Kim hajun/The story of a man/Narrative Composition/ Tuesday 11a.m.

I met a man. He looked very tired, his shoulder drooped. He is very handsome, has good body. But in his face, I could look the angry. I had curious about reason why he is angry. So I asked about his story. First of all, his age is 28. He is college student, major the English. When he told about his age and he is still student, he smiled bashfully. After he was discharged from the service, he want to be a lawyer so he started the study about law. During the 2 years, he studied and failed. He wanted to study continuously. But, he didn't have another choice, because he couldn't be absent from school anymore. So, he must to attend school. The problem is that he don't like the English. That his major is English is very irony. Anyway, he entered other class about management, have escaped from English class. But, now to graduate the school, he could not run from English. He cannot speak English well so, he had lots of pressure about entering the English class. Moreover, he wanted to study and pass the test as soon as possible. Because he wanted to get a money. In front of He felt he stand at cliff. He said he thought to leave school in early semester. But in Korea, college diploma is very important and he also knew he will need the diploma to do he want.

Whether he attend school or continuously study, he needed the money. But he was just students, didn't money. His parent wanted that he gave up his studies. So, they just supported him with his school expenses not study for test. And he had low credits in school, he didn't think about finding job. He thought passing the test is only way. It was the perfect time of year to enjoy school, but he couldn't. He had no ability, interest in English. He felt school is just obstacle. EIT gave many assignment every week. Because after school, he went to do private tutor for money and wanted to study law, he thought college checked his course. Attending class made him angry. In first time, he did best to chasing two hares at once. But he knew he cannot get the good score even though he did best. For some time past, school rating system was changed so just doing best is not enough for good score.

He found the temptation to miss the class too hard to resist and actually he cut his class. Finally he just moaned and did nothing. He thought 'I'm a right, other people can't understand my think, mind.' But he knew he was wrong. Just, he was afraid of failure. In very tired situation, he have become more rushed and pressed for time and ran from it. Situation was not changed if he was upset. It will only aggravate the situation. Lately, he suddenly felt no one help him, he should do himself. But he cannot change this situation at a once even though he was rushing.

A man who I interview is me. These day, I always have thought I gave up the school. But, I could not have a decision, and the next thing I know, this semester is about to be finished. Individually, this semester is very difficult time. Money, English and time all about school have made me tired. Just complaining is not help to me so instead of complaining all the time, I will get over with this difficulty I felt by the act of will. Through process I write, I remind what I can and should do. And I concentrate on my way.

 

Hyewon Chang/The Age of Innocence/Narrative Composition/ Tuesday 11a.m.

The Age of Innocence

 

201302991 Hyewon Chang

 

When I visited my grandparents' house, first thing I saw was cars filling up all the available spaces in the village. They are living in a satellite city named Gwacheon and the exact county where their home located is a hot spot for the retired senior citizens. Therefore, whenever I go there on Korean holidays in my parent's car, we had a hard time finding spaces for parking. Usually villagers there do not have to visit to other families but can just wait for the others to come. However this time, I went there by subway so I didn't experienced a traffic jam. Because my grandfather was in a dove park, where lots of pigeons inhabit, I met him there and slowly walked back to the house where my grandmother was waiting for us.

                 Grandparent's house were white and clean. Since my grandfather worked as an elementary school teacher for his whole life, his wife had lots of occasions to meet children's parents. Maybe it's the reason why the house is always remaining so clean. With cups of tea, grandfather first started to talk about the watercolor painting he recently started. He told me that when he was at school, he didn't have enough time for painting. "Our house was just round the corner of the school. Some students came inside the garden and played with our dog. Have your mother told you about 'Bodi'?" When I answered no, he said about the story. "The dog was 'Baduggi(it means black and white dotted dog in Korean.), but your mother was not able to pronounce it properly.'" He told me that he was not able to eat good foods like nowadays, but sometimes he gave some chicken breasts when the day was hot and everyone is having chicken soup.

                 My grandfather said that it is hard to talk about some historic events since he forgot most part of it. Other reason is that he was doing his job in the southern region of Korea so he did not experienced much of the battle. However, he said that still, there are some stories that I would feel interesting. "Have you watched a mouse? Not white ones used in lab, but the real ones. Rats." I answered after some time. "I think I caught a glimpse of him in my middle school. but no." He soon told another story about my mother. When she was young, she was fond of cute, little creatures. Mostly it was about Bodi, her dog, but one day, she found light pink colored, little bit white furred creatures. About five of them were sleeping inside the warehouse and she thought it was really cute. She gave them some whole milk powder with hot water and raised them. When my grandfather went into the storage, he found out that my mother was raising rats, so he through them out. Later, he bring cat into the house, but he said that my mother didn't like that quite much.

                 While he was talking, he mostly talked about his second daughter, my mother. I thought the interview went quite private, not historical. However, it was good to know about my mother's new episodes when she was young. He said that the only thing he could remember about the historic event, to be exact, the Civil War in Korea was that there were some refugees came to the village where he was teaching students. Even though most of them were not able to concentrate fully on the class, they are worked hard. One day, a young female teacher came to the school. "She was really the belle of the town when she first came here." Grandfather said. He said that even my mother and her friends went to the class to see her. One day, students found out that the next week is teacher's birthday. Therefore, because they didn't have money, they went to the mountain behind all together. However, they had to go to the mountain after they finish their chores, so it was already late at the time. "Some parents came to my house and asked about them. Thankfully I was able to recall some conversations about the flower and the mountain." Luckily, children were on their way home, but because they went to deep, it took time to come back.

