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[wonderfilledsarah]

JEONJU GUIDE 전주시 - THE BEST VEGAN-FRIENDLY FOOD TOUR OF KOREAN FOOD CAPITAL

[wonderfilledsarah]

82 Days (short story p.1)

Hello!

After long time I am back some of my original writing.

I hope those who take the time to read enjoy it a lot.

Find what you would like in the story.

…

82 Days

la la lalala…

No, not again.

Drip drop.

Great, even better.

45 days 45 days and the 45th is your birthday.

“I don’t want to wear this. It makes me look STUPID.”

Your reflection in the mirror looks weary, tired. You try masking it with what little make-up you know how to use but it is useless. Your face resist any type of improvement. Give up. Close the door to the cold room and leave.

Oh! That was close. The ugly pink hat barely misses your face.

The ever changing colorful disarray of little human bodies muddles right in front of your eyes. Chaos. Your daily reality.

All of that scares you. Only one small piece of that jumble occasionally brings you comfort. However, even that one is way too busy finding his rightful place in this mess. Once again you remind yourself that he too is just a child.

Like you could actually remember what it means to be one. … A yellow plastic truck. “I told you, you can’t just take it without saying anything!”


I like it. I want to play with it so I can… comes right back at you. “That’s not how it works! That’s stealing.”

Frustration. Bam. A sharp pain. A random plastic toy lands on the child’s back as he turns around to walk away with your toy.

You lose it. So you just run away crying over your crime. …

For majority of human beings days represent nothing but a continuous routine. Days are simply periods of time, time during marked by the length of our planet’s journey to fulfill its destiny and make another turn around our center of the universe. You count every single one of them. Since when? Since you gave up. Since your world has flipped itself over, with little hope for return to its previous state.

The raindrops keep dripping down your neck, you can almost feel the pain of your backpack, soaking up all the tears. Rain is also just a part of your everyday routine now. Now you live here. Here, in the wet and windy paradise.

A bus stop. People crouching under the rusty shelter that barely covers the privileged ones.

The looks. Are they real or are you imagining them?

How great it must be to be invisible? You wondered since the day 0.

Day 1 The new start.

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR 
 JOHN BAYNES

“Please take a good care of her, she is such a sweetheart.”

“Of course, don’t worry Miss. our college is the best in the area. We already have 5 other international students who entered just today, she will for sure become great friends with all of them”.

…

They pass you by like you are nothing. Only one turns around and smiles. Anna is the true sweetheart in this place but you keep the glass wall between you two just in case.

“How are you Alyssa? How is your family? Is it better?”

In the grim light of the dark and cold college hallway, your brain would never expect to form the word ‘better’.

All is okay you say. You seemed to have lost the definition of the word okay. What does it mean anymore? Is there a difference when you spell it ok instead of okay? Who ever decided to place an emotion, a description of a bodily state to two or maybe four letters?

…

“Lying is bad. You can never lie, Alyssa.” A wooden spoon strokes your back.

…

Is it really lying? How many of us go by each and every single of the numbers we live through pretending something? You are so far from ok/okay.

Day 45 “Why are you crying Alyssa?” Is something wrong?”

“It’s ok Jake, don’t worry. I will be fine. Rather show me what you have done today in school. Was it fun?”

A notebook lands on the scratched living room desk. The scratches seem comforting, even this old wooden table could’t keep up its pretended shiny perfection.

Those little scribbles are supposed to be me. My cold heart does a flip as I detect myself within the graphite strokes. Why does it make me want to cry again?

“Our teacher asked us to draw our family. I couldn’t draw Millie very well, she is just so chubby and doesn’t have any hair so she looks a bit like a pig.”

“Don’t call your sister a pig Jake.”

“But there is no fun with her. She is too little and she just screams all the time. Oh! You know what? Daddy gave me the new XBOX game we looked at last time! Let’s try it out today!”

Shooting. Attacks. Monsters. What makes up your 45th day is an escape to a world of a 7 year old and a TV screen.

