Happenings of Kris :)

When in Korea…

So, just got back in from our weekend in 일산 (Ilsan) visiting a few of our relatives, who are all awesome by the way!

Now, a quick backstory on my moms’ side of the family, because it makes the whole weekend a lot easier to understand, haha! My grandpa (moms’ dad) is the oldest of 8 kids – 6 boys and 2 girls. So, I have 5 great-uncles and 2 great-aunts. Easy enough so far. I have met all of the 5 great-uncles and they are the ones that I gather my mom is closer to than my great-aunts, or it could just be a vicinity thing. For a small country, people are fairly far away from each other, haha! Anyways, my great-uncles and great-aunts all had kids – my moms’ cousins, which my brother and I just refer to them as “aunt” or “uncle”…again, fairly simple? Good. Now, on with my story.

So, I told you all about my second great-uncle, the BA architect by day, boxer by night. Well, on Friday, we hung out with my third great-uncle and his wife, who were actually the people that my brother and I stayed with when we were in Korea 5 years ago. All in all, pretty close with these two. Wanna know something cool though? My third great-uncle is this super famous Korean director, 김기덕 (Kim Kee-duk). This past year he was recognized at this big film festival in Korea and a book about him has recently come out. Well, of course, we got copies of said book (1 in Korean and 2 in English) and let’s just say, he is super awesome. He started his career in the late 1960’s, which was when the Korean film industry was really starting to bloom. He is recognized as one of the greatest “gentlemen” film directors in Korean cinema. What he was really known for was diversifying Korean film genres, by taking risks and trying things that no one else had done yet. Pretty awesome, right? I know. In his career, he directed around 70 films – any of which you ask any Korean about, they would know and beam about his work. Super proud, yes I am!

Now, for my dads’ side of the family. He is the youngest of 7 – 5 sisters and 1 brother. 4 of the 5 sisters live here in Korea, while my second aunt lives in Pebble Beach, CA and my uncle lives in Laredo, TX. Fun fact: my dad is 17 years younger than his brother! The age gap continues as 17, 15, 12, 10, 7 and 4. Because of this, the majority of my cousins are very much older than I am, which has always been kind of tough in terms of building strong relationships with these people who don’t seem like my cousins. Now that both my brother and I are older now, it makes it a little easier, which makes this trip a lot more fun!

So, for our weekend in Ilsan, we stayed with my cousin Jae, who is my second aunts’ daughter. If I had to pick, she is probably the one that I we are closest with on that side. Her and her husband have been very involved in my life ever since I was a baby. My mom has tons of stories of Jae playing with me or even a favorite story: one day, my mom and my cousin went to the hair salon and my cousins’ husband actually watched me and played with me. So, all in all, very close. So, we hung out with her and her husband and her two daughters over the weekend, which was fun. Consisted of getting a new phone case and trying out my cousins’ husbands restaurant, which was crazy good! This fish place in the middle of nowhere – it was fantastic!

I will have to say, the highlight of the weekend was the big Kim family get together. This consisted of all of my moms’ cousins on her dads’ side. They, their significant others, their children and my family all gathered in this tiny hole in the wall kind of restaurant and the craziness ensued! We ate, drank and were very merry! I even learned a few new Korean drinking games, what?! Haha! My brother and I with the children (our second cousins) all then went out after and got a small preview of what Korean nightlife is like. Haha!

Social drinking in Korea is vastly different from social drinking in America. In America, drinking is very much an individual within a group setting kind of event. Most of the time, when you’re drinking, you’re with a group of people. But, for the most part, when it comes to YOUR drink, YOU are the one responsible for it and that is actually how we try to teach responsible drinking. In Korea, social drinking is very much a group activity. I believe that a part of that comes from the rest of the group cultural norms in Korea. So – the way it works is that when you’re out with a group, you never pour for yourself. Pouring for yourself actually means bad luck for the person sitting across from you – old Korean saying. You also don’t do a lot of the heavy drinking by yourself, you drink with others. So, it’s very much a communal activity, which actually makes it a lot more fun and slightly more enjoyable.

All in all, a very good weekend! Also got my hair did. Tomorrow, we’re off to 부산 (Busan) for a little mini vacation during our vacation! Expect a new blog after! 

The Real Plastics

A shorter blog post – but it’s about something that I’ve noticed since I first got here.

