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A Letter to the Woman I Was Last Year
Reflections on returning after living abroad
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Dec 5, 202511 min read


The Spaces Between Belonging
Why the Fulbright program matters and the spaces between feelings of belonging.
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Jun 23, 202511 min read


Our Stories
Reflections on the stories we're told and leaning into a culture of connection and rest over hustle and grind.
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Apr 14, 20256 min read


Reflections on Wanderlust Thanks to the Fulbright Award
Reflections on adventure and travel after receiving a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award.
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
May 17, 20249 min read


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...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
May 5, 20244 min read


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...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Aug 10, 20237 min read


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...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Jul 5, 20234 min read


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...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Jun 20, 20234 min read


See the World
Photos in here are my own photos I've taken from my trip to Belize in March 2023. Let's go to Rome, To see the Trevi Fountain, Or visit...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Jun 1, 20231 min read


A Different Family: An Introduction
This is an introduction to the first realistic fiction novel I am writing. Meeting this family, we learn that they are a little...
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Oct 18, 20214 min read
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