2012 recap & 2013 resolutions

2012 Recap:

Again, another busy year! I was working a really horrible retail job that made me hate my life. @__@

But then I quit the job and travelled in Europe for two months! I definitely hit my goal of trying to go to as many new countries/places this year as I could!

I met a lot of really cool people, saw amazing sights, and reconnected  with some of my favorite people.

The biggest life change for me was becoming an English teacher in South Korea. I had never been to Korea before, nor taught English before so it definitely turned my life upside down.

I have been living in Korea for 4 months now and  I  finally feel like my life is starting to settle down. I like going off and having adventures, but it’s nice to feel more comfortable with where I live and the job I am doing.

Last year for my 2011 recap and 2012 resolutions I said that I wanted to blog every week. That definitely did not happen! I think this is in large part due to the traveling I did this year and the fact that I fell behind on posting my #366 Creativity Journal Project.

I already mentioned this in a recent blog post, but  #366 Creativity Journal did not turn out exactly as I had planned.  I am no where close to being finished posting this project and certain events happening in my job the next few weeks will make it difficult to play catch up.

I am disappointed in myself for not trying harder this year to get my act together. But I will count this as a learning experience as I finish up #366creativityjournal and I move into my next yearlong project.

This brings me to my 2013 resolutions:  

1) Storyaday project: I decided that this year I want to hone my writing skills. I’ve decided to write a story (fictional AND/OR nonfictional) everyday for a year. Ideally I want to write both a fiction piece and non-fiction/autobiographical piece. To keep track of my progress I will be using these handy notebooks I found.

These are 100 days storybooks. In Korea one of the big moments of being in a relationship with someone is when you have been dating your partner for 100 days. I am not sure why; this will require further investigation. Regardless, this book one way you can keep track of your dating life, or really any life event that requires you to count specific days.

The reason why I like this kind of book is because  it will be easy to track  365 days worth of writing. If I were to use a blank notebook it would be easy to miss some days or to say, “I am too tired to write tonight, I will do it tomorrow.”

Sometimes I don’t want to sit down to write because I know when I do I will end up writing a lot and it will take FOREVER. But since each page doesn’t have that much space to write, it will be easier for me to keep myself motivated with this writing project on the the days I don’t feel like writing.

One of my biggest regrets when I was living in Australia in 2010 was I didn’t keep up with a journal as much as I would have liked. I was too busy living in the moment which was great at the time, but now there are some moments that I wish I had written down so that I would remember it better.  Pictures can help jog my memory, but it doesn’t always help with capturing emotions or the conversations I had with people.

 

2) Blog, Blog, Blog. I have a blog. I should use it. Otherwise this is just a waste of my money and superior writing skillz 😉

3) Koreausa Project. I have been terrible at posting photos. Megan Mc is getting swamped with work too. But it’s a great project and I would love to keep working on it.

4) Travel, Travel, Travel! Travel to as many countries and places as possible this year.

5) Learn more Korean. It’s so useful for everyday life and also to communicate with my students.

 

 

España: Barcelona

Ahhhh,España! Finally a country in which I feel comfortable speaking their language. Of all the places I was going on this Contiki tour, I was most excited about Barcelona. A little Spanish flavor, a chance to practice my not-often-used language skills… I couldn’t wait. Continue reading

France: Paris and the Beaujalis Wine Region

In London I joined a Contiki tour, and from there we headed off  across the English channel via ferry to Calais, France. My first real taste of France came when we arrived to Paris.  What surprised me the most about Paris was the wide, wide avenues they have. I was expecting cramped, small streets but the Champs de Elysee is huge!

I was really looking forward to seeing the Eiffel Tower in person and I have to say it definitely did not disappoint!

Day 137/ 366 Creativity Journal

Continue reading

England: London, Bristol, & Bath

This was the third time I have been to England/ London area and I have to say it was one of the more interesting times. The last two times I was in High School and going out sightseeing with your parents is a different vibe than by yourself/ with friends.

Bustling London is an  extreme contrast to the quiet and tiny capital of Reykjavik. It took me a few days to adjust to the sheer amount of people walking around London at all times, hurrying here and there.

Lloyd's Building Day 130/ 366 Creativity Journal

 

Day 131/ 366 Creativity Journal

It was also the first time I went to the Camden markets in London. Continue reading

Eurotrip2012!

For about the next 2 months I will be traveling in Europe! I am traveling part myself, part with a tour and part with friends. 🙂

I will attempt to keep a running travel blog during this time, but I am realistic that I will not always be near a computer. I will update whenever possible.

What does this mean for my daily projects you might ask? It would be tricky to do an art project everyday while traveling, so instead I am going to do a photo-a-day (dailyshoot) while I am away. This will be super easy to do as I am expecting to take a million pictures during my trip. 🙂

See you on the other side of the Atlantic!