Say it with me now...On-Young-Ha-Say-Yo

Hello! Or Annyeong-haseyo from Korea! Kyle and I have finally arrived, and after a 13 hour plan ride, a crazy drive to our temporary apartment, and the madness of getting over jet lag, we are very happy to be on our feet in the Land of the Morning Calm. We arrived in Seoul around 730pm local time, and arrived at our temporary apartment by 930. It should not have taken 2 hours, but things were a bit hectic. The driver was confused and we got lost a few times, but at that point we did not care. We were just happy not being in an airplane. Upon arriving at our place, we were very happy to learn it was going to be temporary. The apartment would be great if it was just one person, but since we are two, and one of us is 6'5", it is a bit cramped. We are sharing a very small and hard full size bed. Even if the bed is the only thing that gets bigger in our new place, I will be very happy. The apartments are basically all the same. They have a fridge and freezer, a gas stove, sink, a few cabinets, a room for a washer, and a bathroom that is basically one giant shower with a sink and a toilet. It's very unhygienic European.

 We have not been able to stock up on food as we are moving soon, so we just got the basics....eggs, tofu, orange juice, yogurt, cereal.

When we came to Korea, we arrived here with lots of friends. A lot of people Kyle went to college with came to Korea to do that same thing as us. On Friday night, Kyle's twin sister, Katie, met us at the subway station and then took us out to a night on the town in downtown Seoul. This was our first night out after 24 hours of being awake, and about 6 hours sleep, after crossing I don't know how many time zones. But when we saw the familiar faces of loved ones, we were re-energized. Our new co-workers, Andrew from San Diego, and James from Wisconsin, came out with us.

The clubs/bars stay open until the subways reopen- which is 5:30am. I could not believe how crazy these Koreans are with their partying. When I first started walking towards the dance club we were going to, it reminded me of a very crazy version of Times Square in NYC and Las Vegas Blvd.
There were lights everywhere, from 2 feet off the ground to 15 stories high. People are everywhere. All the girls are wearing the cutest, chicest outfits and heels, even though it is freezing outside. The men are all stylish. We looked like bums in our levi's and layered shirts. I will post more pictures of the fashion of Korea as our adventures go on. But for now, you will just have to trust me on this.

Needless to say, it has been a crazy 2 days since arriving in Seoul. We look forward to taking more pictures and updating everyone on the blog. Here are a few more photos to look at before the next post.

a soccer field by the apartment we are staying at. I had to hold the camera through the fence since we were below ground level.

A convenience store.

Our current subway stop.

Us.

- Allie
 

The countdown begins...

Over the past week, Kyle and I have been lucky enough to spend some time with all of our friends and family before leaving for Korea. We celebrated with all of our friends in San Francisco this year to commemorate Abe Lincoln's 203rd birthday, a tradition that we've been keeping since our first year in college. It was a great weekend, filled with libations, delicious food, and most importantly, quality time with friends.

That same weekend, my sister Allegra celebrated her baby shower at my aunt's house in Almaden. I don't have the pictures to that yet, but soon hopefully....nonetheless, it was a great party! The house was decorated beautifully, there was an amazing amount of delicious food, and Allegra and Peanut Aponte were showered with love! Now we just have to wait until he is born for the real party to start! (if anyone has any photos, email them to me and I will post them!)

This weekend was my last day to see everyone before heading off. Saturday was a gathering to celebrate my Grandma M's 88th birthday! 

On Sunday, a bunch of family members came from around the bay area to see me off, as well as several members from the ballet family. It was another great afternoon!

 Seeing everyone these past two weekends and every day in between has made me extremely happy and excited for my trip. Even though I will miss everyone so much, I am so happy that they are sending Kyle and I off with so much love and support. We can't thank you all enough;  and we can't wait to share our experiences with you all!

If Not Now, When?

Welcome to the Adventures of Kyle and Allie. Through this blog, we will be updating everyone back home about our journey in South Korea, and hopefully several other countries. It is our way of sharing our adventures with you since we can only fit maybe one or two people in our suitcases...Tom Carvalho, you have a spot reserved. 

Lately I have been spending a lot of time thinking about moving to Korea. Who I will miss (everyone), what I will miss (wearing shorts in February) and what I will be doing over there (having the time of my life!!!). I really cannot complain about anything. I am so lucky to be doing this- taking a year off to explore, moving to a different country, being immersed in culture and new lands, and starting a new adventure with my best friend. After answering the above question in my brain, a new set of questions arose.... When will I ever get to do this again? When will be the next time I can easily take a year off?

I was listening to some music and a song came on called "If not now, when?" by Incubus. Coincidentally, this happens to be one of my favorite bands, so I found it only fitting to have them make an appearance on my blog. But the words of that title really stuck with me. I had to research where this catchy, yet meaningful line came from. It is a quote from a man called Hillel the Elder, a Jewish scholar and sage who lived from 110 BCE to 10 CE. He was a philosopher of religion and man, and is most recognized by this quote...  

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?" 

   

I thought to myself, this guy is totally right. I am creating my own life and journeys. My decisions are mine alone, and whatever happens outside of my own being is out of my control. So why hesitate on doing anything? If not now, when? This is the time to do this, and I am so lucky to be doing it. I cannot wait to start this journey. In two and a half weeks, I will be flying away on a plane. And when I return one year later, I will be a changed person and have 365 days worth of memories and stories to share with everyone. In the meantime, this blog will have to do.

I pose this question to everyone reading this...If not now, when? If there is something that you have been wanting to do, just do it. You only live once. Go climb a mountain, jump out of a plane, go up to the top of a building and see the world around you. You may not have another opportunity to do it. For the next year, this is what I will be doing....because if not now, when? Maybe never.

- Allie