California (Yosemite Visit)

Erlo and I FINALLY got to go back to the Bay Area together.  It seemed like a whirlwind of a trip, but we definitely got to do a lot and spend a lot of needed time with the family.

The day after we arrived, we drove down to Yosemite with my parents.  My mom had booked a hotel outside of the park the first night, but we wanted to try to see the valley on our way there.  There was a chance of snow, so on the way we kept calling the park for updates on the road conditions.  We ended up stopping in some little small town (Merced?) and buying some.  Erlo was fascinated by the small American town….it looks exactly like it does in the movies! 

We did get to drive through Yosemite Valley the first night, but unfortunately, there were so many clouds that we barely saw Yosemite Falls and El Capitan!  Erlo was impressed, nonetheless, and I was happily breathing in the familiar cedar and sierra scents.

The little motel we stayed in was adorable.  It was about 20 minutes outside the park, and had some pretty bad reviews, but it suited our tastes.  It was tucked away in the woods and was refreshingly peaceful.  Not the best service by the owner/manager (the garbage from the previous guests was left in our room) but it was good enough.

That night, we had our first Mexican meal of the trip….and it was SO GOOD.  We shared a dish of chicken Mole that literally melted in your mouth.  We were also reminded of the Great American Portion Size.  Yikes.  Erlo and I shared a dish and were still stuffed to the brim.  I don’t know how people do it…

(side note:  I’m realizing as I’m talking about all of this that I should have taken pictures of all of this!  I’ve been away from the blogging game so long that I have forgotten!  My sincerest apologies, I will try to do better…)

The next day was still quite cloudy, so we were left to explain and try to convince Erlo how beautiful Half Dome is.  Every time we rounded the corners that would normally have a view of the spectacular rock, there was a patch of cloud covering it.  At least El Capitan and the Falls were in clear sight!

We took a couple walks, ate a picnic lunch in the Awahnee Hotel and moved into our rooms at Yosemite Lodge.  After a dinner at the Awhanee Bar(WAY overpriced), we returned to the Lodge for an early night.

The next day, it was back to Yosemite Valley to see the fresh morning fog clearing to reveal Half Dome!  I love this view so much.  We also hiked up to Mirror Lake, which has a lot of memories for my parents.  Although the lakes were dried up for the season, we enjoyed an exploratory wander through the woods behind the lake.  Erlo was disappointed not to see any bears, but we definitely saw evidence of them (torn up logs, footprints) which was almost as exciting.  A group of about 6 buck made an appearance for us, which was definitely cool. 

And then back on the road for us!  We headed back to the restaurant we went to the night before where we stuffed ourselves silly again before jumping in the car back to my parents’ house.

Watch this space....

Hey readers!  Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this space!  Since I haven't had my own computer for some time, I have been totally neglecting this space.  But good news!  I will soon be getting my macbook and have some good ideas brewing for my blog.  See you soon!

One Year

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted! It has been almost a year since Erlo and I moved to New Zealand. It has been just over a year since we got married. So much has happened. I moved locations in my job. I am still doing the same work, but much closer to our house. Erlo changed jobs. He works in a much friendlier, happier environment where he is trusted, valued and challenged. We have had many visitors already, including my parents, my friends Tracy and Carie, my friends Larry and Joan, and a brief visit from my friend Brandon. We have seen SOOO much of New Zealand and been able to show some of our favourite parts to those people and would love to show them to more.

Unfortunately, my bad luck with electronics has limited my blogging ability. Just after my last post, I learned that you can’t feed your sister green curry through Skype because you will spill it on your computer and ruin it definitely. I also learned that if you get an iPhone, hold onto it with all your might at all times, or it is highly probable to be stolen from right beside you. Hopefully I will be getting a new computer soon and will continue writing about my life. I miss it and find it cathartic.

Erlo and I will be here for at least another year. It has been such an amazing, invaluably difficult and wonderful year and we are ready for another! We miss my family, but love being close to Erlo’s (well, part of it anyway). We are meeting new friends(slowly, but surely), and dearly missing the far away friends. 

