Author: kaleenamq

What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad

As I leaned my heavy head on the glass window, the dry and weathered countryside streaming past, the effects of the extra strong IPA, two days of travel, and jet lag pressed down upon my eyelids with urgency while I struggled to keep them lifted. I was home. As my dad drove us through the rolling… Continue reading What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad

Cleaning Up the Mess from “Don’t Date a Girl Who Travels”

I’ve lost track of who even started it, but somewhere along the way the internet became overrun with a series of sappy and cliche articles about whether or not to date boys and girls who travel.  A couple of friends recently sent me the latest post titled “Don’t date a girl who travels”, because it… Continue reading Cleaning Up the Mess from “Don’t Date a Girl Who Travels”

Back in Cali! Being a Tourist at the Golden Gate Bridge

I bounced my knees in excited anticipation. I tried to look out the windows, leaning both forward and backward to see around my neighbors, but I was seated in the center of the plane. I couldn’t see the skyline of the city I had watched disappear into the horizon eleven months ago, but blue skies… Continue reading Back in Cali! Being a Tourist at the Golden Gate Bridge

The Story of a Letter and the Kindness of a Stranger

I love mail.   I still remember the excitement that the mailbox brought to birthday season. On a warm summer morning, birds chirping lazily from the branches while bees darted busily from the fragrant jasmine bushes by the windows to the vibrant purple honeysuckle blossoms that lined the walkway, I would hear the squeak of… Continue reading The Story of a Letter and the Kindness of a Stranger

My Accidental Resolutions for 2014

No one ever keeps their resolutions so why bother making them, right? That was my mentality up until recently. When friends asked me about my resolutions I shrugged it off, explaining that I’d given up on trying because it was a lost cause. I mean, we all know how crowded the gym is in January… Continue reading My Accidental Resolutions for 2014

2013 In Review: One Wild Year

It’s incredible how quickly a year can pass. And the older I get the faster it seems to go. What’s up with that?! Yesterday I told of my “most ridiculous moments in 2013” because, let’s be honest, my life can be a bit strange at times. But I also wanted to do a more typical… Continue reading 2013 In Review: One Wild Year

My 13 Ridiculous Moments of 2013

I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but rather than Cupid shooting me through with an arrow of love, some other jokester angel must have sprinkled a dust on my head that has magnetized me to strange, awkward, and sometimes hilarious encounters. It is an ongoing phrase amongst my friends to say, “this… Continue reading My 13 Ridiculous Moments of 2013

Making Our Own Holiday Spirit for Christmas in Korea

One of my best friends is a few months pregnant right now but I’d venture to say that my food baby is bigger than her real baby. The last week of Christmas festivities has impregnated me with a belly so full of butter and sugar that I wouldn’t be surprised if I sneezed and gave… Continue reading Making Our Own Holiday Spirit for Christmas in Korea

Sh*t My Students Write: Part 2

A few days ago I posted about my urge to run away but instead making the decision to stay in Korea for another year. Thank you to everyone who messaged me with words of support and encouragement. I didn’t mean to sound quite so emo; even though things are a little rough right now, I… Continue reading Sh*t My Students Write: Part 2

The Tale of a Wannabe Runaway

Have you ever wanted to run away? I think we all have at some point.   When I was young I sometimes gave my parents that stereotypical childish threat of packing my suitcase and leaving. They, of course, never believed me so one night I grabbed a backpack and snuck out. I made it as… Continue reading The Tale of a Wannabe Runaway

Say Kimchi! A bizarre photo experience

There was a (much more glamorous) time of my life when I was a “pageant queen” and little girls flocked to get my autograph and a photo with me. Akin to being a princess at Disneyland, it was a novelty I relished as a once in a lifetime opportunity; for, surely, never again in my… Continue reading Say Kimchi! A bizarre photo experience