Hello there! My name is George and welcome to My Eclectic Bites!
First things first, if I don’t particularly look like “George” that’s because “George” is my nickname. I was named after Curious George. I asked tons of questions while learning English—Oh, yes. English is my second language. I was born and raised in Korea until I was 16—and all my curiosity reminded many people of “Curious George”! I love this nickname and it has stuck with me ever since.
Second, this is my “updated” bio about myself. There have been many changes in my life since I started this blog, and I felt it was appropriate to have a second bio of myself, so you can know more about who I am today.
In 2018, I quit my corporate job as a research chemist and moved to California (Los Angeles) with my husband. I was suffering from depression and anxiety. I wanted to take some time off from the world and explore what I wanted to do with my life. I’d love to say I found a solution quickly, but that is far from truth. I am still on my journey.
While pondering what I wanted to do with my life, my depression and anxiety actually got worse. I initially had high hopes for finding my passion when I first quit my stable, well paying corporate job, but my goal quickly turned into just get through the day without crying and feeling completely hopeless. I knew if I didn’t want to continue a life full of tears and dread, it was time to take some action. I did two things. First, I enrolled in a yoga teacher training program (YTT 200 hours) and second, I got a part time job. I have always wanted to work at a coffee shop, so I applied at a nearby Starbucks.
I love the smell of coffee and coffee has always been my favorite choice of drink. I thought being around coffee would bring some joy in my life. As for yoga, I know regular exercise can really help with depression, and yoga is often recommended by doctors and therapists. Although I constantly felt hopeless and sad, I had a strong desire to get better. I wanted to feel hopeful again. I wanted to be happy.
The yoga teacher training had huge impact on my life. I learned how strong I am (both physically and mentally). I also learned a lot about spirituality and yoga philosophy.
One other thing that I did during my yoga training was a candida cleanse/detox as it was recommended by my teachers. I read numerous articles about how our gut health could directly relate to our mental and emotional health, so I gave it a try. My candida detox was extremely difficult. My depression and anxiety got worse during the detox period. I’m not sure where I gathered the strength to get through one entire week of candida detox, but I did. And boy, am I glad that I pushed through. I felt SO MUCH better afterward. Part of detox included staying on a plant based diet. Ever since my detox, I have stayed on vegetarian diet.
After my candida detox, I slept much better and I felt much better. I have not felt completely hopeless or uncontrollably sad after the detox. I still have my good days and bad days, but I can honestly say I feel so much better in general. It has not even been two months since I have become a vegetarian and figuring out what to put in my body each meal is a new challenge in my life. But I am ready to embark on my new food journey!
So here I am, figuring this out as I go. If my documenting my new food journey can even help one person feel better, I think I have achieved my goal.
Happy eating, my friends!