 

                 Even though parents were not very happy, and concerned, they thought that it would be good to keep it a secret for the new teacher. So the day after, in the class, the teacher was able to get a big wild flower bouquet. "It was really beautiful. One who made it is now an artist. I haven't seen her for years, but I heard that she mainly work in abstract paintings." Grandfather told me that even in those dog days, people thought that loving each other is important. He said nowadays, it is too hard to find some innocence in children and adults. "In life, there are some venues that you cannot buy with money. I think children's innocence is one of it."

Kye-yong Lee / Chapter 5 Final Draft / Narrative Composition / Tuesday 11am

The Happiest Interview

We were sitting on the couch in the room watching the movie Titanic. It was our favorite, and had seen it more than a few times. When it ended, we still stayed there on the couch feeling the reverberation from the movie. We both took a deep breath, and by the time the aftertaste faded away, I came to wonder about her. I asked, "How were you when you were young?" She looked at me for a while and soon smiled sweetly. "My childhood?" She was lost in thought for a moment, and after a while she broke the silence.

As a child I was very busy. I had a vivid imagination, and I was always living in some kind of dream. For example, I wanted to be the little mermaid when I grew up, and during our summer swimming lessons I imagined that I was a beautiful mermaid on some adventure. I also wanted to be someone very beautiful and graceful, elegant. Someone that everyone liked and admired. Someone who was very capable to doing many things, and wasn't told that I couldn't do something. As I grew older I became a bit of a tomboy because I wanted to prove I could handle things. But my parents and other family members still treated me like a stupid kid, and a lot of time was spent focusing and perfecting my flaws.

I looked at her, and smiled as I imagined her childhood. "Can you tell me more about your family?" She closed eyes for a while and then had a smile playing about her lips. "My family... " she started to say, and paused. But then she started, and at length she spoke about them.

Specifically about my family members? Hm, my sister (who is younger than me) lied all the time. There were no reasons for her to lie, and she just would. And she always instigated fights, and would purposefully try to outsmart me and almost always succeeded. My mother had some post-partum depression, and the antidepressants made her gain a lot of weight, thus increasing her depression. So I always remember her being very tired and even sad. She often wanted to be left alone, so my sister and I always entertained ourselves -- either outdoors during the summer, or in the house during the winter. My father really wasn't present much when we were little. He worked all the time because he was very good at what he did. He was a person in high demand for whatever issues arose, but issues arose all the time -- even during family vacations. And whenever he wasn't working he was quite tired.

I was carefully listening to her. She paused for a while, drank some water, and kept going. I then asked her: "What is the most important event in your life?" She seemed a little surprised by the questions, and took a deep breath in, paused to think, and exhaled. Her brow furrowed, thinking, and then the creases flattened and a thoughtful smile appeared. She started: "The event that so drastically changed my life was the day I met the man I want to marry." When I heard her answer in this way, I at first started a bit but found myself uncontrollably smiling and my cheeks burning. I wondered if it was me she was thinking of, and when I looked over at her our eyes met and I knew that it was me. She continued:

When we first met, it was a very exciting time, not because I knew you were the one I wanted marry -- I had not the slightest clue that we would want to get married -- but because you are such a wonderful person and there was something in our personalities that just clicked. Never before have I met someone who was so similar to myself and who knew what I felt without my ever having to mention a word; our thoughts were one in the same. And this fondness and connection has only grown stronger over time. You balance me when I'm stressed out with work, or upset about an occurrence. And I do the same for you in similar circumstances. For a long time we have had to be separated by oceans and countries, but the affection we have for each other has stayed strong and only gotten stronger. When I met you, things in my life started falling into place. For the longest time I had no idea who I was and wanted to be, or where I would go. But then you just came right into my life, and the puzzle pieces just started to come together. I figured out I wanted to be a teacher, and fought and worked like mad to get there. And now that I have achieved that and I am ready to go out into the world, I know that I want my world to be with you.

I could not take my eyes away from her. My face burned and the smile I had on my face felt like it went from ear to ear. She took my hand and kissed it and gave it a squeeze. "Do you want some cookies?" she asked. I nodded, and she went into the kitchen a brought back a small plate of them. "Here," she said. "This is your favorite." I took it and had a bite. "Thank you! I will go get some milk in the fridge. Do you want some?" I asked. She responded: "Sure!" So I got up and grabbed the milk from the fridge, two cups, and came back to the couch. "Now, this is the last. What are some things that you strongly believe in and find important?" She pondered upon the question for a while. "Hmm," she said.

I strongly believe in doing the best you can. Which I guess means giving people chances and opportunities, helping out whenever you can, and being honest. I believe in family… . I believe in a sense of humor… . Hmm, and I believe in love, and that it's one of the most powerful forces out there. Because it changes you, scares you, humbles you, and even at times can make you to do such desperate things. But I believe a life without love is no life at all, and that love should be present in all aspects of life -- in your job, your family, your grocery shopping, your laundry, and your cooking. And I think that love is the factor that determines just how often we do the other things, such as the giving of second chances and opportunities, the helping out, and the being honest. I think that if we can find the love in any situation, we are perfectly capable of doing those things, and being happier.

