Only On Guam

Monster Jam!

2007-02-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

Coming back to winter after living on an island for the past 5 years presents some practical difficulties- mainly no winter clothes! My mother-in-law greeted us at the airport with winter coats that she bought for the kids, and I dug out my winter coat, which I had saved from my Minnesota days. It was 10 degrees when we arrived in Chicago, and since then, the temperatures have dropped below zero. We’ve also gotten fresh snow!

My kids liked it for a day or two, but now don’t ask to play outside. Despite the cold, my daughter still walks around the house in bare-feet and even takes her shoes off in the car! You can take the girl out of the islands, but not take the island out of the girl I guess! Another new thing for my kids- static electricity! Jack just tells everyone- DON’T TOUCH ME! He is zap-paranoid!

Something fun that we got to do that we don’t get in Guam: MONSTER JAM!! I was thrilled we were able to go. I’ve spent a fortune thru the years on monster truck toys and video rental, but this was the real deal. We got to see Monster Jam plus go to a big-rig truckers show. My son said this was the Best. Day. Ever!

God Bless Papa

2007-02-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

Early on January 22, 2007, my father-in-law passed away. He had been a long-time cancer survivor, battling lung cancer for almost 13 years. Even at the end, he was still taking visitors and proudly showing off photos from his Christmas trip to Guam. Sadly, once he left for Guam, he never did get to return home. He entered the hospital as soon as they arrived in Peoria. Thankfully, my husband was able to be at his father’s bedside for the last week of his life. Literally, my husband did not sleep in a bed for over a week, never wanting to leave his Dad’s side.

My father-in-law was very active in church and cancer support groups for many years. Since he passed away, my mother-in-law has been swamped with cards and letters from people she doesn’t even know telling her how much he inspired him and helped them. I know when we went on a family cruise trip last summer, he had many strangers approach him and commend him for taking such a trip while on oxygen and moving slowly. I’m so very proud for his loving spirit and his ability to care for people. Most all, I will never forget how much he adored his grandchildren. He loved them with all his heart and soul, and even at my kids’ young age, I know they will have a lasting memory of this love.

I’m in Peoria, Illinois, now helping out my mother-in-law. From the day I received news, I started working on plane tickets, but the soonest I could get to Illinois was one week later. The kids and I missed the service, but we are staying for almost a month to help my mother-in-law get settled. She is doing well and is such a strong person. I know having the kids around helps keep her occupied as she tries to cope with losing her partner of over 40 years.

One of the things I’ve liked best about watching Korean dramas and studying Korean culture is learning to appreciate the family hierarchy. I love the way children are suppose to respect their parents in Korean culture, and in particular, how daughter-in-laws should honor their in-laws. Now, I realize that this is often idealized in the dramas, but I’ve been inspired by the many obedient, loyal, hardworking daughter-in-laws I’ve watched through the years. I hope that I can be even half as good to my mother-in-law. I will do my best to be there for her, whether by her side or from a distance in Guam.

God Bless You Papa! You will always live on in our hearts!!

Back Again!

2007-01-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

Time to dust off my blog and post again! So many dramas yet to review and new drama fans to recruit!! In addition to a busy schedule in December, I've spent the last month engrossed in timing JuMong. I’m totally addicted to timing fan subs. It combines my love for dramas with my Korean language studies (ok not as much with JuMong because they use “old style” Korean). I’m so into JuMong anyway, and it makes no difference that I’m timing it as I see an episode for the first time! I get completely drawn into it. I’ve been timing with tears running down my face or cheering on a main character. Ok, aside the hours I’ve spent on timing, let me share some of the other cool things that we have been doing!

For Thanksgiving, we got together with many of our closest friends and friends of friends for a get-together on the beach at the Outrigger. For those that saw the KBS Sunday show Heroine 6 that was filmed in Guam, this is the hotel that they filmed at. In fact, one of the families that came runs Skydive Guam, who took many of the KBS celebrities tandem skydiving. I talked to the skydivers that were on the show. They of course had no idea who all the Koreans were, so I explained that they were indeed big celebrities in Korea. They did say that KBS did a great job in editing the skydiving footage, and they were impressed with the outcome of the show. Anyway, a great time was had by all and it was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving, given that we all live so far away from families.

One week later, we hosted a huge party for my son Jack’s 8th birthday! I invited all the Korean students from the English school where I teach to join us. For many, it was their first chance to attend an “American” party. It was fun to show off a traditional American party with American food because my students are always teaching me Korean culture. We ended up with a house full of people and kids everywhere! My favorite kind of party! It was also fun to have my Korean friends there to have someone to share all my Korean pop music with. Outside, my husband and his buddies were playing “classic rock-n-roll” while in the kitchen, I got everyone dancing when I cranked up MC Mong!

A couple of days later, my Emma danced in her ballet recital. She was adorable of course and made her parents very proud.

Finally, the last two week of December we hosted my brother-in-law and my parents-in-law. My father-in-law is in the last stages of a lengthy battle with lung cancer. We offered to travel to Illinois for Christmas, but he was adamant about coming to Guam. He absolutely wanted to spend Christmas in the tropics with his family. He and my mother-in-law braved the long trip out here, despite all his pain. We were very limited as to what we could do while they were here because of his condition, but he did have some very enjoyable times with the kids. They also attended Korean Church with me. The church members did a beautiful “laying on hands” prayer for him after the service that was very moving. Prayer transcends the language barrier and God’s spirit could be felt. My in-laws were very touched. The highlight of the trip was the two days we spent at the Hilton (just a mile from our house!). We got a suite for my in-laws, and my father-in-law was able to enjoy two memorable days sitting on the balcony, viewing beautiful Tumon Bay. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and the ocean colors spectacular.

Happy New Year from our family! I wish everyone a blessed New Year!!

My New Hobby

2006-11-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

My drama addiction has reached another level. Ironically, I’m spending less and less time watching dramas too! First dramas helped me fall in love with Korean culture and bring it alive for me. Then, I became obsessed with studying Korean. For the past year, I’ve regularly been attending Korean school. Many evenings, I will study rather than watch the dramas. Next I started this blog about k-dramas. Now, recently I joined a fan-subbing group. For the past year and a half, I’ve been in awe of the great work that the fan-subbers do at http://www.d-addicts.com/ to allow English-speaking drama fans to watch Korean shows. Most of the dramas I watch these days are from d-addicts with fan subs. I was particularly grateful when the fan sub group D-Fansubs was formed to sub the drama Ju Mong. Ju Mong is a 60 episode historical drama, and I knew this would be a big task for any group. However, it was a drama I really wanted to see. Sure enough, D-Fansubs was up to such a large project and has now released subs through episode 20.

Wanting to help out, I contacted D-Fansubs about becoming an editor. I was hired! LOL However, with Ju Mong, they are now getting the translation from MBC, so they really didn’t need editors, only people that could "time" the subs to the video or do quality control (i.e clean up the subs if needed and double-check the timing). For these jobs, I needed to understand how to use timing software. So, I’ve spent the past week learning how to time. I started by editing some existing sub files that I had, then last night, with the hubby out of town and an evening to spare, I stripped all the timing out of an existing Ju Mong sub file and retimed episode 16 of JuMong…well 10 minutes of it anyway. It took me about 2 hours to time 10 minutes of a drama! I had always heard that timing subs is well...time consuming! Actually, it is quite addictive, especially for a Korean language fan like me. I can’t come close to translating the dialog, but I soon realized that I all my Korean study was very helpful in matching the right sub with the right dialog. There was almost always a transition word, clause, phrase, etc. that stood out when I was applying the sub. I think this new found hobby is going to really help me with my Korean listening skills, which need tons of work!

I’m signed up as QC person on 2 episodes of Ju Mong. If all goes well, I’m going to try timing next! Who knows when I’ll have time to actually watch a drama again!!

Guam Living

2006-11-16T03:33:00.000-08:00

In so many ways, Guam is like living in a small town in the mainland US, with its quirks and quaintness. However, there are many experiences that are unique to Guam that keep life interesting. Here are some examples of life on Guam, just from the past week!

I reset the clocks this morning. We have "dirty electricity" so all the clocks gain about 5 minutes per week. Before you realize it, your house clocks will be 15 minutes off. Never trust an electric clock in Guam. Only your watch will be right.
For a couple of months now, we have been planning a Sunday Brunch with friends to eat and enjoy some live college football together. We held the party last weekend, but the electricity went out mid-party. It was out for a couple of hours. No football, but the food was still good.
I went to the post-office to buy stamps. The first stamp-vending machine ate my money. The second machine was out-of-order. I had to go stand in line to buy stamps to mail one letter.
My beloved Gold’s Gym is closing at the end of November. This summer the same family that owns its competitor purchased it and now Gold’s is closing its doors. No surprise I guess, and the other gym is ok, but Gold’s has been my fitness home for the past 3 years. I’m very sad.
After I read the announcement of its closure, I worked out, stopped by the post office to mail a letter (see above item), then went home to find out we had no water. It was back about 24 disgusting hours later. I hate losing water more than losing electricity. No flushing toilets, no doing dishes, no showers, etc. I’ve heard the typhoon horror stories of no water for 45 days, so I know I shouldn’t complain. The worse is yet to come!
The kids’ school bus was late today. It ran out of gas. Go figure…

With all that being said, our almost three years here has flown by, and we aren’t in a hurry to leave. I know one day we will move on, but for now, I’m really enjoying the Guam experience. Oh wait… the lights just flickered as I typed this! OOG! LOL now the internet is down too. Looks like I will have to reset the cable modem and router. Oh yeah, I get to reset the clocks again too!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

Guam kicked off the Halloween celebration for the US last night. We went trick-or-treating with friends on Anderson Air Force Base. Jack was a Harley rider (like his Daddy!) and Emma was a princess (like her Mommy heehee). A great time was had by all, and the kids are now overloaded with candy! Happy Halloween to all! I hope you have a great time.