Although this isn't the beginning of a calendar year for me, it feels significant as I reflect on a year in a new place, with a new phase of my relationship with Erlo, and a new phase of my personal life.  I'm looking forward and open to all the upcoming year has for us. 

Do You Wonder

My good friend Jenna sponsored me in her post recently. Read about me!

http://jennavan.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/emily-becoming-a-kiwi-almost/

Rugby World Cup, Eating Healthy, and Muffins.

Last weekend, the Rugby World Cup began here in New Zealand. It is the first time NZ has hosted the event since 1987--the same year they last won the cup. So as you might imagine, there are a lot of expectations for greatness in NZ during this time. It is pretty exciting, since NZ is such a small country. We get to hear a lot of complaining at the same time--about how terrible the public transport is, criticisms on the decorations, and moaning about the referees making bad calls against the All Blacks(NZ's idolized Rugby team). At work everybody is getting into the excitement, which makes my days a little more interesting. I work with a lot of Pacific Islanders(Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, etc.), and they are all getting very into it, proudly cheering for their home teams. Tomorrow we are having a potluck to celebrate Samoa's first game of the world cup. I decided to make these banana chocolate chip muffins (blue and red to support USA!):

I made those to compensate for the healthy eating lifestyle Erlo and I are attempting. We always try to eat healthy, but after watching the documentary Knives over Forks which is all about Plant-Based Eating, we are trying to have less meat and dairy in our diets. It's a very compelling movie, and while I realize that it is probably biased, I think the evidence they present begs for at least a little conscious lifestyle change. Watch it and see what you think!

Anyway, tonight, I made this amazing dish:

It is roasted butternut squash stuffed with Quinoa mixed with chickpeas and caramelized onions. I used ginger, sprigs from our curry plant and fresh garlic to season it. Erlo agreed it was great. This was a completely vegan meal with plenty of protein. It was so filling neither of us could finish it! This doesn't mean that we are becoming vegan(Erlo definitely couldn't), but we both want to experiment cooking with a lot less meat and dairy. I know the muffins don't really follow the whole no dairy thing, but they are a treat... :)

Kiwisms

Here's the post you've all been waiting for! For many of you American's out there, this seems to be a very interesting and entertaining topic: Kiwi sayings. Trust me, it is for me too! I've compiled a list of a few of my favorites/the most commonly heard.

(Note: some of these words or phrases may also be used in Australia or the UK)

mate: a friend (also can be heard used as an expression: "How are you doing?" "Mate!!"(good) or "Mate...."(bad)

motorway: freeway

lolly: candy

sunnies: sunglasses

ta/cheers: thanks

g'day: hello

togs: swimsuit

lilo('lie low'): inflatable pool toys

jandals: flip flops

greasies: fish and chips

chocka: full to the brim

bach(pronounced like the beginning of bachelor): holiday home

arvo: afternoon

tea: dinner, break, or actually tea

dunny: bathroom

fizzy drink: soda/pop

footie: rugby

entree: appetizer(I find this interesting that we use it for main dishes...anyone know French?)

pack-a-sad: sulk

piece of piss: easy, not hard

piss around: do nothing

piss up: to party, drink alcohol

pudding: dessert

scull: drink, consume

up the duff: pregnant

ute: pick-up truck

a wobbly: a tantrum

a Sunday driver: a slow driver

So to all my mates up there in the Northern Hemisphere,take advantage of your weather and piss around in your jandals and togs on your lilos in the arvo. Next time you're in New Zealand, grab your sunnies and some greasies and head to the beach, but please don't be a Sunday driver on the motorway or everyone will have a wobbly. Ta.

Melbourne, VIC

Hi all. Finally I am at my own computer, with my pictures uploaded! The week before last, I was in Melbourne, Australia. I got to tag along with Erlo since I didn't start my new job till last week and he was going for a conference. While he was in meetings all day, I took off and made a point to get lost in the city. Melbourne is a seriously cool city. I had always heard good things, but I really really liked the place. I highly recommend it, and even though it is winter, it was charming and beautiful.

