Genesis

After a whirlwind couple of months, I am finally ready to share what I was up to after teaching English in Korea! Once my teaching contract ended, I packed my bags and flew over to Ubud, Bali to embark on a new journey. I registered with Shades of Yoga to complete my first ever yoga teacher training! Not only that, but I had the honor as serving as their influencer to help with marketing for the month! Throughout all of the training I was charged with capturing the essence of

I had a lot of fun checking out the highly anticipated Netflix Stranger Things pop-up in Seoul! In this post, I highlight some tips!

May is a month of celebration and festivities to honor Buddha's birthday! Here's a list of temples beautifully decorated for the occasion.

Check out a dancer's guide to taking class at the famous 1Million Dance Studio in Gangnam, South Korea!

What is TRIS? TRIS is a new start up travel company based in Seoul that seeks to connect travelers going to Korea with unique and fun travel experiences; along with connecting travelers with expert locals. A few weekends ago, my friends and I linked up with TRIS to try out one of the many services they provide, the mission run! This blog features our experience working with TRIS and the various missions we got to compete in! At the end of this post, you'll be able to cast you

*** Spoilers are Coming! *** The Final Season of Game of Thrones is Here! If you've been following the series then you are well aware that only 4 weeks stand between us and the end of an era of one of the greatest shows. Not only that, but the next episode is THE episode. Ya know, the one that'll put a lot of us in therapy, myself included if I have to see Tyrian or any major character for that matter, die. But let's face it, death is coming for many of the characters when th

Welcome to part 3 of my Vietnam Blog series! I hope you have been enjoying reading about my travels in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay so far. This blog features the beautiful province of Ninh Binh where we stayed overnight in Tam Cốc, and explored the popular Bích Động pagoda, Hoa Lư, and Mua Cave. I will be sharing the itinerary from the trip we booked, and hope that after reading this, those interested in Vietnam will have a better sense of the country's diversity, and inspired to m

Welcome to part 2 of my Vietnam blog series! In this post I'll be highlighting some of the fun things Jd and I did during our stay in the country's capital. Hanoi is such a fun and vibrant city for plenty of things to do, no matter what you're interests are. My hope is that after reading this, you'll be left with a couple of ideas when planning your trip. Hanoi lies in the northern part of the country, and the Old Quarter was our "home base" if you will, during out stay in Vi

I thought I'd kick off the Vietnam blog series with one of the most beautiful places JD and I have ever visited, Ha long Bay! Many of my friends and even some of the tour guides during our trip stated that a trip to Vietnam is nothing without a pit-stop at Ha long Bay (a UNESCO World Heritage site). If you've never heard of this spot, I hope after reading this that you'll consider adding it to your lists of places to see! Day 1 We booked our trip through Trip Advisor and plan

G'Day! Everyone has always told me how amazing Australia is, and that If I ever got the chance, I should go. I used to sell tours and process holiday visa requests to Australia as a travel agent, and can remember the day I sent the information for my best friend Adrien to go! She left the U.S., and has been abroad for around 3 years now. Since then, I made it a goal of mine to visit while she was there. After visiting her, I can see why she has yet to come home. Taking Flight

(No drama was had during the trip or in the writing of this blog) To See or Not to See the DMZ Back home, most of the news from Korea focused heavily on the actions of North Korea; along with the tense relations between the U.S., South, and North Korea. News reports in general tend to induce fear amongst the public. So when I told people that I had planned on moving to South Korea, a lot of them brought up the subject. You’re not going to North Korea right? Is it safe in Sout

Winter (Camp) Is Coming Winter camp is long behind me, but Korean winter is still upon me. Hopefully not for much longer! I am finally able to sit and write about my 1st experience teaching the camps. Surprisingly, a couple of teachers have told me their camps didn't start until this month. EPIK teachers in Korea are required to teach both summer and winter English camps in-between school semesters. As a new teacher, the thought of what and how to teach winter camp plagued me

Welcome back! After a whirlwind month, I finally have the time to get back to blogging! This throwback post is from JD and I's ridiculous hike up Mt. Hallasan on Jeju island back in November. Reporting for Duty After a late night and brutally early morning, JD and I arrived to the base of the 8:20 arrive at Gwaneumsa trail around 8:20am. We had a nice chat with our taxi driver as the sun beamed through the windows of the old taxi. We thought to ourselves, what a perfect day f

Two weeks ago, Jd and I decided to spend a weekend away and fly south to Jeju-Island! (제주도) Jeju Island is part of the Jeju Province in South Korea. This place is often nicknamed the "Hawaii of Korea". This is due to the fact that the weather is a little warmer, there are many beach resorts, and unique volcanic landscapes. We were extra excited because the first snow of the season was hitting Seoul that same weekend, and we would get to avoid winter for a couple more days. Fr

Hey everyone! My name is Genesis and I'm the creator of 'Ella Va', a travel blog where I can share stories of my travels in hopes of inspiring others to get out there and explore. 'Ella Va' PHRASE 1. Used to indicate movement or attendance a. Spanish for 'She Goes' Like many of you, I love to get out there and experience new places and cultures. I have often made travel plans a priority when it comes to how I spend vacations and was fortunate to grow up in a military family w