A Performance To Remember

2006-10-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday my kids did a singing/dancing performance in church along with the other kids from Sunday school. This is the second time they have performed since we joined the church. The first time they performed, Emma danced her heart out (as usual), but big brother Jack didn’t move. He was miserable and wanted nothing to do with being up there. That wasn’t Jack’s first experience with stage fright. He hates this kind of stuff, and I’ve sat through many other similar performances. However, he has had some good moments too, so I know it is possible. After he didn’t dance during the last church performance, he seemed to regret it, and the Sunday school teachers have been telling me how well he has been doing in class. They said he has really gotten into their latest routine. Last Saturday evening, I got the call from their Sunday school teacher…Can you please dress the kids in green shirts and blue jeans because they will sing on Sunday? Ugh, I felt a bit apprehensive the moment I got the call because I knew I would have to break the news to Jack the next morning.

On Sunday, once Jack realized they were going to sing, he rebelled, saying he wasn’t going to church. I fired him up and got him out the door, but on the way to church, he started in again. "I don’t want to do it Mommy!" he cried. "I can’t even sing all the Korean words!" I told him it was ok, that he could just dance and not worry about singing. Then, I pulled out the big guns…."Jack, if you dance, I will get you an M&M McFlurry and let you play Game Cube!" (trust me, we have to clear off the dust on the game cube cause I never let him play!) He took the bait and promised to try.

I dropped them off at their class and went to the church service. As the time for their performance neared, I kept looking over my shoulder for the kids to show up in the back of the sanctuary. When they finally appeared, I saw them all lined up and spotted Jack with a troubled look on his face. I knew this was agony for him. While the congregation finished singing a song, they entered the sanctuary. Emma gave me a wave and flashed me a confident smile while Jack was looking at the floor. The Pastor introduced them, and they went up. Jack was next to Emma, and of course, all the kids looked adorable! The music started, and I held my breath. I saw Jack make the first move, but wait…they stopped the music. There was a technical problem, and they had to restart the song. Ugh, could we possibly get him to start again?? But, when the music started, Jack (along with the others) started dancing!! Oh, what joy and relief! My good friend Christine was sitting up front and turned around to flash me a thumbs-up. I was so proud that I had tears running down my face the entire song. I once had a friend tell me she cried through an entire rendition of the very cheery Jingle Bells at a preschool performance because her 3 yr old was singing. That is the way it is when you are a mom! Sometimes you can’t help but cry.

Before I knew it the song was over, and the kids were filing out of the sanctuary. Jack’s eyes met mine, and he gave me a big grin and did his best "AJA AJA FIGHTING" arm-pump. Soooo cute! I pumped my arm back and then gave him a thumbs-up! Of course, Jack was thrilled after church, and the kids got ice cream along with Jack’s game-cube time. On a side note, the Sunday school teachers all wore pink shirts to go along with the kids green shirts. My kids’ Korean School teacher is one of the Sunday school teachers. In the car on the way home, Jack smirked and asked, "Mommy why did Sonsaengnim have on a pink shirt?" He and Emma both giggled. I said, "To match the other teachers." "But Mom, he’s a BOY!" he replied. I told him that in Korea it was ok for guys to wear pink. And, if you watch the dramas, flowers, ruffles, polka dots, and a hint of lipstick are all ok too! LOL Ok, I didn’t tell him that. BTW, my two are at the end of the first row in the photo. Jack is wearing dark green, and Emma is next to him.

The Latest in Historical Dramas

2006-10-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

This week, my husband and I started watching the historical drama Ju Mong. Ju Mong, a 60 episode MBC drama currently airing in Korea, is the story of King Ju Mong, who founded the Goguryeo Dynasty in 37 BC. The drama stars Song Il Kuk, a favorite of mine from Haesin, as Ju Mong. In addition, the drama has a tremendous supporting cast that drama veterans will be very familiar with. We’ve only watched 9 episodes, but we are completely hooked. As with all the historical dramas I’ve watched, the story line is intense, and the body count high! These were tumultuous times for sure. Currently in Korea, this drama has big ratings, up over 40%. We are watching this drama thanks to the hard work of the fan-subbers at www.d-addicts.com. At www.d-addicts.com, you can download the drama in High Definition complete with "hard-subs." It is well worth the time of downloading it.

To get an idea of the drama, check out the main trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmemgj-KVY Many people who have never seen K-dramas like to call them "soaps", or say that they can’t watch them because they can’t stand US soap operas. While some dramas can be compared to US soaps, the prime time dramas are much bigger productions. Trust me, Days of Our Lives has never seen anything like this!

Another historical drama that we will be watching just started on KBS World. It will soon be airing on KBS America as well. It is about Dae Jo Young the founder of Balhae. It stars Choi Soo Jung, who is played Jang Bogo in Haesin. Choi Soo Jung is famous in Korea for his starring roles in historical dramas. Here is a clip showing the drama cast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1e_t3IgKSg. I’ve seen parts of the first few episodes, and it also promises to be exciting.

Finally, the actress Ha Ji Won will be starring in an historical drama called Hwang Jin-Yi, a story about a geisha. Ha Ji Won, both a movie and drama star in Korea, is well-known for her role in the historical drama Damo. This drama should start on KBS World sometime next month. Here is the trailer for this drama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjEGvtyJYxA . I’m sure it will also make its way to KBS America. The above photo is a banner for the drama in Paris.

Have fun watching everyone!

Drama Review: Emperor Of The Sea

2006-10-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

Emperor Of The Sea (KBS 2004)
Number of Episodes: 51
Main Cast: Choi Soo Jung, Chae Si Rae, Song Il Kook, Soo Ae, Kim Heung Soo
Korean Wiz link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-emperor.html

The historical drama Emperor of the Sea is based the life of Jang Bogo (? – 846), who rises from slavery to dominate the sea and international trade during the Unified Shilla Dynasty (676-935). This fictionalized account of his life opens when he is still a young teen, known as Goong Bok. He was born into slavery and raised working as a ship builder. With his faithful companion Yon, he tries to escape to China by stowing away on a merchant ship, but he is quickly discovered, and the boys are sent back to the shipyards to face punishment for trying to escape. Spared because of their youth, the boys are sent back to work. One day, Goong Bok sees a young man named Yeon Moon performing martial arts in their town, and he begs the teen to train him. Yeon Moon agrees to train him if Goong Bok will show him around their town. However, unbeknownst to Goong Bok, Yeon Moon is a pirate and is working to set up their town for invasion. Goong Bok studies hard to learn martial arts, but his world collapses when their town is destroyed by the pirates, and he and Yon are sentenced to death for colluding with the pirates. They end up surviving, but are sent to live their lives as slaves on a horse farm, where the slightest mistake can mean torture or death. It is here that they grow into adulthood, and where Goong Bok, now played by Choi Soo Jung, meets his mentor, Choi Moo-Chang, a marital arts expert, who trains the talented Goong Bok. Yon and Goong Bok finally escape from the horse farm when Goong Bok gets hired to be part of the personal army of Madam Jami, a noble in Shilla and a lead merchant. Eventually, after refusing to follow Madam Jami’s corrupted ways, Goong Bok and Yon are sent to China as slaves. For sure, nothing is easy for these guys! In China, after many trials, Goong Bok begins his rise to power.

This drama has it all, from major production battle scenes filmed in the China desert to the K-drama staples of a love triangle and unrequited love. Every episode is packed with intense fighting and struggles to survive. Exciting for sure, but at times I found it a bit exhausting. Many episodes I watched literally on the edge of my seat. The drama is basically good vs. evil, and the characters are compelling on both sides of the battle. True to his legend, the very admirable Goong Bok, who later becomes Jang Bogo, never waivers from his strong convictions to fight corruption. I really enjoyed watching his friendship with his companion Yon, also an historical figure. The two survive everything together and are true brothers. As Jang Bogo’s enemy, Yeom Moon, played by Song Il Kook, is a powerful fighter, yet a very pitiful character. From the moment they meet, the two are destined to be enemies, but Yeom Moon can’t help but admire and like Bogo. Yeom Moon longs to be released from his fate of being raised by pirates, but life doesn’t ever seem to offer him a way out. He’s the bad guy, but you can’t help but pull for him.

Historical dramas are a great way to learn about the culture on which modern day Korea is based. However, the scenes can be bloody and violent, and this drama may not be for everyone. The ending of this drama in particular is difficult to watch. However, I thought it was well worth the ride to experience the life of the noble Jang Bogo.

This drama is airing on AZN TV starting on Wednesday, October 18th.

Check out the opening battle scene with this awesome youtube clip. The drama opens with this battle, then takes us back to when the main characters are teens. The actual battle takes place midway thru the drama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11R45S0SZf8

Where were you born?

