Accidentally Blonde?

Oh by the way, did I tell you I went blonde last month?

I totally didn't mean to. I wanted to go closer to natural again, cause the past couple of times I've dyed my hair lately it's been *much* darker than I wanted it to be. I asked the hairdresser about it and he looked at my damaged hair (I've dyed it at least 6 times in the past year and had a straight-perm and volume-setting done, so it's MEGA damaged at this point) and said "impossible." Impossible because he'd have to bleach it all to dye it light brown, then my damaged hair would be dead as a door nail. I asked what he suggested and he asked if I'd be ok with highlights. They'd be subtle enough to make my dark hair look light brown again, then they'd be easy to maintain as my light brown hair grows out. Sure, why not!

And then the process began.

I like to document life. Johnny and his awesome team work at Hair & Joy, a great salon in Hongdae, Seoul. They're great with foreign clients! I read several reviews online and decided to give them a try and I'm glad I did. It's much easier to find than I expected, though of course I still got lost (I like to make things more complicated than they are, apparently.) 

Also, I had so much foil in my hair I was getting HBO! (Miss Congeniality quote, anyone?) 

After the setting time, it was time for the wash and rinse and tint. I didn't have my camera when my head was in the sink but THAT IS THE BEST PART AMIRIGHT?? I love the scalp massage part of a good salon visit! And the conditioner smelled so good! 

Then I got this funky moisture treatment with a billowing hood, and my hairdresser told me, "Zara! You look like alien! Take a picture!" So, duh, I was all up on that. 

And then the unveil! There were way more highlights than I expected and it was SO MUCH LIGHTER than I thought it would be! Johnny and his team set to work treating me like a princess with no fewer than 4 people working on my hair to dry, fluff, and straighten it to perfection. 

DRUM ROLL  PLEASE...

...

Here's the BEFORE shot for effect... An unfortunate ombre of light brown roots to dark reddish to dark brown... 

BEFORE 

...

TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AFTER!!! 

I am Princess! It took me a while to get used to, not gonna lie. I know it's not super blonde, it's a nice sandy dark blonde, but it it felt like I was wearing a wig for about a month. I've never been blonde before and didn't expect to go blonde while I live in Korea. As much as I love attention, there are just some times it's nice to duck out and blend in just a little... 

But now that I'm used to it, I really like it :):) Check "going blonde" off my bucket list! Maybe I'll even keep it for a while!

Korea is flirting with me.

Korea is flirting with me again, trying to get me to fall back in love with all of my favorite things.

...and it's working.

First of all, even in the midst of the August-rainy-homesick-suckiness, I met some really awesome new expats.  I sat next to Jenni and Nick (who blog at Shine on Korea and I Like-a Da Kimchi, respectively) on the flight from Houston to Seoul, and we hit it off right away. I don't think I've ever met a stranger, but I usually don't click *that much* with people that I sat next to on the airplane. After we talked for most of the flight over the Pacific, they still wanted to be real friends and grab dinner and drinks during our layover in Tokyo AND we met up a couple of days later in Seoul! Let me tell you, it was so very good for me to hear their first impressions! They loved everything, right off the bat. I was already missing my family and getting irritated with the little, every-day annoyances (I repeat, the spitting and the staring), and there they were, seeing Korea with fresh eyes! Listening to them love on everything was so. darn. refreshing. They'll be here for a year (or more?) with EPIK, a public-school teaching program, and they're living in Daegu.

NEW FRIENDS, I tell you. Favorite thing about expat life.

And guess where Nick and Jenni happened to have their EPIK orientation? Jeonju University, that's where! So, naturally we met up again for their first Noraebang before they left my lovely town.

NORAEBANG, I tell you! Korea, you so wonderful. How can I stay irritated with you when you have wonderful things like singing rooms? You're such a flirt.

And now September's in full swing. The temps have started to drop, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun has come out, and my life is returning to a lovely, busy routine.

September's already given me some excellent weekend jaunts. A friend of a friend went to see the beauty that is Suncheon, so I tagged along. Even in the rain, it lived up to its reputation with all the pretty nature stuff!!