She thoughtfully cocked her head, and shrugged her shoulders. I expressed my gratitude to her for her sincere answers. "Thank you for answering my questions," I said. She said, "Of course, any time. I always love to talk with you." We stood up and stretched ourselves with a yawn. "Shall we go for a walk? The weather is pretty nice today." She said, "Oh, yea! It is a nice day, let's go!" And so up and out we went, bounding for our shoes and the door for a nice stroll in the park, hand in hand.

Shim Ho Seob/Chapter5 Final draft/Tue 3,4

<My brother, my compass>

 

201401798 심호섭

 

I was sitting in a café behind our school. While I was waiting him and killing some time

 

with my cellphone, Jae Ho entered the café with his suitcase. Jae Ho was wearing sleek neat

 

inside his coat. He pursues neat dress style which reflects his lifestyle. He ordered

 

Americano which is same as mine and sat in front of me with gentle smile.

 

 

 

The reason why I chose Jae Ho as my interviewee is because he is the one whom

 

I know and respect most. As I explained about his brief profile in the outline sheet I

 

had submitted, he is an alumni of HUFS. He majored English interpretation and translation in

 

HUFS College of English. I was with him in his HUFS graduation ceremony. And I am

 

seeing him just about to early graduate HUFS graduate school and get a master's degree. He

 

is now studying language(English) mechanics.

 

 

 

As he has not enough time, I started interview rapidly. Firstly, I asked "Please explain about

 

your major in graduate school and how will you gonna apply your major in your future career?" He said "what I

 

am studying is easily speaking, a collaboration between computer program and language."

 

When I was a freshman, I visited his home many times and saw him doing something looks

 

like computer programing. "It usually deals with analyzing what human says and translating it

 

into it's own computer code and proceed it into certain result.", He continued. "But I think I

 

am not gonna use what I am studying that much in my future career. Because I decided to enter a

 

enterprise and make some money first for future business what I have in mind." He kept it

 

secret what is in his mind.

 

 

 

He is a quite conservative man. Because he has lived apart from his parents from when he

 

was a freshman, he became very independent type of person. He has payed his tuition fee

 

all by himself and made his living by himself by tutoring students or working in academy.

 

So many students from our college admire him in that point. I always have wondered why

 

he doesn't get any support from his parents and lives by himself." He replied after a short

 

recitement, "Actually my father is 70 years old, quite more like a grandfather's age than my

 

father's age. I had difficulty communicating with him over that age barrier. My father didn't

 

understand my values and we always had conflicts. It was quite natural for me to get out of

 

my house and announce independent from my parent. Actually that helped me become a real

 

adult and study hard when I was an undergraduate." I nodded and understood thoroughly

 

why he has lived that life until now.

 

 

 

At last, I asked him for some advices about living valuable life. He became shy and said "I

 

am not that great person as you and your friends think. But I think I has lived quite

 

differently from my peers. As I said, I became independent from my parents early compared

 

to my friends. So I had

 

to earn money much more than my peers but instead, spend less time hanging out with

 

friends. I think that growing background made me lived quite conservative life and pursued

 

safe road. I studied hard and went to graduate school to assure my living. But I think it's not an

 

answer to life. I want you to experience more interesting things in life. Travel, love, and do

 

many other funny things in life. I think that things will make your fountain of originality and

 

creativity. And it will proceed to your future success. You can be a better adult than I am."

 

 

Lee Do Yun / Chapter 5. Final draft / Tue 3,4

<How to live as a mother in Korea>

Either a mother and a daughter know each other very well, or they are strangers (Shin, 2012). I know my mother very well, since the relationship my mother and I have is quite strong. I know my mother's habits, her favorite singer, what she has to do tomorrow, and her current concerns. However, at the same time, I do not know anything about my mother. I do not know what color she likes, what her hobbies are, or what her dream is. So, I decided to interview my mother.

I made my mother to lie on my bed and make herself at home. I also lied on the bed to create an atmosphere that we are chatting, not interviewing. I first asked her, what she wants to do from now on. She answered that she wants to take rest. She said that it has been very backbreaking to take care of two kids and make them to go to university, so now she just wants to take rest and do nothing. I knew that my mom goes to work two days a week, so I asked her why not take rest. My mother answered that to survive as a Korean elderly she has to prepare her later years, and in order to save some money she has to work now. I felt sorry for the current situation that my mother faced.

She said that she also wants to travel. She recalled her memory of trip to Norway when she was a university student. She said that she took cruise for the last course of the trip and it was so amazing that she wants to experience it once more. I had thought that my mom is not the person who likes to travel, so I asked whether she liked to trip or not. She said, "The women in my age usually want to travel." She said that her age is too late to learn something, but too early to do nothing. She said she is not a wanderer, who loves to travel, but said that traveling is pretty much everything that she can say that she wants to do. It means that traveling is not the thing that she really wants to do, but there is nothing else that she can say that she wants to do. She also added that after sending all children to college, now she is experiencing a sense of emptiness.