2006-10-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

God Bless my Emma. She lives in "Emma’s World" for sure. She is smart and tops her class in reading and writing, but it isn’t because of me. If I try to teach her something, she stares at me blankly. Learning sight words, she could write it ten times, and when I ask her to repeat the word, she will say "I dunno." Yet, she somehow gets it. She is just our space queen. Some Emma-isms: floating in the swimming pool, she asked the girl floating next to her "So, why are you all wet?" During our flight home from the mainland, I left to use the restroom, and she asked her Daddy, "why did Mommy get off the plane?" She calls my sister "lady in the green van" because she can’t remember her name. Anyway, she is delightfully spacey and keeps us laughing with her comments.

So tonight, the kids were playing a game with Daddy, and he asked them to write down where they were born. Emma was stumped. Now, she has been raised with a K-drama addict as a mom, we’ve traveled to Korea as a family, and attend Korean church. She goes to Korean school and is learning Korean. We say a prayer for her birth mom in Korea every night at prayer time. We eat Korean food several times a week. I even have the Korean flag hanging in our kitchen! But, after all my efforts to teach her about her birth country, she ponders a moment then responds, "Australia! I was born in Australia."

Hubby and I are still laughing. Dang, I’ve got some work to do….

Typhoon Watching

2006-10-04T01:07:00.000-07:00

Because Guam is situated in a breeding ground for typhoons, storm watching is a way of life here. We always keep emergency supplies stocked because a typhoon could hit us with short notice. Consequently, everyday I check out NOAA’s website for Guam and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. For the past week, we have been sandwiched in between two storms and been getting tons of rain, though neither of the storms are a threat to Guam. However, there is a reason that my house is built from concrete!

The KBS Daily Drama

2006-10-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

Aigoo….I’ve been lost in my drama addiction these days and totally ignoring my blog. I started a drama review last week and still haven’t gotten back to it. We’ve had such a busy summer and now fall, and my drama watching has fallen to a minimum these days. My husband was out of town for almost all of August and September. I really like it best when we get into a good drama together. Hopefully, his work will slow down soon, so we can go back to watching some TV together!

When he left on this last trip, I decided to start watching the new KBS Daily Drama Pure in Heart. The daily drama runs M-F and is just over 30 minutes per episode. The daily dramas are longer, running around 160 episodes, and they are the most “soap opera-like” of all the dramas. However, the KBS daily drama is prime-time TV in Korea and very popular. You will usually find this drama at the top of the TV ratings. For me, I like the daily drama because it delves into the most mundane details of Korean life. I never fail to learn something new about Korean culture. I also like that they are “family” dramas, and while there is always a main love story, family relationships are a main focus of the drama.

The current drama is about a 19-year old girl, Gukhwa, who moves from Yanbian China to Korea to get married (read about the ethnic Koreans living in China- thanks Mace!). It was an arranged marriage, and she had only met her future husband a few times. During her journey to Korea to get married, her future husband is killed in a car accident. So, she arrives in Korea to the horrible news that her soon-to-be husband has died. It is clear that she is a warm, pure person when she returns to her future-husband’s family all the money he had sent her. His family embraces her and helps to send her back to China. Her fiancée’s nephew, Ugyeong helps her get to the airport and is very moved by her situation. However, after he leaves her at the airport, she changes her mind and stays in Korea. She has no parents and was living with her poor Aunt and Uncle in China. Rather than continue to be a burden on them, she decides to stay in Korea to make money and help support them. The drama centers on her struggle to make it in Korea. Ugyeoung falls in love with her, but because she was once engaged to his uncle, the relationship is impossible. Ugyeong is a warm-hearted, hard-working average guy, who is good to his family and doesn’t want to disappoint them. I absolutely adore his character. Also, a K-drama would not be complete without a rich guy! In this drama, it is Yun-hu, who is the college friend of Ugyeong. While he suppose to marry a girl that he has been raised with, he has never thought of her as more than a friend. Also, he finds himself drawn to the hard-working and bold Gukhwa.

Anyway, when I started watching, I had recorded almost 70 episodes. I would watch when I cooked dinner, folded laundry, and after the kids went to bed…anytime I got a chance. I’m now caught up to the current episode on KBS World. Ahhh…the addiction! If you get KBS in your city, I highly recommend the Daily Drama!

Check out one of the main ballads from the drama and see Gukhwa and Yunhu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVE1jIBlsj0

Emma turns 6!!

2006-09-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my beautiful daughter Emma’s 6th birthday! Of course, we had a party last weekend and celebrated with all our friends. Ok, I’m a mom and have to brag! Emma is such a sweet loving confident child. With my son, who is such a momma’s boy, I feel that all I do effects him, yet with Emma, I feel that I’m just along for the ride. She has developed into this cool little person, and all I’ve done is watch. Friendly and outgoing, Emma is always ready to share a hug- be it a best friend or a stranger. She loves her music, singing, and dancing and is always ready to perform! She is especially hilarious singing Korean pop songs- she “knows” all the words…ok not really, but it sure looks like it. She once took the “mic” at a party at our house and sang along with Jewelry’s Superstar for some of my Korean friends. It was sooo cute! I do know she has the entire High School Musical OST memorized! Her teacher told me the other day that Emma is “all girl” which is so true, but she’ll still pick up frogs, geckos, and lizards too! I love it!

On her birthday, I can’t help but think of her birthmother. On this day, I feel a bit inadequate as her mom. Yeah, I’m her mom, but I’m not responsible for bringing her into this world. I have her birthmom to thank for that. In a world where abortion is readily available, I’m grateful for her b-mom’s courage to carry the pregnancy to term and then go through the pain of placing her for adoption. I can’t imagine a greater love and sacrifice. So, on this day, I pay tribute to her b-mom, who is no doubt, consumed with memories of the short time she spent with her daughter. I cannot share with Emma what her actual birthday was like….what the weather was like, where her b-mom was when labor started, who was at the delivery, what her first days of life were like. These are precious and most likely bittersweet memories that belong to her birthmom alone. I can only hope that one day, Emma can sit and hold her b-mom’s hand and hear her story first hand. For my part, I will do my best to love and raise my wonderful daughter well.

Happy Birthday my sweet Emma! I love you!!

US Envoy's Wife Violates Korean Work Laws

2006-09-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

In the Korean Times today, there is an article about the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Korea. Apparently, she is a jewelry designer and is now being accused of breaking Korea’s work laws because she sold jewelry through a gallery in Insa-dong without a Korean work permit. She said that she checked with embassy staff and no one saw a problem, but I find this hard to believe. It doesn’t seem like this would be the first time this issue has come up. I would think that even military spouses living in Korea have to deal with this issue. You would think the Embassy would be all over this one! In addition, the article stated that she handed out her business card at diplomatic receptions. To me, there is just no way that can be ethical. I won’t even take my son’s Cub Scout Popcorn sales sheet up to the office because my husband is the boss, and I don’t want people to feel obligated to buy! She said she shielded herself because she didn’t know the identities of the buyers at the gallery, but even she acknowledges that her jewelry gets recognition because of her status. Finally, she said she hopes that the laws can be clarified because as she states: ``It helps general morale of an embassy if more people are able to do what they have skills to do. It's very hard to expect somebody to pack up, move to another country, give up their job and be thrilled about that.'' I think this is a strange statement from the wife of a career diplomat. U.S. Government employees live all over the world, and all have to deal with the laws of the country in which they reside. Spouses make these types of decisions and sacrifices all the time. Why does she think her situation is unique? It seems like Korean laws are clear- she just didn't follow them. Again, I found it difficult to believe that the US Embassy did not find this a conflict of interest to begin with.

Drama Review: Winter Ballad

2006-09-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Winter Ballad (KBS 2002)
Number of Episodes- 20
Main Cast- Bae Yong Jun, Choi Ji Woo, Park Yong Ha, Park Sol Mi
Korean Wiz link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/drama-winter.html

I would be remiss to have a blog introducing people to Korean dramas and not include Winter Ballad. This 2002 drama is one of the leading "Korean Wave" dramas. It was a mega-hit across Asia and gave the lead actors super stardom status. You can even plan a Korean vacation based on the filming sites for this drama! When the drama begins, Yujin (played by Choi Ji Woo) is a happy carefree high school student. Her constant companion is Sang-Hyuk (played by Park Yong Ha). They have grown up together, and while she doesn’t think of him romantically, he is completely in love with her. One day a quiet mysterious new student named Joon Sang (played by Bae Yong Jun) joins their school. Joon-Sang is the son of a famous concert pianist, but she was a single mom and refuses to reveal his birthfather. Joon-Sang has had a difficult life without a father, and he has now moved to his mom’s hometown in the hopes of discovering the identity of his father. All the girls in the school are attracted to this good-looking student, and he ends up in a relationship with Yujin. They are suppose to meet on New Year's Eve, but on the way to meet Yujin, Joon-Sang gets killed in a car accident. The drama then jumps ahead ten years. Yujin is soon to be engaged to Sang-Hyuk when she meets Min-Hyung, who looks exactly like Joon-Sang. Yujin thought that Joon-Sang was part of her past, but meeting Min-Hyung rocks her world. How can this man not be Joon-Sang?