[wonderfilledsarah]

APPLE & CINNAMON OATMEAL IN MICROWAVE RECIPE | COOKING WITHOUT KITCHEN PT.1

NEW VIDEO is up! I may not be able to have a proper kitchen but I can still cook delicious OATMEAL in a microwave! Watch how in my newest video!

[wonderfilledsarah]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viwHbvGfDn8)

[wonderfilledsarah]

Fall Pumpkin Soup

I have given up. I have embraced the saddening coldness of the outside air and the fact that orange has taken over the entire world. And by orange I do not mean the beautifully rotting leaves of all the trees we managed not to cut down yet but the haunting advertisement of pumpkin.

Every single thing seems to be related to this vegetable. There are pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, roasted pumpkin salads, pumpkin chips and the holy grail - pumpkin spiced latte. With Starbuck on every other corner I can’t seem to escape the phenomenon. 

And do not get me wrong, I absolutely love the way all varieties of pumpkin taste. I guess, I just do not want to acknowledge the reality that it is almost winter again. 

Halloween is also coming on us like a hurricane and as much as it is not really celebrated here in Czech, we still love carving our pumpkins into weird and somewhat ridiculous shapes. And what do you do with all that is left from digging into all the pumpkins?

I make soup.

This was actually one of the first recipes I started making as a child, inspired by children’s cookbook, me and my mum created our own version of the ultimate pumpkin soup. 

And oh is it delicious!!

Every single October we make huge batches of it and I couldn’t wait to cook multiple jars again.

Soups of any kind are my staple once the temperature drops bellow certain point but there is something incredibly magical on associating this particular flavor with fun activities and celebrating fun Holiday. 

I thought it would not be fair to keep such a tasty meal from you so here you have the recipe!

Easy (my 10 year old self came up with it), healthy and tasty!

Pumpkin Soup

3 cups of pumpkin (small cubes)

1 medium carrot

½ swept potato (or regular potato)

1 medium red onion

3 cloves of garlic

1.5-2 l vegetable stock

olive oil

½ cup of coconut milk

salt, pepper, cayenne - all to your preference

cardamon, coriander, ginger - all ½ tsp

fresh herbs to serve

Prepare the vegetable: peel and cut the onion, cube the potato and carrot.

Over medium heat, in a medium saucepan coated with some oil, slowly brown the onion and later the garlic while stirring constantly (be careful not to burn it).

Add the remaining veggies, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne - all to taste.

Roast for about 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining spices and pour in the vegetable stock until al vegetable is fully covered (1,5-2 l).

Cover and let to simmer for about 15 min, until all is nicely softened.

Add the coconut milk and season if needed, let simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Turn of the heat and either blend using stick blender or in batches blend in regular blender (be careful as it is very hot).

Add some fresh herbs - basil, parsley and serve.

Enjoy!!!

[wonderfilledsarah]

Raw Vegan Oreo

I love Oreos.

I have tried many different flavor before being vegan but one can’t deny that the original is the king of all cookies.

It is incredibly awesome that the best original flavor is “accidentally”, works as a good excuse for sneaking 3 packets of them to college every other day and eating it all within the first hour.

However, they are not really that good for you.

I am all about the treats and eating what my body wants (and needs) but as much as I want to eat Oreos all day even my body is not ok with it.

I have always considered raw desserts one of the best presents from heaven but I never tried coming up with a decent copycat of this favorite cookie. 

And as much as I wish it were true, the recipe I am about to introduce you to is not a perfect taste twin of Oreos. 

However, it is uncountably healthier and I extremely deliciou. I don’t want to brag but I have heard some people say they prefer this raw cookie to regular Oreos.

I believe in taking inspiration from the foods you want to veganize or make a bit healthier but at the same time no one should expect to have exactly the same taste as the “original” version. I mean there is a reason for making it different.

These Cookies are easy and do not require ingredients you can’t find in ordinary supermarket. 

