How a KDrama Changed My Life

About 4 years ago, I lost both my Grandparents unexpectedly within weeks of each other.  One was of natural causes, but the other was not and to say that my world was in chaos would be an extreme understatement. During this time of grief, anger, sadness and confusion, my mind was often overwhelmed and in the evenings, when I would go home from work to the now empty home that I had shared with my Grandma, it could be a bit more than I could handle at times.  

One night during all this, I turned on Netflix and it recommended the Korean Drama (KDrama) "Boys Over Flowers." It had been recommended to me several times before, but I'd been uninterested in watching anything with subtitles.  However, this night, it occurred to me that I would have to focus on the subtitles to watch the show which would keep my mind occupied so I decided to give it a try.  I had no idea how pressing "play" would change my life.

As I watched the show, I was intrigued by the storytelling and the fact that there was so much happening in each episode. I also found it interesting that the soundtrack was repeated throughout the show.  Each character seemed to have their own song that would play in various parts of the story.  Plus, the drama was clean. Though Netflix often likes to add swear words that are not there, the reality is Kdramas are generally very clean and family friendly.  What a breath of fresh air to my weary wholesome entertainment parched soul.

From that drama, I branched out to other Asian Dramas and began to watch shows first from Japan and Taiwan then eventually including China, Thailand, and other countries. As I watched I became curious about Asian culture and wanted to know more. Because I am quite conservative, it was so cool to FINALLY be seeing my lifestyle and values reflected in the shows I was watching.  I had not seen that in American television in ages and it was so pleasant to see my world reflected in those shows.  

The soundtracks led me to Kpop which I love and now listen to all the time.  As a former music business major, I am intrigued not only by the phenomenal talent showcased by the groups, but also in the way it is marketed and promoted. When KPop got popular here in the USA all of the sudden, it was the first time I ever felt ahead of the cultural curve.  When young people mention their favorite artists they are usually shocked that I'm already quite familiar with that group and generally know more than they do about them.  LOL.  

A few weeks into my drama watching, it occurred to me that my church was going to have a massive convention before long and that there would be delegates who spoke Chinese, Korean, and Japanese there.  I thought it would be so cool if I could greet them in their own languages.  So, I downloaded beginner lessons audiobooks for all three languages.  I started with Chinese and the tonal aspect was too scary for me, so I set it aside. When I started the Korean lesson, one of the first things it said was that if you learn Korean, it would make learning Chinese and Japanese easier.  I am very much an audio learner when it comes to language, so since it seemed like there was more Korean language content available online to watch and listen to, I decided to focus there.  So my language learning journey began and continues to this day.  Now about 4 years later, I'm still not great since I rarely get to practice, but I do understand quite a bit and can speak more than people realize.  I'm taking one-on-one tutoring from time to time now and that is helping too.

As I continued to learn about the culture, study the language, and watch television from South Korea, there began to stir in me a desire to see the country for myself.  To see the places that I'd seen only in pictures and video and try the foods and activities I'd only heard about up to then.  After doing some research I discovered that though, it would take some time for me to be able to afford it, that a trip to South Korea was not terribly expensive and if I planned well, I'd be able to go in a few years.  However, another issue was my size.  I've had weight issues all my life and I knew that if I wanted to go overseas, I'd need to lose a lot of weight.  First so that I'd be able to comfortably sit in the plane seat for the trip and 2nd so that I could do all the things I wanted to do while I was there.  So, that began my weight loss journey.  

As I learned about the food in South Korea, I started changing my way of eating so that I'd be comfortable eating the foods I'd find there.  I've been a very picky eater most of my life, but I knew that would not work.  Korean food tends to be spicy and full of veggies...two things I'd always avoided.  I needed to get used to those things.  For about 2 years I worked on learning to like vegetables as well as increasing my spicy food tolerance.  Then in October of 2019, I joined Weight Watchers and continued my weight loss journey in earnest. I have recently also added more exercise in my life as well and that too is helping with the weight loss.  I'm now down around 83 pounds (with much more to go) and have lost 71 inches. I've lost 5ft 11 inches off my 5ft 7 inch frame, but I've got more to lose, so I press on.