I usually don’t recommend this drama to a first time viewer of dramas only because it is sooo melodramatic that I don’t want to turn off a skeptical American viewer. You have to buy into a memory-loss theme plus Bae Yong Jun’s style (which was immensely popular in Japan) in the drama may be a bit "fluffy" for the American audience. However, that being said, there is something about this one that draws you in and keeps you hooked. I’ve probably watched it at least 3 times now! In addition to being drawn into the intense plot, the winter scenery is beautiful, and the music, which is now symbolic for Korean dramas, is moving. Bae Yong Jun does a nice job of portraying a cool Joon-Sang as well as a charismatic Min-Hyung, and I think Choi Ji Woo is absolutely stunning as Yujin. In addition, as he struggles to hold on to his love against all of Yujin’s memories of Joon-Sang , Sang-Hyuk is a very sympathetic compelling character. So, suspend reality just a little and lose yourself in Korean drama world!

Get a preview by checking out Ryu's Music Video from the OST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIj_zQeFaOY

The Downside To Guam Living

2006-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

The one thing that makes me nervous about life on Guam is the limited medical care. Our only non-military hospital is not accredited and is plaqued with major financial problems. This was the headline in this morning’s paper: "GMH critically short on blood." The hospital urged residents to avoid getting into accidents…like any of us plan to get in an accident! The problem is that Guam Memorial Hospital hasn’t been making their payments to the American Red Cross.

An update was published this afternoon. It sounds like we have blood on the way!

1:45 pm, September 16 — As residents are asked to avoid accidents because the hospital is critically low on blood, the Guam Memorial Hospital expects a shipment of 49 units of blood tomorrow.

The shipment should return Guam's blood supply to an adequate level. Generally, the hospital should have 70 units of blood available on any given day, according to GMH officials.The head of the hospital medical staff said residents need to take extra precautions to avoid accidents. Dr. Thomas Shieh said one auto accident could wipe out half of the island's blood supply.The island is low on blood because the cash-strapped GMH has again fallen behind on payments to the blood vendor, the American Red Cross. GMH Adminstrator PeterJohn Camacho said a payment has been made. He said the hospital was five invoices behind, but should only have two outstanding invoices out by tomorrow.

Tumon Bay

2006-09-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a Guam photo….Guam was so beautiful today. No matter how many times I see it, the view of Tumon Bay never fails to take my breath away. I never get tired of looking at the ocean! Tonight, we did our usual Friday night gathering at the beach with all our friends. The sunset was amazing. I’m very thankful for good friends and a chance to experience this wonderful island!

It's Eugene!!

2006-09-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

I have to share my celebrity sighting in Guam! I was shopping at Ross the other day…wait, first let me explain. I NEVER shop at Ross! If you’ve never seen Ross, it is kind of like shopping at a garage sale- there are deals to be found for sure, but you gotta be willing to hunt… elbow to elbow with other shoppers through row after row of disheveled, unorganized clothes. Someone on the HI Drama Board described Ross as looking as if it has been hit by a hurricane. Great description! It is a clothes explosion!

Whenever I attempt to shop at Ross, I glaze over within 5 minutes and bail. Of course, clothes shopping in any store is NOT my thing. I would rather do just about anything…go diving, play on the internet, study Korean, pay bills, etc. I am no fashion queen, and I accept this about myself, but lately I just need some clothes. I am now doing things in the Korean community 7 days a week. Three days a week I tutor English, then stay for Korean class. Two days a week, I take Korean at the Korean church we attend, and on the weekend, the kids do Korean school and we go to church. And, dang, those Korean women are sooo stylish!! All the ladies in the English class I tutor are adorable! They always wear the latest fashions, high-heeled shoes and full make-up. Dressing down still means a t-shirt, jeans, and heels. On Monday, after tutoring English, we all went out for lunch. I had on my usual Old Navy t-shirt, jeans and Sketchers. Blahhh... Not only am I the oldest among the bunch, but I am also the worst dressed. It is starting to get to me. So much for being a free spirited, independent thinking gal… It is time to upgrade the wardrobe (much to my husband’s delight too!).

Anyhow, I fired myself up and managed to find a few things at Ross. When I joined the mass of people waiting in line, I was pretty relaxed, knowing I still had about an hour before needing to meet the school bus. As I got within 3 people of the register, I glanced over at the register next to my line, and immediately noticed the girl unloading all her items to be checked out. OH MY GOSH, that is Eugene!! If you don’t know, Eugene (Yoo Jin) is both a K-pop star and a K-drama star. Just this summer, I watched her drama Save The Last Dance. She was wonderful in the drama! I had been told that she was from Guam, and wow there she was shopping at Ross. I couldn’t help myself. I was completely star-struck. I did look around to see if others would notice her. There were too many Koreans in Ross- both local and tourist- for me to be the only one to notice. Sure enough, a Korean couple near me spotted her. Anyway, Eugene was adorable in person and had no entourage in tow. Just her and her mom getting the latest bargains at Ross and hauling it out to their car like the rest of us (carts can’t leave the store!). Eugene can for sure count me as one of her biggest fans!

To check out her out, see this video from the Save The Last Dance OST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ootFpMGcU

It is a fun drama and has a great OST! I love Eugene in the ice skating scene where she is wearing the red coat. I think she looks beautiful. Her co-star Ji Sung is pretty dreamy too!

Drama Review: Sweet 18

2006-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Sweet 18 (KBS- 2004)
Number of Episodes- 16
Main Cast: Han Ji Hye, Lee Dong Gun

Sweet 18 ranks as one of the top dramas I recommend to first time drama viewers who want to learn about Korean culture because the drama brings together traditional Korean culture with a modern love story. When the drama opens, the head of the traditional Kwon family agrees to an arranged marriage between his grandson Kwon Hyuk-Joon and his best friend’s granddaughter Yoon Jung-Sook, who has just been born. Shortly after they enter into the contract, Jung-Sook’s family has financial problems, and the family is forced to run away. Eighteen years later, Hyuk-Joon’s Grandfather is ready for him to get married, and he seeks out Jung-Sook to fulfill the promise. Jung-Sook, played by Han Ji Hye, is now a happy-go-lucky high school senior. Her father has passed away, and her mom runs a dry-cleaning business. Her mom pushes her to study hard for college, but she has no aspirations for her future. The complete opposite of Jung-Sook, Hyuk-Joon is now a 28-year-old successful no-nonsense prosecutor. The drama centers around the marriage of this unlikely couple.

I like this romantic comedy for so many reasons. First, it is light and funny and enjoyable to watch. Like Lucy in "I Love Lucy," the immature Jung-Sook is always getting into some sort of trouble after her husband leaves for work. Not only does is she trying to figure out how to be a good wife to Hyuk-Joon, but she also has the added pressure of marrying a husband from a traditional family. All the grumbling elders want to see her be a good traditional wife to hold up the name of the family. Of course, fulfilling this obligation involves intensive studying and practice, not exactly Jung-Sook’s specialty! However, fortunately for Jung-Sook, one of her greatest specialties is winning the heart of Hyuk-Joon’s Grandfather! In addition to the humor, the drama is loaded with traditional Korean culture, thanks to Hyuk-Joon’s family. The scenes that take place at the family home in Andong are a great contrast to modern Seoul where Jung-Sook and Hyuk-Joon live. The ladies of these families are skilled in the fine art of Korean royal cuisine and prepare elaborate meals in the most primitive of kitchens. It is fun to see the ceremony that goes along with this life style. Finally, the drama has a meaningful side as we see Jung-Sook and Hyuk-Joon mature into a real couple. As the couple learns to open up and trust each other, it explores the true meaning of marriage in a very warm and genuine way. This overall message makes the drama well worth watching.

You can find the drama (most of it!) on http://www.youtube.com/ (ep 1 link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxD3FztaHnw). Also, you can rent dramas at: http://www.tigercinema.com/ Finally, you can download the drama at: http://www.silentregrets.com/.

God Bless America

2006-09-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 1998, when I first started learning about Korean culture, I used to think that America really didn’t have any culture of their own- it was kind of a blend of all things. However, back then, I used to think that learning about another culture was limited to the things you see at a Culture Camp- things like Korean drumming, fan dancing, and traditional games. But, as I learned more about the Korean way of life, I have come to realize that culture is much more than the traditional stuff. Culture is the way we live our day to day lives. Beyond Thanksgiving, Christmas and July 4th, culture is also about the simple things in our life, like what we eat for breakfast and how we talk to our kids. I feel it so much living on Guam among many different distinct cultures- Filipino, Chamorro, Korean, Japanese, and even the Chuukese.

Yesterday, we started the morning at Korean church, where we are fairly comfortable, but still very careful and always studying others to make sure not to offend. In contrast, later in the afternoon, we went to a potluck up on Anderson Airforce Base. The food was very American- potato salad, bake beans, brats, burgers, chips, etc. I had no worries about what to say or do or how to eat my food. This is my mainland American culture, and while living aboard, indeed it can be very comforting at times. Right now, I’m watching NASCAR live, a rare thing on Guam thanks to time differences. It takes an evening race in California for this to happen comfortably! Anyway, love all the American stuff- Budweiser, Dale Jr, the "man-laws", the AFLAC duck, the RVs in the infield, the National Anthem, and the "fly-over". This afternoon, we will head to the Hilton to swim and again immerse ourselves in the diversity, but for now…Go #9 Car! God Bless America!!

Learning Korean Culture

2006-08-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

We started going to Korean church again this past weekend. I’ve attended a Korean church in the past, and I’ve been very cautious about getting involved again. Despite leading the English children’s service at the church we attended, I always felt we were outsiders, and sometimes the other Korean children looked down on my kids. I didn’t want to put them in a bad situation again. However, here in Guam, I felt this opportunity was right. The church offers everything in English and Korean and would like to expand its non-Korean membership. Through taking Korean classes and tutoring English, I’m already friends with many of the church members. Most importantly, we don’t otherwise have a church home on Guam. Guam is 99% Catholic and we aren’t! Indeed, the experience went well, and the kids really like Sunday school, so we will be going back.

