Beautiful, Beautiful Fall

This past weekend I finally went hiking in one of Jirisan's courses. 18.4 km later, and my friend and I had sore feet, calves, and dirty faces, but I would do it all again in a heart beat, even with the fresh blisters on my feet. Something about getting to wander underneath the fall foliage in all its bursts of colors and away from modern civilization (really no millions of people, wires, pipes, cars...) makes me feel a little like Anne Shirley when she gets to fall in love with Prince Edward Island. Everything is romantic, and even while the paths were literally rocky and the end seemingly never near, it's hard to be disgruntled with perfect sunshine and inspiring surroundings at every turn. I wanted to share some photos from the hike as well as some quotes I found about fall. They'll give you this warm, satisfied feeling!

"...September is dressing herself in showy dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias. October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

"...I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air." -Nathaniel Hawthorne

One Year Later...

It has officially been a full year since I packed two suitcases and a backpack and moved across the world. A lot has changed, and a lot hasn't changed, and when I looked back through this blog, I'm glad I kept it up. Around this time last year I wrote a post explaining why I decided to teach ESL in Korea, and I like to think I've fulfilled my goals of being here for a year.

My Happiness. If you haven't noticed an ongoing theme, I was really unhappy towards the end of my senior year. Like sometimes would barely leave my bed for the whole day unhappy, say hurtful or just rude things just because... I had serious FOMO, and I was constantly plagued with this fear that I was constantly being forgotten. For my whole adolescence, I would get really upset at what I perceived was either a) people forgetting about me or b) people purposely seeming like they forgot because they didn't really want me there. Of course, I never explained how much this hurt my feelings. I usually let it build up, turned a bit of an icy shoulder, and then I lashed out much later or at random times. I'd also bury myself in work, using it as a buffer between me and the feeling of being forgotten, which was a gateway to feeling very alone. I can think of a few very specific times that I did this like clockwork. 

Anyhow, my goal was to really try and push for my own happiness, and I think I've successfully gotten there. I'm not wildly happy and full of spirited "You can do it!" But I'm not spending all day in bed Facebook stalking all the fun times everyone else seems to be having.

My Career. I remember telling this guy I hated in high school how I was going to be a fabulous New York socialite with a closet full of beautiful shoes and invitations to all the best parties and a powerful job in advertising. Gag me. Call it college happening, but I can think of nothing I want less. I don't want to live in NYC because I hate the cold. I don't want a ton of shoes because I just won't wear them. I don't want to go to parties because no one dances, and I have to be uncomfortable and sober while making small talk for hours. I don't want to be a socialite because... what does that even mean? And while advertising is still on the table, it's going to be for companies I care about not just blanket advertising to the biggest spender.

I frankly don't even know what my career is going to be, and as I told my dad, it's not going to be traditional or familiar. I'm out in the world, I'm seeing new things, and I'm exploring. Right now I frankly don't want anything else. As much as I've always wanted marriage and babies and a cute little castle with a massive garden and an apple orchard in the backyard (hey, dream big, right?), I don't want it right now if it means giving up whatever path I'm on. I've renewed for another year in Korea because there's a lot to still see, and there's a lot more I want to learn as a teacher. I do have some more finite desires, namely a graduate school course in Germany or Ireland (though Germany is looking pretty good right now), a future with linguistics, and working with companies I admire. I'm also interested in the idea of micro loans, so if you know anything about that let me know.

Writing. Speaking of my career, the most important thing to me is writing. The novelist dream will always be there. I've started reading so much more, and it's been wildly therapeutic in a weird way. Good books are good for the soul, no matter what anyone says. And I mean good books, with rich characters, a Roller Coaster of a plot, and this ability to grip something in you and never let go no matter how many years pass. I've been reading those kinds of books lately, and it's been amazing. 

I've also started writing again. Nothing big, and never consecutive. Just snippets here and there of observations, imaginations of my favorite characters, and more. But it's something, and it feels good to not sit there, wondering how to phrase something.  

Where Have I Been?

Hey. HEY! It's been a while, hasn't it? Not too long, I hope. This blog is going to revert to more a journal-style while I work on a website that will be a bit more professional and focused in terms of its mission. I started Samantha Elisabeth when I returned from my study abroad experiences in order to start keeping tabs, albeit publicly, on my life as I graduated from college and entered a new field. I then proceeded to use it in order to learn more about blogging, internet marketing, and more, trying to figure out how exactly I wanted everything to fit together. 

