(Photo credits by Croatian goddess, Nina P.)
Who I am:
I am PintsizedPioneer (Ben Chung): Amateur linguist, insatiable foodie, and chronically single 20-something.
I was born in the port city of Incheon, South Korea. However, I was quickly moved to the United States where I grew up mostly in the flat Midwest.
Now, I live in lovely Vancouver, Canada, which rests on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
What I do:
I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in First Nations and Endangered Languages and Linguistics.
Expat-terns has a vested interest in all aspects of the world’s cultures and languages, national and Indigenous. It is a big place out there, and it is important to us that everyone can be heard in their own voices, especially in their own languages. We at Expat-terns hope to at least touch on contemporary aspects of indigeneity and decolonization, which are taken seriously here.
At Expat-terns, we strive for visibility and to promote the perspectives one might not always expect — especially while abroad.
(Photo credits by Mexican Kween, Balba F.)
What we offer:
All in all, what conventional travel tends to neglect, we encounter and interrogate!
For me, travelling can be a daunting experience at times being both queer and a POC. We cannot ignore the realities that travel entails for some nor the histories that sometimes are erased or omitted. And so, it is important we make these truths visible, so that the present can be changed for the better!
Expat-terns is foremost a travel blog and documentation built on the ideas of equitable and diverse travel and life experiences with a few themes:
- Languages, dialects, and multilingualism;
- Regional cuisine, gastronomy, and sustainable practices;
- And, queer travel, POC perspectives, and Indigenous tourism.
Expat-terns additionally includes a comprehensive list of travel programs, institutes, and scholarship options for teens and university students. We encourage people of all ages to start getting out there.
I think that travel is about breaking down barriers, and I have had too many awkward encounters abroad to get discouraged and stop now.
If any questions, concerns, or possibly even ideas about collaborations with this blog arise, please feel free to tweet me, follow me on instagram, or contact us via email.
Or, check out my media kit (available upon request) if interested for more detailed information on the go.
Safe travels and remember to explore!