However, as I sat in the church last Sunday, I felt a familiar feeling of "why am I doing this?" For sure, being around so much Asian culture has in no way made me anti-American. In fact, it really makes me appreciate US culture. However, having come from a very mainland white-American life, I know the way Americans can trivialize other cultures. I know because I did it! In college, I can remember making fun of the Asian grad students that were our lab teachers in college. Oh the shame to admit that! I guess my first experience of really getting interested in other cultures was when we moved to Washington DC and started the adoption process. Wow did that change my life. My co-workers were from Vietnam, China, Pakistan, India, China, and Korea. In addition, my husband started working for the US Attorney (Janet Reno at the time- such a wonderful person!). He traveled around the world with her and really came to appreciate her respect for people. When it came time to adopt, my husband was adamant that we travel to Korea. I wanted nothing to do with going to Korea. I was completely scared of going to Asia (even though I had been to Europe in college- but that was different!). After we traveled, I was so thankful that I went. I completely fell in love with Korea.

Now, I don’t think you have to cook Korean food or learn Korean, but I think it is helpful for adoptive families to have a real life view of Korea. At a certain point, a Korean child will have to be comfortable with being Asian-American. It may be more difficult for parents that don’t want to learn anything about Korea to understand this issue, and they may even harbor their own prejudices. I'm guilty of that! In the past, I know for sure I never used to check out Asian guys (wow has that changed!). I’ve had my friends from the mainland on Guam tell me they never check out the Japanese and Korean guys cause "there is nothing to look at." Of course, they don’t equate that to talking about my Korean son, but what happens when he is older and wants to date one of their daughters? It goes the same way with the chatter about the Asian girls. In fact that gets sickening! For sure, I don't view the world the way I did before.

It is that racial identity issue that I think makes it important for adoptive parents to fall in love with Korea at least a little bit. You don’t have to live there, learn the language, or like Korean food, but I do think it is important that you have some respect for the race. Again, I think the Korean dramas and movies are such a great way to make Korean culture real. Attending a Korean church or learning Korean isn’t for everyone (nor is being a drama addict like me!), but checking out a drama is an easy way for an adoptive family to move beyond the basics of bulgogi and the Tol celebration.

School Has Started!!

2006-08-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Woohoo, it was the first day of school today! For sure, both mom and kids were ready for it to start. It seems like the last few weeks, the fights between brother and sister have been endless! Jack, who is 7, started second grade, and Emma, who will soon be 6, started the first grade. I put them on the bus this morning then drove up to school to make sure that they found their way to their new teachers. I was most concerned about Jack, my little worrier, who very nervous when he got on the bus. However, my worries proved unfounded. By the time I spotted him in the mass chaos of kids, teachers, and parents, he had already hooked up with several of his friends. When I tried to guide him to his new teacher, he said "Mom don’t hold my hand!" Ok, well that is that- my guy is growing up. I briefly waived to my daughter as she was headed to her new class. She had met up with her kindergarten teacher from last year and was thrilled that "Ms. Bamba" was walking her to her new class (though I did find out later that she was very disappointed that Ms. Bamba wasn’t her 1st grade teacher!). As I walked away from the school, I felt a lump building in my throat and fought back tears. Day one of school can be hard on moms too!

Of course, when I got to the gym later that morning, Jay, the regular front counter guy, realized I wasn’t dragging in two kids into "Club Kids" and threw his arms up in the air- "School has started!" he cheered. I reached up and high-fived him. LOL Being a SAHM has it moments!

Drama Review: Alone in Love

2006-08-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Alone In Love (SBS 2006)
Number of Episodes- 16
Main Cast- Gam Woo Sung, Son Ye Jin, Gong Hyun Jin, Lee Ha Na
Korean Wiz Link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-aloneinlove.html

This drama marks the return to the small screen for Gam Woo Sung and Son Ye Jin, both with very successful movie careers. Son Ye Jin plays Yoo Eun Ho, who works as a personal trainer at a Seoul health club. She is divorced from Lee Dong Jin, played by Gam Woo Sung, who is a manager at large bookstore. The couple divorced after the stillbirth of their first child. Dealing with the grief tore them apart, and only 2 months after the baby’s death, they decide to divorce rather than to continue fighting each other. However, despite their divorce, neither Eun Ho nor Dong Jin has moved on, and their lives continue to be intertwined. They meet every year at the same restaurant on the anniversary of their wedding, they see each other at the same donut shop every morning before work, they visit the grave of their child together, and they still share the same friends. While each feels pressure to move on, it is obvious that neither is ready, and both carry the heavy weight of unresolved feelings over the death of their child. To balance the complex issues surrounding Eun Ho and Dong Jin, the drama includes a colorful cast of supporting characters including Eun Ho’s sister, Ji Ho, who is always ready for her next meal, and Dong Jin’s best friend Joon Pyo, an OB/GYN doctor who has developed a sudden fear for delivering babies. Throw in as well a lady professional wrestler, a gay bartender, the gym crowd, and Dong Jin’s book store co-workers.

I read somewhere that this is the non-Korean Korean drama because it lacks the typical elements of a K-drama, like a Cinderella story or a love-triangle. In fact, when I first started watching the drama, I thought it may be too slow moving for me, but by the third episode, I was completely engrossed. No fancy story lines here- the main characters are average people with normal jobs and normal lives. The misunderstandings that led to their break-up are sad, but very real and understandable. In particular, I found myself so drawn to Eun Ho, who grieves over the loss of her child and in reality, her husband. Each episode is loaded with rich dialog, moving scenes, interlaced with lots of humor. As The Man, a regular on the HI drama board stated: "every scene, every expression, each piece of dialogue, every move, EVERYTHING in this show, sad and comedic (yes, let's not forget the morsels of hilarity in this show; it's half the reason why I decided to order the boxed set) MATTERED; and all that was a mere testament to giving all in love a lesson of sorts. Nothing was wasted." In addition, the cinematography is superb with so many wonderful scenes of modern Seoul. I highly recommend this drama.

For now, the complete drama with subs is loaded on d-addicts. Here is the link to ep 1, part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQyabvLK1Fw

A Real Life K-Drama?

2006-08-16T03:07:00.000-07:00

I read this article in the Digital Chosunilbo. I thought it was interesting because it sounds like basis for Korean drama. I wonder if he is actually in love with another MIT grad student, who struggles to support her poor family in Korea. Or wait- No could actually be in love with a cameraman- or her bodyguard- and her family is pushing the wedding. OK, just kidding, best wishes to the new couple.

’Ice Princess’ to Wed Hyundai Prince

With her sophisticated looks and precise enunciation, the KBS presenter No Hyun-jung (27) is sometimes called an "ice princess" despite enjoying greater popularity than some movie stars. On Tuesday, her handlers broke a lot of hearts by announcing that No will soon be marrying Chung Dae-sun (29), the third son of the late Hyundai Aluminum chairman Chung Mong-woo, and a grandson of the Hyundai conglomerate’s founder Chung Ju-young. The two will tie the knot on Aug. 27 at the Seoul Hyatt on Mt.Namsan.

No presents the KBS morning news program Newsplaza and is also a regular on the network's flagship entertainment program “Old & New” and on “Star Golden Bell.”Chung graduated in accounting at the University of California at Berkeley and since September has been continuing his studies abroad at MIT.

The match came to pass because No’s father got to know the Hyundai family after working as a supplier for the company and by chance found himself talking marriage with them. The two families reportedly met up in Japan, and the date for the wedding was chosen on Monday. Born in 1979, No majored in Child and Family Studies at Kyung Hee University and in 2003 started as a presenter on public channel KBS, and has since risen to a preeminent role.

What A Small World!

2006-08-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

My husband Kevin was in Bangkok, Thailand last week with a couple of his friends. Besides vacation, a main goal of the trip was to get suits made for upcoming work he will be doing in the mainland. Since we moved from Washington DC in early 2002, he has worked in Hawaii and Guam where he had no need for suits. But, he now needs them for an extended work assignment starting in September.

So, he is in Bangkok, using the restroom at a bar when in walks another haole. Kevin says hi to him and he responds. Kevin says, "you must be American." The guy says yes, and they start chatting. It turns out this guy works for the same agency as Kevin and his buddies. The guy is from Washington DC. He joins Kevin and his friends, and they talk about work, etc. The DC guy asks Kevin if he knows Greg R. Kevin thinks a minute then says "Yes…in fact, he bought our house when we moved to Hawaii." The guy seems surprised and says, "You mean the house in Falls Hills?" Kevin say yes, and the guy says, "I’m living in that house." Turns out the people we sold our Washington DC home to are on temporary assignment in Europe and rented the house to this guy rather than sell it. Wild uh? He even knew our dog Hazard, who we "sold" with the house when we moved to Hawaii. She was too old to do the move and quarantine in Hawaii, and the people that bought the house loved her and offered to keep her.

How is that for a small world?

It All Started With Korean TV!

2006-08-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was watching Sunday night game shows on KBS World. They have this soccer show that is a group of kids coached by different Korean celebrities. The kids play teams from other countries. In last night’s show, they were in England playing a group from an English soccer club. Super cute stuff…. Anyway, on they show, they had the "Free-Style" soccer champ who did all sorts of tricks with the soccer ball- bouncing it on his head, feet, legs, knees. Cool stuff and fun to watch. My son loved it.