I would like Samantha Elisabeth to be a bit more personal again, filled with my own photos, inspiration, random babbles, etc. My new website, There She Goes Again, will focus on all things related to travel--information, inspiration, etc. I'm super excited for it to launch, but I want to do it right, make sure I understand all aspects of marketing it and running it as a future business and place for travelers, explorers, and more. I've learned a lot playing around with this blog the past few months, and I'm excited to put what I've learned to use in There She Goes Again. 

I'll be updating this blog a few times a week with tidbits about my life, adventures, and interests, but you may see a few posts begin to disappear as I move them to the new site. If you'd like to get a look at what I'm trying to accomplish with There She Goes Again, here are its social media sites! I am focusing on three main sources: Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, so like and follow if you please! The site should launch sometime around the end of the summer.

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

What Happened When I Stopped Putting Pressure on Myself

Ever since I was young, I've been a consummate over achiever. Here is what my senior year in high school looked like: 5 Advanced Placement Classes, anywhere from 10-20 hours of swimming a week (practice, weight room training, meets), roughly 5-10 hours of life guarding a week, random leadership positions in various clubs, and blogging. I was also consistently somewhat sick (constant coughing with "I'm fine!"), I had a huge mark on my face from some skin condition no one could quite figure out, constant fatigue (many a days were spent falling asleep in study hall hours), and I was really bad at learning how to express my frustrations or anger. Like really bad. I'm still working on it. 

In short, I seemed like I had my shit together, but I was miserable. I hardly hung out with people outside of swimming and school hours. I wasn't much fun. All I wanted to do when I was exhausted was crash and watch random K-pop videos and variety shows. It's sad, though, because if I'm being perfectly honest, I had this secret, slightly masochistic pleasure in being worked to the bone. What's with that? I liked being able to give someone a disdaining look when they were complaining about their workload and then spouting off about my own and pointing out how I had much more and was making it work. Yeah, guys, I was that chick.

I don't know why I was like that. To a lesser extent that over-achiever crept its way into my college years, and it's taken being out of that competitive, academic zone to find some sort of inner peace (how yogi of me, right?). I put a lot of pressure on myself through my academic career, and I frankly don't know why. I think I had these fantastical dreams about being famous for some crazy, cool thing I did when I was young. I wanted to get to that level of "I made it" before I hit twenty, but I had no actual passion for one specific thing. I always say, and I still do, that writing is my true passion, and one day I'll be this crazy novelist working silly hours pouring my heart into some inspiring, life changing story. However, I had been so busy trying to prove something (to me, to people, who knows?) that I lost what it meant to be a writer. 

How could I write about life when I wasn't experiencing it? My over-achiever path wasn't exactly leading to any breakthroughs, and it was having a serious impact on my over all pursuit of happiness. I was unhappy; I was lonely, and I often had this feeling of being insignificant. It's one thing to be a blip in a population of 6 billion; it's quite another to realize that in all of your various friend circles, your presence wasn't exactly missed. Like college admissions advises, it's better to be passionate about a few things than stretched out among a lot. The problem was that I thought I was passionate about everything, but really I just felt like I needed to do everything. Maybe I had a bit of FOMO? 

Anyhow, when I found myself miserable, slightly overweight, lonely, and consistently annoyed with everyone and everything, I knew it was time to make a change. I was saying goodbye to an important part of my life, and I was entering a new one. If any time was a time to change, it was then. 

I made a promise to myself that this first year in Korea would be, if anything, a time of improvement. I was going to relax. I was going to stop planning for the future down to every last detail. I was going to say yes when I wanted to say no and binge watch TV. I was going to stop looking at the negatives, and I was going to stop using "stress," "too busy," and "PMSing" as excuses. I would stop getting my feelings hurt over what I perceived as people "forgetting" me or not being able to hang out. I would do more, ask for more, give more, and I would just give myself a break. Forgive myself for the things I said and did, be proud of what I've accomplished no matter how little or big, and just live.

I'm not saying it's as easy as a few yoga sessions or some mirror talk, and bada-boom-bada-bam, you're cured of taking insane pleasure in your even more insanely over-achieving life. It takes a lot of personal reminders and a lot of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and even your slight discomfort zone to get to a place of genuine happiness. It takes work. But the result, while slow, has so far been worth it. 