I also would like to mention Blog Carnival hosted by the wonderful Janine. http://nutsandblueberries.com/blog-carnival/ 

I really wanted to take part in this amazing camp featuring many inspiring creators, who share their healthy versions of fast food meals. It might seem a bit strange to come up with a cookie recipe for a fast food meal share but for me, it has a reason.

As I used to live every busy daily life I basically lived of fast foods and combined with my sweet tooth, it meant getting those Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s pies, not to mention ice cream. Therefore, not only I wanted to healthify a favorite cookie but it also fits in with my past fast food habits. 

I hope you like them as much as I do!

Raw Vegan Oreos

makes about 15 cookies

for the cookie base:

1 cup almonds

½ cup cashews

½ cup walnuts

1 cup pitted dates (medjool work the best)

½ cup pitted prunes

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp salt

(optional is some sweetener - maple, agave syrup)

for the filling:

1 cup coconut butter

2 tbsp vegan yogurt (I used Plain Soy)

1 tsp maple/agave syrup

1 tsp tahini (you can substitute for peanut butter but tahini makes the filling really special)

Place all the ingredients for the cookie base into a food processor and blend until everything is well combined.

Make a firm ball out of the created dough, on a clean surface, either roll out the dough thinly (about 1cm thick) and cut out individual cookies with a cookie cutter or simply take small amounts of the dough, roll into a small ball and then shape into a cookie by hand. 

(I was too lazy to roll the dough out so I used the second method, might be less of a perfect shape but still turned out well)

Place the created cookies into a fridge to chill until you mix the filling.

In a small bowl mix the butter and all the other ingredient until a smooth paste is created. (you can even melt the butter in a microwave for a minute or two if needed, but then let cool down a bit).

Adjust the sweetness according to your preference.

Take out the cookies and  sandwich them together using about 2 tsps of filling per sandwich, depending on the size of your cookies.

You can store the finished Oreos in the fridge for a few days or eat them immediately (they tend to get better the next day.

Enjoy your cookies!!! 

[wonderfilledsarah]

just tying to take a photo of the stunning scenery while my dog is trying to say me into the forest 🍁🍂

my new video is up on my YouTube channel (WonderlifeofSara - link in my bio)

I wanted to share with you my opinion about the truthfulness of some common British stereotypes- I hope you like it 💕

I am honestly still at the point where every time I film a video I am uncertain if I should post it… but then I realize how much I wanted to do this so I keep going for now 💪🏻

hope you are having enjoyable Sunday 🦄

#vegan #vegansofig #blog #blogger #video #youtube #youtuber #sterotypes #britain #reality #england #girl #forest #dog #walk #photography #naturephotography #nature #green #beautiful #view #landscape #fall #flowers #landscapephotography #inspiration #filming #donotgiveup #vsco #vscocam #vscocze

[wonderfilledsarah]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmqK0kUSmfc)

[wonderfilledsarah]

After 4 moths I decided to post another YouTube video 👏🏻💪🏻

It has been my dream to create videos for a long time and I decided to not give up on it just yet.. ❤️

this time I talk about tattoos and their impact on lives… maybe take a look? 😊https://youtu.be/YIoqGji0h0U

#vscocze #vsco #vscocam #meadow #girl #forest #narnia #wonderland #perfect #beautiful #view #fog #flowers #landscape #photography #nature #naturephotography #colors #tattoo #tattooos #video #youtube #vlog #life

[wonderfilledsarah]

Cocoa Rawnola

My everyday go-to breakfast has been mostly the same for the last few months. Ever since the worst winter weather faded I happily slipped into the routine of breakfast yoghurt parfaits. I am way too obsessed with those, the picture of it is the only thing that can get me out of my bed every morning.

Then when I discovered the magic of homemade rawnola - which is essentially just raw (better) version of granola, I even stepped up my already delicious breakfast game.

It only takes about 10 min to make such treat and you can add it anywhere you want, not only yogurt but ice-cream, bowl of milk or just eat it plain. The one thing I love the most about it is the endless number of variations - you can make it to your own need and preference and you don’t ever have to keep it boring, just add what your heart desires.

