Welcome to Korean Chopsticks and an American Spoon: The Blog

Hello, everyone! After self-publishing my first book in February 2025 (a reflective journal with the same title as this blog), I felt that there was more to write. Furthermore, a move to Pittsburgh a month later (yay for city life again!) has increased my happiness level exponentially. My exploration of the city and the continued evolution of my own growth in my mid-40s has made me want to share my experiences with you with the hope that it makes you think, "if she can do, so can I!"

I previously lived in the District of Columbia and northern Virginia for almost a decade, enjoying walking to fantastic eats and sights (and using public transit when the walks were just a weeee bit to long for my legs). After living in the suburbs for the past four years and growing horizontally from all the eating while NOT walking everywhere, I was craving city life again.

The dilemma was this: which city? I loved living in DC; however, what I’ve noticed in my life is that when I go back to the past, it’s never as “right” as the first time.  This was a “move forward” decision, an opportunity to experience a new city. 

I gained clarity on the “where” when my brother and I visited Pittsburgh for our fourth Steelers home game in October 2024. We like to explore new areas whenever we visit the city for home games, and during this experience, we hit the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History as well as the Strip District. When our trip was done, I told him I didn’t want to leave. By then, the love for Pittsburgh was solidified.

The universe has a way of aligning the stars for me when I truly want something. It was true of my goal for living in the DC area, and it was the same for my move to Pittsburgh. Within two weeks of returning from that October home game trip, a property that was perfect for me went on the market. By the end of February 2025, it was mine!

So fast forward to now. I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief because I finally feel like I settled in. Most of the little fixes and repairs for the property have been completed. Organizing the mess in the cabinets from the initial delivery of goods can wait.

In my first month here, in addition to doing the not-so-fun administrative tasks surrounding changing my address and learning the new tax requirements, I’ve done some exploring. More on that in future posts. In the meantime, thank you for reading this intro post, and please share how you continue to re-invent yourself!

Let’s go, Steelers! Tiger (my crazy cat) is also a fan :)