia and this is seen as normal.

I just want to end this by saying that even though we live in a place smaller than what we're accustomed to, we now very much prefer it and no longer want to get a large house when we move back to the states. It's funny the things you can get used to!

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The New Norm Part III

Sometimes living in a different country you forget that some of the very odd and different things around you are in fact...odd and different. Here are some more things from around Korea that I first thought were odd and different but now just blend into the background. 

.Neon lights. Down every road at night it looks like a mini version of Vegas.

.Mixing up the language. When I first moved here and started teaching kindi, they would always say 'shi shi' when they had to use the bathroom. As a naive newcomer, I assumed this was the proper way to say 'bathroom' (because kindi kids always speak in perfect grammar right?). I went to a restaurant and tried to practice my newly learned Korean phrase on the waitress to ask where the bathroom is. She started giggling and pointed towards the bathroom. I learned later that 'shi shi' is the equivalent of saying 'pee pee'.

.This may just be the best thing ever invented. It's a call button, and it's placed on every table in most restaurants around here. So instead of a waiter hounding you every few moments if you need something, they only appear if you press this little button and call them. Absolute genius.

.Hiking gear. This is common hiking gear in Korea. Bright as a rainbow and covering every inch of your body.

.Having an escape route out of the country. No, we don't feel in danger. But yes, we have talked about the 'what if'. And don't worry mom, as much as we joke about stealing a boat and rowing to safety, we have a slightly more secure plan than that.

.Outside of a new business you can find several large planters sitting out with ribbons on them. These are bought by the company or friends and partners of the owner to wish the new business good luck.

.Not knowing appropriate or more importantly, inappropriate gestures. In the states it's common to play the game 'I've got your nose' with little kids. Little did I know that the gesture that we use with our thumb in-between our two fingers is a very vulgar gesture here in Korea. I unfortunately learned this after I had done taught it to every single one of my kindi classes. Sorry parents.

Liked this one? Check out Part One and Part Two

Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Meg, Molly

 

Finding Friends in Grocery Stores

As foreigners, living in a country where we don't speak the language, making friends can be slightly more difficult. Since living here, we have found friends in...well, less than conventional ways compared to back home.

Our favorite story is when we met some of our closest friends in the grocery store. Compared to other towns in Korea, there's actually a ton of foreigners where we live. But even though we're not as far and few between as other places, there's still that camaraderie between foreigners here that leads us to give a knowing smile or friendly hello whenever we pass each other on the street.

Have you seen this Seinfeld episode? It's kind of like that but with 'Hey! You speak English?! I speak English! Let's be friends!'

But even though there are plenty of other foreigners, other foreign married couples our age are still uncommon, especially when we first moved here. I remember every time we would pass one on the street, I would nudge hubs and say 'look, a foreigner!' It was as if we had just spotted a rare animal species.

So when we were grocery shopping one day, and we kept bumping into this other foreign couple, it caught our attention. We'd nod to each other, exchanged a friendly 'hello' but then just went on our way. Well after about the dozenth time, and after hubs hearing me say 'they look nice' one too many times for his liking, he did what he does best. Embarrassed me (don't worry, most of the time when this happens, it turns out well in the end). As we were driving out of the parking garage we passed them...again. But this time hubs stopped the car, rolled down his window and yelled 'Hey! How are you guys? Are you new in town?' Thank goodness they were and we started chatting, exchanged phone numbers and the rest is history. Don't worry, they know the whole story and still for some reason hang out with us. My point is, sometimes it can be hard to meet new people in a new town, sometimes you have to risk getting out of your comfort zone. But more times than not, it's worth it.

So how do you make friends in a new country when you don't speak the language?

Join a Facebook group- many times, especially for expats, there are Facebook groups for foreigners in a certain area. I know that where we live there are several just for teachers, moms, other working expats in our city in addition to groups for just about every activity imaginable.

Find local city expat groups- along with Facebook groups, there are expat groups that meet up during the week for different activities such as cooking, hiking, or touring around the city.

Pick up a new hobby- I know that in our case, once we moved abroad we had a whole lot more free time than we did in the states. Since moving here we've started several extra hobbies and activities that we wanted to in the states but never had the time to. Pick something you're interested in, find a group and get going. You never know who you'll meet along the way.
Volunteer- this is a great way to not only meet new people in your area with the same passion as you but to get to know the people in your country and help out.

Join a church- our first year abroad we simply watched the podcast from our church back home. While it was great, we were missing out on the incredible community and support that we have now found in our current foreigner's church. 

Start up a conversation- remember that couple that we stalked met in the grocery store?  Yea, it can be awkward just starting up a random conversations but sometimes it pays off to be that overly friendly person.