This recipe is based of the last batch f rawnola I made, so far my favorite one, (because what does’t taste 1000 times better when cocoa is involved).

Cacao Rawnola

Ingredients

12 medjool dates

½ cup oats

1/3 cup shredded coconut

¼ cup dried mulberries

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup raisins

3 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp protein powder (I use Pulsing pea protein powder)

¼ mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds…)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it reaches desired, granola-like texture. 

You can always mix and swap the ingredients as you wish.

[wonderfilledsarah]

Citizen of the world

Living in England I have realized how I don’t fit into any of the places I have lived in recently. Growing up in the country I never really could consider my home left me focused on the moment when I gloriously wave goodbye to it and leave all of it behind. Yet as I arrived in England I ended up standing out even more.

Was it my accent? It’s not British, it definitely is not Czech and yet it is not really American as I always thought. I guess it contributed to labeling me “the different one” but I would lie saying that I don’t like the way no one really seems to know how to describe it. However, many times it was a painful reminder of the fact that I am isolated from belonging to certain culture, from having a home. Once again I was a foreigner. Now, returning back I have to cope with the pressure to fit into what I (should) consider my home country.

Czech Republic is beautiful. It has many unique treasures, form the country itself to the people who live there. I have learned to appreciate its individual beauty much more whilst living in England, surprised myself as I passionately described a whole variety of things native to he place I lived in, the beautiful Prague and everything you can get there (loads of food involved of course). What surprised me even more was how defensive I got when I heard some negative comments or when just discussing silly superiority of one nation to another.

And yet I can’t consider Czech my home.

I can’t really recall at what point in life I have become aware of the isolation I feel from the culture I live in and when I started to identify myself with different language and cultures. I know that it is all I can remember growing up and interacting with people around me. How I lost connection with my mother language and started craving all that was not native to my country. I know it used to be annoying and upsetting to many of my close relatives and majority of my friends but I embraced the idea that we can’t decide where we come from but we can decide where we go from there. (i love reciting random book quotes).

Now as I left England I wonder how prominent the isolation I feel is going to be and how will I deal with it. I know it will be challenging and I know that I will get judged again but I have left other people’s opinions behind me a while ago. It is my own decision with what place and culture I identify with the closest and it might take me years, decades before I know which one it is for sure. It is the natural process of life and figuring out how to live it. I might not find that magical place I once hoped England to be, it might be the next destination I end up staying at.

For now, I am fine being the citizen of the world.

[wonderfilledsarah]

My time to leave

So it’s almost gone. Time flies by and I am left witness than two weeks in the country I once expected to stay in forever. Am I sad that it is not true? Maybe. I don’t really know what to think right now. As the time of my departure comes closer I am slowly realizing how much I don’t want to go but the there are moments when  all I want is to just pack my things and leave immediately. Life doesn’t become flawless no matter how much we wish for it to be and I was really silly holding that delusion.  

This year has brought me many positives and negatives on somewhat equal terms and I know I will have to face it’s consequences once I am officially gone.

I feel that the biggest fear that has been hunting my mind lately is how is it going to look like once I am back? Is it going to be like this year ever happened? I don’t think I can do that. I am certain that would break me.

I have never imagined I will have to go back and now I don’t know how to deal with the reality to be honest. I feel like I have changed so much over the course of the past year and probably matured a lot or whatever you want to call it. In so many ways I feel different I might be unrecognizable to many people who have faded out of my life for even a short while.

And I like it.

Don’t get me wrong, I am obviously scared that not all the chance is exactly brilliant but no one is perfect and I have to learn to accept that. I honestly think I like myself better than I did a year ago. I love all the people I was lucky to surround myself with during my stay here and I have to admit I like the way I can intact with them. I am not bounded my previous selves and people here see me as I am know, not holding the past against me in any way. Some might say that they don’t really know who I really am if I have changed as much as I say I did but that is stupid. I think it’s the exact opposite. I am not nearly at the end of the horrific and suffocating journey to finding myself but I think this year I have gotten closer than ever an I would lie saying I am not even tiny bit proud of it.