It was full of cool alleys with restaurants and cafe's like these:

At one of them, I got this cool coffee:

At another, I enjoyed this awesome curry laksa:

Melb is also full of cool old buildings and churches:

In and amongst the wandering, I explored Queen Victoria Market....a place that reminded me a lot of Italy and Spain, except with more Asians and English speakers:

On Friday and Saturday I was a luckly lady to be joined my a handsome fellow who calls himself my husband:

and his best friend Justin:

On Saturday we went to the zoo:

But one of my all time favorite things about Melbourne was the wild birds! Parrots were everywhere and so beautiful!

I highly recommend this city for anyone who loves cities and exploring. Go there!

English

I read a fascinating article on BBC yesterday, and because it a topic that I think about a lot, I decided to write on it. Since moving to New Zealand, one of the things I have thought about is why is it so easy for so many people to understand American slang and lingo, but it seems to take practice for Americans to understand foreign English slang and lingo(be it Australian, Kiwi, British, etc)? The obvious answer is probably because of the television culture, but is this a flaw in the American culture that we are so sheltered from this part of our culture? Because it is certainly part of our culture--even though we broke away from British rule, the ancestry of our culture is in the UK and Europe.

I've been thinking about this for some time, and then I found this interesting article. It seems as though we have had more influence on the English culture than many would like to admit. Did you know the words lengthy, reliable, talented, influential, and tremendous were not English words until after the United States was established? Yes, some silly Americans invented those words! Crazy!

Another interesting fact I found in this article was that the English language is one of the few languages that is open to change and development. Many other languages do not accept new words into their vocabulary except through a thorough evaluation process done by some smart language people at institutes in various places. I remember this about Spanish when I studied in Spain. Not much has changed in hundreds of years simply because they won't allow it to change. There may be some slang words that develop along the way, but they would most likely not make it into a dictionary or a classroom.

Anyway, in my personal observation, Kiwi(and this is possible linked therefore to British) culture, takes very slowly to change in general. This can be a good thing, because things that have always worked stay working, and tradition doesn't change much. It can also potentially be a negative thing because things that should be modernized are done so very slowly. US culture has historically been very open to change(maybe more so California?), and thus is more open to new changes in language. People all over the world have to accept this change because it may be necessary to keep up with the modern world and because they might be good changes.

I love culture and while I love my American English, I do appreciate and enjoy learning new Kiwi-isms. Sweet-as, aye, and g'day are welcome into my vocabulary and I hope that they will brush off onto other Americans I know too! Hopefully we can all become more globally-aware English speakers as our world becomes more connected.

Thankfulness

I'm not one to quote Bible verses very often, and maybe I should be, but one of my favorite verses has always been "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is my will for you". Even if you are not a Jesus follower, I believe the practice of being thankful is truly a powerful one, and one that I really haven't practiced enough lately. Thankfulness reminds us of the abundance we have, which is essential to remember in a world of so many with so little.

As I mentioned in my last post, the transition to New Zealand has not been the easiest, but this last week I got a job! I will be a Social Worker at Child Youth and Family, the child protection agency here in New Zealand. Although the location is not ideal(one hour commute), we don't have a second car yet, and it is provisional on NZ recognizing I am qualified to practice social work, I am nonetheless thankful. I am thankful that we now have two incomes. I am thankful that I am doing something I believe in--which is protecting children and working to conserve the family unit. I am thankful that I won't be left at home to think too much about things (a potentially dangerous thing for me). I am incredibly thankful for a husband who supports me in everything, even when I am potentially hard to live with. I am thankful to be living in a country with a mild winter(comparatively). I am thankful for summer coming around the corner. I am thankful for the delicious food that is abundant in New Zealand. I am thankful for a God who takes care of us and loves us and gives us an endless number of things to be thankful for.

I guess one of the main reasons I am thinking about being thankful lately is my lack of thankfulness and because of the season here, it feels like it should be thanksgiving, and so I guess the best thing to do is to be thankful.

