Goodbye Korea!

It's a grey and rainy November morning in England. We finally got back last night after a long, long journey. It doesn't feel like we've actually left Korea, it feels like we'll be going back in a week or so! We've met so many amazing people and done hundreds of things I never though I would do. No doubt there'll be some nostalgic posts in the weeks to come.

But our last couple of days in Korea were very hectic and I was relieved to get on the plane after what felt like a long week!

On Friday I said goodbye to all of my students and co teachers. It was really sad to say goodbye as it may be the last time that I see them again. They were all really cute and gave me some gifts, letters and cards.















On Monday, I went to Nick's school, which I had never been to before, to take some pictures for him. It was funny as all of the kids were very curious about me and would scream whenever I told them that I was Nick's girlfriend. The teacher asked me to come and sit in on his class so it was funny to see him in teacher mode. Afterwards, I went for my last Spanish class and then met Natasha, Amber and Ashley for one final Namsung dinner together.




Tuesday was a horrible day of getting little jobs done and still trying to finalise details of our flight. Stress!

Wednesday we tied up the last few loose ends and then went to meet all of our friends for dinner and drinks in Seomyeon. It wasn't as bad as i thought it would be to say goodbye to everyone, as I know that I will definitely see them all again! We got home by about 12:30 and was up bright and early on Thursday morning to catch our flight back to London.

So that's that chapter of our life over and done with! It's bizarre to be home!













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Giveaway Winner!

I'm writing this in Tokyo Airport. The first leg of our journey is done, just the long bit to go now!

But before I get on the airplane I just wanted to announce the winner for the giveaway...

Congratulations...


I hope Shanice loves all of her gifts!

See you when I'm in England!


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What's in my Bag?

Ahhh packing. I view it with equal amounts of loathing and love. I love being prepared and organised, but at the same time it's such a stress. I'm always whittling, does it weigh too much? Is it all going to fit in? I remember my first ever post on this blog was about how hard it was to pack for Korea. Now I've spent 2 years here and have to try and get everything I've acquired back again. I don't know what's more stressful!

I have just managed to get 6 bags down to 2 suitcases and my hand luggage. So here're the things I didn't need to think twice about packing for my hand luggage on the long flight. (13 and a half hours in total...oh no!)



1. My toiletry bag. Inside I like to keep a hair brush and bobble, a toothbrush, tooth paste, deodorant and this cute fragrance stick I've just got from Etude House (it smells so much better than the Hello Bunny! one). I've saved some cleansers from all of the freebies I collected from the make up shops, so I'll be able to keep my face feeling fresh. I also keep headache tablets in there and a lip balm. This one smells amazing, it's a lemon muffin one that my friend Stacey sent to me while I was here. It makes me want to eat it! The final thing is WET WIPES! Everyone should have a small pack of these, they're so handy!
2. My make up bag. Sadly, I am one of those people that likes to try and avoid looking like a zombie when I come off a long flight, so have some bare essentials in my make up bag. This includes my Maybelline mascara, Bobby Brown blusher and MAC brush, and my Clinique Chubby Stick. One of the grandparents at school was kind enough to give me the Chubby Stick as a gift and it's amazing! I love it and would really recommend it, although I tend to avoid more expensive brands like Clinique.
3.Thermal socks. I'm a wuss when I'm cold, and I'll be wearing my Doc Martens as they're my heaviest shoes (it's all about saving weight) which will no doubt be kicked off as soon as I get on the plane, so these socks will keep my feet nice and toasty.
4.Important grown up things. Like my passport and purse. My purse now has English money in it, it's so weird! And I love my passport cover, the lovely Lizzie bought me this before I left to come to Korea!
5. Layers. Like I said, I hate being cold, so I am taking a wrap and a pair of leggings to add extra layers. They're also handy to change into so that you feel fresher at the other end.
6. My Travel Bag. A £2 bag that I bought from Primark. It's been invaluable since I bought it as it's small enough to pack and take anywhere to use as a day bag, or travel bag!
7. Sleeping tools. I'm awful at sleeping on public transport, so to give me any sort of chance, I always take a neck pillow, eye mask and ear plugs. Not to mention my Hello Kitty blanket that I couldn't fit on the picture.
8. Entertainment. Ok, this time I've regressed slightly and bought myself some crayons and a colouring book! Along with my iPod,my diary and a pen, and I have Palahniuk's Rant to read. Along with an episode of Africa on my laptop incase the films aren't great.
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Wow

My favourite skater! I wish I could do half of that stuff off skates, never mind on skates! Can you spot a Korea reference in the video?!

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Our Weekend: Coupling last weekend in Busan

A long, long time ago, I mentioned about coupling in Korea. This is where young couples coordinate their outfits so they're wearing the same thing as a public display of their love for each other. Quite sickening, but cute at the same time. It's been an ongoing joke with the girls about making the boys couple, so for our leaving do, Nick and I decided to set coupling as the theme! I always wonder if the couples have to call each other in the morning and ask what they're going to put on. Do they couple on days when they're not going to see each other? So many questions!

We gave the girls a budget, and they were let loose to buy an outfit for their loved one and themselves. Needless to say, hilarity ensued when we all met up on Saturday night and unveiled the outfits! It didn't take long before the boys made it clear that they actually liked their outfits.






I did notice that Nick's hat kept disappearing, and when I asked where it was he would tell me that he had lost it, but I would find it shoved in his coat pocket, I don't know why he'd do that!

We started the night at Katie's house, then moved to a makeolli bar in KSU that serves makeolli with a big pile of candyfloss on top. Amazing! I would really recommend this place if anyone is a big fan of makeolli. We then went for a few games of pool at Ol'55 before going to Eva's where I had the chance to say goodbye to the roller derby team. After that we headed to the noraebang and sang our little hearts out into the small hours.










The next day, Nick went to get naked at the jimjilbang while I went for a walk around Dongbaek Island with Katie. We all met back up at 7 for some dinner with Amber, my replacement teacher. It was really nice to meet her, and I can't even remember how she must feel being so far away from home after a long flight with the daunting task of having to teach her first couple of lessons. Good luck Amber!





So that's it, my last weekend in Korea is done and dusted. Sad times!

Today I'm going into Nick's school to take some photos of him with his students, then off for my final Spanish lesson before I'm going to have to be using it! Eeeeek! It's all getting real now!

And the giveaway winner has been contacted, so once we have finalised the details I'll share with you!


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