Uncategorized
everything autumn.
On 23, Sep 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
i smelt it tuesday evening.
while i was cradling a
cuppa tea
while i was out for
late afternoon stroll
with a girlfriend.
it took me two deep inhales
to believe it was here.
autumn.
and since it was only
one year ago
that i discovered
one of my favorite
words of all time:
…autumnal…
favorite word
On 22, Sep 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
i smelt it tuesday evening.
while i was cradling a
cuppa tea
while i was out for
late afternoon stroll
with a girlfriend.
it took me two deep inhales
to believe it was here.
autumn.
and since it was only
one year ago
that i discovered
one of my favorite
words of all time:
…autumnal…
e.kate & the retro benefit.
On 26, Aug 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
last night.
as the sun was beginning
to retire
for the night…
i squeezed into a car
with a few girlfriends
and we headed west.
{and who doesn’t want to
head west?}
but there was no mindless
wandering in store for us
this night.
no
we knew exactly where
we were headed.
to the orchard house.
for a very special event:
thrown to in honor of
the local Minneapolis
organization:
tucked contentedly
down a twisty-curvy road,
intriguingly held
by high-reaching greens
we found the
orchard house,
e.kate designs.
{click here to experience goodness.}
and much.much.more.
artists such as
circa vintage
&
{who, by the way,
is quickly becoming one of my
all-time favorite
artists, see how her
work connects time spans
and tells a story…
love.}
accompanied
e.kate
in this fabulously
vintage event.
the inside of
the orchard house
is ooohh too charming
with it’s bright
turquoise walls
and sky-reaching ceiling.
the walls are tastefully
cluttered with artists
imaginative creations
to tempt and ahhh
any beauty-seeker.
to judge by the crowded
orchard house
with the lovelies mingling,
sipping champagne,
and looking too wonderful to
not be accompanying the
art on the walls…
i must assume the
event was quite the success.
it was an
enchanting evening.
so.
the orchard house.
grab a girlfriend.
and get there.
you won’t regret it.
i promise.
– n
two hands. and one heart.
On 15, Aug 2011 | One Comment | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
in … out.
in …. out.
it’s the
in … out.
that sometimes is the
hardest.
because i forget.
how it feels.
why it’s important.
and there is only blankness.
darkness?
yes.
lightness?
i can’t be sure.
whiteness.
i think.
nothingness?
nothingness?
nothingness.
it’s confusing.
how can there be the
unknown amidst the known?
confusion amidst the clear?
staleness amidst the beauty?
beauty amidst the pain?
emotions amidst the nothingness?
i only have two hands.
and one heart.
how can it possibly all be held?
the opening
seems so small.
and there doesn’t appear
to be enough
space.
in … out.
in …. out.
it’s the
in … out.
1.2..3…
remember.
you can do it.
but.
i only have two hands.
and one heart.
how can i ask them
to hold so much?
sometimes it’s just a matter
of finding the light.
and remembering how to let
it encircle…
regardless of the
blackness
the darkness
the whiteness
the nothingness
that resides
within.
in … out.
in …. out.
in ….. out.
breath.
just.
| my friend’s view through her lens. |
wherever you find yourself today
find your breath.
look at your two hands.
and one heart.
and let the light
encircle you.
because today.
these things are enough.
hoping for…
– n.
why korea? oh i will tell you…
On 04, Jul 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
so you say you are interested
in teaching abroad?
and you are thinking about coming to Korea?
let me tell you right now,
teaching abroad is not for everyone.
and Korea is probably not for everyone either…
but if your on the fence
about plans for your future,
you should consider this burst of
persuasion.
at least think about it.
number one:
i teach some of the
cutest kids you’ve
ever seen.
number two:
Koreans grow massive amount of their produce
in country.
and let me tell you…
whatever comes with the season…
will take your breath away.
number three: the old men.
sometimes these lovely old men
might invite
you to drink a little beer
and eat a little squid with them
because you just happened to be
sitting in their favorite spot
in the park.
the spot where they have
sat,
drank,
and munched on squid together
for the past…
the past forever.
number four: rice fields.
because they are just actually so awesome.
so foreign to me.
and so breathtakingly beautiful.
number five:
you get to wear amazing shoes like this…
at work.
typically with socks
showcasing the most popular
cartoon characters.
and if it’s winter…
you get to wear slippers.
number six:
mogyoktangs.
i.e.
korean bath houses.
with separate bathing areas for
men and women
[yes you will be naked throughout this whole experience]
you will discover
something so wonderful
you’ll wonder how you ever lived without
such pure
bliss.