What are you thankful for?

In New Zealand with a 'Kiwi'

We've been in New Zealand for just about 2 months now and Erlo and I are making an attempt at adjusting/readjusting to the culture. It's much more complicated that one would think to adjust to a culture that is different in practice and yet similar in appearance. I've found that my adjustment to the culture here has been more difficult than in say, Korea or Taiwan, possibly because I am almost expected to understand it because I speak the language. I still haven't quite been able to articulate everything that is different about this culture, but in the process, I am learning to be patient and trying to stay positive. More to come on the cultural differences in the months to come.

Erlo and I have settled into a two-bedroom rental and are slowly getting our heads around this grown-up world we have been thrown into. We are ecstatic about being close to beautiful beaches, a mountain range, and several wineries. I seriously shouldn't complain about any of this. The job hunt is still in progress for me, which is also teaching me patience and humility ;)

So here I am in yet another new home! I can't wait to see what adventures await me here!

Mrs. Jones

Well, it's done. Erlo and I got married in Thailand April 10, 2011. The wedding itself was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. We had some of our bestest friends and both of our immediate families. Everybody got along and we all chilled for a few days together at the beach. It was exactly what I wanted. Because everyone had been chilling and getting to know each other before the wedding, the wedding was much less stressful and it was more about the partying...exactly what both Erlo and I wanted. We have heard so many stories about a wedding being just a time to see people and catch up for a few seconds...not enough time...only to retreat exhaustedly to your hotel room. Not to brag, but ours was truly a celebration. Yes, there were stressful things about it, especially the night before for me, but all in all it was truly the perfect wedding.

And now, at this very moment, Erlo and I are traveling to New Zealand to start our new life together. Saying good-bye, or see you later to my parents was a bit melancholy, as always, but we are excited to start our new life together and host the dozens of visitors promised to us in the near future.

Currently, we are in Sydney on a layover, and will arrive in Christchurch this evening. This week we will take our time to drive to Auckland where Erlo will start his job as a corporate event planner/salesperson in a hotel in West Auckland. I will continue my search for a job while I adjust to a strange new culture. ;) Erlo and I have been spoiled being in California around my family for so long and I am anticipating feeling the distance a little more than usual. It seems now I have another wonderful person to keep me comfortable however and I look forward to being spoiled by him.

I am loading the pictures from the wedding on my Picassa, so you will have to wait a little longer for those! New updates soon!

California Home

Been at home for a week now. For those of you wondering what I have been doing, yes, I have been busy. It seems that as much as you think you have done, there are always little things here and there to be done. We are tasting wines, buying favors, planning schedules, and getting plenty of rest. Being back in the States is always a bit of an adjustment, and planning a wedding doesn't make it easier, but it makes it a bit more exciting.

Tomorrow, Erlo and I are headed down to my sister Angela's place to hang out for a few days. On Sunday, they are having a bridal shower for me, where I will get to see some girlfriends I haven't seen in a long while. So excited!

So that's the update for now. Hope to see all of you who actually read this soon!!

Sunny California Welcome

Arrived to California on Wednesday. Erlo and I are in heaven. I guess it takes going away from this place for a bit(if you're from here) to truly appreciate it. March 3 yesterday and it was 65 and sunny. Wore a short sleeve and jeans. To Bay Areans, this is still cool, and we saw lots still wearing jackets.

I think we are going to have a busy month here! It's part excitement, part having a lot to do, but I am definitely not sleeping as much as I would like to. I've missed waking up to the quiet sun, a morning coffee, and morning toast. Haven't felt so relaxed in awhile, which is strange considering I have a wedding in 30something days!

Once again, I have been faced with culture shock. Not as much as when I came back from Taiwan since I did get the chance to come back a few times when I was living in Korea. Its the little things like having someone give you the right of way when you're crossing the street, men holding doors open, speaking English, and not having anyone stare. Yesterday I reminded Erlo that we never have to right in an elevator in Korea ever again(this was one of our least favorite activities; many Koreans seemed to lose common sense when on a lift). The smile on his face was quite impressive.

