Go Away With … Nora Kirkpatrick

Jae-Ha Kim

“I love South America and Mexico City,” says “The Office” actress Nora Kirkpatrick. “I loved Cuzco, Peru. I spent time there before I hiked Machu Picchu. A city that took me by surprise last year when we were on tour, was the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. We played this amazing festival called Noorderzon that combines theater, arts and music around this beautiful lake in the center of town. It was an incredible city, specifically geared for biking. I could have lived there, and I rarely feel that while traveling.”

Asian ≠ disabled

Jae-Ha Kim

I found this picture of Marlee Matlin and me. I remember it was a fun photo shoot. While she was in hair and makeup, the photographer took a few test shots of me to make sure the lighting etc. was set up properly. He snapped a picture of the two of us before I interviewed her. She had just gotten all made up. Me? As you can see, not so much. But, I still like the photo. And it reminds me that I want to dig out that James Dean shirt for the summer. (I used to collect them. Did you know that?)

Go Away With … Ted Allen

Jae-Ha Kim

Born in Ohio and raised in Indiana, Ted Allen — the host of “Chopped All-Stars,” currently in its third season on the Food Network — remembers his parents dressing him up in smart pants and a blazer, before boarding a flight to visit his grandparents in Orlando. “This was during a time when everyone dressed up to fly,” says Allen, 47. “I remember getting to go into the cockpit on an Eastern Airlines flight, which was very exciting for me as a little kid. I’ve always loved going to visit different places.” Allen resides in New York City.

Defying stereotypes one role at a time

Jae-Ha Kim

It has been almost three decades since Long Duk Dong made his appearance in “16 Candles,” and it doesn’t look like Hollywood’s perception of Asian men has changed all that much. Actor John Wusah turned down a chance to audition for a film, where the Asian character was there just to be made fun of. I can’t imagine that it’d be easy for an actor of any race to turn down an opportunity to work. So Kudos, Mr. Wusah.

The TIDE hasn’t changed

Jae-Ha Kim

I was thinking, “Why are all you bigots assuming that the grandmother can’t speak English, just because she isn’t heard speaking English?” If she’s anything like the real-life immigrants I know, she’s probably self conscious about her accent, which probably was the subject of much derision by the monolingual knuckledraggers who speak English real good.

Go Away With … Frances Fisher

Jae-Ha Kim

“Travel is one of the best ways of knowing that we’re all one as human beings on this planet,” says actress Frances Fisher. “I grew up traveling. When I had my baby (Francesca Eastwood), it seemed natural to take her everywhere with me. She loved it!” Fisher, 60, may be seen in the film “The Host,” which is based on “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s novel of the same name.

Go Away With … Aly Raisman

Jae-Ha Kim

As the captain of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Aly Raisman led the squad — dubbed the Fierce Five — to its gold medal in the team competition. She also won an individual gold medal in the floor exercise, as well as a bronze medal on the balance beam. Today, the 18-year-old gymnast is looking to add a mirror ball trophy to her collection of awards as she competes on “Dancing with the Stars.” Currently residing in Los Angeles, Raisman says one of the things she’s enjoying about the city is everyone’s quest for a healthy lifestyle.

Shoplifting and graffiti

Jae-Ha Kim

When I was a young teenager, my parents gave me some money to buy a new outfit at Sears. We didn’t live too far from there, so I walked over by myself. I was always careful with money, so I looked at the items I was interested in, compared prices and then tried a few things on before selecting the final item I wanted to purchase. The cashier looked at the woman standing behind me. It turned out that the woman was a plainclothes security guard whose job it was to profile and trail people who were likely to shoplift. I’m not sure why I was pegged.

Go Away With … Sabrina Soto

Jae-Ha Kim

Author, Target™ Style expert and HGTV on-air personality, Sabrina Soto is known to viewers as the host and designer of such shows as “The High Low Project” and “Get It Sold.” Soto, who has a background in both real estate and design, says she has always been interested in decorating and interior design. To get paid to do it is literally a dream come true for her, she says. A resident of New York’s Upper West Side, Soto admits that it’s sometimes difficult to get her out of her beautiful apartment when she’s not working. Still, the allure of travel is something she can’t ignore.

Go Away With … Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix

Jae-Ha Kim

The son of a Nigerian psychiatrist and a Grenadian nurse, Kevin Olusola enrolled at Yale University intending on pursuing a medical career. But the classically-trained cellist and innovative beatboxer couldn’t resist entering the “Celebrate and Collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma” international competition, where he won second place. As a member of the a cappella group Pentatonix, the 24-year-old musician and his bandmates won the third season of the NBC reality series “The Sing-Off.”

Hair and makeup

Jae-Ha Kim

A few years back, I was flown out to Los Angeles to audition for a new entertainment news show that was being developed. There was a handful of journalists, as well as “personalities,” vying for the position. Honestly, I didn’t want to go. I was newly married and looking forward to heading overseas on vacation with my husband. But, it seemed like it could be a good opportunity, so off I went.

Accents

Jae-Ha Kim

When I was in graduate school, my journalism teacher asked me, “Why can’t Asians pronounce r’s and l’s?” Seriously? I looked at her and said in perfect English, “I really, really don’t know.” She didn’t get it. She basically was asking an Asian who spoke perfect English, why I couldn’t speak perfect English. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that maybe I was fluent because I was raised in the United States.

Go Away With … Tristan Prettyman

Jae-Ha Kim

“Mexico is pretty amazing,” says singer Tristan Prettyman. “From San Diego, it’s so close to drive to Rosarito and rent a house for cheap and relax, surf and chill out. My parents also have property about 19 hours down in a little surf town. I love going there to get away. No phone service or Internet. It’s the perfect unplug-from-everything getaway.”

Gas station ice cream

Jae-Ha Kim

A long time ago, a friend asked me why I shook my bottle of milk before I poured it. I said what my father had always told me (or what I thought he had told me) — that shaking it distributed the vitamins evenly. The person laughed and said, “No, it doesn’t.” I didn’t give it much thought until recently. I realized that the reason I shook my milk was because when we first immigrated to the United States, we drank powered milk.

Go Away With … Matthew Salesses

Jae-Ha Kim

Author Matthew Salesses says his year in Prague was one of his favorite years: “It was very cheap for Americans when I was there. Beer cost about one dollar, rent was about $600 per month for a four-bedroom apartment and you could get a really good meal for a few dollars. As soon as I ran out of my American money, I had to live off my earnings. I was paid in crowns, not dollars, so then I was even poorer than I am now. It’s not the kind of place where you can make a lot of money and travel around. But it was such a beautiful city and there was plenty to see. There is this great beer garden in Prague on Letna Hill where you can have a drink and look over most of the city.”

My mother’s memories

Jae-Ha Kim

This memory made me think about Korean singer Insooni and Ronald Lewis, an American GI who befriended the biracial teenager when she was ostracized by Korean society. There was never anything romantic between the two. Lewis said he had experienced racism in the U.S., but hadn’t expected it in other countries. When he saw it happening to Insooni, he and his friends took her under their wings. They bought her food. They didn’t assume they could buy her. Are there men today who would still be this kind to a child?