To change to mood, I asked that is the thing that she is most proud of throughout her life. She said that her children are her success. "In Korea, mothers have a lot to do to raise a kid", said my mother. When kids are in elementary school, mothers have to go to school to provide lunch meals, help kids cross the crosswalk. When kids grow up, they have to go to school as exam supervisors, have to collect information about private educational institutes and information about college admission test policy, and so on. "Working moms had to give up their profession as they raise kids", said my mother with a depressed voice. "At that time, everyone did so. No one thought that we were giving up something. It was presumed as a matter of course." She added that the only thing that she regrets is giving up her job. She said that after time passed, being left with ability to do nothing made her feel so desolate. She even made me to promise that when I grow up and become a mother, me to keep my career.

After interviewing with my mother, I thought that life as a Korean mother is very tough. As a mother, she was forced to give up her life and live only as a mother. The feeling that I was the result of her abandonment made me feel terrible. 

Lee Do Yun / Chapter 4 Final draft / Tue 3,4

<Where my memory lives>

Anyone has either good or bad memory in the past, and that makes at least one place special to that person. I also have my favorite place in my heart. For me, it is the house that I lived when I studied in Canada. It is a two-storied house with white walls and red roof with a res garage door. When I lived in that house, there was a big oak tree in front of it. The grass was tidy because my cousin and I took care of it every two weeks. In the backyard, we made a small garden on one side, where we grew sesame leaves, lettuce, red pepper, and cucumber. These vegetables were the ones used in Korean dishes, which we ate at least once in two days. On backyard, usually sunlight came in, so my cousin and I sometimes went out with a mat and books and read until the sunset. I could hear birds singing, squirrels running through the bushes, and grass blow around. It was the most peaceful and happiest time in my life. I could smell fresh flowers and grass. There was nothing in hurry or urgent, but everything there was so special to me. The calm and peaceful atmosphere of that time always makes me smile when I recall that memory. And usually, when we got hungry, my aunt came out with just baked chocolate and peanut butter cookies. I still haven't found better cookies than my aunt's yet. One bite made me feel like I was in a swimming in the peanut butter river and the other bite made me feel I was in Charley's Chocolate Factory. The flavor was so rich and delicious.

 Most of all, I was with my favorite friend, and also a mentor, Jung-min. When I stayed in Canada, Jung-min was the only person who actually took care of me. Literally, I was there alone; neither my mom nor my dad was there; all my friends were in Korea. Jun-min was both my family and my friend. She took care of me when I needed help and she played with me after school. Thinking back, I must have been a troublesome business to her, but she didn't show her feeling the whole time I stayed there. She was only two years older than me, but her mental was way older than that. Thanks to her, I didn't feel lonely at all, and I also learned self-confidence and self-regard through her. I usually got upset because I had the feeling that, because my English was behind compared to others, I was falling behind. That feeling made me easily get depressed and to blame myself for not being equally good as others. However, Jung-min thought me that I was doing fine and always encouraged me so that I could recover strength. I learned that the uselessness of comparing, the way to respect myself, and the importance to love my life by her. Jing-min is one of the most important person in my life, and the place where I spent most of the time with her, the house, is a very special place to me.

In spring, Jung-min and I made rings with flowers and in summer, we had water gun fights. In fall, we made bookmarks with red and yellow leaves and in winter, we built igloos. The house was full of my happy memory which makes it so meaningful to me. I sometimes recall the house and the memory of staying there even these days. 

LEE YAE LIM/ Chapter 5 final draft / Narrative composition tuesdat 34

<Why people regard highschool friend closer than university friend?>

 In Korea, most of people believe that high school friend is much closer than university friend. I do not agree with this argument though. However, one of my best friends, Kim ji-hye strongly agrees with it. So I want to interview her why she thinks that way.

 

 We met in a cafeteria near Hankuk University Of Foreign Studies. She seemed like somewhat excited about having an interview. Her cheek was red as apple and voice was quiet fast than usual. I bought her a hot latte and started an interview. "Is there any difference between high school friend and university friend?" I asked her. "Sure! There are huge differences between those two!" She nodded with her large eyes opened. I want to hear more specific things from her so I waited for a while. She told me that first difference thing is physical distance. "High school friend usually go to same school because they all live near the school. So it is easier to meet them since distance between my home and their home is quiet close." After heard her words, I nodded and agreed soon. "Then, can you tell me a specific story about physical distance regarding university friend?" She followed an answer with a smile. She A year ago, she broke up with her boy friend. At that time, she really wanted to be comforted by her friend. So she called her university friend named Su-hyeon and asked her to meet. However, they couldn't meet because of the physical distance. Su-hyeon's home takes 2 hours from Ji-hye's.  "I just found out that physical distance is a quiet important factor in keeping friendship then." She finalized her answer with smile.

 

 However, I want to know another reason. So I asked her to tell a bit more about any other reasons. "Hmm… I think amount of time that consumed together is quiet important reason too." She said. "In high school, you usually spend over 14 hours together every day. Moreover, you can consume more time with your friend after school. You know, studying in academy or playing game at an internet cafe. I think those time made deep relationship between me and my high school friend." I understood her argument after hearing those two reasons.

 

 "Then, can you tell me about your best high school friend?" I asked her. She agreed while sipping her latte. "Her name is Min-jee. She has lived beside my house since I was 16. Surprisingly, she and I became class mate for 3 years straightly. You know, it's really hard to happen! She and I saw each other more often than our parents for 3 years! Can you believe this? I knew all about her Ex-boyfriend. And she did too. So there are so many things to chat with her until now. I think she can be the last reason to support my opinion" She took her last sip of latte and got up since she needed to take a class. There was an empty latte cup on the table after she left, and I can imagine her best friend's figure there. 