Yesterday we went for a long run without feeling heavy in the chest for the first time in awhile. It was such a beautiful day I felt like I could run forever!

Okay, I will stop with the giddiness. I've gotta get this day going!!

Transition

Well, the time is finally nearing...when I am leaving Asia! This time is different than 2 years ago when I was leaving Taiwan. Much much different. First of all, and most obvious, I am leaving with my fiance, and about to get married in about 2 months. Second of all, I am leaving with the intention of not coming back. Not even letting myself have the option of coming back. For any of you who have spent more than one year teaching English in Asia, I have a feeling you are thinking "yeah, that's what they all say", but its time.

It's time to start a new life with my new husband. Erlo and I have decided there is something valuable for us to start something new together. Obviously, even if we were staying here, getting married is starting new, but for us we want to start a new life in a new place. Together. We are excited about the prospect of being together to start a new chapter of our lives in so many different ways.

So here's the plan:

March 2: Fly to California. Spend time with family, see California, eat good food, prepare to marry.

April 3: Fly to Thailand. Relax on beach.

April 10: Get married

April 17: Go back to California.

April 30: Have a reception in California.

May 5: Fly to Christchurch. Honeymoon in Akaroa, New Zealand.

May 16: Done with honeymoon....look for place to live in Christchurch or Auckland.

And there you have it. When we go to NZ, we won't have a car, we won't have jobs, and we won't have an apartment. It terrifies me. We have money saved, but you never know, right? I think right now is a time to learn trust. Trust that we can take care of each other. Trust that we have made the right decision to have so much time off for wedding stuff. Trust our wisdom in budgeting and spending. But above all, trust in God. Yeah, there's the big one.

But more than anything, I am excited! I just hope the next several months I will be able to soak it all in. Remember the moments with friends and family. Savor the feeling of having dear ones surrounding me in one of the biggest steps in my life. I want to be able to relive the times in my head again and again for years to come. Oh, how great it will be!!

planning

Since my life is and will be changing significantly, I have decided to also make a change in my blog. I'm not sure about the title yet, so any creative suggestions would be much appreciated. The background is an engagement picture we took a couple weeks ago. It's one of my favorites.

The next six months are going to be months of planning for us. Wedding planning, and future planning mainly. For the most part, it's ground that neither of us has covered. The plan thus far is to marry in Thailand in April, head to the Bay Area for a reception for all those Cali people, and then do the big move to New Zealand where I can begin to see how I fair as a Kiwi.

I am super excited about this journey! I want to keep you all updated as much as I can, but as past experience has shown, I am not to great with keeping up the blog. My main excuse this last year is a major distraction in the shape of a South African born Kiwi. Maybe now that we are getting a little more settled with each other, I might be able to devote more time here. Don't cross your fingers.

A thought on the wedding planning: I can honestly say I was never ever the type of girl who dreamed about her wedding day. I was more the type to dream about the man. Now that I have found someone who has gone above and beyond my wildest dreams, I have been forced to think about the wedding. I can't say I'm good at this. When I actually sit down and look at bridal magazines or blogs, I do get somewhat excited and love the ideas, but fall short with the follow through, particularly with the DIY stuff(do-it-yourself, for those who don't know). For me, a simple beach wedding with lots of partying sounds best, and so, that's what I'll have. I hope to have my closest friends and family beside me, getting along and celebrating the choice that I've made to marry someone who suits me just so. Isn't that how its meant to be? Don't we lose sight of what a wedding is meant to be? What wedding advice would you give this bride-to-be? What would you do if you could do it again? Or, if you aren't married, what is your dream of the ideal wedding?

plus one

Last night, my wonderful boyfriend of 11 months asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes. How could you say no to such a wonderful person? I am happy to spend the rest of my life with an amazing, adorable, caring man whom I know will take care of me and make me laugh for years to come.

We have tons of fun together and are constantly laughing:

Here is the beauty he picked out for me. Love it.

