the blog

The Cherry on Top: A Brief History of Korea’s Cherry Trees

Every spring, South Korea bursts into a frothy pink spectacle of cherry blossoms, and people (myself included) lose their collective minds over it: pictures, picnics, proposals, you name it. But have you ever wondered how these fluffy floral celebrities ended up here in the first place? Cherry trees (beotkkot namu, 벚꽃나무) have
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Life This Week in South Korea: April 7-13, 2025

Monday, April 7 And I’ve been taken off the No Fly list, woohoo! I can look up again…shower…resume normal activities to my comfort level. My medical excuse is good through April 14 so I’ve got a week to decide what I’m doing. By the time I go back next week, we will
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Where Bloggers Live: My Favorite Birthday Memory

Welcome to Where Bloggers Live: 2025! Happy New Year! “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! We all like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives, so every month this wonderful  group of seven bloggers family of amazing women
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This Week in South Korea: March 31-April 6, 2025

Note: in the interest of not putting everyone to sleep…because I only have like 3 pictures from this week…I’m sharing some pictures from this same week last year. Monday, March 31 The weeks just keep on coming, amiright?? Today’s big outing was to the hospital for surgery follow-up…more eyeball tests, etc. The
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This Week+ in South Korea: March 20-30, 2025

(Note: in this post I’m giving myself some grace and absolving myself of all misspelling guilt cuz I just can’t right now) When we last saw our hero she was enjoying her unclogged toilet (sans plastic utensils) and setting her alarm for early Thursday to go to the opthalmology clinic. Thursday, March
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A Quick Trip to the US: March 8-19, 2025

As I mentioned a few posts back, I was planning a trip back to the US. My sister has been quite ill for some time. The doctor felt the treatments were no longer working, so they took her off the cancer meds. Her condition went downhill quickly in the first week and
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Life this Week in South Korea: March 3-7, 2025

Note: none of the pictures are from this week… Monday, March 3 Took a little trip with a friend to Costco. Whee! It was windy and colder than I anticipated (and dressed for), and waiting on bus benches I got so chilled – like I hadn’t gotten all winter. So by the
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Life The Past Six Weeks in South Korea: Jan 14-March 2, 2025

(in no particular order, cuz trying to do that would put me over the edge) First, winter in Korea (Jan- Feb) is mostly just cold and dark…very cold…very very cold. And until just a few weeks ago, it was almost dark when I got out of class at 5:30…and most definitely when
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The Struggle to Keep Writing When the World is On Fire

Last month it was Los Angeles…now it’s the world  🙁 For years, writing (well, and sleeping)  has been my refuge. Since 2016, this blog has been a space where I could process the world, share my thoughts and crazy ideas, and connect with others who were looking for inspiration, entertainment, or just
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Where Bloggers Live: Valentine’s Day Edition

Welcome to Where Bloggers Live: 2025! Happy New Year! “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! We all like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives, so every month this wonderful  group of seven bloggers family of amazing women
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We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program…

Why I Didn’t Write My Regular “Week in Review” Blog Post This Week This week my heart was too heavy to write my usual blog post. The devastating fires in Los Angeles destroyed more than just homes and businesses, they destroyed a part of the city’s history, its beauty, and the memories
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Where Bloggers Live: New Year’s Resolutions

Welcome to Where Bloggers Live: 2025! Happy New Year! “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! We all like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives, so every month this wonderful  group of seven bloggers family of amazing women
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Life This Week in South Korea: December 30, 2024-January 5, 2025

Mon, Dec 30 Korea is certainly having its share of issues – this time, the terrible tragedy of the airplane crashing and killing over 170 people. Those poor families 🙁 The (3rd) president (in the past month) declared a period of mourning in Korea through January 4. New Year’s celebrations have been
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Happy New Year: The One Where All Koreans Turn One Year Older

Did you know that in the traditional Korean age system, when a baby is born they are considered one year old…and each year their age increases by one year on January 1 instead of on their birthdate? So technically, a baby born on December 31 is One Year Old at birth, and
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Life This Week in South Korea: December 23-29, 2024

Mon, Dec 23 An uneventful day. I’m reserving my energy for tomorrow. And I know it’s only been two days since the winter solstice, but I SWEAR it was brighter when we walked out of class tonight. Tue, Dec 24: Christmas Eve Class, yadda yadda yadda. I set out in the evening
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Life This Week in South Korea: December 16-22, 2024

Mon, Dec 16 I think the most exciting (and I use the term loosely) thing today was going for a short walk after dinner. Woohoo. Tue, Dec 17 Today I broke it to my tutor that I have to go down to once a week. I think my bank account has a
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Life This Week in South Korea: December 9-15, 2024

Mon, Dec 9 So. I don’t know if it was the good break or what, but I have been uncharacteristically (wow, that word’s a lot longer than I remembered) motivated and productive. Class was good. I’m keeping up. I partly (partially?) understand what the teacher is saying. I’d intended to go out after
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Where Bloggers Live: The Best Gifter

Welcome to this month’s edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives? Every month a group of seven bloggers share their work-spaces, homes, towns, and thoughts, with posts based on
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Life This Week in South Korea: December 2-8, 2024

Monday, Dec 2 I slept. And napped. And slept some more. Not sure what’s going on but suddenly I need All The Sleep. I got up to meet some friends for dinner at 7. It was a goodbye dinner for a lovely young French woman, who is literally a ray of sunshine.
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The Best Seasons to Travel to South Korea: Part 1: Autumn

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” — William Cullen Bryant What’s the best time of year to travel to South Korea? Well, when it’s NOT monsooning (June-July), swampy tropical heat-ing (July-September), or unbearably freezing from the dry winds coming down from China (January-March). Which leaves spring (March-May), aka Cherry Blossom Season, and
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