So long 27!

Today I am 28. It seems crazy to me that it's been a year since I wrote a post on my 27th birthday. I had just arrived here in Korea and it was all new and crazy. Its been a whirlwind of a year that some how has become normal. I've traveled lots and met many people I now call close friends.
I am not scared of 28. I find there are certain ages that don't scare you. You are just in them as if you are prepared. 22 and 24 were like this and they were some good years so hopefully 28 will be the same. I like being in my late twenties. You aren't old enough to be expected to have responsibilities but you aren't young enough to feel lost. Obviously its scary as 30 is fast approaching but I am happy and surrounded by fantastic people so I am just enjoying the moments as they come.
I do have to slap 27th year old Tania on the wrists as the normality of life has let me become lazy with the blog so I will get back into writing.
But here are some of the things I got up to as a Travelling 27 year old:

. Experienced one of the hottest Summers I've ever known
. Met even more fantastic people
. Made lasting friendships
. Visited Busan
. Wrote for 3 different magazines
. Had Photo's published
. Went to a rave
. Visited Pohang
. Went to a mud festival
. Lost all our money in Bangkok
. Washed and played with Elephants
. Trekked through the jungle.
. Visited Koh Samui
. Ate the worlds best Pad Thai
. Tried PatBingSu (Korean Dessert)
. Visted three of the best temples in Korea
. Visted Tokyo
. Ate the worlds best Mando
.Stood on the busiest traffic crossing in the world
. Visited Tokyo Disney
. Tried Sake for the first time
. Ate Ox Tail for the first time
. Got to use my camera A LOT
. Learnt a lot more Korean
. Went on 14 planes
. Met the worlds smartest robot
. Went to a Sumo tournament.
. Visited Scotland.
. My brother got Engaged.
. My sister passed her music exam and wrote some incredible music
. Had my first Wendy's
. Went to my first baseball match
. Had a lot of girl's nights
. Ate bugs
. Ate fried arsehole (?)
. Had a food weekend in Seoul
. Taught elementary students
. Had my best friend visit me in Korea
. Made Clamato Juice and tried a Ceaser
. Learnt some of the best recipes I've ever tasted.
. Climbed 30 feet off the ground in the tree tops
. Had my first Christmas with Lee
. Had my first Christmas with friends
. Had a house party.
. Tried Yoga for the first time.
. Ran a 10k
. Spent a weekend in London with my girls
. Visited Wales
. Tried Snowboarding
. Walked on a frozen lake
. Went to the DMZ
. Made a human pyramid.
. Said a lot of hard goodbyes
. Went Blonde
. Moved house
. Owned 4 mac lipsticks
. Started teaching Art
. Celebrated my first Saint Paddy's day
. Celebrated Holi Hai
. Shot a gun
. Watched my best friend get married.

These lists feel silly and self indulgent but when you write the things you have achieved down like this. You realise how many first you can still have at 28 , it does make you smile. The world has been kind to me this year and I have made friends I will treasure for a lifetime, I miss my family every minute of the day but I've also found my own little family and my own home.
I can't imagine what the next year will bring.

Currently - August

 

Frozen Magaritas to celebrate the end of the holiday

Doing

This week is a slow week. I have only just come home from vacation so it’s a weird mix of tiredness and being completely warn out after a first working week back at school. I’m trying to stop myself from spending too much money too as the debts back home are looming. So overall it sounds very boring but lots of restful nights in a some games nights with friends has been fantastic. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be resting.

Reading

I have recently finished the new Lauren Weisberg book which is the sequel to ‘the devil wears prada’. I was really loving the girlie indulgence up until the final chapter where it all went a bit pear shaped. Other than that I have a copy of ‘The Great Gatsby’ to start. It is shameful to say I have never read the book all the way through. I know what happens but I love the decadence of it all. The characters are all so egotistical and flambouent. I can’t stop reading. I am missing books so much. I hate not being able to just pick up one from the charity shop where I buy boxes of them for less than a pound.

Eating

I’m trying to eat nothing. I have gained so much weight from the Korean Rice and beer that I’m starting to become a blimp so I’m on a stricked regime of limited food and as many gym visits as humanly possible. The gym here is awful in some ways but brilliant in others. I can still taste the Thai food from holiday which is definitely up there with my favourites. I do have a care package coming (at some point) so I’m hoping with it will come stupid amounts of British loveliness , including CRUMPETS!!!!! Epppp

 

Weird Korean food like this shouldn't be good but it is!

Drinking

Drinking has slowed with the effort to save money and lose weight but I did have a sneaky dirty martini this weekend. I wish I liked them but I just don’t. They are too straight for me. They just taste of gin. Even though I asked the barman to make them filthy it still just tasted of hard liquor. It makes me a child but I like my cocktails sweet.

