Back in the Land of Kimchi

January 22, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

It struck me upon this particular return to Korea that I’ve grown surprisingly comfortable here. I’ve gotten used to the decreased eye contact and increased physical contact. To the abrupt but convenient public transportation and the way everyone buries their faces in their smart phones. To getting a free pass on explaining myself in certain situations because […]

Adventures in the ATL (exploring the life of luxury)

January 14, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

So I’ve kind of been keeping this a secret, but I’m actually in America right now, spending time with family. (Shh, don’t tell anyone.) Since this does happen to be my third visit to the US in the last year, I thought I would tag along with my mom on a random business trip this […]

Grieving

December 10, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

I guess this is what grieving is like.

Missing her laugh and her cooking and her sense of humor. Remembering her inner strength and all the important things she taught me. Wishing I could have somehow communicated to her that even though I am all the way over here and she was all the way over there, I never forgot her for a second…

Alone and Helpless: Encounters with Strangers

October 30, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

I locked myself out of my house the other night. Suffice it to say, I found myself outside with a bag of trash and not much else. No phone. No key. No money. No roommate at home to let me back in.

Devotion

October 9, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

Grandfatherly Wisdom I had a lovely chat with my grandfather last night. It made me realize I should call my grandparents more often. I have so much to learn from them. First of all, my grandfather is almost 85, and he is more physically fit than most people I know. When I called, he was at […]

The Third Day of a New Thing

September 24, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

This week felt like a new beginning for me. I started running, cooking, and waking up earlier. Life felt very different. I was afraid I was going to feel too tired to keep all this up––that’s my normal excuse for sleeping in, not running, and eating the easiest-fix meals possible––but Monday and Tuesday, I felt great! I […]

Rainy days

September 4, 2014.Reading time 1 minute.

I love rainy days. Laughing at the gusts of wind that blow sheets of rain at you sideways. Showing up at a social engagement with the bottom half of you completely soaked. Walking down the street shielded from the rest of the world by a curtain of water, the persistent patter of raindrops filling your ears. Today, I got […]

Culture, Identity, and Blood

August 13, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

On the last leg of my journey from Korea to Baltimore, a domestic flight from Texas to Maryland, I found myself seated next to an Asian woman, the only other Asian on the plane. As I sat down, I noticed she was reading a book in Korean. I was sitting next to a Korean! I slept throughout […]