One of my biggest goals for my trip to South Korea was to be able to hike Mt. Hallasan (pictured below).  I want to see the beautiful scenery in the photos for myself.  When I began my planning, that would not have been possible.  My size would not have allowed it.  Now, I am encouraged that I will be able to do it.  When I go and take a picture from the top...I may just burst into tears from excitement of finally reaching my goal...one more than 4 years in the making (by the time I go).

People often ask me, "Why are you learning Korean?" It feels so inadequate to say that I became interested through a drama, even though it's the truth.  With the exception of my Faith, nothing else has caused so much positive change in my life as pressing "play" on that Kdrama. I started learning a new language, am studying new cultures, changed my bad eating habits, and am on my way to a healthy weight and lifestyle...and the reality is, it all started with "Boys Over Flowers."  I'm so glad I watched it. 

Wait, What? A K-Pop Group without any Koreans?

Today is my day off and I decided to do a bit of internet surfing to see who the new artists are in the world of Korean Entertainment.  I came across something totally unexpected.  It's a K-Pop group that originated in the USA and has zero Korean members.  WHAT!?!?  I needed to investigate this a bit more.  So I did and what I found was fascinating and honestly a bit inspiring.

Photo Credit to EXP Edition FB Page

The name of this K-Pop group is EXP EDITION and it is made up of four young men from the USA.  As I understand it, Frankie, Hunter, Koki, and Sime all auditioned to be a part of this group in New York.  The group was a part of a documentary and thesis project for Bora Kim that was specifically to see what would happen if you formed a K-Pop group without any Koreans in it.  So, it basically started as an experiment and ended up a real thing.  How cool and interesting is that?  It sounds like a strange way to start a music group, but actually it's not that far off from how other groups started that became HUGE.  Ever heard of a little band called THE MONKEES?  Seriously...that was a band put together specifically to be the cast of a television show and they became enormously popular.  So, this way of starting a group isn't so wildly strange.

However, what makes this group so very different and interesting to me, is that while these guys are from varied places and backgrounds (Sime was born and raised in Croatia, Frankie is Portuguese raised in the USA, and Koki is Japanese who was born in Hong Kong), NONE of them spoke Korean to begin with and yet they chose to sing K-pop. AND they decided to move to Korea to do so.  That is incredibly impressive to me.  It's not easy to learn Korean (trust me, I've been working on it for quite a while now), and throwing yourself into a totally different culture, language, and country simply to follow your dream is a level of dedication that you don't often see in any part of the entertainment industry.  And the world of K-pop is not an easy world either.  It is full of people who expect and attain near perfection in their dance routines and performances.  It entails crazy schedules and demanding hours of practice.  If you simply wanted to be a singer, there are easier genres to tackle, but these guys chose to walk this demanding road and that is inspiring to me.

So, I'm going to keep an eye on this group.  I'm impressed with them so far and I look forward to seeing how they continue to grow as they blaze trails that can inspire those who follow after them.  Keep up the good work EXP EDITION!  FIGHTING!!!

A Few "Truths" according to Kdrama. :-)

When I started watching Korean Dramas, there were a few things that made me pause because they seemed to be universally true in Dramaland and yet were so very different from what I was used to in Western Dramas.  I have come to love these little quirks in the shows, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

1) Water is dangerous.

Watch out for the water!

 Anytime someone gets unintentionally wet, they will probably come down with an illness that will incapacitate them to the point that someone else will need to take care of them for at least a few hours.  Generally fever, chills, weakness, and possibly fainting will occur as a direct result of getting wet.  If you get caught in the rain, fall into a pool, or even get splashed by a large puddle (say because of a passing car), you are in grave danger of the above mentioned illness.  However, this does not seem to happen if the person meant to get wet.  For example, if a person goes swimming in a pool for several hours in a swimsuit...all will be well.  However, is same person falls into the swimming pool fully clothed for three seconds...illness will strike shortly thereafter.