I did try some red wine the other day even though I’ve never been a fan but I loved it. I am now an adult. I always thought that red wine, plain nuts and fish were the items I needed to like to make me an adult. So I’m just a few plain nuts away from being a grown up.

 

This lady gave me my first red wine last year

Listening

I’m not listening to too much. In the gym I am mainly listening to cheesy K-pop to keep me running but I have found a soft spot for Mumford and Sons. I just love them. I imagine meeting friends at the airport, dancing in friends weddings and laughing with friends when ever I hear them and I love them.

Watching

I have been watching too much. Breaking Bad is back so of course I am counting down the days till the next episode. I also need to kill a friend of mine who has got me addicted to the worst television show ever created. Gossip Girl. I’m even embarrassed to write that but it’s the perfect buffer to desk warming and a great accompaniment to lonely afternoons in the English room.

I haven’t been to the cinema in far too long. We saw Snow Piercer (a Korean/English mix) which was quite good. I enjoyed it but it had an awful ending.

Planning

TOKYO!!!

So what is coming up? Lots! I am heading to Japan in September which I am ‘cheek hurtingly’ excited for. I also have my best friend coming to visit me in October. I feel bad that she is traveling half way across the world for me but I can’t wait! I am stopping myself from planning every second as its too far away to be counting the days. Apart from that I am not looking forward to Monday as a close friend of mine is leaving our Korean shores and we will be sad to see him leave. He is going to Venice for a few months so we can’t feel TOO bad but Korea won’t be the same without him.

So overall it’s a quiet month but I’m still enjoying every second.

I am having big boughs’ of home sickness daily and wishing I was animating as well as craving a more vintage lifestyle but here is still good.

Currently

Reading

I have finally started to get into my Cecila Ahern book ‘100 names’. I love her books so much but I’m trying to not devour it too quickly as I have a holiday coming up and no other English books to occupy my time. You can’t have a beach holiday without a good girlie book after all.

Listening

Although I’m not a fan of the film I have been listening to a lot of the Gatsby album. Normally this just leads to me listening to ‘Big Band’ music for hours on end. I love big band music. It’s such a full and enjoyable sound. It makes me wish I was on a stage somewhere singing my heart out.

Eating

Rubbish! Cooking here is so expensive compared to eating out. It makes a lot more sense for me to just go to take away places but near my house I only have one or two and I’m completely sick of it. I am craving Chinese food from home. Mmmmm actual black bean sauce !

Drinking

Anything but beer. One on a Friday is fantastic but after a long weekend of nothing but Cass and Hite (two bottom of the rung Korean beer brands) I am craving Sangria, wine, cocktails and anything that’s not ass flavor. Plus I have put on so much weight since arriving in Korea. All the girls have and I’m sure it’s the beer effect. Most girls here like beer but would get something else at home whereas here its so cheap that it’s the main option (plus the excessive amount of going out we happen to do doesn’t help).

I have been dreaming of pretty champagne floats filled with prosecco. I am planning that my summer holiday will be filled with prosecco and coconut cocktails, well a girl can dream.

Watching

I’m still well and truly hooked on ‘Louie’. I think Louis C.K is one of the funniest men around and definitely the greatest dad on television. All kids deserve a dad that funny and switched on.

I have also become addicted to ‘How I Met Your Mother’. The people here love the show so it’s been hard to only slightly understand their references (as I’ve seen it on telly a lot but never dedicated myself to the ‘mother’ cause). It’s really romantic and silly but a great evening viewing.

Doing

Trying and failing to get my Iphone to work in Korea. The hassle I have had has been stupidly ridiculous. I have a contract now but it still isn’t working. I know there’s a fix out there somewhere but hell if I can find it. I have already wasted a good few hours making it work and I’m almost ready to call it quits. Fingers crossed I will crack it this weekend.

Thinking

I am trying to stop thinking. I have spent the last few years forever worrying. What about this person? What will happen? Are they ok? It’s exhausting. I have spent a great deal of time over the last few years with a knot in my stomach that makes me feel ill so I’m happy to finally feel I’m letting go of all that stress. I haven’t made everyone happy and I definitely haven’t always known my own mind but here I am happy and ready to relax so thinking is being pushed to the back burner. I am a here and now person (well at least for this week).

Looking forward to

BUSAN! It’s a Korean beach city that was my first choice of location when I was moving here. I decided on Daegu as a 2nd choice and I’m so glad I did as I love it here but I can’t wait to see the famous beach city. We are all going for a long weekend that we have coming up here in Korea. (Long weekends. I love you.)

There is a sandcastle festival and a concert on the beach in the evening as well as some fireworks. I think its going to be a great weekend.