So, first impressions are hugely important in Korea society. This means that physical looks are a huge make or break in this society. So much so, that people go to extreme lengths to alter themselves to fit the society. Now, I know that plastic surgery is probably very evident in US society and culture, but I definitely don’t think that it holds a match to the plastic surgery rampage that is happening in Korea.

Everywhere we go, we start to notice that the women look more alike than just the Korean people all look alike thing. Then, we start to notice more women wearing random bandages on their faces/surgical masks. Which is then when we start to put the pieces together – which showed me that in the short 4 days that I’ve been here, I have seen more women who have gone through these types of surgeries than I ever thought that I would.

Plastic surgery is a very common practice in this country, that women will go to the clinics to get the desired work done and then, go about their daily lives whether it’s meeting up with someone for dinner or running their errands. We saw women doing both! Surgeries done on eyes, nose, mouth, skin, etc.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about this and what this means for the society, as a whole. My friend made a good point when he brought up the question of depth. When you have a society that is willing to go to such lengths to match some version of what is beautiful or strong or attractive.

Thoughts to ponder… 

Opening Thoughts

So now, I am going to chat a little about some of the thoughts I had during the first few days of our stay here. Needless to say, Korea is a very interesting place with some interesting people, haha! It’s interesting because while everyone always talks about how far ahead Korea is as a country in some aspects – there are actually a lot of other aspects of the country that are surprisingly so far behind. Not just in terms of behind the US by any means…just behind in terms of creating an equal society. Plus, I have a friend who works for Korea Telecom, who helped to shatter my image of a technologically advanced country, haha! Thanks…

So, day 1 consisted of visiting my second great-uncle, who is a pretty badass guy…not gonna lie. Haha! He was an architect back in his hay-day and I believe also boxed. My brother was enthralled with this man and literally hung on every word that he said, haha! My grandpa is the oldest in his family and comes from a family of 8 – 6 boys and 2 girls. Knowing that my grandpa is the oldest and my second great-uncle is the second oldest…they definitely have and deserve the respect that they get from the rest of the family. But being with him brings me to my first random thought about Korea: ALCOHOL.

This country literally revolves around it, in the sense that alcohol is involved in almost every form of social group outing. Whether it be dating, friends, family or even coworkers after work. It is literally EVERYWHERE and infused in every aspect of life here. For someone who’s not a heavy drinker and actually, someone who prefers not to drink a whole lot…this is an interesting concept for me. We got to my second great-uncles place by 11ish AM and by 11:30ish, we were drinking. Which is a bizarre experience for me…seeing as how this usually never happens outside of special events. I realize that this could be considered one, but for my second great-uncle, this is normal. Not to say that the country is full of alcoholics by any means, but it’s interesting to have a social construct based around something that generally impairs one’s judgment. It just makes one wonder about the authenticity of the interactions that are had. Some can argue that this makes the interactions more truthful and honest, seeing as how alcohol has the tendency to “loosen the tongue” and allow people to speak more freely. However, it makes me wonder to what depth these interactions actually have?

For the rest of the day, one of my moms’ cousin served as our personal chauffeur for the day. He’s also, so far, been the family member to take the best care of us while we’ve been here. He’s pretty great! This brings us to the second random thought: DRIVING.

There’s absolutely no such thing as defensive driving here in this country. Absolutely none! The mentality is: the fastest way to get somewhere, you take it. No thinking otherwise. It’s intense and incredibly terrifying. While we were riding in the car, we had several encounters of other drivers who, if they could, would have pushed us out of the way so that they can get to their destination faster. I realize this isn’t as deep of a thought as the first, but still an interesting tidbit, nonetheless, haha!

Second day was full of shopping – which is always fun in Korea! The best places to shop are not the malls, department stores or even local boutiques/shops on the streets. THE BEST places to shop are in the underground passages or the street vendors…ABSOLUTELY! Cheap, yet incredibly cute things! Also, a lot more authentically Korean than the other options available. What makes the shopping more fun though, is the haggling that takes place. The fun of shopping in Korea comes when you ask for the original price of the desired item from the shop keeper and then you started haggling the price down. My mom is a pro at this, haha! We always managed to get a good chunk cut from the original prices, which is always a plus, right?

So: alcohol, driving & shopping…what more fun could a gal have in the Motherland? 