Heewon Park / Chapter 5 Final Draft / Narrative Composition / Tuesday 11am

My Best Friend Older Than Me

 

Korean people tend to be so sensitive with age gap. Therefore, when they meet people first, it is natural that asking each other's age directly and it decides how they treat each other. Even one year old gap is considered huge in Korea and people should always be polite to a person who is older than them. In Korea, 'friend' means a person who is close with me and having same age at the same time. I have heard a lot from my foreign friends that why many Korean people hang out and become friends only with the same age people. Therefore, many people are curious about my friendship with one of my best friend. Among my friends, there is whom I love most whose name is Hani. She is five years older than me but we have many common things and we are connected deeply so much. We meet regularly at least once in a week and hung out. Also, I'd always thought that her life is very interesting so I thought she was the best person interviewing. Considering that both of us love drinking and I wanted to make a comfortable atmosphere for her, I made a reservation at her favorite bar.

At first, we were just catching up and after moment, I talked to her.

"Hani, there is something I should do today and I think you are the one who can help me. Can you help me?"

She started to laugh and asked me back. "What do you mean? What should I do?"

I said. "What you have to do is just answering frankly to my questions. Can you do that?"

"Of course. I think it will be fun" She looked very interesting.

 

We know almost everything about each other so I asked her about some questions that we usually talked about. I asked my first question.

"As you know, whenever people heard our age gap, they were always curious how we could become so close like this. Do you think what made us so closer and what is the most important thing to maintain friendship?"

 

She slightly smiled and started to speak in calm voice.

"I don't have a prejudice toward people and I always respect every person even if who is way much younger than me. There must be something I can learn from those people."

 

Then one question popped up in my head and I asked directly to her.

"Do you mean that you like all the people around you? How is it possible?"

 

She smile again and said.

"I am not a Jesus or Buddha so I do not and can not like all the people I know. But at least I don't draw any boundary between a person near me and myself. I am always open-minded and try to see the good things in people. However, if there are only bad things in someone and the relationship with that person looked made me ill, I drastically give up that relationship. It's also important."

As soon as I heard her answer, I remembered that she would get married her boyfriend soon. They have been together for years and I've always thought she is so wise that she knows really well how to manage the relationship very well which is I am not good at. Therefore I asked her again.

"Hani, you made an important decision in your life not too long ago. You will get married! How does it feel and what made you choose your boyfriend as your future husband?"

 

"Actually it doesn't feel real yet. However, as you said, marriage is one of the most important decisions in one's life so I tried to be careful and it took me very long time to make a decision. First, he is so faithful to me. It was always the first thing when I see guys. Also, he has lots of good things that I want to emulate. He always has plans for his future and career but also lives a fruitful life by focusing on present moment and doing hardworking. Furthermore he never says negative word. He always tries to be positive and supports me. By these reasons I have always felt that he is a real mature man and it was my oldest dream that getting married and raising a family with a guy like him."

 

Then the next question just slipped out of my mouth as soon as listening to her.

I asked her. "Could you tell me your secret tips to keep your relationship so firm for long time?"

 

She spoke slowly and carefully.

"I have strong trust to my people and try to show my trust to them. If there is no such belief between you and the person you love, that is no longer a healthy relationship. Also, I do not afraid of being troubled in relationship. Instead, I do always have a conversation to resolve that. I believe that the relationship will be getting deeper by doing so. Do not make all the small conflicts into big fight. What you have to remember is just think them as a chance to get to know each other more and a step to go forward.

 

 After hearing her answer, I realized again why I like her so much. She is always wise and behaved appropriately in every situation. Also, I was very interested about her career which is totally different with me so I asked about it.

 

"You majored western art in college but now you are working as a fashion editor. Is there any differences between those two works and any difficulties in your job?"

 

She listened to my question very carefully and then started answering.

"When I draw a picture, there was no guideline and my inspiration was the only thing I could follow. But in magazine industries, there is customer's demand and we need to deal with it and follow that continuously. Also, Magazine is printed every month so we have to make successful output per month. Meeting a deadline is very stressful work for me. Furthermore, there are tons of fabulous fashion magazines in Korea so there is always fierce competition. These things make me feel tightened and pressed all the time."

 

"However, as you know there are many girls who want to be a fashion editor though its' hardness. Are there any good things working as a fashion editor?" I asked.

 

"Of course there are lots of good things in my job. Since I started this career, I've changed a lot. Fashion magazine is not a book only talking about fashion and clothes but also covering many useful things for women such as cosmetics, relationship tips and career tips. Oh, even there is a page for consultation in our magazine. To deliver useful information for our readers, I meet new people almost every day and I experienced many new things. Though it's sometimes pretty tiring and I am always hectic, every time I see the finished magazine at the end of each month, it reminds me that how lucky I am that I could be helpful to somebody and make such a wonderful magazine.

 

After our conversation, I felt and realized many things thanks to her. Actually, we usually had conversation related our personal issues and didn't talk much about her career deeply. Though I started this interview as an assignment but we spent really good time. It was a chance that I get to know her more.

