I can easily describe myself as the following: wife to Ryan, mama to Estella, doctor to anyone, and a foodie for all! I love using food as medicine and exploring the realms of what food can do (other than produce utter joy & happiness). My passion lies deep in my love for my family, especially my husband and beautiful baby girl. I am a "new" mom exploring all the ups and downs of working from home, dedicating my life to my baby, and making ends meet while maintaining a "happy place" over all.
My story- I grew up in a very conservative Laotian Christian household and was raised by a single parent- my mother, but was also influenced heavily by my grandparents in how they lived off the "land" we had, spoke our native tongue, and ate our native foods...stinky and all! I pride myself in establishing strong roots in my family and my culture- preserving my love for our language, our delicious foods, and the beauty of our customs, while being equally strong in my faith in Jesus Christ.
I explored the world that education had to offer and eventually felt called to the medical field, but felt disappointed in the traditional medical model of "emergency medicine" and a "pill for every ill". Thus, began this long journey into the world that is now as much a part of who I am as my faith & culture- holistic and alternative medicine.
Here is where I really found myself and found the love of my life- my husband, who shares the same passion and drive for this calling as me. We both began our journey of falling in love...the engagement...graduations....the wedding....graduations (again)...and then the best part of all, the baby.
I started this blog when I realized, the happy me was being lost in translation. I was being overtaken by the challenges placed before me and I needed a place to...exhale.
The name of my blog "papier mache" literally translates to "chewed up paper". If you had a fun elementary education, you experienced the mess and fun of using paper and a glue/water mixture to create works of art. And so this describes my blog- bits of grit and honesty as I am on my journey of continuous transformation from being a student...then a wife...a doctor....and now the best job of all, a mother.
You can be sure to find some of my stories that you may relate to that hopefully will inspire you, make you feel, make you laugh, and encourage you. Oh and I'll be sure to include some fun and healthy recipes too! ;)
So sit back and enjoy the ride! Thank you for taking part in this journey with me...