 |
| picture from this fun blog. |
number seven:
Korean co-teachers.
if you are fortunate enough to have them
they will make your life better.
and completely
worth it.
all you must do
is take the time to get to know them.
they’ve changed my life.
that’s for sure.
and i will never be the same again.
number eight:
after the long winter color emerges in the form of…
cherry blossoms.
and it’s just as magical as it sounds.
number nine:
Korean baseball.
best.sporting.event.i’ve.ever.been.to.
no.question.
number ten:
the special coffee drinks.
best latte i’ll ever drink.
made to perfection
each and every time!
and i’ve only just begun…
are you teaching and living abroad in
Korea?
tell me why you love it.
squids & trains.
On 21, Jun 2011 | 2 Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
i stood on the other side
of the security tape.
watching as my lovely mother
extended her passport
[with two hands]
to the security guard.
she flashed the peace sign.
her shoulders signaled
a deep and slow sigh.
a final goodbye was mouthed.
and then my lovely mother
disappeared behind the security barrier.
i stood very still.
the people bustled around me.
the giant clock hanging high over head
moved on.
i felt convinced she might reemerge
from behind that barrier.
but she didn’t.
she journeyed on.
breathed in. breathed out.
and i realized i must too.
i caught the express subway.
from incheon international airport
to seoul station.
and just like that, we pulled away.
we were moving.
the ever-prompt and informative
korean public transportation system
with the flashing screen
in multi-languages
informed me
this ride would take approximately
54 minutes.
and i realized…
i’d stayed too long at the airport.
and i was going to miss my 5:00 pm [17:00] train,
bound for my Korean home.
but as luck would have it.
i stepped onto the KTX train
car number 12.
seat 14D
at 4:59.and a half…
just as the doors were closing.
just having sprinted up four levels of escaladers.
from the very deepest depths of the world
of seoul subway systems,
my breath was heavy
as i approached my seat,
“아줌마..??”
adjumma…
i addressed the older woman who would be
my seat-mate for the ride.
she smiled kindly and stood to move
so i could slide between her
and the window
into 14D.
and just like that, we pulled away.
we were moving.
the Korean country side
blurred in and out of my distracted attention.
i tried to read.
i tried to listen to a “this American life” episode.
my seat-mate slowly and methodically read
her newspaper.
without warning.
a few tears settled themselves into my eyes.
and they would not be blinked back.
my face.
it was turned from her [my seat-mate],
out the window
to the rolling rice patties
perfect in their twists
and playful, deliberate turns.
the next thing i knew.
my seat-mate adjumma
was offering me half the package
of her snack,
dried squid.
with a little wet-wipe even
for my assumedly dirty hands.
she wouldn’t even look at me
as i fumbled through my feeble polite-Korean
language attempts.
she pushed the squid into
my hands with serious force.
her face barely hinted at a smile.
her act was done out of necessity.
not for her.
but for me.
how could she tell?
was it the few measly sniffles
that made their escape from my tight throat
into the wide wide world?
or was it something about her mother’s heart,
that just knew?
i hate dried squid.
but this one.
went down brilliantly.
and i never tasted something so sweet.
and just like that…
we kept moving.
letters and the post office.
On 09, Jun 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
it’s faster to type.
you’ll get it momentarily,
if not instantly.
i can
:::skype you.
IM you.
email you.
facebook you.
facebook chat you.
gchat you.
tweet you.:::
did i miss any?
in a world of utter connection
:::exchange of pictures.exclamations.words.memories.news:::
staying in the loop
with the happenings of,
well just about anyone,
is a breeze.
:::the president of Yemen.my sister living in India.my girlfriend country hopping from Egypt to Saudi with her family.my little cousin’s latest soccer game.and my friend’s hot date last friday:::
but there is something to be said
about receiving [and sending] mail
that cannot be matched.
i’m talking about mail,
the kind embraced in an envelop.
the kind you lick to close…
[hoping you don’t cut your tongue].
the kind where you have to look up
the other’s postal address.
the kind dropped into the little
red [or blue] box on the corner.
the kind that is still
a complete mystery of how it goes
from that little red[or blue]
box on the corner,
over highways and under bridges,
to airports and over
rivers and oceans,
trucks to little vehicles,
to the small satchel the man
with blue pants
[who sincerely hopes the receiver owns
no canine to speak of]
to…you.
the kind when the little PO Box lid
is lifted in mindless routine.
the kind that catches something
in the gut,
something like small sparks
igniting from the eyes to the
stomach and back again
when that little-traveled-envelop
catches your attention
in the mail slot
and you know that little message.
is intended
for you.
so here i am.
living in the land of stationary stores
literally around every curve and bend.
and with unbelievable graphics
and English-tag lines like this…
HAPPY DAY! ! !
when your feeling down, take a bath. you’ll look better and feel cleaner too.
how can you you not stock up,
buying stationary for
everyone you know?
