Hi! I’m Linda.
Welcome to my online home. I’m glad you found me in this vast world of websites and blogs!
I started Worldly Girl Guide to share and connect with others around the world who:
- Love to travel the world and learn about cultures, food, and yourself in the process
- Explore and celebrate different cultures whether you’re traveling or from home
- Find ways to make the world a better place and give back to the community
- Strive to raise open-minded children to embrace their heritage and multicultural family and friends
- Seek out and live our best lives by having new experiences and trying new things.
In a Nutshell…
I’m a 1.5-generation Korean-American, a 40-something Gen-Xer who grew up in the glorious gaudiness of the 80s (and typically lost generation early adulthood in the 90s, and full-time working mom at a non-profit organization. I’m a returned Peace Corps volunteer, former international humanitarian aid worker, and currently a desert dweller in the southwest of the United States of America. However, I’m forever a wanderluster that craves exploring new places, having unique experiences, learning about people and cultures (and especially eating different cuisines), and trying to do better in my daily life.
My goal with this blog is to connect with other like-minded folks to find your purpose, change the world, and live our best lives. While it may be easy in some respects with the U.S. being the so-called “Melting Pot”, it’s also challenging as we confront more racism and hate for being different more so than ever before.
How Did I Get Here?
My feeling is that the more you give, the more you will receive. The more you learn about differences in people and cultures, the more you learn about yourself. The more unique experiences you have in life, the more you LIVE.
Here are some facts about me that brought me here:
- I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the United States when I was 2 years old.
- Most of my childhood was spent in upstate New York until my high school years when my family moved to Kansas (of all places!).
- I have kept a diary since the 2nd grade after receiving 2 Hello Kitty diaries on my birthday. I started writing then and the habit of journaling continued all the way up to the time I got married.
- I lived in 7 states in the U.S.A. and 4 countries before calling Arizona my home.
- I met my husband while we were both working at the same humanitarian aid organization in South Sudan. It is because of him that I ended up in Arizona (I hadn’t stepped foot in the state before that!).
- I didn’t learn how to cook until I joined the Peace Corps and was forced to. Upon returning to the U.S., I binge-watched cooking shows on Food Network. I call myself a decent home cook but I’m always looking for something quick, easy, and healthy (and with ethnic flair, of course!)
- This is my 3rd blog. My 1st one I started during my stint in South Sudan to document my international humanitarian aid experience. I started my second blog a year after I had my second child because I missed having something for myself. I had another gap after my brother passed away. I’m here again for my 3rd blog. I hope this time is different!
- I had many jobs in the past – I’ve waited tables, worked in a copy store, been in a commercial, temped, made pizza at Whole Foods, etc. It wasn’t until I was in my early 30s that I found my calling in international public health.
- I studied international Public Health at Tulane University. I was in the middle of the program when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I had to evacuate and attend the University of Michigan for a semester.
- My favorite foods are sushi, pizza, baked goods made from ube, cherries, and Thai food. I am also addicted to coffee.
- I loved being pregnant. I was lucky in that I didn’t have any morning sickness with either of my pregnancies. I enjoyed eating for two and nurturing the magic that was happening in my body. That is, until the end of my second pregnancy when I got PPUPS (a nasty, super-itchy rash that made me want to crawl out of my body).
I have many stories to share but I also want to learn from all of you! I want this blog to be less about me and more about a community of multicultural moms, people who appreciate international travel, and want to do little things to make the world a better place.
I hope you will join me in this journey!