Jeju bike rides

I loved living in Jeju in the spring. I loved beaches, I loved how green everything was, I loved all of the farms fields full of crops, and I loved the riot of wildflowers surrounding the island. We would always go for bike rides through the countryside to our favourite coffee places on our days off. I miss those beautiful days. Living in Korea was such an incredible experience.

Spring on Jeju Island

Spring brought a riot of wild flowers and colour to Jeju Island last year. We began going to the beach on most of our days off, or sometimes exploring the lush, green forests close to our school. Many days were foggy with humidity, but we were extremely happy to see the cold wind leave in place of some warmer weather. Jeju is such a magical place! It's been on my mind a lot lately as the weather slowly starts to change here in Halifax.

Holga (II)

More photos taken on my Holga during our travels. I love the imperfections of these photos.

1. Sunflowers at a farmer's market in Boston 2. Aaron in Melbourne, Australia 3. Auburn Lake in Auburn, Maine 4. Secret Cove on Jeju Island 5. Flowers on Jeju Island 6. Herbs from my patio garden 7. Downtown Melbourne 8. Nippo Lake in New Hampshire 9. Accidental double exposure of Old Orchard Beach and a ferris wheel 10. Old Orchard Beach 11. My patio garden 12. Taylor Pond in Auburn Maine 13. Vineyards in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Jeju Fire Festival

Once a year, a gigantic hill is set on fire on Jeju Island in the spring. The festival is intended to bring good fortune for the upcoming growing season. It all starts a few days before the actual fire; there are booths with carnival games and food, dancing presentations, and visitors can climb the hill that will be set on fire. On the night of the actual fire, there is a firework show preceding the lighting of the hill. About 30 individuals have torches to set the hill ablaze. The Jeju Fire Festival is one of those really special and unique things that I will always remember from our time in Korea.

Jeju love

This time last year in Jeju was fantastic. It was starting to get really warm, so we were able to go to the beaches without feeling like we were being stabbed by the freezing wind that was typical of Jeju winter days. Also, Aaron had a beard, and I thought it was pretty neat. The photos above of the ocean were taken on a field trip with my students. Most of the photos from that day are of them, so I didn't post them here. It was a gorgeous day. We all loved getting off campus and having a picnic in the sun.

Working and living in Korea

In August of 2012, Aaron and I packed our lives into a few suitcases and hopped on plane to Korea. We had decided long before then that we wanted to take a year off after we graduated, and we wanted to spend that year having an adventure. And it was the most incredible adventure I could have hoped for! Initially our plan was to teach English as a Second Language somewhere. Since Aaron and I both get so many questions about the process as well as what it is like to work abroad, I thought a post about our experience would be useful to some people. 

Holga (Volume I)

Last spring in Seoul, Aaron and I bought a Holga 120N. I love the photos this camera takes. You never know what you are going to get when the film gets developed. These cameras are famous for producing light leaks, vignettes, and double exposures. Some people would probably hate this, but I think it's really fun and exciting to see how your photos turn out. I love using this camera, but unfortunately, I haven't really had the opportunity to use it lately, as film is more than twice as expensive here as it is in Korea. If anyone knows where to get a good deal on 120 film in North America, let me know. Anyways, here are some of my favourite Holga photos I've had developed.

1. Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia 2. Collection of plants 3. Lake Auburn in Auburn, Maine 4. Spring Flowers on Jeju Island, South Korea 5. Herbs from my patio garden in the summer 6. A major light leak and me at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea 7. Nippo Lake in New Hampshire 8. Aaron on the beach in the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia 9. Beach on Jeju Island in South Korea 10. Spring flowers on Jeju Island, South Korea 11. Tree in Victoria, Australia 12. Aaron in the forest in Jeju Island, South Korea 13. Double exposure of sunflowers and Trinity Church in Boston 14. Old Orchard Beach, Maine