[INSERT PICTURE HERE].
Korean post offices
think of everything.
i mean really.
there’s the packaging and addressing station
complete with four different
kinds of tape,
various markers with which
to address your mail,
spectacles
[in case you forgot your glasses at home],
a choice of 20 different sizes
of boxes and envelops.
i waited in the international line,
with all the ladies.
assumedly mothers.
clutching their varying sized parcels
of gimchi,
the Korean national food.
a few letters and
small birthday package
in hand.
packed and ready to go.
i gave them one last look
and a wish for safe traveling.
i tried to imagine the moment when
my friends,
my grandmother,
my cousin,
would pull the lid to that mailbox.
i wondered if the butterflies,
the catch in the throat
would come.
until next post office visit.
watch your postbox!
i beg you…
On 31, May 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
i beg you,
to have patience with
everything
unresolved in your heart.
and to try.
to love the questions
themselves.
as if they were
locked
in a room
or
books written in
a very foreign
language.
don’t search for the answers,
which could not be
given to you now.
because you would not
be able to
live
them.
and the point?
to live.
everything.
live the questions now.
perhaps then,
someday
far in the future.
you will gradually,
without even
noticing it…
you will live your way
into the answers.
so today.
breath in.
and breath out.
look around.
what do you see?
poem compliments of Rainer Maria Rilke.
i added and changed the style a bit.
$5,000 & a years worth of chocolate.
On 25, May 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
this is the photo.
that won
the years worth of
Endangered Species Chocolate
and
$5,000 to my favorite
environmentally focused non-profit.
after much research
and deliberation.
Youth Farms and Market Program
will be the ones
receiving this prize money.
their main goal is to empower kids
through the process of growing food
in several urban gardens in
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
they have garden plots in the
Lyndale, Powderhorn, and
West Side Neighborhoods.
Youth Farm and Market Program is about
connecting locally produced food to
the neighborhood communities from
which it was grown.
they are about educating youth,
living in urban neighborhoods,
in gardening, nutrition and
entrepreneurship skills.
by seeing this young
and growing generation
and what
ideas
and
dreams
they have to offer their communities,
YFMP is empowering young voices to be
advocates and leaders within their own communities.
and this is why i am excited to see the
money going to support them.
as for the chocolate?
and the bewildering question
that has always tormented me:
“just what exactly does a year’s supply of
anything look like?!”
well look no further…
coming in six different varieties…
it’s hard for a girl to
know where to begin!
maybe here.
but don’t worry.
with an incredibly long shelf life
i have to some time.
until the next chocolate bar,
stay in peace.
peanut butter.
On 23, May 2011 | No Comments | In Uncategorized | By Natalie
sometimes the circumstances of life
give us no choices.
or at least.
the choices are
…limited and
just plain unfortunate.
exhibit a:
peanut butter.
typically
upon a trip to the local
grocer.
it is hard to not be overwhelmed
by the selection.
but this.
is not currently true
about my grocery shopping experience.
and so i am left with
limited choices:
like Skippy Peanut Butter.
[just plain unfortunate].
it’s been a few now
since one
g.i.a.n.t
jug of Skippy has been consumed.
and upon completion.
i knew.
this could not happen again.
so i bought some peanuts.
from the local grandmother
selling her collection
on the corner.
after a trip to the local
superstore.
i left proudly cradling a
blender slash food processor,
that i was
convinced would greatly
enhance my life.
three ingredients.
peanuts.
canola oil.
and some locally grown honey.
i’m still working out
the perfect combination of
the three.
but generally
it goes something
like this:
2 cups of peanuts.
2 tablespoons of oil.
1 long drizzle of honey.
grind well.
yet cautiously.
because some
blenders slash food processors
are better than others.
so.
go easy.on.her.
and soon you will realize.
that limited options
only happen
with a limited imagination
and determination.
and i can now
proudly say,
Skippy?
oh is that a children’s game?
i am just
a beginner in my
tales of peanut butter making.
so any suggestions for
tweaks and adjustments
would be greatly toiled over.
[and appreciated].
pass them on please!
until the next
peanut butter adventure…
stay in touch
