11 Days, 5 Countries, Countless Crazy & Memorable Moments

3 days in Belgium.
1 day in Luxembourg.
(1 night in Scotland.)
4 days in the Republic of Ireland.
3 days in Northern Ireland.

Belgium
A small country with a big heart. And big Belgian waffles and frites (French for 'fries'). Together with Jill and Joan, we were three musketeers munching on chocolate (lots of it) in Brussels, wandering the streets at night in search for the (in)famous fries, and hearing World War I stories from our enthusiastic Sandeman tour-guide of how Belgium bravely stopped the Germans from invading France. On our last day in Belgium, we caught a train to Bruges. The fog enveloped the land and added a mystical magical-ness to the place. Boat-riding on the canals of Bruges and climbing up the tower were great ways to end our Belgian adventure.

waffles for breakfast in Brussels!

Luxembourg
Europe has a lot of preserved history, from castles to churches to grand markets that have operated for centuries. With its ducal palace and churches around every corner and picturesque cobblestone streets, Luxembourg is no exception. It really felt like walking in a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale story. I am thankful that a local showed us around and taught us some words from the Luxembourgish language, and we ended up eating one of the best lunches I've had: kniddelen!

whoever invented the choco-spoon, you're brilliant

Scotland
I bid adieu to my traveling companions and headed back to Edinburgh, 1) to unpack and 2) to re-pack. When I arrived at my flat, I was greeted by Valentine's Day gifts left for me in front of my door. Polish chocolate snacks and hand-made origami. How thoughtful <3.

my flatmates are so sweet

Ireland
My flatmate Amy and I woke up early to fly to Dublin, and the sun shone brightly throughout our first day there. Dublin is lively, day and night. Beautiful bridges span the River Liffey, and we loved walking around in the sun in the gardens behind the castle. The highlights were reuniting with old friends. 1) ate lunch with my high school classmate (Colleen), whom I had known since 5th grade. and 2) ate Nando's chicken dinner with a friend I met in Hong Kong last summer (Michaela), who had worked at the same children's camp I did. Reunions are always uplifting, because they're glimpses of what it'd be like to return home to God.

reunited with Colleen at Trinity College Dublin!

on the River Liffey!

reunited with Michaela, a Godly young woman!

Northern Ireland
What can I say about a country with rolling green pastures, ancient castles, sheep grazing in the fields, dramatic landscapes featuring unique rocks rising out of the sea, and friendly people? This past weekend was the last leg of my holiday break, and it was the best way to end. I stayed with family friends, who were the most welcoming hosts ever, taking me on a bus tour of Belfast and Giant's Causeway on the northern coast. But what I enjoyed the most was just chilling at their house, playing games and watching TV ("River Monsters" #jeremywade), worshiping God on a Sunday morning, meeting their grandmum and her cute wee dog. And just before boarding the plane, the rain stopped and the sun shone and a rainbow appeared in the sky. So clutch.

struck with wonder

braving the wind at Giant's Causeway

I've learned that you can travel to far-off places, eat exotic foods, discover mountains and oceans, and explore hidden lands. But what really makes the place, and what really makes a trip memorable, are the people.

How to Cook Turon in Scotland (Recipe Included!)

If you're looking for something sweet + crunchy + banana-y that is quick and easy to make, then "turon" is the snack for you. I grew up eating this Filipino dessert a lot (...a lot...) so making it here in Edinburgh brought me back to my childhood days.

Here are the ingredients and recipe for turon!

+bananas
+spring roll pastry wraps (you can buy them at any Asian market!)
+brown sugar
+vegetable or corn oil
+bowl of water

1) Peel the bananas, and slice them in half. Slice again in the middle to make fourths.
2) Sprinkle brown sugar on the bananas.
3) Lay out a spring roll pastry wrap on a clean surface. Put a sugared banana slice in the corner.
4) Then roll it up! Halfway through, fold the other corners in, and then keep on rolling.
5) Before finishing rolling it up, there should be a corner flap still left. Dip this flap in some water as an adhesive. Then roll it up all the way.
6) Heat up some oil in a wok or pan, and fry the lil' sweet packages!
7) Wait a few minutes (usually 3-5) for them to turn golden brown. Then take the turon out and put them on a plate with paper towels to dry, then transfer to a clean plate.
8) Eat them as is or served with any flavor of ice cream :). Enjoy!

dat Scottish ice cream tho #toogood

PS cooking turon is best done with friends! :)

What Every Young Woman Needs To Hear

The 14th is coming up, and y'all know what that means...

Valentine's Day DAY OF CHOCOLATE

jk.

(sort of.)

but I digress...

Every year, there's a particular day in which single ladies may feel more lonely and more acutely aware of feeling lonely.
You'll see elderly couples strolling through the park, a husband and wife holding hands while gazing out into the sunset, a boyfriend and girlfriend eating at a restaurant on a date night...the list goes on, and yeah, maybe you're like me and are simultaneously happy to see other people happy, but also have felt that loneliness before.

When those feelings of loneliness surface,
I want you to know that God loves you.

This is what every young woman needs to hear:
God loves you.

He's not some far-off, distant entity who's controlling the world like puppets on string.
He's not some deity who demands you to be good.
He's not imaginary.

God is real, and God wants you to know that he is the giver of all joy, all hope, all love.