So, this morning, my 5 yr old daughter Emma sat down at the kitchen bar to eat breakfast. She had already taken a bath and was dressed for the day. She was just digging into her Fruit Loops when brother appears with a ball, saying "Look Mommy, like THIS!" He proceeds to bounce the ball twice off his head, and before I could utter one syllable of "not in the house", the ball bounced off his head, onto the counter, and into the bowl of Fruit Loops. The bowl of Fruit Loops shot onto Emma’s lap, then to the floor, where the bowl split into 3 pieces. Hana the lab was quick to move in for the spoils. I cleaned up the bowl, then took Emma with me to the shower to hose her down. I was washing her hair when she slipped and did a face plant in our shower. Poor thing split her chin wide open. One look at the cut, and I knew she needed stitches.

Now, in Guam, medical treatment can be a bit scary. The hospital is not accredited and suffers from lack of doctors and money. In the past, I could use the emergency room on the Navy Base, but since we moved off base, we are no longer eligible to use them. So, I called our local clinic, which has a prompt care and was hoping they could see her. Yes, bring her in! Thankfully, my husband had arrived back in town Saturday night. I was able to call him at work to pick up our son, and then we were off to the clinic. At this point, Emma’s only worry was whether she would get a "girl band-aide," but I knew getting her to hold still for this would be next to impossible.

They took us in right away at the clinic, and I could tell there was some discussion among the nursing staff as to which doctor to get to do the stitches. I started getting nervous about the entire thing. I could tell a nurse we call "Auntie Fay" wanted Dr, Pittman to do it. We waited several minutes then they had me resign the consent to treatment form because they did indeed change doctors. THANK YOU Auntie Fay. As it turns out, Dr. Pittman, who we had seen before through family practice, has extensive experience in doing stitches on the face. Whew!

Dr. Pittman asked Emma "are you scared?" and she said "yes". He explained that the painful part was the first shot, but then she wouldn’t feel a thing. We tried to do it without holding her down, but one look at the needle and she was hysterical. So, they wrapped in a sheet, and we held her down. I basically laid on top of her! UGH! They used 3 shots to numb her, and she was screaming the entire time. Through her sobs, she demanded, "ARE YOU A DOCTOR?" and he said "yes" and she shot back, "WELL YOU ARE A BAD DOCTOR". We all couldn’t help but laugh. Finally, after she was numb, she did settle down to be stitched. As she was calming down, she said, "I’m sorry I called you a bad doctor. You are really a good doctor." It was SOOO cute! I kept my hands over her eyes, and she held very still. One of the receptionists came back to see her. She asked if we knocked her out! She said the entire waiting area could hear her screams of "bad doctor." I said they probably heard her in Saipan!

Ten stitches later we were out of there. Dr. Pittman said that mom probably needed a valium after that! Haha. Actually, I was very pleased with the care she got and so relieved that it went well. When we left, Emma even said Kamsahamnida to the Korean nurse that was helping us. As for big brother, no more soccer tricks in the house!

Check out a Korean film

2006-08-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading on www.soompi.com that youtube has been removing uploaded k-dramas and movies if they find them. It must be a copyright issue. So, I wanted to make a quick list of K-movies to check out. Enjoy these links while you can. I linked to part 1 of some of my favorite Korean movies. I’m by no means an expert on Korean films. Often I find them too violent and grim for my taste. However, I do think they make awesome romantic comedies. You can always check out the Hawaii Drama Board for reviews on Korean movies. Also an excellent resource for Korean film information is Darcy Pacquet’s Koreanfilm.org.

My Sassy Girl (love this movie- romantic comedy, great soundtrack too)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kjICQ8GZqo&mode=related&search=

Too Beautiful To Lie (romantic comedy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1H1EHUCnCc

Mr. Handy (romantic comedy)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mr.+Handy&search=Search

Please Teach Me English (romantic comedy- does have an American adoption subplot as well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5wGzUsSaP4

The Classic (a romance movie that I haven’t watched but everyone says I should!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r30faaqENiE

Once Upon A Time in High School (drama)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWitFSVzQBY

My Wife Is A Gangster (comedy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjyF9eOnp3s

Drama Review: My Girl

2006-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

My Girl (MBC 2005)
Number of Eps: 16
Main Cast: Lee Dong Wook, Lee Da Hae, Lee Joon Ki, Park Si Yeon
Korean Wiz link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-mygirl.html

Along with All About Eve, Kim Sam Soon, Friends, and Sweet 18 (review coming soon!), My Girl is a drama I would easily recommend to a first time drama viewer. This drama centers around Lee Da Hae’s character Joo Yoo Rin. We are first introduced to Yoo Rin, who works as a tour guide, running into the Cheju-do airport begging the airlines to hold up a flight while her partner is frantically driving a tour bus to the airport loaded with tourist needing to catch the plane. When the airline people tell her that they can’t hold up the flight, she throws herself on the ground in tears begging to see her oppa, who is leaving her, one last time. Taking pity on the sobbing woman, they let her on the plane to find her boyfriend. She keeps the charade up long enough for her tourist customers to arrive and catch the plane. We later learn that thanks to her gambling Dad, Yoo Rin, grew up a survivor, living all over the world and fleeing when her Dad would get them into trouble. Consequently, she speaks Chinese and Japanese, and she can pull off a scam when needed. However, her heart is in the right place. While they’ve settled on Cheju-do, Dad gets in gambling trouble again and flees. The thugs are after her to make good on his gambling debts, so she is on the run again. She meets Seol Gong-chan, played by Lee Dong Wook, who runs large hotel in Seoul and in Cheju-do. After a series of events makes him aware of her fibbing capabilities, he hires her to play his long lost cousin, who his dying grandfather has desperately been seeking for, but Gong-chan has been unable to find. Gong-chan wants to use Yoo-rin to fulfill his grandfather's dying wish to see his granddaughter.

Absolutely a comedy, this drama is light and funny and never loses its sense of humor. Yoo-rin’s character is good-hearted and very likeable, and you sympathize with her as she gets buried deeper in her lies as the "fake cousin." The serious-minded Gong-chan makes a great straight-man to her antics. In addition, the supporting cast is wonderful with colorful characters and story lines to go along with the main plot. Playing Goong-chan’s close friend and his rival in Yoo-rin’s love is Lee Joon Ki, who stars in The King and The Clown, a recent top grossing film in Korea. Joon Ki is the rage in Korea right now, and he raises the bar on the term "metro-sexual." The drama even pokes fun at him "looking like a girl." A bonus in the drama is fun Christmas time scenes in Seoul and lots of great scenes atop the 63 Building. There is also a great karaoke scene that takes place in the "country" after Gong-chan and Yoo-rin get lost and she scams their way into a local gathering. The drama has a great soundtrack too. Anyway, watch the drama and as Yoo-rin says "You will be blessed." BASHA!!

The entire drama is loaded with English subs on youtube by a user named byako. I linked to page 12 of her video list to get to ep 1.
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=byako&page=12

While I dld this and watched it thanks to d-addicts and fan subs, I want to buy it to add to my collection. YA will be releasing it in September:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/section-videos/code-k/pid-1004473245/

Finally, it can be downloaded at:
http://www.silentregrets.com/dramas/articles/kdramas/page/3/

Changes in Korean Adoption

2006-08-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

According to the buzz on the Korean adoption bulletin boards, Korea has put a halt to referrals for international adoption until new policies on international adoption can be digested and put into place by the Korean agencies that handle adoption. In addition, Korean lawmaker Ko Kyung Hwa has proposed a law that will make international adoption illegal. From what I’ve read in the Korean newspapers, this law is in part a response to Korea’s declining birth rate. However, since the Seoul Olympics, Korea has fought to shake its image as a "baby exporter." Currently, there are quotas in place that limit the number of babies that can leave the country each year. I read in the newspaper that last year roughly 41% of adoptions were domestic, while the remaining adoptions (just over 2000 babies) were international. It appears that under the new rules, a baby can’t be placed for international adoption until the child is at least 5 months old. All options of domestic adoption must be attempted first. Also, Korean families will be given financial incentives to adopt and singles will be allowed to adopt as well.

Obviously, the rule changes have caused a bit of angst to those in the process of adoption. To be sure, if you are hoping for a child, uncertainty and delays can be maddening. In fact, one of the reasons we chose to adopt from Korea many years ago was the predictability of the process. One US agency is encouraging adult adoptees to write to Ko and let her know that adoption was a good thing for them. The agency of course says they support domestic adoption, but do not want to see international adoption ruled out as an option. As pure as their intentions are, it did make me uncomfortable to see a US agency organize this effort. From the US side of things, I think we need to step back and let Korea figure this out. It is really their issue.

If Korea does cut back on international adoption, I do worry for the children caught in the middle. It would be nice for international adoption to die out on its own because of the increase of domestic adoption and the support of the single mom. However, maybe it takes such a definitive step to finally end overseas adoption for Korea and force change. Have views on adoption changed that much and will the society be more supportive of the single mom? Any drama fan knows that being adopted can be considered a bad thing in Korea. Single motherhood is also a struggle for sure- in drama world and in real life. A good friend of mine is a single mom. She moved from Korea because she did not want her daughter to face discrimination. So, she runs a Korean restaurant here in Guam. In the year and half I’ve known her, she has not once taken a day off. She had her dad helping her for awhile, but he returned to Korea. With no family support, her daughter pretty much lives at the restaurant. I think it would be so much easier on her is she didn’t feel the need to leave Korea. In addition, I think it would be sad for more children to end up in orphanages. A Korean lady that cuts my son’s hair was raised in an orphanage in Korea. She said she was forced to quit school and go to work after the 8th grade. She says her life was lonely and hard, and she knew no family until her 30s when she was reunited with her sister. I always think that international adoption should be the last resort for a child, but I wouldn’t wish life in an orphanage on my kids any day.

