So long 27!

Today I am 28. It seems crazy to me that it's been a year since I wrote a post on my 27th birthday. I had just arrived here in Korea and it was all new and crazy. Its been a whirlwind of a year that some how has become normal. I've traveled lots and met many people that I now call my closest friends.
I am not scared of 28. I find there are certain ages that don't scare you. You are just in them as if you are prepared. 22 and 24 were like this and they were some good years so hopefully 28 will be the same. I like being in my late twenties. You aren't old enough to be expected to have responsibilities but you aren't young enough to feel lost. Obviously its scary as 30 is fast approaching but I am happy and surrounded by fantastic people so I am just enjoying the moments as they come.
I do have to slap 27th year old Tania on the wrists as the normality of life has let me become lazy with the blog so I will get back into writing.
But here are some of the things I got up to as a Travelling 27 year old:

.Experienced one of the hottest Summers I've ever known
.Met even more fantastic people that I previously knew
.Made lasting friendships
. Visited Busan
. Wrote for 3 different magazines
. Had Photo's published
. Went to a rave
.Visited Pohang
. Went to a mud festival
. Lost all our money in Bangkok
. Washed and played with Elephants
. Trekked through the jungle.
. Visited Koh Samui
. Ate the worlds best Pad Thai
. Tried PatBingSu (Korean Dessert)
. Visted three of the best temples in Korea
. Visted Tokyo
. Ate the worlds best Mando
.Stood on the busieset traffic crossing in the world
. Visted Tokyo Disney
. Tried Sake for the first time
. Ate Ox Tail for the first time
. Got to use my camera A LOT
. Learnt a lot more Korean
. Went on 14 planes
. Met the worlds smartest robot
. Went to a Sumo tournament.
. Visited Scotland.
. My brother got Engaged.
. My sister passed her music exam and wrote some incredible music
. Had my first Wendy's
. Went to my first baseball match
. Had a lot of girls nights
. Ate bugs
. Ate arsehole (?)
. Had a food weekend in Seoul
. Taught elementary students
. Had my best friend visit me in Korea
. Made Clamato Juice and tried a Ceaser
. Learnt some of the best recipes I've ever tasted.
. Climbed 30 feet off the ground in the tree tops
. Had my first Christmas with Lee
. Had my first Christmas with friends
. Had a house party.
. Tried Yoga for the first time.
. Ran a 10k
.Spent a weekend in London with my girls
.Visited Wales
.Tried Snowboarding
. Walked on a frozen lake
. Went to the DMZ
. Made a human pyramid.
. Said a lot of hard goodbyes
. Went Blonde
. Moved house
. Owned 4 mac lipsticks
. Started teaching Art
.Celebrated my first Saint Paddy's day
.Celebrated Holi Hai
. Shot a gun
. Watched my best friend get married.

These lists can sound indulgent and feel silly when you write them but when you write it down like this you realise how many first you can still have , even at 28 , it does make me smile. It inspires me to make the next year even better. The world has been kind to me this year and I have made friends I will treasure for a lifetime, I miss my family every minute of the day but I've also found my own little family and my own home.
I can't imagine what the next year will bring.

The Photoshoot

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it is almost leaving time for all of these special people so it was decided that we would try and gather in one place and have at least one photo of us all looking in the same direction. The theme was set as cutesie Korean which translated to us as glasses and bows. (We thought this was surprisingly accurate)

After a lovely JimDak meal we headed to the bowling alley, the perfect setting for Waygook (forginer) craziness.

The lovely Chris took our photos and was very patient while we faffed about and posed in every possible manner.

There are about 40 photos over all but the theme of our year has been crazy excess  so it was good to stay with what we know.

It was a great night and even though it was a step nearer to goodbyes it was a night that confirmed how much I love these people.

The human pyramid was inevitable. We almost completed it but were thwarted at the final hurdle. I will have to drag a photo from my video of it to see if I can capture it at its highest point.

Worryingly the pyramid wasn’t drink induced, which only goes to prove that we are all as crazy as each other, with or without soju.

There is still a good few days, some meals, sleep overs and boys in yoga lessons to happen yet but its been a fantastic end to a incredible year.

In the mean time I’m using Desk warming to its full potential and editing these up Korean style !

UK : My trip to the green green grass of home.

Three weeks has whizzed past and I am already home from the UK. It was extremely hard to leave. Surprisingly it was much harder than it was the first time I left.

Home was lovely but it was a flying visit. I’m happy to say that I had a list of things I wanted to do, get and see and I almost did it all which considering my ridiculous addiction to making lists is impressive.

After a 24 hour journey home we met Lee’s family and I headed to London to see my two best friends to have a mini hen do before her wedding.

It was calm and sophisticated which is shocking for us considering our crazy ways. Since we knew each other when we were little we tend to revert to our Spice Girls, Pig Tails and cheap wine ways.

We were in a perfect location, literally on Trafalgar Square, which is one of the many spots in London I count as my favourite. We ate good food, drank delicious cocktails and talked a hell of a lot.

When in Wales I spent most of the time sitting inside with my fantastic sister and watch awful films with Christmas chocolate. We never have a chance to sit around so I loved every part of it. I managed to squeeze in a visit to Scotland.

My young brother lives in Edinburgh which shocks me with its beauty every time I visit. It is stunning and this time I was lucky enough to take Lee, to witness it in all it’s glory. He is a Historian and I knew the Edinburgh would be his dream city. I wasn’t wrong. The old buildings and statues almost littering the roads make it a fantastic place to visit.  I really wanted to take photos of Craig, my brother and his gorgeous (soon to be) wife but we were all so cold and tired that I Didn’t press it upon them. I did take a few but hopefully I can edit them to seem more professional than they are.

Apart from one very quick and squeezed in night I had with some Uni friends I didn’t get a chance to see many people which was a major regret but the time flew by and I enjoyed every second. The amount of supplies Lee and I brought back is crazy. We have enough Cadburys to last at least….till the end of the month :S

This is going to be a busy year so hopefully we will be too busy to be very sad about missing home but after 37 hours of travel, 3 hours sleep and a day of work I am missing the UK with every part of my being.

Thank you to everyone who made our visit home so incredibly special.

 

CHEESE

THE BEST SHOP EVER

Bit of a change..to a blondie

My younger brother still claims to this day that I stole his face

Plum wine with Uni friends

family time

Me and my friend Kate

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Goodbye Autumn