The Life of a Model: March 2013

Saturday, March 9, 2013

I'm really going to miss Korea

As you might know, I will be leaving Korea soon to return home. I'm so excited to get home and see my family and friends and have the food I missed! :) But I really love South Korea. When I first got here, I just thought I would get through the 3 months as quickly as I could and then get back home to my family. Sure, the first month I thought this was going to last FOREVER and I would be miserable here. But I started exploring and shopping and finding things that I loved about Korea. It became my home and has been for 3 months. There are so many things that I love about Korea now that it makes me so sad that I'm leaving. I keep telling myself that I will probably come back, but I still feel really upset. I feel like this might be the last time I'm here. Modeling here has given me fun experiences, awkward ones, crazy ones, annoying ones, but they were all amazing and definitely made me a more confident person. I think Korea was really good for me and I will get back home a slightly different person, in a good way.

I just love the city too. Back home I don't live in a big city, so if I want a coffee I need to drive a few minutes to get to a coffee shop, and I don't even have my license yet!! So that means I have to ask my mom or dad if I ever want to go anywhere. Meh. But in Korea, I'm like, "Hmm I could go for a latte right now....Oh I could walk 1 minute down the street and grab one!" It's so nice that everything is right there!!! I can shop for clothes or food just by walking. I never really thought I was a city girl, but I do really like it. It's interesting though, whenever I am in American cities I feel unsafe, even when I am with my family. But here in Korea, I am alone and feel perfectly fine. Everyone I have met is really nice, and no one has made me uncomfortable. So I like Seoul, but maybe not a huge American city like New York...haha.

I definitely want to come back someday. Whether it is with my family, or modeling again, I want to come back to Seoul. I really love it. I love the people, the culture, some of the food ;) and the experiences I've had here. I've seen gorgeous historical sites and met some amazing people, and I will never forget this trip.

I <3 Korea! But I guess it is time to head home now.

Monday, March 4, 2013

A Fun Shoot!

A few weeks ago I had a really fun photoshoot that was super colorful and upbeat for D-Pulse's Spring and Summer collection. It was a shoot where they told me to just be cute and make all different kinds of emotions. I love the shoots where you can do anything, even poses you might think are awkward or weird. The best is when the photographer is kind and supportive. He was really nice and encouraging, shouting, "Great! Yes! Perfect!" It makes it fun for the model and makes me feel good. Here are some of the pictures below, sorry for the blurriness, they are pictures of pictures.

The other model, Paul, was very nice and also from the U.S. Yay! Another American. Super nice and hilarious! That was probably one of my favorite shoots. Even though it was a long full day, the energy in the room kept me happy and upbeat! A fun day!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Seoul Tower

Last night I went to Seoul Tower. I got off at Myeongdong Station, Exit 3, and headed up the hill to the cable car place. There was a huge line. I figured I would wait, because walking up the hill would take 20 minutes and it was cold. Finally I got my ticket after about 10 minutes waiting in line. Then I had to wait 25 minutes to get to the waiting room! Then once I was there it was another 25 minutes until I actually got on the cable car! I should have just walked up the steep hill. Note: If you want to go to Seoul Tower using the Namsan Cable Car, go around 3 or 4 because the later it gets, the busier it gets. Most people want to see the view at night, and that is why it is so busy. Weekends make it worse too.

Heading up to Seoul Tower

In the crowded Cable Car

Anyway, I finally got there after about an hour of waiting. It was beautiful. I got the Teddy Bear Package, which was only 10,000 won for a teen and included the Teddy Bear Museum and Observatory Deck.

First I went to the Teddy Bear Museum. It was adorable! Basically it had little scenes using Teddy Bears to describe the history of South Korea. It was very adorable and fun. There were even people-sized Teddy Bears that you could take pictures with. I was debating on whether I should buy a Teddy from the Gift Shop or not, but they were overpriced as usual and it said they were made in China. Urgg....that's cheap.

Then I went to the Observatory Deck. I had to wait about 15 minutes just to get on the elevator. Meh. But once I got up there it was so worth it. It was beautiful seeing Seoul from above. The lights were so gorgeous! They had names of countries and cities on the windows and then how far away they were in that direction. That was pretty cool to know that thousands of kilometers away, I was looking at Greece, or Russia, or something. It was beautiful, and not too crowded. I had no trouble getting over to multiple windows and looking out at the lit city below.

After spending time up there I headed back down to get a burger from the Best Burger in Seoul. Let me tell you, it was pretty amazing. Mmmmm. I think I just loved having something salty again. Here there isn't much salt in anything, so my American cravings were finally satisfied. :) It was so delicious and not too expensive at 7,000. It was quality, not like McDonald's or Burger King, so a good price.

Best Burger in Seoul! MMmm

Due to all that waiting around it was now about 9:00 already. I was hoping to get home by 7:00, but I hadn't anticipated the lines and wait. So before I left, I took a quick look at the adorable Love Locks and snapped a few pictures of those. The cold wind was pretty unpleasant so I hurried back down to wait about 10 minutes in line for the cable car back. The ride back was really peaceful. They had calming music playing and riding over the city was so amazingly beautiful. I'm really going to miss Seoul, it's so beautiful and unlike any place I have been before.

Finally I found my way back to Myeong-Dong Station and headed back home to the apartment. Yay! Although it was cold, it was a fun night.