 

 

Yoo Jin Jeong / Chapter 5 final draft / Narrative & Composition Tuesday 3,4

 

 

In Search of Home

 

             In a world of ongoing globalization, one useful term that no one really seems to know about is TCK, or Third Culture Kids. They are children who were born into one culture but grew up in another. They then live in a strange amalgamation of their parents' culture and the culture they are currently living in, and end up forming a culture of their own. TCKs often face many problems, such as adjusting to the new and unfamiliar culture and readjusting to their home country when they come back. They have a hard time figuring out what place they should call "home", and have difficulty identifying what culture they belong to.

 

             Because I am a TCK myself this topic has always interested me, so when I met another TCK in my translation class I was very excited. Song In Baek, nickname Song, was a TCK from Sri Lanka. She went to Sri Lanka at the age of 6 and lived there for 13 years. I asked her for an interview and we went to a small cafe at the back of HUFS, which was fortunately mostly empty. We ordered our drinks, an earl grey for me and a green tea latte for her, and I started the interview by asking her to tell me some of her earliest memories. She remembered the plane flight, of how they landed in the middle of the night. Her father was waiting at the airport to take the family to their new home.

 

             "It was quite dark. I did not see anything. Sri Lanka wasn't a developed country. The street lights weren't very developed. All I could see was the headlights. I couldn't see the view."

 

             The first thing Song saw the next morning were the tropical trees outside: the palm trees, coconut trees, and mango trees. "That was the first living, different organisms that I've ever seen in my life," she said with a laugh. She could hear the sound of birds twittering, and when she went outside, she could see clouds in the blue sky. Her voice lit up with passion as she remembered them. "To be honest, the blue sky and the clouds, they are not in Korea. Those skies and clouds, they are incomparable to Korea."

 

             "In the beginning of the year, right as I landed there, it was heaven for me," Song said, her gaze drifting to the ceiling as she remembered. Due to the differences in school schedules, Song had her first 6 month in Sri Lanka off. She only had fond memories of this first 6 months, because she got to live in a large house with a garden and had pets for the first time.

 

             I asked her if she was faced with any culture shocks when she first arrived there. "My first culture shock was eating with hands," Song replied with a laugh. "I've never thought of eating with hands. Many people in Korea found it unhygienic, but to me, it was quite a free style. I didn't want to eat with tools!"

 

             "And they were wearing traditional clothes everywhere," she added later on in the conversation. "It's called sari, and they show their belly. And I was like, what are those clothes?" She also mentioned going barefoot and seeing someone wear a burka for the first time.

 

             We next moved onto Song's school life. She went to three different schools in Sri Lanka, all international schools because foreigners were not allowed to attend local schools. Her first school was called Gateway International, which involved a lot of adjusting, since when she first went there she could not speak a word of English:

 

When I could not speak English, my friends split apart and made me a loner. That was really sad. But I had one girl, who was my best friend. She had courage. She was the only one who was next to me during that time. And when I started speaking English, everyone started coming back. They all came back for my stuff, because I had different Korean stuff. I knew, you were coming for me because I have different lunch and snacks. Maybe that's the culture difference. If you're different, they try to stand away from you.

 

             Song explained the school system for me a little bit, then I asked whether she made a lot of friends. She remembered that they were mostly nice. "Everyone can survive if there is at least one person standing for you," she said. "The most problem that I faced was the jealousy. Sri Lankan people, they are very jealous about something. It's a national thing. But if you're jealous about something, they show it. They will not tell you in words, but they will show it in action." She then told me a story about how a student made up a story about her and told her mother, who was a teacher at the school. The teacher then scolded her and told the parents of other students to avoid her, which didn't end until she moved to her next school.

 

             Then we moved onto the second part of her life, which was coming back to Korea. I asked her how well she thought she adjusted to Korea. She quietly took a sip of her green tea latte, deep in thought. "I think I have adjusted quite well," she said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the sofa with a sigh.

 

At the moment. I think right now... maybe I have adjusted... I cannot say a hundred percent. But I will give myself eighty percent here. I still don't get all the etiquettes in Korea, but the reason why I said I have well adapted is that I have learned to ignored that. I am not stressed about that anymore.

 

She used to be bothered by people who would not excuse themselves after bumping into her, but she learned how to walk away.

 

             There were a few things in Korea that she had to get used to: Grandmothers in subway who pushed her away. Korean food, such as sundaeguk (soup made of pig intestines), gopchang (grilled cow or pig intestine), and sunjiguk (soup made of cow blood). The drinking culture. "I thought I was very Korean. My parents thought I was very Korean. I believed, I wanted to believe, until I came to Korea then I started living here. I did not know whether I was Korean or not."

 

             I decided to ask what culture she felt most comfortable in. Song looked up to the ceiling for a minute without speaking, her gaze lost in thought. "I would like to bring some of Sri Lankan parts to Korea. The good part of each." Then I asked her what place she considered home. She sat silent for another while, her eyes darting around the room while she was thinking.

 

Wow. That's another tough question. When I'm in Korea I find myself Sri Lankan; when I'm in Sri Lanka I find myself Korean. I wish there was a land between these two where I could bring all I want to that country and I can say I'm from that country. But I say I'm Korean. My blood is Korean, even though I was raised in Sri Lanka. My parents are Korean, my passport is Korean, my ancestors were all Korean. If I say I'm Sri Lankan, that's just how I was raised. At this point, I will follow my ancestors.

