Andrew's Journey
From Outsider to Community-Builder
I used to feel like I belonged nowhere.
After leaving Korea for high school in the United States, I spent thirteen long years repeating the same sentences, eating alone, and wondering why English and friendship never seemed to click. I wasn't Korean enough back home, American enough in the U.S., or—later—Canadian enough when I crossed the border for graduate school.
Home felt like a moving target, and I wore the loneliness of an outsider every day.
The Turning Point
Canada changed everything—not because English suddenly became easy, but because I stopped learning alone. I forced myself into conversation meet-ups, joined a community house, and filled my weeks with coffee chats, church potlucks, and awkward first hellos.
Each stumble became feedback; each small victory went straight back into the next conversation. What I now call the Learn-Apply Cycle turned language from a textbook subject into a living habit, and in two years I grew more fluent—and more alive—than in the previous thirteen.
A New Calling
Those painful years became my purpose. Today I serve as a cultural-transition coach, English teacher, and community-builder who moves freely between Seoul backstreets, Vancouver cafés, and small-town America.
My "home" is wherever people feel foreign, unheard, or unseen—because I know that ache by name.
Make A Circle
That calling gave birth to Make A Circle. We gather people into warm, human-sized circles where:
Diversity is celebrated, not tolerated
Mistakes are welcomed as stepping-stones
Every voice counts—native or learner, newcomer or local
Faith, generosity, and encouragement create a richer kind of family
Whether you're wrestling with Korean verb endings (or English prepositions), missing home-cooked food, or just craving real conversation, you belong here. Join us, learn something new, apply it the same day, and help us weave a multicultural society that is as beautiful as it is brave.
Welcome to the circle—your circle.
— Andrew Lee
Founder, Multicultural Community Builder, & English Coach
Ready to Join the Circle?
Your journey of belonging starts here. Discover our programs and find your community.