I absolutely realize this is such a complex issue. I spent too much time today reading the blogs of Korean adoptees disenchanted with adoption. I always try to read with an open mind, but as an adoptive parent, they sure make you feel sleazy. Honestly, I think the purposed rule changes are a good thing for Korea. Regardless, while things are changing, reality for my kids is a life with us. As a snuggled with them at bedtime and tucked them in, it really doesn’t matter to them that I’m white and they are Korean. We are a family, and a day at a time, we will make it through this world together.

Drama Review: All About Eve

2006-08-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

All About Eve (MBC 2000)
Number of Episodes: 20
Main Cast: Jang Dong Gun, Chae Rim, Han Jae Suk, Kim So Yeon
Korean Wiz link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/drama-eve.html

This story focuses on the relationship between two women, Sun-Mi (played by Chae Rim) and Young-Mi (played by Kim So Yeon). The show opens with death of Young-Mi’s father after a work-related accident on the construction site of a company owned by Sun-Mi’s father. Sun-Mi’s father takes pity on Young-Mi, who is left an orphan by her father’s death. He offers to sponsor her when she goes to college in Seoul. She has the goal of becoming a TV news anchor. Through flashbacks, we realize that Young-Mi’s alcoholic father abused her and made her life miserable. She is now motivated at all costs to succeed and breakaway from her past. Meanwhile, Sun-Mi is getting ready to start college and has a goal similar to Young-Mi’s. She initially welcomes Young-Mi into their lives, but soon becomes distrusting of Young-Mi’s manipulative ways. In addition, Woo-jin (played by Han Jae Suk), Sun-mi’s first crush, falls in love with Young-Mi. Realizing she has lost Woo-jin to Young-Mi, Sun-Mi heads off to London to study and meets Hyong-Chul (played by Jang Dong Gun). Hyong-Chul’s family owns MBC, but he has stayed away from the family business because of a dispute with his father.

AZN TV says All About Eve is rated one of the top dramas of all time by its viewers, and I agree with that. I love this one. Unlike other dramas, no deep life lessons here other than evil doesn’t pay. It is just a great story line that is fun (and at times, heartbreaking) to watch. The competition between Sun-Mi and Young-Mi is fierce. It is very entertaining to watch them battle it out once they start to work at the TV station. Young-Mi's character is often pointed to as one of K-dramas top villains, and yet you can sympathize with her and pity her. Sun-Mi is adorable, loyal, and innocent, and Hyong-Chul is her prince. This drama is also a chance to see Jang Dong Gun, who is a top movie star in Korea. AZN TV is scheduled to air AAE online in September.

An Introduction to K-Pop

2006-08-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

I thought I would give a small sampling of Korean Pop music to check out. All the links are from http://www.youtube.com/. For more on K-pop and to follow the latest hits, you can check out KBS World Radio’s K-pop interactive: http://rki.kbs.co.kr/english/enter/music_inter.htm. Have fun!

Shinhwa- Around since 1998, this boy band represents major star power. Almost all the members have been successful as actors or solo singers. They have just recently released their 8th album State of the Art.

Brand New- Music Video (from their 7th album in 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdYMpOscVo8

Fly To The Sky- This male duo, made up of Hwanhee and Brian (a Korean American), have been around since 1998. They released their 6th album Transition in 2006. For sure, one of my favorite groups- I have 4 of their albums.

Blood (live performance on SBS- from 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxSBDmdlV4

Like A Man (live performance- from 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA2IP1EwC2c

Sea Of Love- Music Video (FTTS-from 2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoDfshAwhqg&mode=related&search=

Kang Ta- Lead singer for the 1990’s hit group HOT, Kangta is a big star throughout Asia.

Polaris (live on KBS Love Letters)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCCBPhxLsw&mode=related&search=

Lee Hyo Ri- She is beautiful, sexy and an awesome dancer. The song 10 minutes was a huge hit for her as a solo artist (she was formerly part of the girl group FinKL), and the song has become a symbol of sexiness in Korea. In fact, I just heard it in a church skit done at a Korean festival last weekend! She has just released her 2nd solo album Dark Angel. Enjoy the video!

10 Minutes- Music Video (from 2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbMNycx7fLI&mode=related&search=

Se7en- He released his first album in 2003 and is known for his dancing.

Performing in April on SBS- Nan Alayo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rhr5IwMOL4

Bi (Rain)- One of the major stars of the Korean wave, Bi performed a few months ago in New York City. He is known for his singing and dancing as well as his acting. He is the star of several dramas. I love to watch him perform!

I Do- Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNYh7K4Zg5A

It’s Raining- performing on SBS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mbsApFYIx4

Buzz- A K-pop rock group that debuted in 2003, I have their 2nd album Effect and love it. Here is their performance on KBS’s Open Concert. I like this video because the hangul is in big print and making it easier to sing along… if you want to practice your Korean.

Coward- live performance- 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SaVuL9STpY

Koyote- This group, made up of 2 guys and 1 girl, has been around since 1999. The main members are Kim Jong-Min and Shin-Ji, plus a rapper, who has changed through the years. Love this group...my kids love this group. Their dance music is tons of fun and we listen to them often.

1, 2, 3, 4- Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk_Qd7rvmVs

Sung Si Kyung- He is a ballad singer that gives me chills when he sings. I have 2 of his albums and have gone out of my way to study the lyrics, so I can sing along. The music video is one of my favorite songs, but the video is a little strange! Be sure to check out the English song Try To Remember.

Waewuh doosaeyo- Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_luMP69MgY&mode=related&search=

Try To Remember- Live Performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PibnR_yz51g

Jewelry- A girl group that is one of my daughter’s favorites. Superstar was a huge hit for them in 2005.

Superstar (on KBS Music Bank)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uORuQxZqyXc

Drama Review: Friends

2006-08-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

Friends
Number of Episodes: 4
Main Cast: Won Bin, Fukada Kyoko, Lee Dong Gun, Park Hye Jin
Koreanwiz Link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-friends.html

This 2002 MBC drama was a joint production between MBC and the Japanese station TBS. The drama opens in Hong Kong, where Korean college student Kim Ji Hun (played by Won Bin) is taking a break from his studies to explore Hong Kong and work on his films. He has a goal of becoming a movie director, but it is soon clear that he is facing big pressure to return to his hometown where his very traditional Korean family expects him to take over the family business. While in Hong Kong, he meets Asai Tomoko, a Japanese girl on vacation who mistakes him for the purse snatcher that took her purse. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, a relationship develops in their short time together, but alas, the vacation ends, and they must separate. However, with email and a little help from Ji Hun’s Japanese speaking roommate, they are able to keep in contact with each other.

The drama centers on the love story between Tomoko and Jin Hun and how they must overcome the challenges of both a long-distance relationship as well as dating someone from a different country. However, a big part of the drama is the growth of each character individually. Despite wanting to purse his dreams of making movies, Ji Hun must first come to terms with his responsibility to his family. In Japan, Tomoko is a high school graduate working at a dead-end job in a department store. Unlike Ji Hun, she lacks any kind of dream at all. In addition, her mother is a successful business woman, and Tomoko feels guilt that she can’t match her mother’s accomplishments. Her mother is aware of her daughter’s struggle and longs to support her, but is afraid to push too hard. At first, Tomoko wants to learn about Korea for Ji Hun, but eventually, her love for Korea and learning the Korean language ends up fueling her own dreams. For me, one of the most moving parts of the drama is watching Tomoko blossom and seeing the growth of her relationship with her mother.

Visually, this drama is loaded with wonderful scenery of Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. The fall scenery filmed in Seoul is beautiful, and the scenes of Ji Hun’s military training are intense. Also, because of Ji Hun’s family, the drama gives a glimpse into more traditional Korean culture. Again, I really loved the way Tomoko’s character fell in love with Korea. To me, her character is a glimpse of what it will be like if my children would ever choose to immerse themselves in their birth country and live in Korea. I highly recommend this short drama.

I’ve seen this drama loaded on youtube with subtitles, but this could always change! For now, here is the link to part 1 of episode one. If you run this, you will see the other episodes in the "related links."