I couldn't be happier. I actually don't remember ever being this happy. The kind where I want to tell my neighbor, whom I have never spoken to, that I am marrying the man of my dreams. Super cool.

Sick Day

After a little cajoling from myself and my boyfriend, I decided to call in sick today. For some reason, even though I am as sick as a dog, I feel guilty calling in sick. Koreans don't seem to do it unless they are on their death bed. Well, I am not Korean, and I believe that a good day of rest is all you need to get better.

Right before I got sick, I decided to try something a little new. I was making fajitas and didn't have any tortillas. So, I tried this:

It turned out to be a really good idea! It made the lettuce a little too flimsy to pick up with hands, but the lettuce gave the fajita meat a nice cool and crisp addition. It was a great substitution!

The last few weekends the weather has been perfect. We've had a BBQ, and have done lots of sitting in the park and riding bikes. Erlo and I even made it to a Korean League soccer game last weekend. I've never been to a professional one so it was a fun experience. They even had some Brazilians on the Korean teams. As you can see its a very nice stadium!

There weren't many people there, so we got to sit pretty close to the action. Very fun!

Eats

I've discovered recently that I really enjoy cooking and creating new dishes. While, as you know, my resources in this country are quite limited, but nonetheless, I have enjoyed creating dishes with what I do have. Some of the recent ones I've decided to share with you all. I don't know if they are that spectacular, but Erlo sure seems to think so....or at least he's being nice.

First up, we have Erlo modeling a lovely pumpkin soup that I decided to try seasoning with red curry paste. We couldn't get enough and had the leftovers later that week. Erlo also had an andouille sausage on french bread since the soup wasn't filling enough.

Next, a lemon pepper crusted chicken breast with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce topped with capers. Also a hit.

Last night I made simple chicken salad sandwiches with avocado. The chicken to avocado proportions were just right. It takes living in a country where these kinds of things are not readily available to really appreciate this one. It was just lovely. The kind of thing you can't eat fast enough, and yet you regret not savoring it longer when you had it.

Unfortunately, these dishes come around only about once a week, when Erlo and my schedule allows for enough time. It really is tricky working with so little space.

Most of the things I miss are veggies I recognize(although there are quite a few good ones anyway), organic choices that don't go bad in a day, and spices. Oh, and a kitchen with a counter larger than 2 square feet, an oven, a microwave, and more than two stove top burners. Well, someday I'll have it all.

Last 5's

Stolen from my BFF, with a few alterations:

last 5 books I read:

1)Stolen Innocence-Elissa Wall

2) High Noon-Nora Roberts

3) The Opposite of Love- Julie Buxbaum

4) Rogue- Danielle Steel(not proud...)

5) Slam- Nick Hornby

Last 5 meals:

1) homemade pizza

2) kimchi, rice, and tofu patties

3) delicious deli sandwich

4) korean beef, rice, and kimchi

5) cereal

*Last 5 people I talked to on the phone/skype:

1) Erlo

2) a girl I interviewed at school today

3) my family

4) Alicia

5) Bethany

*some of those had some repeats!

Last 5 things I watched on TV(rather, the internet):

1)Law and Order

2)Private Practice

3) 17 Again

4) Medium

5) Grey's Anatomy

Last 5 things I've bought:

1) water

2) some groceries, including eggs, cheese, bread, and vegetables

3) a coffee this afternoon

4) that delicious sandwich last night

5) a cold beverage to go with that sandwich

that was probably more interesting for me than for you!

Pepero Day!

Yesterday was "Pepero" day here in Korea. These tasty treats are created by Lotte, a huge company here in Korea, that makes just about everything; food, candy, you name it. Lotte has many department stores, and even a theme park in Seoul. Basically, the holiday was supposedly created because the Pepero sticks look like 1's, so on 11/11, everyone gives each other Peperos. There are the regulation chopstick sized Peperos, medium sized Peperos, and giant Peperos. It's the essence of a commercial holiday! Let's all get sick on Peperos!