Korea Throwback

When people ask me what Korea is like, I always have a hard time describing it well.  They try so hard to emulate western culture (there's an Outback Steakhouse on every corner), but at the same time, the culture is so far from anything American (kids hate spaghetti and love steamed snails larvae).  This article from CNN Go paints a pretty good picture of Korean society.  Probably the best I've seen it spelled out.  (Thanks to Katie for sharing it on Facebook).

Concert Tonight

Put your dreams away for now, I won't see you for some time. I am lost in my mind, I get lost in my mind.


One of my favorite bands and favorite songs.  Will be amazing.

The Ultimate Travel Experience.

Feels like flying...

Change is Good.

A few months ago, a coworker showed me an astrology site that she described as being incredible accurate.   All of my coworkers around me read the information about the day their were born and exclaimed that they couldn't believe how spot on it all was.  Alright, I decided to have a look as well.  Some of what I read definitely sounded like me.  But then, one big statement stuck out to me: "Those born on this day have a very difficult time accepting change."

"That's not true," I thought.  I love change.  I love the impermanence of traveling and moving from place to place.  I choose to create a lot of change in my life and I like it that way; it keeps things interesting.

Somehow, that statement has stuck with me for the last few months.  There have been some big changes that I've had to deal with recently.  This is a different kind of change: not things that I chose to change but rather changes that are imposed on me and directly affected my life.  Let me tell you, as it turns out, that astrology page was spot on.  I hate change that I can't control.

This is fairly normal I suppose, but it has come as a sort of revelation for me.  Like I said, I've enjoyed the changes in my life that I've had control over.  But this has been a new experience for me.  I've had a harder time than most would in accepting some of these new changes in my life.  But now that I realize this about myself, it can help me to better adapt in the future.  This change will be ok.  It might not be the change I choose, but I will accept it.
I'm always learning more about myself, and it is wonderful.  

Everything is bigger in Texas..?

When it rains here, it POURS.  And I do mean that in the most literal way possible.

We were in a drought here for months on end.  Not a drop of water feel from the sky.  The streams were all dried up and the lakes were steadily decreasing.  Thousands and thousands of trees and livestock died.  A nearby town ran out of water.  I didn't even know that was actually possible.

Then one day, the sky parted and rain was released. I think every single person in Austin did a happy dance that day.  It was a miracle.

Now, we're not out of the drought.  But we have had some wildly magnificent storms the last few months.    And of course the biggest storms always seem to be at night.  The house shakes like it's an earthquake and the room lights up from the lightening outside.  I have to admit: I'm a bit of a chicken.  So sometimes when we get those really big strikes, I might let out a little shriek (Jason of course appreciates this).

Anyway, the thunderstorms here are truly incredible.  And the flash flood warnings are real and something to be aware of.  I had to run an errand the other night during a massive storm and the streets were flowing like a river.  I had visions of my car being swept away and got honestly a bit terrified for a moment.

But the land is soaking up the rain, and my garden loves it as well (minus any flooding).   So bring on the big rain, Texas.

Springtime in Texas

I had thought fall was my favorite season in Texas, but I was wrong.  Spring in Texas is hands down, without a doubt, my new most favorite season in Texas.  Why?  Well not only is the weather perfect and quite enjoyable before the heat of the summer is sure to arrive, but the WILDFLOWERS are unbelievable.  Last spring, we were in a serious drought.  There were no wildflowers.  I heard takes of the elusive bluebonnets covering the land, but I didn't see any and couldn't imagine the beauty.  This year, they are everywhere.  Wherever there is greenspace, there are Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, Black Eyed Susans, and so more that I don't even know the names of.  Driving along the highway is currently one of my favorite activities as the side of the road has become a rainbow of flowers.  I really can't get enough of it and if these flowers were always in bloom, I may never leave Texas again.  

Well anyway, here are just a couple of flower photos from my wonderful iphoneogrophy.  

Bluebonnets

The side of the highway

And I would walk 500 miles...

This guy is a badass.  And maybe a little bit crazy.

COLOMBIA!

So maybe I haven't been as good with my new year's resolution of blogging more as I planned to be, but sometimes life gets in the way.  Ever since my parents arrived before Christmas we have had visitors or been out of town EVERY weekend!  This has been my first weekend in about 2 months to relax and do what I want/need to do.  And it feels GOOD.

But before I start to sound like I'm whining about being busy, let me just say that the last couple of months have been great.  Some of Jason's family came to visit, numerous friends, I went home to Colorado, and as the icing on the cake, we made a trip to Colombia!  This was the first big trip that we've done since moving back to the States in August 2010 (besides a jaunt to Mexico for a wedding last May, which was lovely).  Our lack of traveling has been quite the change from our lives abroad when we were constantly planning weekend trips to foreign places.  Ahh the life of an English teacher abroad...

Anyway, we first started talking about our possible Colombia trip at Thanksgiving.  Jason's cousin, Michael, is married to a woman from Colombia, Cata.  He's in the Air Force and they normally live in Germany, but as he is currently deployed for 6 months, Cata and their 3 kids are back in Bogota with her family.  She came up to Austin for Thanksgiving and got Jason and I to thinking... "why don't we just go visit her??" So after some planning and struggling to get dates approved at work (ahh the life of a 9 to 5 job in the US), we were on our way!

ITINERARY:
Feb 4-7: Medellin
Feb 7-11: Cartagena
Feb 11-14: Bogota

I think I'll write some detailed posts later about our time in each place.  But here's the overall gist: Colombia is a beautiful country.  Did you know it's the 2nd most bio-diverse country is the world?? They've got it all: snow capped mountains, crystal clear waters and coral reefs, Amazon jungle, deserts, the list goes on.  A little more info from Mongabay.com:

Despite its relatively small size, Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country on Earth, home to about 10 percent of the world's species. This biodiversity results from Colombia's varied ecosystems—from the rich tropical rainforest to the coastal cloud forests to the open savannas. More than 1,821 species of birds, 623 species of amphibians, 467 species of mammals, 518 species of reptiles, and 3,200 species of fish reside in Colombia. About 18 percent of these are endemic to the country. Colombia has a mind-boggling 51,220 species of plants, of which nearly 30 percent are endemic. 

That is A LOT of animals.  I can't even begin to comprehend that many animals.  There are species of plants in Colombia that haven't even been discovered yet.  Maybe it's just me, but this stuff boggles my mind... And one of the best parts of biodiversity, which we had the wonderful opportunity to try, are all the tropical fruits!  There are many fruits that only grow in Colombia!  I thought I knew of most tropical fruits, but in Colombia I tried fruits that I've never even imagined before. You can see images of a lot of the fruits here. Deeee-licious.

Everyone knows that Latin American countries are known for having warm and friendly people.  But Colombia is known for having especially warm and friendly people, even for Latin America.  We met many lovely, smiling people.  And one of my favorite parts- they (mostly) spoke clear Spanish and were patient with my rusty Spanish skills!  Even though most people I encountered probably spoke at least some English, none of them ever changed to English when speaking with me, even though I messed up my verb conjugation and had trouble of thinking of the right word sometimes.

So to make a long story short, Colombia is a beautiful and enchanting place.  We met great people, saw old friends, visited family, ate good food, explored big cities, relaxed on the beach, swam in crystal clear Caribbean waters, ventured through castles, saw famous works of art and amazing museums, wandered through the countryside, climbed giant rocks and had just an all around good time. 

Ahh... Colombia.