 

             My next question was how to get back down to earth when she struggled with her identity. Song's eyes were glued to the ceiling again while she sorted out her thoughts, her gaze trailing down the walls as she spoke.

 

The moment I get into that stage is when Koreans tell me, 'You are Korean. Why are you acting like this?' Then all of a sudden I think, 'Oh I am a Korean and I'm acting like this.' I accept it. I was raised in a different culture. But when the same person says, 'Oh you're Sri Lankan.' I am offended. I don't know why I am offended. This person changes from one thing to another, and that confuses me. Everything that is "me" is called Sri Lankan. Koreans usually say that, especially who hasn't been abroad and doesn't know the culture difference there. This is a unique culture of myself. I love it when someone says, 'This is you. You are nothing else. You are the mix of Korean and Sri Lankan culture and you have created your own culture.' That's me.

 

 she said, looking straight at me as she finds a direction to lead her words.

 

That the point when I think about myself, when I'm floating around. This is me. This is my unique power that others don't have. I have experienced so many different things, something unique in Sri Lanka and something unique in Korea. And having this identity crisis itself is another experience and that's taking me to another level. This is my own culture, my unique culture and no one can have it. That kind of brings me back and gives me strength because I like to be unique. When people remember something unique about me, that's how I find strength.

 

             Lastly I asked her for any tips she could give to TCKs who are coming back to adjust to their home culture. "You don't need to try to fit into the culture," she said, then she started fumbling over her words a little bit, like she was trying to think as she spoke.

 

Like, if they can accept the culture, and this is their motherland and if they can't accept certain cultures, don't accept it. If you do not think it is acceptable in your own individual culture, you don't have to accept it. You don't have to force other people to make them understand you. If people do not understand you, it's their loss. There will be at least one person who can accept who you are, so don't try to fit in.

 

             It was then her turn to ask me questions. She asked me about my opinions on her answers to the interview, about my experiences in the Philippines and back in Korea. We spent the rest of the night exchanging stories and opinions over our empty cups of latte and tea, laughing like we never could with our non-TCK friends. We're all unique, we're all different, but when we talk to each other about culture and experiences, we know there is something that ties us together in ways that others will never know.

 

             We left the cafe five minutes to closing time, and I wished we could have talked longer. Because although this was an interview for a project, talking to a TCK is what grounds me the most when I feel like I don't belong anywhere. I was able to walk home refreshed, ready to start the next day in this country that was both foreign and home.

 

         

 

 

Ari Min / Final Draft / Narrative Composition 11AM

Ari Min

Narrative Composition Tuesday 11am

December 8, 2015

The Forgotten Pebble

"Either a mother and daughter know each other very well or they are strangers," is a quote from the novel Please Look after Mom by Kyung-sook Shin. I feel sympathy on this quote because it seems to reflect our relationship. Currently, I am in the opposite side of the earth from my parents. My parents are in Guatemala which is located in Latin America. They went to Guatemala on 1991 because of my dad's business. For that reason it is hard to call her frequently and when I call her is when I need something or to tell her something that happened to me. Looking back to all these years, my mom only listened to my stories but I had not had a chance to listen about my mom's life.

I called her through Skype at 11 p.m. when it was 8 a.m. there in Guatemala. I started my interview asking, "Mom could you talk about your childhood?" She responded that she did not come from a wealthy family but the neighborhood she lived in was lively and cozy. The neighbors were amiable and everyone overcame difficulties together as a family. "When I was young we enjoyed to play kusulchigi outside." I interrupted her by asking, "What is that?" She explained that it was a game where you put a pebble inside a circle and hit it so it goes outside the circle. Then I realized that she was talking about the marble game that I used to play when I was young as well. My mom continued, "The time we spent playing went by so fast and it was only after my mom called me for dinner I had realized it was dark."

"What was your dream?" I asked my mom for the first time. Looking me with limpid eyes she said, "My dream was to be an announcer. People often told me I had a lovely voice." She laughed. "In high school I was part of the broadcast team and at work narrated the video introducing our company. I still read books out loud and practice pronunciation. If I have an opportunity to study I would like to go in this path."  Listening to my mother talking about her dream made me feel guilty. I had no idea she wanted to be an announcer and I felt worse that I didn't know much about my mom despite knowing her for over 20 years.

 As her family was not economically stable, she was forced to work after graduating high school. Even though she wanted to keep on studying, on that moment, she had other priorities. Her father was sick during this period so she had to help with medical expenses. "Every morning when I headed to work, I saw college students from my age in the streets going to their universities. I would watch them in jealousy," my mom said. However despite of it all, my mom tried to at the bright side. She felt proud of herself every time she received her salary, which was used as supplement living expenses. As others took their time on studying for their own good, she used her time to be a support to the family. I knew that my mom hadn't gone to college, but I had no idea it was because of the family had no money.

My mom had to end the call because she had to work. Before hanging up she told me, "Enjoy your time as a student, as it will be the happiest moment of your life. Now go sleep." After the interview I found a newfound motivation to study for not only myself, but also for my mom. 

Ji Eun Bok / Chapter 5 Interview Final Draft / Tuesday 11am

201401495 Ji Eun Bok

You're the man, Mr. Bok!