2) Korean First Aid kits are no joke!
In most K-dramas (actually in most Asian dramas in general) someone will injure themselves at some point.  The injury is generally minor such as a sprained ankle or slight cut, but you would think that those slight injuries were major wounds based on the treatment of them.  Very often the injured person will not be able to walk if their leg/ankle/foot is even slightly sore.  Someone will generally need to carry this unfortunate soul.  However, if the injury isn't bad enough to need to go to the hospital, someone will break out a first aid kit and 90% of the time, it will be large enough that it could double as a tackle box.  I'm not sure what all is needed in a K-drama First Aid kit, but I am convinced that there is enough equipment and supplies in them that a doctor could perform minor surgery with one if it was necessary.  Most First Aid kits I have seen here in the States are rather small and generally include band-aids, rubber gloves, some sort of antiseptic ointment, perhaps some gauze and that's about it.  But not so in Dramaland:  Those kits seem to have the entire pharmacy in them.  It's truly amazing!

3)The Music is Awesome!
Prior to watching Korean Dramas I have never listened to K-Pop.  Now I'm a huge fan.  I love how most dramas have a set soundtrack so that you hear the same songs over and over.  At first I found this rather annoying because the songs would often get stuck in my head and I didn't understand why I was hearing the same ones in every episode.  However, I have discovered that if the right songs are chosen, those songs become a big part of the story and I find myself looking for them on iTunes to add them to my collection.  

4) KDrama Villains are without question the most evil people on the planet.  
I thought I had seen bad guys/girls before.  I thought I knew what to expect.  I was wrong...so very wrong.  The Villains in Korean Dramas are their own category of evil.  They don't just want to hurt a person, they want to crush them, their families, and anyone who ever smiled at that person.  Just when I think I've seen the worst person they could come up with, in will come another drama with someone who is even worse.  Seriously...did someone hurt these writers?  How do they come up with such awful people?  On the other hand, it's always such a good feeling to see the good guy/girl win over them in the end.   

I'm sure there are more things I could list, but I will stop for now.  These things are just a few of the reasons I have fallen in love with watching Kdrama.  What are your favorite quirks of Kdrama?   

 

How I found K-Pop...

I quite literally came across K-Pop through watching K-Dramas.  I would hear these songs repeatedly during the dramas and wonder who the artists were.  So as I watched more Korean Drama and Variety Shows I continued to look up the artists that were interviewed or whom I heard on the soundtracks of the shows.  That being the case, I first came across groups like T-Max and SS501 whose songs were used A LOT in "Boys over Flowers."  Then I came across other artists through various variety show appearances and dramas like Henry, FT Island, EXO, Twice, Red Velvet and more.

It's really hard to choose favorites for me, but three groups I really enjoy are CNBlue, Got7, and Super Junior.  And when it comes to solo artists, my favorite right now would probably be Eric Nam.

CNBlue I like for several reasons, but first it is that since I have seen all of the members on various dramas and variety shows, it's easy to feel like you know them and therefore want to support them.  Anyone who knows me would probably find that an odd statement because I often tease my family members about being fans of sports figures that they have never met, but I think I can understand a little now how they feel.  Secondly, these guys have real talent and it shows in their music (and in their acting as well).  There are not a lot of full bands in the world of K-Pop (at least not that I have come across yet), so that makes this group stand out too. I like their song "Starting Over" a lot.  The video is so fun and the song is just cool!

Got7 is a perfect example of a group that I came across because of a drama.  They were in a mini-drama called Dream Knight which is where I first came across the group. The show was super cute and made me curious about the group.  When I started to look for their music I could quickly see why they were so popular.  They are very talented singers and dancers, plus they tend to make music that  is easy to remember.  Their song "Stop, Stop it" gets stuck in my head on a regular basis.  I love it!

Super Junior is also amazing for several reasons.  First, they were one of the first groups I came across that had so many members.  Currently there are only 7 active members (plus 2 who are serving in the military), but at one point there were 11 members.  That seems huge to me.  Even 9 seems big (when the two in the military come back).  When I was in choir, I'm pretty sure that many members would have made you an ensemble or choir, but these guys don't give off that feel at all.  They dance together with amazing precision that is hard to look away from and they have great voices as well.  It really is a powerhouse group.  They are not the only large group out there, in fact there are quite a few, but they were one of the first I came across and so will hold a special spot on my list. Also, I should point out that one of the members, Lee Dong Hae, was the lead in the drama Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog, that I talked about in my last post.  Several of the other members have been in dramas and on variety shows as well, and they are always fun to watch. Currently, I'm listening to "Black Suit" fairly regularly which is on their current album. 