That is probably another part of my great fear. Will I have to change going back? How much I am who I am now because of all the people around me and the place I live in?

Many times I am left wondering how will the people look at me when I am back? But also how would the people here react if they met me two years ago or more importantly a year from now? How much of a difference can be created by such a short period of time?

I am certain I will unfortunately loose contact with many people I now here but I also know that many of the people I used to know back then re not going to accept me as I am now.

And that is ok.

I don’t want to go back to the life I had year ago and I will have to fight it a lot. But f anything I am sure that I am stronger than I was a year ago and I will try my best to be the best self I can be.

Am I scare to death? Yes. Am I sad to sad to be leaving? Absolutely. Am I looking forward to leaving? Maybe.

[wonderfilledsarah]

Accepting the British self

Ever since I came to England last year my life has changed dramatically. Not particularly in the way I had expected when I made the decision to come here but still more than I could have imagined. I have not escaped the absurd over-expectation preceding my arrival here as I find common for other people as well. I have not yet become a true master of English language and an expert on the British culture nor have I discovered the true meaning of life beyond myself.  Yet all the new experience and new relationships with new people shaped the way I am so much, that I often wonder who I was before I got here.

My first months in a foreign country were more challenging that I thought they would be. Ups and downs complimented my new daily routine, often leaving me longing for my old life. It isn’t easy being thrown into a completely new environment especially since I was only looking forward to the good stuff and wouldn’t acknowledge the possibility of stress and pressure, leaving me nothing but disappointed.

I had hard time understanding all the people around me, given my lack of proficiency of British slang and not sharing nearly enough ‘puns’ and sarcasm. The reality of leaving the house everyday with umbrella that won’t protect you from the sharp rain and wind anyway became painfully repetitive and even more annoying with every single day. And still I somehow found a path and started to embrace the cons and focused instead on al the positives.

I have been lucky enough to make a group of friends who accepted me for who I am now, the changed, hopefully a bit more grown up version of myself and I have shared with them many amazing adventures. Living abroad gives you the amazing opportunity to discover new places and do new activities; maybe it’s that instrument you wanted to play so badly or some interesting kind of hobby you wanted to try. You now have no more excuses to not do it anymore and that is what I love about making this decision. It has stopped me from postponing all the things I want to do in life and has left me full of new dreams and wishes, allowed me to develop new skills and explore some of my (maybe) talents I was never aware of.

Beyond all the studying and other mundane things in life I have accomplished things I might not have ever thought of without England. Who knows what I might have been doing had I decided to stay where I was? I have obviously made many mistakes and there are things I might regret later in life but the journey I have undergone is incredible. It doesn’t matter if your next decision is going to take you to the country two thousand miles away or just right next to the one you are in right now. The influence of living abroad, throwing yourself out there alone is priceless and something worth going for. In my own case, choosing England is even more complex experience given its’ amazing diverse culture and population. I have met people from many different cultures and countries and explored places with various influence leaving me astonished and even more grateful for this choice.

Not everything is easy or better, as I have learned painfully dealing with British bureaucracy whilst applying for the most awesome job I could have wished for but nothing is perfect right? You just have to fight your way through it and it will leave you stronger and more confused about why everyone is so exited to be officially an adult.

Living abroad brings you various exciting opportunities and lets you do whatever you always wanted. So what are you still doing? Go abroad!

[wonderfilledsarah]

Hello || intro to my channel || Life Of Sara

it’s happening :) 

[wonderfilledsarah]

ART PRINTS BY DIOGO VERISSIMO

Reach for the Moon 

The Moon and Me 

Moonwalk 

Good Night Moon 

Also available as canvas prints, T-shirts, Phone cases, Throw pillows, Tapestries and More!

[wonderfilledsarah]

Cold Mist