Shortly thereafter, I had a *blissful* long holiday weekend on Jeju-Do for Chuseok (aka Korean Thanksgiving) Break, which happened to fall during the 2nd week of school. I got some good summer beeeeeeach time (with a happy light sunburn) and hiked the tallest mountain in Korea. YOU GUYS. Go to Jeju. Trust me. After a rainy, homesick August, it was the absolute perfect way to say goodbye to summer.

WEEKEND TRIPS, I tell you! Korea, you so pretty.

I promise I'll blog about those weekend trips with pictures soon...ish.

After coming home from Jeju, I headed to a jjimjilbang (sauna/spa with sleeping rooms) for a night and it was just what my sore after-hiking muscles needed! Hot water, hot steam, all that relaxation!

JJIMJILBANGS, I tell you! Korea, why you gotta be flirting with me like this??


Korea refuses to let me become a bitter expat. Every time I get close, she reminds me why I love it here. She reminds me why expat life is so exciting!! This life can be hard, but it's worth it. She brings new friends into my life, she throws me curve balls. It keeps me going. 

I needed that.

Thanks, Korea.

The Expat's Guide to Korean Rest Stops

A lot of people come to Korea completely unprepared for one of the most unique/interesting/strangee Korea-things: road-side pit stops. Seeing as my girl JoLeah is mere hours away from me in Jeonju (having landed at Gimpo Airport this morning!!!), she is probably experiencing one of these AS WE SPEAK (well... as I type... you'll probably be reading after she's here!) NOT TO MENTION my mama and aunt will be here next week, it's about time for this post! 

I remember my first bus ride down to Gwangju from Incheon International... I had no idea what to expect. The bus pulled off the road and there we were... in a parking lot. I was like "Uh, is this Gwangju? Well that was quick! I expected it to be... bigger... and... wait...what?" 

I had been sitting in the front row of the bus with my Bible on my lap, wide awake after having slept the whole plane ride. My eyes must have given me away as they widened with concern, and my eyebrows were probably way up and scrunched with my WHAT-ON-EARTH-IS-THIS-I'm-confused face. A kind, kind girl next to me spoke English and noticed that I was reading the Bible, so she introduced herself as a fellow Christian, and showed me where to find the bathroom.  

I pray that if you're reading this and you come to Korea, you'll have a similar Good Samaritan on your bus who will guide you through a noisy, busy rest stop and feed you (even if you think those weird fish-paste skewers are gross, it was so kind of her to share!)(and now I love them. OH HOW THINGS CHANGE.) 

In case you don't have such an experience, allow me to be your guide! 

The Expat's Guide to Korean Rest Stops

Most buses will make a pit stop about half-way through the drive. For example, if you're going from Seoul to Gwangju, it takes around 3.5-4 hours, so expect the bus to stop about two hours into the drive. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST. Look at your bus as you get off. Notice the departure and destination names, as well as the time you left. It should be in lights up on the top left of the wind shield. Also double check your lisense plate number and take a mental not of what your driver looks like, just in case. The bus will only stop for approx. 10-15 minutes at the rest stop, and I have seen the drivers leave people before, so get ready to hustle! 

I generally take a snapshot with my phone, because I usually nap on the bus and my brain is a little foggy when I've just woken up. I don't want to be lost at a rest stop in the middle of the night so... pictures help! 

Next, you're probably going to need to go to the potty first. Look for a giant sign that says 화장실 (hwa jang shil) - this means "toilet" in Korean. It's usually the biggest sign around, and very often it's pink and blue. Easy enough! 

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While you're waiting in line, older women sometimes try to push you out of the way. Korea is still very much a Confucian society, so elders have priority on most things... sometimes I get really irritated with this, sometimes I just take a step back and let them go, cause I'm the foreigner and I'm younger and they probably just really have to pee. 

Most stalls in the restroom have western-style toilets, but some have squatty potties. You'll see the symbol for a squatty on the door, like so: 

Open the door and... Voila! Supposedly this is gaining popularity in the west, because it's a really healthy way to... er... shall we say, "release." 

