Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Reflections on Wanderlust Thanks to the Fulbright Award
Reflections on adventure and travel after receiving a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award.
top of page
The Wanderlust Threader
Please subscribe to receive new updates as I share my writing, whether it be my research, reflections, or the threading of wanderlust.
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- May 5
- 4 min
Home is the Next Adventure
I wrote this in 2019 after a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego. I strumbled across it and felt it was fitting with the major changes in...
3 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Feb 23
- 14 min
The Educator I Want to Be
The following entry includes two excerpts from a section of my memoir focused on my diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm and how it influenced...
0 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Dec 13, 2023
- 11 min
I Was Korean Until the 2nd Grade, and Again When I Had a Cerebral Pseudoaneurysm
This entry is about my identity as a white, Korean neurodivergent woman. Part of this identity also encompasses my connection to my...
3 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Aug 27, 2023
- 7 min
Why I Write
I stood trembling in a library. I gripped the small, blue book tightly. Surveying the entire library, family members were present,...
1 view0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Aug 18, 2023
- 7 min
Barbie, bell hooks, Plato, & the Patriarchy
** If you haven’t seen the Barbie movie yet, please note that there will be spoilers in this piece.** I played with Barbie dolls, but...
9 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Aug 10, 2023
- 7 min
Water Color Skies
Right around the end of May, you’ll find me preparing my car, preparing it for an annual road trip to Illinois, where I spend a...
0 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Aug 1, 2023
- 4 min
Using han, Finding jeong
This is the final reflection I shared in my dissertation. I reflect on my Korean culture and heritage, and the process of using the...
10 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jul 5, 2023
- 4 min
Finding Joy
I am currently sitting at the dining table at my house in the Midwest. I don't actually live here - my dad does - but this house has been...
11 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jun 20, 2023
- 4 min
Life After the PhD
I initially started this website a year ago when I felt as if I was drowning, struggling to find out what my next steps would be and...
7 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jun 5, 2023
- 8 min
You Are Not Alone: Reflections and Encouragement on Graduate School and Being Whole
This piece is on my journey as a PhD student and encouragement for others to remember to remain whole.
0 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jun 4, 2023
- 1 min
My Humanity
The pounding in my ears coupled with the beating of my anxious heart reminds me of my humanness. Soul tapping deep into cavities unknown,...
3 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- May 19, 2023
- 7 min
Housing Justice in San Diego
I've lived in San Diego for most of my life. I was born here, grew up here, left at 18, September 2006, and returned September 2011, 5...
45 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- May 14, 2023
- 2 min
This Mother's Day
Today, on this Mother's Day, We collectively celebrate those who raised us, sacrificed for us, and laid down their lives for us, Who have...
8 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Apr 30, 2023
- 3 min
Doctor
I'm a big Doctor Who fan. I'm aware of a lot of its problems, like imperialism and such, but it has managed to maintain my attention for...
1 view0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jul 10, 2022
- 4 min
Heartland of the United States
As an academic, teacher, activist, and "progressive" (leftist) living in a large city, I can't help but reflect on things as I drive...
2 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Jul 7, 2022
- 1 min
Breathing, Fighting
I wrote this poem in the summer of 2020, but I wanted to share it now so it's more recent and accessible. Feeling, breathing, fighting,...
2 views0 comments
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
- Apr 13, 2022
- 2 min
Today is More
This poem is written by Charlene. © 2022 Quiet among the crickets' songs, With sounds of cars chasing taillights in a city always...
0 views0 comments
bottom of page