I AM KOREAN AMERICAN

Own Words

Being half Korean and half Irish-American has been a mixed blessing. Indeed, both countries like to eat, drink and be merry—and perhaps to burst into song when we are feeling the deepest hollows of our soul or burst into starry heights of love—but beyond that, what I’ve learned from my own personal experiences is this deep sense of resolve, conviction and sometimes blind passion that comes out of nowhere! Perhaps it’s in the genes as both countries faced tremendous suffering with occupation by England (for Ireland) and Japan (for Korea) yet both of my heritages have the reputation for expressing the biggest hearts and incredible zest for achievement! It does give one a sense of “oh yeah, bring it on!” And so it goes… with this genetic material given to me by my Korean mother and Irish-American father, I was gifted the empowering words of “You can become anything you want!”… (no one ever told me that this was pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking). Well, I did just that, even when sometimes the racial divide was not accepted by some (mixed blessing?… nah!). 

Life is pretty good. I grew and sustained a reputable design career in Chicago up until 2002 when I moved to Napa, California (yes, the Italy of California with lots of good eats and drink (there goes that food thing again, though this girl prefers a good ale over wine lately). I started my own business and have been flying solo ever since and loving every second of it! Along with my best friend (aka: husband) and the world’s most awesome little dude (aka: son)… those powerful words “You can become anything you want in life” registers so true!

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