Here's an example of a typical stall: 

FUN FACT: most stalls have a "courtesy button" that plays music or white noise while you're in there, and most have a mirror at eye-level so you can check yourself out while doing your bid-ness. It's a hoot! 

Wash your hands with FREEZING COLD water. Sometimes there's soap, sometimes not. Whatevs. Then, sometimes you can JET DRY! Other times, drip dry. Whatevs. 

If you want to know more about bathrooms in Korea, I wrote this post about them a few months ago. Check it out here.

Now that your first priority is taken care of, you have a few minutes to look around. There are tons of street food stalls with all sorts of popular snacks. I'm not big on most Korean street food, so I usually skip these and go for the coffee shop or convenience store. 

Ahhhh coffee, my love! Angel-in-us is one of the most popular coffee brands in Korea. 

Caffe Bene is another very popular coffee shop. This rest stop had both! YUM. 

Inside, there is always a cafe with noodles and misc. other Korean food. Since your bus won't wait very long, you should probably not even try to order anything. It'd take to long to arrive, then you'd have maybe 30 seconds to eat it before you have to go. If you're driving, though, this is great! 

There's always a convenience store to check out, though! 

There will be tons of snack options, from puffed rice cake, to hard boiled eggs, to dried pollock (fish)... 

...to dried squid, chips/crisps, and cookies...

...tons of soda... 

...water, etc. 

There's also usually a stall or two selling who knows what, and they're usually blaring awful (and awfully LOUD) 'traditional' music over the loudspeakers (may I again emphasize the LOUD part?) They have everything from cassette tapes (really), glittery visors, and dancing toys. It's pretty funny. Definitely unique! 

Make your way back to your bus... remember that there are probably 25 almost-identical buses parked together, so you should remember the general location of your bus and your license plate number, like I mentioned earlier. 

THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME! OH NO! I'M LOST! 

Just kidding. FOUND IT! 

Return to your seat, pop open your snacks, and settle in to watch an hour of Korean news, reality tv, a K-Drama, and/or baseball game until you reach your final destination. Or take another nap. 

I hope you enjoyed your Korean rest stop tour ;) Until next time! 

Cheers

Jindo Miracle Sea Festival

A group of friends and I went to Jindo for a huge "Miracle Sea Festival" last month! 

Jindo is an island in my province, famous for its dogs and this so-called "Moses Miracle" festival. 

Legend has it that a woman prayed to the God of the ocean to flee the tigers on Jindo Island, and the god opened up a path through the waters. The science behind the miracle, of course, has to do with the tide. 

Visit Korea, a Korean tourism website, says this: 

Once a year in Jindo in Jeollanam-do Province, the seas mysteriously part and visitors can walk through the sea from the mainland to a nearby island. This phenomenon is caused due to the difference in high tides and low tides, which creates a 2.8-kilometer-long road measuring 40 to 60 meters in width. The Jindo Miracle Sea Festival takes place at the same time as this phenomenon. Visitors can enjoy walking along the sea road, gathering abalone and various other fun activities that make up the festival program. The spectacular sight of the waves parting is widely known and many people travel to Korea from all over the world just to witness this amazing event.

National Geographic gives us a little more background to the legend: 

According to legend, tigers were once abundant on Jindo Island. But when they began invading local villages, people fled to Modo Island. One woman, Bbyong, was inadvertently left behind.

She prayed to the god of the ocean, Yongwang, every day until finally the god told her in a dream that a rainbow would appear in the sea the next day for her family to cross the ocean.

When she went out to sea, the waters miraculously parted and a rainbow road appeared. Bbyong's family crossed the sea to meet her, and thus began a popular tradition among locals and a mystical attraction among tourists.

Unfortunately for us, the tide didn't go all the way out this year. We had these awesome thigh-high waders to walk through the low tide, but my friends and I didn't make it all the way out to the island before the tide started rising again, and we had to turn back. Bummer. BUT we had a really fun day and got a little bit soaked (the water was higher than our waders for a while), so all-in-all I would still call it a success!