Get a Tattoo in Korea

Crossed another thing off my 101 Things in 1,001 Days this past weekend! I will have a post shortly explaining the importance of the infinity symbol to me, but for now I thought I would explain how exactly one gets a tattoo in Korea (particularly given my lack-of-fluency in Korean and the conservative view points on tattoos in general). This was my first tattoo (and most likely my only one!), and I was a little more than petrified in terms of getting it done. I didn't know what to expect at all, and I had it pretty set in my mind that I was going to be crying in pain because I'm a wuss. Here are some tips:

• Do Research. I did some Google searching about getting a tattoo in Korea, and I remembered that Martina from Eat Your Kimchi got an extensive tattoo a little while ago. I knew I was going to meet them at their pop-up event, so I looked back to their post and checked out the place they recommended, Tattoo People. I asked them at the pop-up event where they reaffirmed their experience. I e-mailed TP shortly after and booked myself an appointment.
• Determine What You Want. I was quite wish-washy in the very beginning. It was between an outline of the world map, an outline of a heart, and the infinity symbol. Know what you want and where you want it for 110% certainty. 
• Do More Research. This time about what to expect. There are so many articles out there for "tattoo virgins," and while a lot of them are extremely helpful, don't let them get in your head. I was told to expect pain and a little bit of blood. I had neither, but I was petrified leading up to it. I even asked my tattoo artist if it would hurt, to which he laughed and said no. My tattoo was also done in a matter of fifteen minutes. If you want a more extensive one than what I got, I would look to those tips more, but if you just want a small one like I got, don't worry.
• Money. Make sure you're ready to spend money on your tattoo. I was told to expect about 100,000 won to 120,000 won ($100-ish), but because mine was so small and only an outline, it was only 30,000 won. 
• Don't Tell Everyone. Everyone's got some sort of opinion on tattoos, and most of the time you weren't asking. Leading up to getting my tattoo, my parents told me they weren't happy about it, one person told me I should wait until I'm 23, multiple people told me my tattoo was "so basic", and who knows what else. If you've booked the appointment, chances are you want this tattoo. Trust in yourself that you're mature enough to make this decision and that the tattoo you're getting is meaningful to you. It's your skin, so frankly it's no one else's business. 
• Bring a Friend. Whether they're getting a tattoo done as well or just for moral support. Shout out to my friend, Elissa, for coming along despite her aversion to needles and wrists!
• Prepare for Language Barriers. Obviously, getting a tattoo in Korea is going to have some language barriers. There's someone at Tattoo People who can speak English (that's who I e-mailed with), but my actual tattoo artist didn't speak a lot. There was some Google translatig and different sketches involved, but we figured it out pretty easily. Your tattoo artist should make a temporary tattoo first, so you can determine if you like it or not. Also my care instructions were in Korean, so I asked my friend to translate it for me. If you go to TP and need a translation, let me know! 
• Revel in It. You did it! It's wrapped up, and you have a tattoo. I highly recommend going to the cafe below Tattoo People and enjoying some honey bread and a coffee. It also has sauna boxes, which are like saunas for your lower half, so you can sit and enjoy them as well. You can't swim or go to full size saunas with your tattoo, but a sauna box is okay. 
• Follow the Aftercare Instructions. Whatever your parlor gives you, follow them! Make sure you have neosporin and vaseline ready to use.

And that's it! I'm pretty much in love with my little tattoo, and I had a really easy time getting it and caring for it. Getting a tattoo is something I have thought about for quite a while, and I'm glad I got something meaningful. Better yet, I got my tattoo in Korea! Cross that off the "If I can do _____ in Korea, I can handle ______" list.

Celebrating the Holidays as an Expat

Ah, celebrating the holidays. A time for family, reunions, celebrations, and getting so stuffed you feel as though you're pregnant with a food baby. If you're not with your aforementioned family, it is also the time homesickness likes to rear its ugly head. I believed that with modern technology and the fact that I've only been an expat for two months would have helped curve said blues a bit, but even I found myself missing home. I feel like it'd be especially odd for those expats celebrating holidays in countries where said holiday isn't that big. Christmas is a behemoth of a holiday, but it is not traditional in Korea, and hence it does not hold the same feeling here as it might at home. In fact, I believe Christmas day is more date night and less family feast here, but given that I'm not in a relationship much less in a relationship with a Korean fella, I only know this secondhand. 