Sign up for language classes- this is not only a great way to make living in another country easier, but you can also meet a ton of other people wanting to learn the language and make friends with the locals that teach the classes.

What's the weirdest way that you've met someone?

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win $750 in cash! Enter HERE
Also, enter HERE for a chance to win a free pair of sunglasses from Firmoo!

Linking up with Molly, Meg, Leann, Logan, Carissa, Rachel

Expat Diaries: Getin' Neked

I'm so excited for the second installment of the Expat Diaries with Rachel! We had such a great turn out last month and I'm so excited to read this month's posts! This is such a great opportunity to post your travel advice, questions, or expat and travel stories. But more than that, it's a great way to connect with fellow travel lovers and expats. So go add your post below and get to know some of the other bloggers!

Last week I may have just had the most unAmerican experience possible. I stripped down to my birthday suit in front of a bunch of Korean women. Jjimjilbangs (찜질방), or Korean style bathhouses are extremely popular where I live. You can see them on just about every block and are a very common Korean past time, especially during the cooler months. These spas are gender segregated and include several different pools of varying temperatures, showers and also separate sit down showers with mirrors where women sit and scrub off a layer of their skin. And all for the price of $6.00!

So this all sounds fantastic right? You're probably wondering why it took me two whole years to go. Because, my friends, all of this is done while being completely butt neked. And while I'm not exactly the most timid one out there, something about being completely naked and the only foreigner, kind of got to me.

I once asked a student of mine about the spa and she mentioned that she had seen some foreigners there. I said great, what did she look like (we live in a small town, chances are, I knew her). My student went on to say that she had short brown hair, tall, and oh teacher, she had huge boobs! As tempting as it was to try out the spa, I did not want to take the chance of not only seeing one of my students...both of us in the nude...but I definitely didn't want to be the foreigner that she's describing in detail to anyone that would listen.

My partners in crime, Jen & Amber. The red sign above is the symbol indicating a bath house

Recently, however, I caved into finally experiencing the glory of the bathhouse and I could not be more thrilled! A friend of mine arranged this little get together and we all braved the awkwardness of showing our goods together. So here's the drill to going to a Korean bathhouse:

When you walk in, you will choose which option you want. You can either just use the spa, or you can pay extra to spend the night. Clothes are provided for this option and both men and women sleep in the common area which has TV's, couches, food and a unisex sauna. This is a great option for a cheap nights stay if all the hotels are booked.

When you pay, you receive a ticket with a number on it. You go into the women's locker room and find the correlating locker number and put your shoes in. Then, you go into the next locker room and again, find the matching number and that locker is for your clothes. We were wondering if this was where we should strip down, and just as we were asking each other, three unabashedly unclothed women walked by. Yup, we were in the right spot.

We all stood looking at our empty lockers in front of us, not being able to contain our awkward laughter as we undressed. I have gone topless at beaches (until the one American showed up and started staring down all the women. Advice to guys; if you want to go to a topless beach, wear sunglasses), I've stripped down to my undies in front of strangers backstage when I used to do runway shows, but walking around in absolutely nothing like it ain't no thing? That was new for me.

The last picture we could take

Each pool had a thermometer above it showing the temperature while others had jets or added minerals to them. Then there was also the option for a whole body scrub. Now, most Koreans simply buy a scrub cloth (resembling a Brillo pad) from a fully stocked beauty vending machine in the locker room and get to work in front of the seated showers. How some of them weren't bleeding by the end of it is beyond me. But there is also an option to pay an extra $20 and have someone do it for you.

I have had friends tell me in the past that women scrub you down in these places but the way that they described it, I just thought there were some older Korean women that hung around the spa and liked to scrub people's backs while they relaxed. I thought it was a little weird but hey, it's Korea. Anything can happen. I quickly realized that I had been wrong and these people scrubbing women down were in fact employees and it was in no way as weird as I thought (or at least as un-weird as a women scrubbing another completely naked woman can be). One of the friends that I went with went for this option and while it took over an hour, she said that her skin had never felt so amazing.

So what did I think? I realize that so many countries around the world practice nude bath houses, but coming from America, this was one of the most foreign experiences I've had yet. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to take pictures inside the bathhouse,  because it all looked so bizarre, but I don't think that would have made the most family friendly post. To be perfectly honest though, I found this experience somewhat liberating. At first, yes, it's extremely awkward and uncomfortable but by the end of it I felt perfectly comfortable walking around and hardly noticed that there were no bathing suits, not to mention it was one of the most relaxing experiences. So would I go again? In a heartbeat.

What do you think? Would you try it?

P.S. I'm over on The Bradley's talking about hubs and I's 'no technology weekends'. Go check it out!



