As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Monday, August 31, 2015

Fitting Into Canada Life is Expensive... Monday, August 31

The most painful part of my day wasn't cutting open my already bruised knuckle or going round for round with it bleeding in my handwraps, instead it buying a Toronto bus pass.

$141.50...ouch!!! 
A Canadian $3 single fare vrs a Korean $1.50 fare.

I officially have a Canadian bank account now and a monthly TTC bus pass; I feel more and more Canadian.

...and then I don't.

I used my Alien Registration card as ID the other week and no one knew what the heck it was.  Sellers and cashiers ask me all the time "what is that?!" when I use my Visa debit card.  I still struggle with accidentally slipping in the random Korean word or can't remember its English translation.  My agent continually tease me about how I talk and asks me all the time if I just spoke in English or Korean.  I still don't care to use a fork at the place I'm staying at and I've remained Koreanized in that I use a tiny towel for bathing.

I am trying to become more Canadian but Canada is just so different.  And while Korea may kick Canada's butt in terms of it being a much safer and more innocent country, the friendliness of Canadians is just so awesome.  I can't go any where without someone randomly saying something to me, even if it is just a simple hi, and I absolutely love it.  You just never feel alone here in Canada and I know there were one too many times in Korea where I felt so isolated and completely deserted from everyone and everything.  Canada is doing wonders for my soul here, seriously.

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