Anyhow, my main tip for beating the holiday blues is to spend as much time as possible with other people. Even if you think you're utterly exhausted, and you just don't feel like it, get your tush up and out and celebrate. Accept the invitations, travel a little, be with people. That's the fun of holidays, anyhow, eating the foods you know you'll love and laughing over silly things with others. I still feel totally lucky that I got a city where the expats all know one another, and there are even traditions here handed down from former Namwon teachers. From decorating the halls to planning a dinner Christmas day and escaping the city for the countryside for a small weekend, these are the activities I stepped into. 

So even though Christmas with my family was a short Skype session that involved my grandmother asking me about my dating life (and then chiding me for not having one) and saying hello to the majority of my family and being asked questions about the Korean life, I didn't feel as homesick as I thought I might. I spent Christmas Eve with my fairly new founded church community, laughing hysterically over the many skits and songs put on by everyone from the toddlers to the elderly (and yes, that included me being a part of a group singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"). I spent Christmas day gorging on delicious food in one of our villa's apartments, listening to the benefits of Christmas in the heat (from the South Africans) vs. a white Christmas (the rest of us). I went to Jeonju on Friday to buy my Christmas present for myself and to explore Gaeksa. With the rest of the villa and some others, I escaped to an adorable pension in Gurye (designed like a little Hanok village) for more festivities including lots of food, fresh air, games, and food comas. 

And now I'm looking towards six weeks of winter camp and then a long vacation in Cambodia and Thailand. I think this is where I insert #blessed. ;)

Hope you all had a lovely holiday as well!    

The Magic of NYC at Christmas

From last year!

New York City will always hold a little bit of magic for me no matter what. From my very first visit in tenth grade to my most recent pop in this past summer, I've loved this city. The fast pace, the crowds, even the occasional odd smell... all of it. I may have determined that living here is probably not going to happen (never say never, though, right?), I know it's cliche to love New York City, but just spend a day there and you'll see what I mean.

By far my favorite time to visit is around Christmas (it's really humid in the summer). I went with my high school twice, and last year I went with friends to celebrate their birthdays. It's cold, but you kind of forget the chill rushing up against your skin the moment you see the city decorated. Bonus points if it's snowed! Embrace being touristy--it's okay. Go see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, score some sweet tickets to the Nutcracker, snap a pic in front of the Rockerfeller tree... Look up somewhere else to go ice skating though, there are other rinks that are just as nice without the crowd.

My recommended place to eat will always be Serendipity. The most I've had to wait is 2 hours, and you can easily wander off into Bloomingdales for some window shopping (or real shopping if you're not a broke college kid). The 2 hours fly by, and sometimes you wait even less. Don't eat a lot in the morning, so you can stuff yourself with this delicious food. And no matter how cold you are, get dessert! Soak in this wonderful city in the most magical time of the year. So wishing I could pop in this year!

Throwback to my first NYC Christmas

Playhouse EDM Festival

So this past weekend I made another trek to Seoul to attend the 2014 Playhouse EDM Festival. Basically, one of the teachers here in Namwon has a friend from home who now works in Singapore as an event organizer, and this was her event. The festival was Friday night and Saturday night at the Kintex 2 Exhibition Center in Goyang, which is within the Seoul metro. 

Let me put this out there, I wasn't even aware that "EDM" was an acronym until I heard it on the FungBro's videos, and this was my first time ever attending anything like this. I had an absolute blast, and the DJs were awesome. Let's just put it this way. My arms and legs were incredibly sore on my bus ride back to Namwon on Sunday. I didn't get to the venue until about midnight on Friday, and eleven on Saturday, so I missed the earlier acts, but the ones I did see were incredible. Some of them would even come out into the crowd for a bit to dance, like Luney Tunez (who I'm so bummed I missed!). 

Bonus: Our friend's friend, the organizer, hooked us up with VIP the second night which was super nice. The other tables even became friendly as the night went on.

W H E R E  T O  S T A Y: 

I stayed at Hotel Violet, right near Exit 3 of Daehwa Station (Line 3), and I thought it was lovely. I split a room with another teacher, and I think it came out to maybe 40,000 won a night. We took a taxi to the venue (it was only around 3,000 won) and the subway to the Hotel was a straight (albeit long) shot from the Express Bus Terminal. Let me just say, our bathroom had a waterfall shower head. And it was heaven. 

Besides that it had a double bed, a couch, a flat screen TV, a full sized mirror, and plenty of amenities that apparently all Korean hotels have (everything from a hair straightener to toothpaste). I did find it funny that we had curtains up against a blank wall, and I will say my one issue is that the walls are thin. I could hear all sorts of noises during the night. The kind where you wake-up thinking the TV is on, but it's someone in another room talking.

