WHO AM I?

My name in Ha Lim Lee. I am a Korean American working mom of 2 kids, 9 yo and 14 yo, and 2 pets (7 yo rabbit and 6 yo chihuahua) currently living in Hong Kong with a hubby who is an architect. I moved to the US from Korea at age 11, then studied and worked in NY and all over Europe and Korea from age 22-30 as an architect. I finally settled down in NYC after my marriage in 2002, and we raised our little girl in the big apple. In 2010, during the financial crisis, an opportunity arose for my husband's job to relocate to HK. Even though it meant leaving my family again, I was ready for change and adventure. And boy, has it been an adventure living in a new country as a working mom. After 10 years, I call HK my home, my 3rd home. I feel at home in Korea, the US, and HK. But sometimes I feel like an alien in those places. It's a hard thing to explain... I feel an immediate sense of belonging and simultaneously feel like an utter outsider. Hence, the name of my blog. I will forever be a nomadic expat.

Even though I left architecture many years ago, I am still a designer/artist at heart, passionate about parenting, fashion, anything visually compelling, animals, human rights, Christianity, hikes, water sports and travel. We love exploring the hidden gems of HK, the rest of Asia and beyond. I can't wait to share my travel experiences with those of you looking for profound local experiences.

That was the factual, nice, concise bio of me.

Here's my bio according to my family members:

hubby - "uh.... didn't you already write one?"

His Japanese roots are in full force here, but he probably wants to say what Thea will say

Tayden, 9 yo - "She's mean but sometimes nice. I think she's super nice now because I haven't seen her in 7 weeks so she hasn't yelled at me in a while."

Oh I miss this little bugger!! But I often have to tell him, I'm not here to be nice to him. I'm here to create boundaries so he can grow up to be a decent human being!

Thea, 13 yo - "She's an angry crazy maniac who yells at people when we go out!"

She's kind of right. I can be a mean angry bxxxch. In public. But sometimes that's what it takes. As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it so well, "But hey, "b*tches" get stuff done."