To Korea, we go! :)

So begins my blogging of my Korea 2012 adventures!!! :) Woo hoo! So, obviously…I’ve been here for a few days now and am just starting to blog because we got the converter adapter to work to charge the computers with and the internets are finally cooperating with us! So, I guess the way I’ll be updating these entries are to kind of outline some of the adventures, but to also talk about some of the random thoughts that run through my mind about Korea, as a whole – society, people, etc. Believe me, there are some interesting things going on in this country, haha!

So…let’s begin with the flights, shall we? Awful…absolutely! Haha! Awful as in – the 12 hours from LA to Incheon, South Korea is a horrendous experience. The only thing that makes it worth it is obviously the destination. Haha! So, we started May 26^th at around 6PM CST from Chicago to LA, landing at 9PM PST. Not terrible…4 hours. Read some, obsessively listened to the Karmin album and watched “The Vow”…yes, the WHOLE movie. I will say: better the second time around than the first.

Anyways…we get to LA and have to find the International terminals. Now…I don’t know about the LA regulars, but the LA airport is awful…just awful. We had to find this shuttle to get to the International terminals, which was a packed bus with lots of cranky people and a not so helpful bus driver. Once we finally found the International terminals and got our new boarding passes, we get turned around trying to find the right security line for our airline. Finally got through and got to the gate with an hour and a half-ish to kill.

Then begins this horrendous 12-hour flight that started approximately at 12AM PST. Didn’t start terrible, mind you. Got the complimentary blanket, pillow and a pair of slippers, which were all comfy and very needed. Then, got our first meal on the plane, which was surprisingly delicious! My dad, brother and I got the steak dinner that came with potatoes, mixed vegetables, salmon, a roll & walnut cheesecake. Yum, right? My mom got the Korean option, which was the bibimbob – basically, a bunch of ingredients thrown into a bowl with rice. After the meal begins the terrible ordeal with trying to get to sleep…which is where my troubles began, haha! Started rewatching “Tower Heist” and then moved to “The Muppets Movie”, which I ended up watching ALL of it. A, because I love it. And B, because I could not for the life of me sleep! With the cramped leg room and slightly stuffy environment, I was not happy. Eventually, I got to a point where I was starting to drift off and I did. For like 4…maybe 5 hours? Which sounds like enough, but on this 12-hour flight? Not nearly! 2ish hours before we landed, which is when I was starting to wake up, we got our second meal. My brother and I got the pancake option, which included pancakes, a peach slice, fruit, a blueberry muffin and blueberry yogurt. Aside from the yogurt, not a good meal at all. My parents got the Korean option, which was this awkward sweet and sour fish thing with rice. Tried some of the fish – not very good, at all. Needless to say, first meal was much better, haha!

Finally landed at 4ish AM Korea Time…let me tell you…exhausting.

A little lesson with international flying, especially that far: NEVER EVER try to think about what time it is or how much time you’re traveling. It just makes it that much harder when you finally get to your destination. Just sit back and try to relax, haha! This is something I am definitely going to keep in mind as I fly back in 9ish days.

So, some of the pictures below are from the flight, haha! I forgot my camera cord at home, so y’all will have to wait till I get back to the States to get all of the other pictures from the trip! :) 

Day 4: Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Probably should’ve read this earlier today, heh… I always seem to think that I’m always going to be just fine without God. It’s a very subconscious kind of thought… It’s this genuine belief that everything I do, I attribute to my own strengths… And then, when I am tired or when life is hard, I blame it on the world…on God. Yes, life is tough…and hard. But, the thing that I need to remember is what it was like to trust and rely solely on Him… I did that once. Absolutely. I walked in absolute blind-faith…trusting whatever He was saying to my heart. Then, I started doubting…I started questioning everything. In hindsight…yes, sometimes doubt and questions can lead to something clearer and in a way, it did for me. But, that doubt also created a “thinker” in me that I did not know that I had…this person who always wants an answer…proof. Praying that I will find this again…find the blind-faith…find the heart that is willing to follow whatever He has to say to my heart. While I read my other daily readings, I will definitely keep this one close…especially in the coming weeks :) 

Day 3: Matthew 12:42

A day late!! :( 

“The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.” 