With DJ Thomas Newson. You can get an idea of my dress
the second night. I only brought one evening-ish dress to Korea...

W H A T  T O  W E A R:

Well, this is tricky because Koreans kind of do their own thing when it comes to dressing for anything, ever. You got everything from a flower headband to a sweater vest, so there's that. It was warm in the venue, but not suffocatingly hot. I wore a dress both nights and some Chucks, and I was actually pretty comfortable for the most part. But hey, if you wanna roll up in a turtle neck, jeans, and heels, you won't look out of place. Heck, the guy having the most fun in VIP had on a sweater my brother would wear to church!

H O W  T O  G E T  T H E R E:

Just taxi from wherever you're staying. It's so much easier. Hotel Violet had a taxi stand right outside its doors, and it cost maybe 3,000 won. They will charge you around 10,000 won on the way back though because it's 4 a.m., and they know you can't get home otherwise.

Currently I'm...

My pup, doing what she does best... Lounging around the house

• Reading... The Book Thief by Markus Zusak // Also submissions to a certain literary magazine...
• Playing... Nothing, actually! I deleted all games off my mom's iPad and my iPhone. There's too much to do and see in the world than to waste time on a game. 
• Watching... "Discovery of Love." The next in my K-drama addiction (it's like I'm making up for not watching a single one in 2013 and the first half of 2014!). It stars Jung Yumi and Eric Mun, but it also has two favorites, Sung Joon ("I Need Romance 3") and Yoon Jin Yi ("Gentleman's Dignity"). 
• Trying... to not implode from knowing that I still have four weeks until my departure!
• Cooking... Eggs. Powerballs. 
• Eating... Power Balls. I'm so addicted, it's not even funny! Also, if you're near a Steak & Fries franchise, get the Chicken & Fries bowl. So delicious. I ask for no cheese on my fries to make it healthier. It's actually not too bad besides the fries!
• Drinking... Water. I'm so dehydrated lately. Also that free iced coffee I got because the Eagles won. Thanks, Dunkin!
• Tweeting... About something different every time. K-dramas, K-pop, hurricanes, drinking coffee too late... You know, riveting stuff.
• Crafting... Well, not crafting, but knitting a huge scarf for myself!
• Going... to Pittsburgh next weekend to visit my big! Her sister and I (who is also my friend) are driving up and giving ourselves a mini-PA road trip along the way.
• Loving... Taylor Swift, or T.Swizzle. I've been a fan since 2007 when I was fifteen. I feel like a proud parent watching her grow and knowing just how genius she really is...even if I'm actually three years younger.
• Hating... Racism, domestic violence, general intolerance, ISIS, Hamas, hypocrisy... 
• Discovering... How bad my scribble handwriting is.
• Enjoying... The weather as it cools down. Also iced pumpkin lattes.
• Thinking... How terrible my sleeping schedule is (AGAIN!)
• Feeling... Content, if not thirsty for some adventure.
• Hoping (for)... A lot. Generally hoping my friends and family continue to be safe! My little is in Baltimore, do you know how terrifying that is?!
• Wearing... Right now, a spirit jersey with my sorority on it and high school sweatpants I stole from my sister. Earlier, I did have on a dress from work, so I was presentable!
• Listening (to)... So much music. I already have a solid September playlist!
• Celebrating... Chuseok! Not really since I'm in the US and my family isn't Korean or Asian. But Happy Chuseok, everyone!
• Smelling... The new MK Rio de Janeiro scent. What do you think of it?!
• Thanking... God, of course! (Always!)
• Considering... Taking an extensive trip back to WAC for a last minute visit before I take off for a year (or more ;)).

POOPED

Hope you all had a nice Labor Day Weekend. As you know from past posting schedules, I usually disappear a bit around holiday weekends. And it is not because I'm out celebrating or BBQing or meeting up with friends. It's because I work retail, and these are our busiest days. Case in point, I worked Thursday-Monday, and I. am. pooped. Regular posting to resume soon! I'm working on some meaty posts (and trying to be better about editing my own posts *cough*). I rested today (i.e. I slept in, finally went to the gym after the weekend, and got back to some healthier eating), and I've begun organizing myself somewhat. I leave for Korea in a month and eleven days! I've got more on that soon! Part 2 of getting there will be up shortly. It's surprisingly much shorter and easier than I anticipated!

