MEET JUDY HONG
A Southeast Nomad
Judy has been on the road for the past 9 weeks touring the southeastern part of North America and wanted to share what it’s like to be a Nomad!
I don’t think words can fully describe what it’s like to be a Nomad — it is better lived than read. I can definitely say it is an adventure — a stressful, sleep-deprived, carsick adventure that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Driving through green mountains and red deserts in New Mexico, having dinner with a half-North Korean, half-Russian concert violinist, and speaking to a crowd of the most eager fourth graders about how they can change the future of North Korea… these are not things I would have expected for myself a couple months ago.
When I became a Nomad, I knew that I’d be talking to people about the changes that are happening in North Korea, that are also empowering the North Korean people. But I didn’t realize that I would become ten times the public speaker I was before, that I would become much more knowledgeable about North Korean history, or that I would learn to handle the ups and downs of being stuck with the same two people for ten weeks.
I’ve come to realize that being a Nomad is about so much more than giving documentary presentations across the U.S., but it’s about learning how to be a good teammate, a good steward for the North Korean people, and a better person overall. Meeting people from across the country who have lived incredible lives and who live with hearts full of compassion for the world around them has challenged me to look at my own life and to live better.
The lessons I am learning during my time as a LiNK Nomad are invaluable, and I’m sure I’ll still be learning from them for years to come. The internship started when I got to California a couple months ago, but the experience will stick with me forever.
I’m a Nomad for life.