When it comes to solo artists, I will admit that I am a bit bias when it comes to Eric Nam.  After all, he's from Georgia and as a Tennessee girl myself, you have to cheer on the southern guy!  But, it's not just where he's from.  He's has a great voice, and his talent goes farther than the music world.  He is also fun to watch when he is on variety shows or does interviews with people from across the entertainment industry.  His song "Good For You" is currently one of my all time favorite songs and never fails to put a smile on my face.

These are a few of the groups that I've come across and enjoy.  Who do you listen to?  How did you find them?  I'm always interested in finding more artists and groups to listen to.

An Entirely New World...

About a year and a half ago, I started watching Korean Drama and suddenly an entirely new world opened up for me.  I came upon it, looking only for a way to pass some time. 

Let me explain...You see, about a year an a half ago my Grandmother passed away.  At the time, I was living with her and helping to care for her and when she passed, that house seemed rather large all of the sudden.  I was working...A LOT.  But when I would go home, the house just seemed big, and in the evening, it just seemed strange for it to be so quiet.  So, I opened up my Netflix and a K-drama that I had seen show up in my "recommendations" was there once again.  I had ignored it for literally years, but this night, I thought, "You know, I'll give it a try.  I will have to read the subtitles, so at least it will keep my focus on something other than this empty house."  And with that, I began my journey into the world of Asian Drama.

The first drama I ever saw was a classic in the world of K-drama (though I had no idea it was at the time) called "Boys of Flowers."  This was a show that revolved around the lives of some very very rich and popular boys, with the nickname of F4, and one very poor girl who rather accidentally comes into their world.  It is far fetched, it's got some crazy hairstyles and fashion, it is even rather unbelievable in parts, and it had me seriously dealing with second lead syndrome (where you want the second lead guy to end up with the girl because he's a way better match for her) but I loved it.  It was a fun story that totally took my mind off of what was really happening in my life and that was what I had been looking for.  And it introduced me to K-pop for the first time.  I was looking up the groups that sang on the soundtrack and downloading some of the songs because they would get so stuck in my head.

From there, I started watching other Asian Dramas.  Not just Korean, but also Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese too.  I had to very quickly realize that the titles in English sometimes sound quite strange and didn't always reflect what the show was really about, but I loved the shows.  Some of the first ones I watched were:

Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog:  This is another Korean Drama. The story of a patisserie chef and the girl he works with.  This one had not only a cute romance story, but also an interesting mystery and every episode showed them making some sort of amazing sweet food that had me craving cake like you wouldn't believe.  In fact, I scoured a Dollar General store looking for Little Debbie's one day because I just couldn't take it anymore.  I NEEDED cake.  HA HA!  (True story...the Dollar General had remodeled and I couldn't find those cakes until I had been through the place like 3 times.)

Minami-kun no Koibito: My Little Lover: This is a Japanese Drama.  It follows the story of a high school girl who somehow shrinks to about 3 inches call.  She is found by a neighbor boy who was a childhood friend and they try to find a way to get her back to her original size.  It's super cute and just fun to watch.  

Inborn Pair: This is a Taiwanese Drama.  I really enjoyed this show too and it was one of the first I saw that dealt with an arranged marriage.  It was fun to see the two leads literally forced into a marriage that they had not planned on and watch them realize that they are, in fact, perfect for each other...though it will not be an easy road to get to that realization. 

So, why this blog?  Well, the reality is that I know very few people who share my interest in K-drama and K-pop and I wanted an outlet to share my thoughts.  So I plan to post on here about the shows I'm watching (or have already watched), the music I'm enjoying, and even about how I'm learning the language.  If you are interested in these things I hope you'll follow along and share your own thoughts and recommendations.