Even if I was running around with shoppers, I hope you all enjoyed your weekends off! Shout out to my friends that started school this past week, and my little on her first day at nursing school!

22

I turn 22 today! 

xoxo,

Samantha Elisabeth

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I will be teaching English in the Jeonbuk province of South Korea starting in September!  I can't wait to learn more about where I'll be living. I've missed SK so, so, so much, and I'm so excited to return. 

Brunch in Philly

Sunglasses: MICHAEL Michael Kors Sicily, Similar // Shirt: J.Crew Factory //
Shorts: My Sister's Closet // Purse: MICHAEL Michael Kors Selma

Since I didn't have work until later today, I got a chance to meet up with my 3G and her friend in Philly for some brunch! We went to Redwood on South Street, and it was absolutely delicious! If you're not picky, I'd definitely recommend it for brunch. However it doesn't have the huge selection you'd necessarily think of for breakfast foods, so if you're pretty picky I'd go for something else. It'd also be a great place for happy hour! 

I'm totally going to be a brunch person in my future established life! I love the idea of meeting weekly or biweekly with galpals to eat my favorite meal of the day and talk about everything from Tinder experiences to jobs to travel to random gossip. It was also fantastic to talk to to WC grads about PG life since I'm in the midst of it right now. They're both '08 and '10 graduates who clearly have their lives pretty on track! 

I'm going to have to spend a little more time in Philly in the future. It was a gorgeous day out, and if I didn't have to get back for work, I would have loved to roam around Central Philly some more. This looks to be a pretty eventful few days, so I'm excited to be doing something active again!

The Want List

Here are a few things I've been keeping my eye on! I'm hoping by making them more visual, I'll be able to prevent myself from needless spending on Starbucks or shopping on my break!

Cannon DSLR- Now that I'm planning to travel more, I really wish I had a nice camera to record my time. I'm looking through all my old pictures from studying abroad, bemoaning the fact that I didn't have a nice camera to capture each monument or moment I saw!

Lilly Pulitzer Agenda- The one I have now from Target is just too big, especially since I don't have as much going on as I did in college. I do miss my cheerful little agenda from junior year, and with the announcement of agenda pre-orders, I decided to jump back on and get one again!

Everlane Denim Dress- I want this dress so bad! How cute would it be in the summer with sandals and minimal jewelry? And then in the fall, you can wear it with leggings, boots, and a fuzzy knit scarf!

Samsung Galaxy Tab in White- I've been using my mom's iPad lately since I've found my Kindle Fire is just too small, and I don't like the set-up as much as I thought I would. I really like the Samsung Galaxy tab, though, and it'd be perfect for long plane or bus rides!

MICHAEL Michael Kors Multifunciton Jet Set tote in Vintage Yellow- I've been eyeing an MK tote for some time now, but I've never felt that I-need-this-in-my-life quite as much as I have when he came out with the tote in Vintage Yellow. I'm just imagining it as my carry on on flights... It's also got a zip center for important items and your laptop!

What's on your want list? I obviously don't think I'm going to own everything on this list, but, hey, if my budgeting goes to plan, I might just have something left over!

Currently I'm...

• Reading... Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know! I'm way late on this train. 
• Playing... Sims Freeplay on my mom's iPad... I'm going to have to delete it soon! Too addicting.
• Watching... "I Need Romance," this Korean drama that's supposed to be like "Sex & the City." There's three in total, and I went backwards, so I'm almost done with the franchise. Let me just say that I've never laughed so hard.
• Trying... to find a recipe for Cronuts...
• Cooking... lots of yummy food ahead of time for meals throughout the week. Also some Ramen...
• Eating... S'mores with my family!
• Drinking... Diet Coke, which I've discovered that I lost the taste for...
• Tweeting... About cats, the Liberty in North Korea summit, Kyuhyun being perfect... The usual ;)
• Crafting... Some presents!
• Going... to Greenlane for Father's day tomorrow! And, ya know, work.
• Loving... My new notebooks (some shown above!)
• Hating... Nothing really! Life is pretty calm right now as I'm prepping some things to come in the fall!
• Discovering... Just how bad my wanderlust is.
• Enjoying... The gym! Again! I keep it pretty low key, going on a cardio machine for 45 minutes while watching my Kdramas, and then I do a Pinterest workout. I usually follow the Tone it Up plans.
• Thinking... How terrible my sleeping schedule is.
• Feeling... Not at all tired, even though I should be!
• Hoping (for)... A fast return on my FBI CRC.
• Wearing... Well, an oversized college sweatshirt and yoga pants. But I did look presentable earlier today in a black peplum dress and these cute sandals I got from Target! Not to mention the gorgeous necklace my friend made me for my birthday last year.
• Listening (to)... So. much. good. music. Sam Smith is love. So are these Kdrama OSTs. 
• Celebrating... Father's Day!
• Smelling... The MK Very Hollywood perfume I found in my room.
• Thanking... God, of course! 
• Considering... A lot of different career plans, actually. The world's my oyster, right?