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New Norm Part II

Sometimes living in a different country you forget that some of the very odd and different things around you are in fact...odd and different. So since the first installment was such a hit, I decided to collect some more things from around Korea that I first thought were odd and different but now just blend into the background. 

.I swear to you, I did not marry a man named Jesemy Djamond. 

.being directed not to flush tissue down the toilet.

.the Korean writing everywhere even seems normal now. When we visited back home it was weird not to see it.

.a declined English vocabulary- when your job is to simplify the English language as much as possible it only makes sense that your extensive English vocabulary tends to go out the window. For instance, it once took me and some friends a good ten minutes to come up with the word 'insult'.

.not only is there popcorn to eat at the movie theaters, there is also dried squid...appetizing.

.there is a whole aisle dedicated to ramen noodles. My students always ask if I have tried ramen before. I was once a poor college student, of course I have.

.street food snacks. I'm definitely not complaining about this one. Because as gross and weird as fried chicken covered in spicy sauce on top of a soda sounds...it's delicious.

.if no one is around at a red light...go. Ok, even if someone is around at a red light...still go. I remember visiting home and being so incredibly impatient at red lights. Good thing I wasn't driving.

.the Konglish (Korean+English). Oh the Konglish. I'm pretty sure they meant 'That's the bomb'

.the age difference. Many times when I first arrived and people asked my age I would freeze. Do they want to know my Korean or Western age? Let me explain. When a child is born in Korea, they are already considered one year old. Then everyone turns a year older at the same time in the new year.  Why? No idea. So essentially, if a child was born at the end of December, they would be two years old in Korea before they're a month old in America. See why I was so confused?

.this is probably one of the things that no matter how long I live here, it will always get under my skin. It is very common to see children in cars that are not buckled up and not in a carseat. I can't tell you how many time I have seen kids riding on the drivers lap, hanging out of the window or even strapped in baby carries on the drivers chest. I think this is the one exception to this post because I will never think this is normal.

Have you ever stepped back and realized some of the very 'bizarre' things about the culture you live in? I always wonder what I will now think is strange about the American culture when we move back one day.

P.S. I'm guest posting over on two amazing blogs today. Go check out Meg's blog where I talk about my favorite romantic getaways and Jade's blog where she interviews me about being an expat in Korea. Enjoy!

Linking up with Rolled Up Pretty, Shanna

The New Norm Part I

Sometimes living in a different country you forget that some of the very odd and different things around you are in fact...odd and different. I remember when my parents came to visit last November, they kept asking me why I never told them about some of the interesting things they were experiencing. I told them that after living here for even a short amount of time, everything around you seems 'normal'. So here are a few things that when I first came to Korea seemed odd but now are overlooked.

.clusters of large buildings that seem like city centers but are in fact large apartment complexes equipped with amenities such as movie theaters, playgrounds, spas and workout centers.

.water heaters-this is a picture of our water heater control. There is no central heat here so most apartments have heated water that runs under their floor to heat the place. Also if we want hot water to wash dishes (dish washers are also rare) or to take a shower, we have to turn this on and set it to what temperature we want.

.the massive phone covers. This phone was actually almost half the size as the cover.

.animal sounds playing in the meat section of the grocery store. One word, disturbing. I would really rather not hear the animal I am about to eat.

.little boys with perms. This picture is actually a very mild perm on a little five year old but when he first got it done I didn't even know it was the same student. It's very common to see kindergarten students with dyed and permed hair.

.the letter replacements in the language. R and L are the same, Z becomes a J sound which is especially confusing when your student says they want to see a jew instead of zoo...it eventually got straightened out. Also, there is no F sound so it turns to a P sound. So when I say I'm going to go make a copy and all the students think I'm going to get a cup of coffee. Or when the word 'duck' sounds a whole lot like 'dog'. My student spent five minutes explaining that her favorite festival was the Duck Festival where they see duck fights (weird either way) and ate all different types of duck dishes. I looked horrified as I thought she was going on about a Dog Festival. You can understand my confusion when I live in a country where some actually do eat dog.

.the things they put on their pizza. Like corn and stuffing sweet potato paste in the crust, oddly enough, I now love both of these things.

.putting bathrooms outside. This isn't the case with all buildings but has been so for our church and our previous school. This is difficult in the summer or the winter since in the summer you're swatting away hordes of mosquitos and in winter...well who wants to partially undress outdoors in winter and sit on a toilet where the water inside has already turned to ice.

.it's considered a compliment to be told you have a small face.

Have you ever stepped back and realized some of the very 'bizarre' things about the culture you live in? For example, trying to explain the use of tanning beds in the states to kids who live in a country where most of their cosmetics have skin whitening ingredients. Poor kids were so confused.