What I think I am taking away from this verse is the idea of needing proof or looking for direct answers. The Pharisees before this verse asked Jesus and He condemned them. So what I think? The idea of having faith, father than needing the justification for it…

Day 2: Philippians 4:11-13

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

It might just be me, but I find it interesting to see where my favorite verses come from, you know? Heh. Philippians 4:13 is one of my favorite verses and I never really took the time to understand the context of it.

I find myself falling into the same trap as everyone else around me…I am thankful to God when things are going well and when things aren’t going so well…well, then it becomes the “blame game”. For me, this reading shows a ned for me to change my perspective…switch the lens through which I see my life. I do know what it is like to live in need, but I also most certainly know what it is like to live in plenty. I think the thing that I and a lot of people forget, is that we are still here, aren’t we? Living each day…starting over anew each day…why can’t we simply be thankful for that? For another opportunity to do the things that we love with the people that we love? I have to ask myself that…is that not enough? Of course it is. We just forget that.

 So, yes…Philippians 4:13 will remain my favorite verse…wanna know why? Because it’s true…no matter the situation, no matter how great or how awful, God will always be there with me. God will give me the strength to get through any situation…and because of that, I know that I can now look at every situation as another blessing…or rather, a blessing in disguise. 

Day 1: 1 Timothy 6:6-11 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kind of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, [wo]man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 

In our society, money is always what is needed. We have been conditioned to want. I know that I am definitely no different. While I don’t actively want much, I do find myself thinking that life would just be a little bit easier with more. What I lack, I find, is faith…that no matter what God will always provide. God will give me what I need WHEN I need it. God would never lead me into a life that is lacking in goodness and a sense of fullness. I think the issue is a difference in perspectives about what God views as good and full and what society views as good and full. Society views good and full as having everything that you could’ve ever wanted. Materialistic things, relationships…the perfect house, perfect marriage, perfect life. However, what God views as good and full is completely different. Not that God doesn’t want me to have those things…but, God wants them to be good in His eyes. This is where I have definitely been lacking in faith. I don’t know how I’ve ever actually doubted Him. I have a good life and have been blessed with many amazing opportunities. I do find that a lot of the times, however, I find myself rewarding and thanking only myself…when it should be He who gets all of my praise and thanks. Because without Him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I do believe that this thought process is what gets us all trapped into this mindset that we need more because we can work for it and get more on our own. No…I simply need to learn to trust in God…because He will always provide for me. He will always give me exactly what I need WHEN I need it. Like my new job…like my future relationship…I just need to have faith. Easier said than done…of course. Heh. That’s where prayer comes in…I need to continuously give thanks and truly trust in Him. 

Personal 40 Day Challenge

So…a friend of mine once tweeted the fact that you make a habit in 40 days…and I thought about that after reading it. I’ve been doing a lot of reflection lately…haha! I guess that comes with end-of-the-year type things. As I near the end of my graduate school career and take the first step into my professional career…I’ve reflected a lot about me, as a person. What I like…what I would like to change. With that reflection, I needed to find a way to keep myself accountable to changes that I want to make in my life. Here are some of the things that I would like to change/start:

• Get back into a healthy workout pattern. 
• Get into a healthy eating pattern. 
• Blog more often. 
• Really get back on track in my spiritual walk - devotions, prayer & church fellowship.
• Foster the relationships that are important to me - family & friends.

I’ve thought of different ways to enact these different things. And that’s when my friends “40 days to make a habit” tweet came back to my mind. I thought it was a good and easy idea. It was pretty simple, actually. However, the most important thing about this idea is self-discipline and accountability. It’s nice because I can also combine a couple of them together, which is always desirable. Right? 

So, the first thing that I want to do is start getting back on track in my spiritual walk. I’ve realized that a lot of where my troubles come from is this idea that I don’t feel that I have a constant base…or, I lost my constant base. This base that used to keep me centered and base that used to give me the support that I needed. This was my faith…and so, I am going to start my own personal 40-day daily Scripture reading. I am going to utilize the daily tweets from my Milwaukee home church, Epikos, and blog about it for 40 days. I will start tomorrow, April 23, 2012, and will end my 40-day challenge on May 27, 2012. My hope is that this will become a habit and I will continue to do it after that May 27th date. But, this way…it makes me keep myself accountable to a personal challenge. 

So, what habit do you want to work to cultivate? :)