I also loved reading these, and for some reason I have yet to do one on here!

Happy May Day!

Today marks the beginning of May! Even if this is the month allergies kick my butt the most, it's still one of my favorites! And my school kind of has an awesome tradition going on to celebrate this day. ;)

Disappearance of Spring

Currently in a mini-hibernation finishing up school. Also might be crying over the fact that it is cold and rainy on the Eastern Shore right now!

Relay 4 Life: Crowns against Cancer

This past Friday night was my last Relay 4 Life for the foreseeable future! I only went once in high school, but I made sure to attend every year when I got to college, and I'm a little sad it's already over. For three years I was apart of the swim team's relay team, so it was fun to finally be on the Zeta one! We called our team "Crowns against Cancer," and had nail painting for donations. We also handed out Breast Cancer Awareness products as that's our philanthropy (more on that in an upcoming post). Every year, Relay 4 Life at my school does different activities to keep the night fun: melting a T-shirt in ice, a burrito eating contest, and even a fun dance rave. My ZTA family participated in the T-shirt contest together (by chance as it goes...) and got a little competitive...

I also participated in a Chipotle burrito eating contest...

Cute, huh?

And of course got to spend another night with some of my best friends. I'm getting so ridiculously sentimental and nostalgic as my days nearing graduation draw nearer!

Also, shout out to the girls who lasted the whole night! Had such a fun night with all of them even if we were catatonic by six a.m. And to my crazy hair the whole night...

The message of Relay 4 Life is so important, and I'm glad I could be apart of it for my four years here! If you don't know much about it, learn. It's a wonderful cause that helps fund a lot of research against cancer. It's motto is "Official sponsor of birthdays." I mean, really?! How could you not rally for a cause like that?

It's Coming! (Stop and Smell the Pages)

So, exciting, exciting news! The anthology with which I have been helping publish in my internship with the Literary House is officially complete! While it won't receive an official release until October 2014, I can tell you it's been printed, and it's beautiful:

You can read about my experience and my love of proofreading here!

On the Printing Press...

Forewarning: Be prepared for some serious English-nerding out right now. 

The before!

So, one of the things I have been a part of majorly during my time at WC is being an editor of Treason, which is a foreign literary journal that prints roughly once a year. It is meant to be a translation of works from famous foreign authors or translations of original work from students at WC. I joined the editing team my freshman year when my roommate told me about it on a whim. By my sophomore year we had some really cool submissions, in Korean, in code, in classic Spanish and French... I really wanted to revamp the journal and give it a breath of fresh air, so I added some things and changed some things. Unfortunately printing has always been a bit of an issue. We had it printed on plain, white card stock that year, and while it looked beautiful it didn't have the same feel I was hoping for.

Anyhow, this year, I applied for and was very luckily awarded a Jacoby Endowment grant from the Rose O'Neill Literary House for $1,000 to work on Treason. I have been steadily collecting submissions and soliciting all my foreign-language speaking friends to compile a journal, and I have been beginning to plan how exactly I want the journal to look. My grant is allowing me to use the Lit House printing press to print the cover and back page as well as create a gorgeous broadside to place in the middle. Right now, my friend is designing an illustration around the theme of discovery for it. 

As part of my stipend I have been attending a letterpress workshop with Mike Kaylor on Tuesday evenings, and let me tell you something. I have fallen in love with it. He showed us the basement with all the different fonts, and I had this urge to print everything and anything! It's so much fun, and there is a lot that goes into it. Right now, my workshop project is putting together a little illustration to send to my friend in Philadelphia. We did a rough print before at our last workshop, and I am (im)patiently waiting over spring break for our class this Tuesday to print a final version. Can't wait to show you all!

The After (so far!)

P.S. Yes, I do realize I forgot the "the" between Man and less!