Movement By Lydia

If you watch Korean TV shows or dramas, I'm sure you have heard of and seen the Han River before. The Han River flows through Seoul and is a popular spot to hang out with friends or go on dates. People enjoy riding bikes along the rivers, grabbing food and hanging out with friends, watching performers, or just walking along the river. It's really pretty during the day and night, and during the summer it's refreshing to splash around in the little parks they have too! I mainly went to the area of the Han River in Yeouido (off of Yeouinaru Station). When we would go during the day, we'd mostly just walk along the river and explore the area (some rode bikes which is popular to do!). When we would go at night, we'd usually grab food first then find a place to sit and just hang out. The first time I went to the Han River was during my first week in Korea and I went with other NSLI-Y students. We were in Hongdae, where we picked up Korean fried chicken from our u...

Every year on Memorial Day, Lantern Floating Hawaii is a ceremony that is held to remember and honor loved ones who are no longer here with us. Nearly 50,000 people make their way to Ala Moana to observe and participate in the ceremony, with many more watching on TV or live stream from home. In addition to the sending and floating lanterns, there is a beautiful ceremony featuring prayers and Hawaiian chants, hula, community leaders coming together, Buddhist and Western sounds, and other traditions. These all create a loving, supportive, and harmonious environment. Reporters from Japan There are countless lantern festivals that take place around the world. I had always wanted to attend one, so when I heard of the Lantern Floating Hawaii Ceremony, I knew I had to go. I had only been in Hawaii for about a week and was eager to experience everything Oahu had to offer. Some of my coworkers shared a similar mindset, so we decided to go down to Ala Moana on Memorial Day. Many ...

"Taste of Hawaii" is a new series of blog posts highlighting some of my favorite places to eat/drink in Oahu. To read more posts from my "Taste of Hawaii" series, please click here. ITCHY BUTT The name of this restaurant immediately catches your attention. Whether or not the words "itchy butt" make you hungry, they certainly pique your interest when seen as a restaurant name. If I had to take a guess, that's what the owners of Itchy Butt were going for. The name is definitely what drew me in... but I stayed for the food. Located across from Cartwright Neighborhood Park on the corner of Keeaumoku and Kinau, Itchy Butt is a hole in the wall place that serves Korean fried chicken in the Makiki area of Honolulu. When I say it's a hole in the wall place, I'm not kidding. Itchy Butt is super tiny and take-out only. You walk up to the little window to order, and everything is made-to-order. While you do have to wait (and there is no seating un...

This is the backpack I carried in Korea In Korea I ALWAYS had either a backpack or purse with me, and there were certain items that I ALWAYS had in those bags. This is just going to be a short post of things I found necessary and/or helpful to have with me while going around Seoul or going to school during NSLI-Y. In My Backpack:   Books: Kind of a given, but I always had my books (on school days). We had four books from Sogang, and I also carried two small notebooks and a folder I used for class and notes!  Pencil Case: Korea has some super cute stationary and pens  Planner: I use this adorable little planner (can be found in Korean stores) to keep track of my daily schedule and week/month/year/etc... Program Phone: You get a program phone, which should be with you at all times Personal Phone: I brought my Galaxy to use off wifi and for a camera (many people did too); it didn't have any data T-Money Card: Subway card. Carried that everywhere and kept ...

One of the coolest parts about living on Oahu is the wide array of activities the island offers. Most people think of the beautiful beaches when they picture Hawaii, but one of my favorite things to do in Hawaii is hike! There are so many mountains with beautiful trails and views of the island. During my time in Hawaii, I plan to hike as a much as possible and document those hikes here on this blog. P.S. I apologize ahead of time for the low quality iPhone photos. It is hard to capture the beauty with a camera phone, and for me, it's more about being present in the moment and enjoying all the scenery around me. Hike 1: Kuli'ou'ou Ridge Trail  Recently, my coworkers and I hiked the Kuli'ou'ou Ridge Trail. The location of this trail is designated by the red pin on Google Maps in the photos. As you can see, it is located on the eastern side of Oahu. This hike offers an incredible view of Waimanalo, Hawaii Kai, and the windward side of Oahu.     Fast Fa...

Nearly two years have gone by since I last posted on this blog, but I am so happy to see people still reading my blog and using it as a resource for NSLI-Y/traveling to South Korea. It seriously overwhelms me thinking about how many people have read my blog over the past few years!! While I haven't posted in quite some time, I miss blogging and have decided to revive and remodel this blog. There are a lot of changes being made, but I promise there will still be posts about NSLI-Y and South Korea. Keep reading to find out more about what I am doing with this blog moving forward! FORMAT:  For those who have read my blog before, you will notice that the format is much different than it used to be. I changed the format so that it is easier to navigate through the posts and use all of the different features on this blog. At the top, there are different pages you can select based on the topic you're interested in reading about (NSLI-Y/Korea, DC, Hawaii, Fitness, etc). If you cli...