WandeRoots Lab

For much of my life, I thought freedom was something you earned—through education, hard work, and following the rules. I chased it relentlessly, from my childhood in social services to earning a PhD in turbulence modeling for 3D airplane wings. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was building a life that didn’t belong to me—it was a life others had scripted. Before graduating, I made a decision that many called reckless, but for me, it was liberation. I closed my bank accounts, threw away my phone, and bought a one-way ticket to Mongolia. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I knew it wasn’t in lecture halls, corporate offices, or neatly planned futures. Breaking Away Mongolia was my first taste of a life unbound. I spent my days volunteering with horses, learning the rhythms of a world dictated by nature rather than schedules. From there, I moved to Malaysia’s rice fields, then to Japan’s oyster farms. Each place stripped away another layer of the person I thought I...

Wanderoots Lab is a space where travel, transformation, and self-discovery come together. This blog is my attempt to turn a life full of challenges, resilience, and growth into something meaningful—not just for myself, but for anyone seeking inspiration and connection through purposeful exploration. A brief story about me At 15, I left my family and entered social services, determined to create a life beyond the boundaries I was born into. Despite facing years of abuse and navigating a system that often felt against me, I used education as my escape route. I earned two master’s degrees in mathematics and engineering, and later completed a PhD in turbulence modeling for 3D airplane wings while living in China. But the pursuit of success didn’t bring me the freedom I longed for. Before graduation, I made a radical decision: I walked away from the conventional path, closed my bank accounts, and bought a one-way ticket to Mongolia. From volunteering with horses in Mongolia to harvesting ri...