No matter how many times we mess up or are hurting or feel lonely, God actually truly really does love you.

We have someone who can complete us. We have someone who can actually make us truly feel valued. We have someone who says He would do anything for us.

And how do we know?

How do we actually know that there's someone out there who loves us unconditionally? With a love that can change us? A love with no limits?

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. +1 John 4:9

Ladies, you are made in the image of God.
You are beautiful, not because of what you look like, but because of who made you.
The God of the universe (the whole big vast mind-boggling universe!) knows how many hairs you have on your head. The God who made the mountains and the oceans and the stars in the sky formed you in your mother's womb and saw you before you were even born on earth. The God who gave his life for you wants you to know that you can have eternal life with him, eternal joy, forever.

And when that truly sinks into your soul, you realize that you don't need the world's validation. When you realize that your true identity is in Christ, then you can start loving others with Christ's love.

(And trust me, it's hard. We as human beings are not perfect, and we can never love another person perfectly.)

But the more you walk with God... the more you begin to love other people, not because you want them to love you back, but because God already loves you. It's like we're a cup, and when we let God's love fill us up, his love will overflow to other people.

Thankfully, we can never "earn" God's love. God offers his love freely to anyone and everyone. All you need to do is accept his gift :).

So.

This Valentine's Day (and any other day!), if you're ever feeling lonely, just know that Someone loves you, and He's reaching out his hand to you, and all you have to do, is just reach your hand out back to him.

***

PS thankful for these lovely ladies for spending an early GALENTINE'S DAY with me!

breakfast-ing

Mary's Milk Bar-ing

Citizenship

Hailing from the land of Hershey’s chocolate and vast stretches of cornfields (America), I feel a bit of a stranger to Scotland, for now. Walking on the left side of the sidewalk, eating (and actually enjoying) haggis, drinking tea with milk, trying to come up with the best team name at weekly pub quiz nights (Tequila Mockingbird or You’re a Quizzard, Harry)... In ways such as these, my life is a bit different from the one back in America. I do feel settled in, but at the same time, I bear an acute sense of awareness that I am not from here, and I don’t know if I will be able to ever say I truly belong here. 

And I think that's okay, because my citizenship is founded in another world, one in which peoples of all nations will come together, people from all neighborhoods and zip codes and cities will gather round as one. A world in which there will be no more crying, no more death, no more pain. No more feeling like a stranger in a strange land, but a citizen. 
A citizen of a kingdom that knows no bounds, a kingdom where all are welcome, a kingdom better than the ones we see on earth.

week 5: when you look up

 

when you look up

what do you see?

do you see sapphire-blue skies

or bunny-shaped clouds

or orange and pink paint at nearly sundown?

can you see a blanket of indigo

peppered by stars

that light up the night way from afar?



or maybe, just maybe

do you see his glory

More Than Just A Coffee House: Salt Yard Sessions

Music + cake + comfy couches.

Saltyard is a wonderful lil' coffee shop run by a local church in Edinburgh.

Salt Yard Sessions are wonderful gatherings of the community in which we seek God through live music at said wonderful lil' coffee shop. 

Saturday night, I ventured a wee bit away from campus and trekked two miles to see acoustic performances from bunderland, Illuminate Scotland, and Nathan Jess & Band. It was worth it. 

raise your hand if you're like me & love the hanging lights & paper triangles in the background

me with Nathan Jess!

Besides the delicious home-baking (like seriously delicious cake...lots of it), what made the night special was just a group of believers gathering around, sitting on comfy couches and singing together to celebrate the Heavenly Father we love.

We sang this one song called "Spirit Break Out," and it really hit me when the lyrics "heaven come down" were repeated again and again.

What would it be like if heaven actually did come down, right now?


PS happy birthday to my dear brother Joseph! Though he turned 15 years old today, I will forever see him as my baby bro.

(Breakfast) Clubbing

This morning I had breakfast with the lovely Lucie. I first met Lucie through mutual family friends and am so grateful. Food, friendship, and fellowship ~ a great way to start the day!
Go check out her blog!
http://juicyluciefoods.blogspot.co.uk/

Week 4: Reunions!

reunited!

I've known Nina since ... I can't even remember because it's been so long! We grew up in the same city, went to the same school since we were bout 5 years old, graduated high school together...our shared history stretches far back. I even remember going to her grandma's house for a Filipino Christmas party one time when we were young!

postcard perf

 I'm so happy Nina got to visit and that we got to catch up. Awesome weekend, awesome friend!!

climbed columns on Calton Hill #alliteration

hiking up Arthur's Seat with school friends

Studying abroad at St Andrews, Mary also popped by on Saturday! We knew each other from high school so it was nice to see another familiar face in a foreign place.

thankfully I did not fall down

On Sunday after church, we food-toured our way through the city (ate @ Oink, Scottish cranachan @ World's End Pub, Mars Bar cupcakes @ Mimi's Bakehouse).

pretending to be Highland cows

Waved goodbye to Nina at the train station on Sunday evening, but we will definitely see each other again! Thank you, Nina, for a wonderful weekend <3!

did someone chop up some onions? #brb #crying

The saying goes that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Being abroad has definitely taught me to cherish new friends made here and also to cherish the ones from back home. Friendship is a beautiful glimpse of God. Friendships are truly a gift.