 

             He sat nervously on the sofa as I looked over my list of questions and set the voice recorder on the mobile phone to get started with the interview. His initial reaction to my oral history assignment was rather funny. When I told him that I chose him as my interviewee, he seemed slightly embarrassed. He didn't know what I would interview him about, and the word "interview" must have burdened him. Despite his worries, he turned out to be the best interviewee.

             My dad was born in Cheonyang, Chungcheongnam-do Province, South Korea. It was an underdeveloped area and the majority of the population was farmers. My grandfather was a farmer too, and my dad had to always help him out in the field after school. As a kid, my dad was interested in electronics. My dad studied hard to try and achieve his goal. Although growing up in the farming area meant less time to study, he always met up with his friends after class to study and revise. Later, he got into an electronic technical high school. He studied electronics there and went through practical training.

             "When I turned 17, my mother passed away. This was a big change, and I had to find other means to help support the family. I decided to get a job rather than to go to university and continue my studies." He said this with a calm voice, but I knew what this meant to him. He had practically given up one of his goals due to a very sudden, unexpected change. He had always wanted go to university, but circumstances didn't allow him with many choices. At the end of his second year in high school, several companies had open recruitment and my dad applied for one company. Fortunately, he got accepted and he began working immediately after he graduated from high school.

             The company was located in Suwon, so he had to leave his family and his hometown to move to Suwon. He got a small apartment and began living on his own. He said this was one of his most difficult times in life.

             "There was no one there to look after me. I was by myself, and I had to do everything for myself. My health got worse as I didn't eat properly. I was in a slump." He said this was the one and only time he wanted to quit working. There were hard times, but as the saying, time gradually healed everything and he soon got back on the recovery track.

             "What do you consider your greatest achievement in your working career? What are you most proud of?" I asked my dad, hoping to learn even more.

              When I looked at him, he was already traveling back in time, reminiscing his old days. In 1998, his company formed a Task Force Team (TFT) to develop the world's first digital television. The company had put massive investment into this project as it was aiming for a big change, from analogue televisions to digital televisions. Surprisingly, he became one of the team members, and they got started on their new ambitious project. In the end, everything was a success. The company introduced to the world a 55-inch digital television. This television was even used in some places of the Unites States to live broadcast when NASA launched Space Shuttle Discovery in October 29, 1998. My dad still keeps photographs celebrating this special moment and cherishes the experience.

             He went on to mention a few more accomplishments. When he began working in Thailand in 2003, the company sales was around $190 million. However, when he finished his five-year term in 2008, it had increased to about $900 million. When he went to Indonesia, he was involved in the making set-top boxes for television, devices which are used to turn the source signal into content which could then be displayed on the television screen. While the set-top boxes were exported to different countries around the world, there were many technical failures at first. My dad even received a buyer complaint from a quality director of a company. However, through a number of examinations, all the problems were solved. When the same quality director visited the company again, my dad showed him around, explaining how they solved the problems. The director was very pleased and he expressed great satisfaction. My dad said moments like these makes him very proud and happy.

             Since my dad has had experience working overseas, I wanted to know what opinions he had about this. I asked him how this experience influenced his life.

             "Personally, it was a great opportunity for me to become equipped with a global mind, dealing with foreign buyers and industries from all over the world. I learned to cooperate with them and I gained confidence. I could be thrown in any kind of situation dealing with foreigners, and I had nothing to be scared of anymore."

             He also mentioned the effect it had on his family. "I was happy to provide my three daughters with a valuable experience, learning English at international schools," he said with a contented smile on his face. What he said was very true indeed. I have always been grateful.

             "How about your main motivation? I am sure it isn't easy… What keeps you going?" I asked in curiosity.

             "Well… I have a sense of responsibility. Responsibility for my wife and my daughters, responsibility for the society and responsibility for my colleagues. Everyone has to work hard for each other," he replied in a firm manner. I felt the strength in his words, and I realized this was what really kept him going all these years. He has been working in just one company his entire life for over 30 years. I always felt bad seeing him work so many hours in the office every day, and yet, his deep response touched my heart.

             "Oh, another thing," he blurted. I stopped writing and looked at him to show that I was listening. "You do know that our last name "Bok" is a very unique one. I always think that I represent our last name, our family, so I try to give my best in everything I do. I want others to think, at least in my area of work, "That man, Mr. Bok, is really something." This is what keeps me going."

             His words were like gems to me. I loved the idea of how he saw himself as one of the representatives of our last name and worked hard to make us proud. I felt the need to plant the same attitude in my heart as well.

             My dad had a deprived life early in his childhood. He came from a big family and he could not enjoy the most lavish of lifestyles. However, this soon became his driving force to lead a better life. He studied hard, he worked hard to achieve many things, and now, he has proud accomplishments. He has a happy family, and he is a competent man in his field.

             "There are three traits I consider the most important: your abilities in that particular field, your attitude towards everything and your health. One's abilities are of the utmost importance because that is what should follow when you are willing to do something. You need to be good at it. One's attitude is another important aspect, as cooperation is very important. You should be able to form healthy relationships with your coworkers by treating them appropriately. Lastly, all of this is impossible if your body cannot handle it. You cannot exhibit full strength if you don't have the energy." This is why my dad loves sports and works hard to keep in shape. With these last words, he went off to play tennis with his friends.

             This is the story of my dad's life; however, I believe it can easily be applied to anyone's life. The key to finding success in life is that we work hard, no matter how difficult it may be, and one day, we will achieve our dreams.