I’m back after the longest break from blogging I have ever taken. The last time I posted was July 31, 2023 – a year ago almost to the date.
So, what took me so long? I guess I got out of the habit because it’s certainly not like I didn’t have anything to blog about. Health also got in the way but more on that later.
Since last summer I’ve finalized my Danish translations of two Korean novels. The first one is 대도시의 사랑법 Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park. It will be out sometime in the fall hopefully around the same time the movie adaptation will premiere. The second novel I’ve translated is 공방의 계절 Healing Seasons of Pottery by Somin Yeon.
Obviously, the translation work together with my teaching obligations has kept me busy but I still missed blogging and it’s my intention to do so more regularly in the future. In fact, as a road map for this year I made a list of 24 things to do in ’24, and “Revive blog” made its way onto that list together with “Go to Seoul” (will check that off at the end of August) and “Find new signature scent” (Done. Thank you, Byredo Mojave Ghost).
Since last year I’ve managed to completely destroy and partly rebuild my health. Needless to say, this has been something of a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs, twists and turns. As many of you know, I’ve been a vegetarian/vegan for many years and that restricted way of eating finally pushed my health over a cliff and straight into hell. For years I have been feasting on so-called “superfoods” like there’s no tomorrow – think spinach, chia seeds, quinoa, sweet potatoes, almonds, dark chocolate, soy yogurt, etc. Little did I know that I was ingesting humongous amounts of a poison called oxalic acid on a daily basis. I hadn’t heard about oxalic acid until one day last December after countless visits to the doctor, physiotherapist, and acupuncturist, I finally stumbled on it by accident in an article online. For several months I had suffered from inexplicable aches and pains in my joints and muscles, digestive issues, weird heart palpitations, raging anxiety, and insomnia. It felt like someone had hacked into my body and thrown every bodily function – and my brain – out of whack. I had all kinds of tests and bloodwork done, and all was fine except for a slightly abnormal reading on iron and potassium. That was the clue to lead me onto the right path because oxalic acid grabs minerals and makes them into crystals that are then sequestered in body tissues (that’s how kidney stones are formed) rendering the minerals impossible for the body to absorb. So – I was highly toxic and completely depleted in vital minerals and vitamins.
I immediately changed my way of eating to a low-oxalic acid omnivore diet and within the first month, I felt better than I had in a long time and my bloodwork came back completely normal. Not many healthcare providers know about this problem (except for kidney stones) but I found the book Toxic Superfoods by Sally K. Norton to be a wonderful guide. Unlike other detoxes, getting rid of oxalic acid sequestered in body tissues is a long elimination process that can take years. I’m feeling so much better now than I did before I changed my diet but there are still days when even the most mundane tasks feel overwhelming. Despite all this, I managed to go with my husband on two trips this year. One in January, where we went to Switzerland, and one a few weeks ago to Sweden. Next month, I’ll be going back to Seoul for a few weeks to see all the lovely people I know there.
Despite a turbulent year, I have kept up with my language studies and continue to study Korean, although I’m taking a break from Japanese after passing the N2 exam last winter. I’m currently really into following American politics and find this Korean YouTube channel to be super informative. If anyone has ideas for which books I should buy when I go to Seoul in August, I’m happy to hear them.
Stay happy and healthy out there! xx
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