A Birthday Surprise 6 Months in the Making

Don't you just love his wrapping job?

Both hubs and I are horrible at surprises. If we get something we usually spill the beans within 48 hours because we just can't contain our excitement. That's why I was so shocked to find out that he had been planning a surprise for my birthday for over 6 months!

Probably about a month ago, I suggested that we take a spontaneous trip overseas in June. We had a holiday on a Thursday and we don't have our regular classes on Fridays. I just work a few hours at an academy that I can easily make up classes for and hubs just teaches an intensive class every other week. Perfect opportunity for a getaway right? He wasn't against the idea but he didn't seem as thrilled about it as I was. Little did I know, he had already bought tickets to the Philippines for that weekend back in December.

In the weeks leading up to his reveal, I sensed something was going on, that he had something up his sleeve but I tried as hard as I could to ignore it so I wouldn't be disappointed if I was wrong. I even tried flat out asking him if he had something planned but even through his nervous laughter, he convinced me he had nothing to hide. I'm not sure what changed, or if he was just that good at throwing me off (he even had our bosses in on it, telling me lies to distract me) but by Tuesday afternoon, just two days before we would leave, I was certain nothing was going on and I had imagined the whole thing. I was convinced that we were going to Seoul that weekend (his cover up destination) and was looking forward to getting out of town. 

Thursday morning we woke up late with the plans of a big American style breakfast of french toast and bacon(bacon being a delicacy in our house because of it's high price here in Korea) and maybe heading to a nearby town to explore for the day. Hubs woke me up that morning and asked if I wanted my birthday present early. He plays this game every year, too excited to wait any longer, and I tell him every year that he needs to wait for the actual day. I told him no as usual but he was extra persistent this time. I gave in and he bounded out of the room and came back with a large wrapped box in hand. Inside, taped to the bottom, were two round trip tickets to Cebu, Philippines. Our plan was to fly out that night and spend three days basking in the sun in the secluded town of Moalboal. I think it's goes without saying that I am blessed beyond belief and this birthday is one for the books.

Linking up with Rolled Up Pretty and Shanna 

Quarter of a Century

This weekend I turned a quarter of a century. When it's put like that, it's a whole lot more panic-inducing that saying I'm turning 25. And don't get me started on the fact that here in Korea, I'm considered 26. 

photo courtesy of dots.i.am photography

When we decided to move abroad, one of the major pulls besides being able to travel, was to completely immerse ourselves in a different culture. And immerse we did. When we first came over, we didn't know a word of Korean, didn't know a soul here and had never even tasted Korean food before. While we had lessons in the expected areas like patience, understanding and a whole new appreciation of the world and people around us; we also learned a few other things we weren't quite expecting. So today, instead of going through what I've learned in these 25 years of being alive, I've decided to highlight some things that Korea has taught me in these past two years.

.stay out of the sun- Koreans are infamous for staying out of the sun, even carrying umbrellas around and wearing long sleeves in the summer time in order to keep a pale complexion. A vast difference from the land of suntanning oil and tanning beds (try explaining that to students who buy makeup with 'whiteners' in it). I can honestly say that my naturally pale skin doesn't bother me like it did back home and it's probably for the better.  

.don't work too hard- I teach students who come into work at 7am and sometimes don't leave until well past 10pm. They sacrifice personal time and time with family for work functions and deadlines. More than anything, I want to try and find a way to spend as much time with friends and family as possible and work to live, not the other way around. 

.I really can cook- Living in Korea, there is a more limited supply of ingredients compared to the states. It can be quite challenging to try to find something to cook when the majority of the recipes call for ingredients that I either can't find here or cost triple the price (many of my pinterest food pins are quickly passed up after reading the needed ingredients). I've learned different substitutes for these occasions but more than that I've been more adventurous in cooking. If I can't buy things that I want such as tortillas, cinnamon rolls, or fresh herb bread, I make it. I don't think I ever would have tried to make those things back home when it's so easy and affordable to go to the store and buy them. 

.always always bring extra toilet paper- Many public Korean rest rooms do not have toilet paper. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way(unfortunately, subway maps aren't ideal in this situation but it's all I had) and always make sure I care tissue with me wherever I go; even when traveling to different countries where I once had to pay for tissue before I went it. 

.I can use chopsticks better than ever- It's odd but using chopsticks is surprisingly easy and normal compared to when we first arrived and I thought I would always be clumsy and continuously dropping my food (many times in restaurants when the waitress see foreigners, they bring out the forks from the back). I'm not quite to the 'karate kid catching flies' phase yet but let's just say I don't leave a restaurant hungry anymore.

I quickly found out their secret when I first came over. I wondered how they taught their kids to eat with chopsticks until I saw these trainer versions in the store. Yes, I will be stocking up on these before I leave. 

via

.squatty potties aren't all the bad- I know, I know. They're gross, they're hard to use, but once you get the hang of them? They're actually not that bad. But yes, I still prefer Western toilets.

.bigger is not always better-I've written about this one before but we've gotten use to a lot of things being smaller here in Asia. Smaller apartments, smaller portions, smaller cars. Now when we watch House Hunters, we always end up yelling at the screen asking what they would do with all that space and wonder why everyone complains that 'it's too small'. It's safe to say that when we move back, we'll be that odd couple with our small cars, in our small house, eating our small meals. 

.I actually am capable of working when I'm sick- I miss sick days. I miss being able to call in to work for a ‘personal health day’ (you know you do it too). Unfortunately, even though we technically have sick days, we are still expected to show up to work no matter what and show that we are ‘diligent’. That word will forever have a new meaning in my head. In the last two years my husband and I have only taken one sick day and worked through colds, loss of our voices, food poisoning and flus. All the while being thanked by our bosses for still showing up to work and being ‘diligent’. As annoying as it is sometimes to still have to work when you should be in bed, it makes you realize what all you can successfully work through. There are many times that I have thought ‘I wish I could call in’ but once I got to work, I found out that I could really work just fine. And even if this new work mentality doesn’t follow us back to the states, I will still have my almost perfect attendance to brag about.

Korea has definitely left it's mark on me and changed me a lot in the past two years. I can't wait for what new adventures come next!

How to make your husband cry...in a good way

I’m horrible at birthdays. I’m not just saying that so I can get some sympathy, I truly am. I have the memory of a 70 year old and the secret holding capacity of a six year old. I often don't start planning until it's too late or when I do manage to plan something, I spoil the surprise. But I’ve made it my mission this year to fix that for the Hubs sake. So I did what any good wife would do...I went on Pinterest to steal find ideas. I saw one post in particular that caught my eye. There was a great idea to have all of the people close to them to write their favorite memory of them and they can open these letters on their birthday. Being overseas can be especially difficult when you can’t celebrate with the people you are used to back home. So this was the perfect way to include all of the people close to us, both near and far. Not only was it great to see the Hubs reaction to all of these past memories, I also loved reading about all of the crazy things he did before we met. My favorite by far is still the one his mother wrote about him:
When he was five years old, we were all at the mall having a field trip and I had $5.00 to spend on 4 kids for treats. We walked into a department store and found ourselves in an area full of refrigerator magnets. He noticed one that stood out from the pack, as it was an "Oreo cookie" turned plastic magnet. In an instant, he took a bite out of it and began chomping down on the resin-covered cookie. As the retail clerk observed, I timidly handed over the 5 bucks gave him the look that only a mother can give. 
So glad you had a great birthday Hubs, we'll have many more for me to perfect the celebration.