Ep1 (part 1 of 6) uploaded by h0pezz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-9DKIjA9S4&mode=related&search=

This can also be downloaded at:

http://www.silentregrets.com/dramas/friends-2002/

Drama Review: My Name Is Kim Sam Soon

2006-08-05T04:55:00.001-07:00

My Name Is Kim Sam Soon
Number of Episodes: 16
Main Cast: Kim Sun-Ah, Hyun Bin, Jung Ryeo Won, Daniel Henney
Korean Wiz Link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-kimsamsoon.html

One of the things I wanted to do with this blog is share drama reviews. For sure, this 2005 MBC drama goes at the top of my list of dramas to check out. The drama is about Sam Soon (played by Kim Sun-Ah), a feisty pastry chief, who gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend on Christmas Eve. About to turn 30, she is unmarried, overweight, and finds the chances of meeting someone to marry growing dim. In addition, she is strapped by the name Sam Soon, which in Korea is considered a "country bumpkin" name. In fact, one of her life goals is to change her name to Hee Jin. She takes a job as a pastry chief for a restaurant owned by Hyeon Jin-Heon (played by Hyun Bin). Jin Heon is the rebellious son of a wealthy hotel owner, who is angry that her son chooses to run his own restaurant rather than work for her hotel. Jin Heon, cocky and arrogant, is aloof and sarcastic towards women and his mother’s repeated attempts to find a wife for him. However, it is clear that his still harbors unresolved feelings for his first love, who suddenly left Korea for the United States without explanation three years ago. While Jin Heon is cool towards the idea of marriage, Sam Soon still hopes for the chance to meet someone and marry. As she explains, "Life is like crossing the ocean in a row boat and it is too difficult to row by yourself."

Sam Soon is such a wonderful character- average looking, middle-class, and easy to admire and relate to. She is strong, tough, and committed to her work, yet still vulnerable when it comes to matters of the heart. And, as most women can relate to, she is always worried about her weight and is always trying the latest diet, but can’t resist ordering extra syrup in her latte and sneaking a late night snack! For first-time drama watchers, this drama is vogue and still packed with classic Korean culture issues, like getting the parents’ approval for a relationship. The drama is smart, funny and packed with great dialog and banter between the main characters. It also carries a great overall message about having love and respect for yourself. The drama was very popular in Korea, with a rating of over 50% for the final episodes. In an adoption related note, Daniel Henney, who plays an American doctor in the drama, is the real life son of an Korean adoptee. In the drama, his character is also the son of an adoptee.

**Currently, this drama can be watched online on AZN TV.

Book Review: Korea: The Land of Miracles

2006-08-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote this review for the Hawaii drama board, and I wanted to post it here as well:

When I was getting ready for our trip to Korea last fall, I kept checking our bookstore for Lonely Planet Korea and Lonely Planet Seoul, but had no luck (ended up using amazon.com for them). However, in the travel section, they had stocked this book by Simon Winchester called Korea- A Walk Through the Land of Miracles. At the time, I was irritated by this because I was looking for practical information like a map of the subway system, but one day, while letting the kids browse the children’s books, I picked up the book and read the preface. I was so drawn in that I had to buy the book.

The book chronicles the journey of author Simon Winchester as he travels by foot in the late 1980s, just prior to the 1988 Olympics, from the very southern tip of Cheju Island to the DMZ. His journey of Korea was forced to stop at the DMZ because he could not get permission to travel into North Korea. He patterned his journey after the crew of the Sparrowhawk, a Dutch merchant ship, which crashed on Cheju Island in August of 1653. The crew was captured by the Koreans and sent by the Governor of Cheju to Seoul to go before the King and his court. They were brought by ship across the Strait of Cheju and then transported north “by horse and foot”. Ultimately, the crew was exiled to the southwest corner of Korea until they managed to escape to Japan via a stolen fishing boat ten years later. The ship’s secretary Hendrick Hamel recorded the crew’s journey, and as he mirrors the crew’s trek into Seoul, Winchester begins each chapter by quoting from Hamel’s book “the Kingdom of Corea.” On a side note, Hamel’s book, published in 1668 is thought to be the first European account of Korea.

I confess that when I started this book, I really knew very little about Korea’s post-war environment. To me, Korea was the Korea I saw on dramas like Kim Sam Soon- hip, modern and westernized. So, I was immediately taken back when he wrote in the author’s note: “In a while, with good luck and a fair wind, the people of South Korea will enjoy a high degree of human rights. But for now it is a sad reality that they do not.” Granted, this was written in the late 1980’s, but to me, Korea seemed to enjoy political freedoms similar to the US. This book made me appreciate the tense environment in Korea, living in a state of war with the North, always on the look out for invasion from the enemy. He gives a vivid overview of the Massacre of Kwangju from both sides of the issue (Massacre or Uprising?) and discusses in detail the political fallout from the event. He also spends time with “the Peacekeepers” on one of the US military bases. The disrespectful behavior towards Korea of some of the soldiers he spent time with will make you cringe for sure.

Apart from the political stuff, he gets into vivid descriptions of the beauty of the Korea, its people, and his admiration for the work ethic of the country. He gives great accounts of things like going to a bathhouse, playing cards Korean-style, and drinking soju…all things drama fans can appreciate. He also details the logistic difficulties of making the trip by foot. I must say, as a fitness junkie, part of the intrigue of the book for me was the fact that he made the journey by walking. I found myself immensely jealous of the ability to take on a month-long adventure like this both because of my love for Korea as well as the physical challenge of the trip. A caveat I will add is that the book is written by an Englishman, so it is a outsider’s view of Korea. That is the one thing I like about learning about Korea through the dramas- it is learning the culture first hand rather than through a westerner’s perspective, which can make it feel distant and unfamiliar. Overall, I recommend this book as a great way to get a feel for the post-war Korea and the challenges that it faces.

Where To Find Korean Dramas

2006-08-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

Subtitled Korean TV is shown in many cities including Chicago, Honolulu, LA, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Atlanta. KBS America subtitles all its dramas plus many other programs and is available through the Dish Network as well as many cable companies. Others stations like AZN and Imaginasian show Korean programming. In fact, AZN recently launched a media player where you can view dramas via the web. KoreanWiz, a great place for all your drama info, has a good list of TV stations showing Korean programming at http://www.koreanwiz.org/special-stations.html.

To rent dramas, you can check out Ramen City. They have a nice selection, and I’ve heard good things about them. I've never used them because they won't ship to Guam! If you are willing to watch the dramas in 10-minute segments, you can find dramas on http://www.youtube.com/. I will share youtube links when I can. If you are interested in downloading dramas, check out http://www.d-addicts.com/. This is where I get most of my dramas. The latest dramas are available here with fan-subtitles. Also, I recently found a blog called Silent Regrets Dot Com where you can download k-dramas, movies, and soundtracks. This site uses the fan-subs from d-addicts, hard-codes the subs, then uploads them in a smaller file than what is on d-addicts. It appears a bit more user friendly than d-addicts. I haven't used this site yet, but it looks like a great resource.

Finally, you can buy dramas at places like YesAsia. YA is a leader in adding English subtitles to Korean dramas, and their subtitles are top-quality. I often order dramas from the Hong Kong based http://www.coolwin-video.com/. Prices are cheaper than YA; however, you have to be careful about the quality of subtitles. In general, it has been my experience that if the subs are rated as "good," they are ok. For a great list of dramas available to purchase on DVD, check out this list maintained on the Hawaii Drama Fans board.

The Start of My Drama Addiction

2006-07-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

By the time we went through the adoption process in 1998, it was clear to those in the adoption field that it is a must for the parents of Korean adoptees to at least have some basic knowledge about Korea as well as the race-related issues that face Asian Americans. Through the internet and organizations like KAAN, adult adoptees talked about the frustration and isolation of being a different race from their family and often their community. Indeed, some adoptees suggested that international adoption and interracial adoption should not be allowed at all. Adoption books, agency classes, and internet adoption groups talked about the importance of embracing the race of the adopted child, so that as the child grows, they have the freedom to explore their birth country and the support when needed if they struggle with race issues. In addition, adoption agencies began to sponsor culture camps, language classes, and cultural festivals. These cultural events are all designed to celebrate the child’s birth country and give them a sense of pride in being Korean-American.

Thus, as I threw myself into the adoption process, my quest to learn about Korea began. We were living in the Washington DC area when we brought our son home in 1999. Consequently, with "Korea Town" in Arlington, VA, nearby, we had easy access to the Korean community. We began to frequent Korean restaurants, shop at the Korean markets, and try cooking some Korean food at home, I also had a Korean babysitter for the kids when I worked, and I did the English-speaking youth service for a Korean church near our home.

When we moved to Honolulu in 2001, I was introduced for the first time to subtitled Korean dramas. Subtitled Korean TV is very popular in Hawaii and airs 7 days a week on KBFD. Within a week of moving to Honolulu, I was hooked. It literally opened up Korean culture for me. The values, beliefs, traditions, language and music come alive in dramas. I remember talking to a Korean friend of mine in DC and telling her that I was watching the dramas. She said, "oh now you understand me!" Haha- and she was right!

If you are not already watching Korean dramas, hopefully this blog can be a guide to getting started! I hope I can spread the Korean wave to other adoptive families who share my passion for learning about Korea.

A Successful Liberation Day

2006-07-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Wow what an awesome Liberation Day we had!! Despite some last minute protests, my son successfully participated in the Liberation Parade! The 1.5 mile walk was packed with people and tons of fun. However, by the end of the parade route, the boys were all getting tired. After the parade, I loaded my tired and sweaty boy on my back and hiked to the parade start to meet up with the rest of our family and our friends. Though the smoke was thick, it was fun to walk past all the family tents along the parade route, and check out the many varieties of barbecue. Grilling is serious sport on the island! After the parade, we all came back to our house for a Liberation Day party.

One of the things I like best about having a party is having lots of kids running around and playing. This party was no exception. In providing one of the party’s lighter moments, the kids were playing outside in the driveway on bikes, scooters, etc, when they pulled out the wagon. They got the idea to harness our 70 pound chocolate lab Hana to the wagon and have her pull it. The adults weren’t paying much attention to the kids’ antics until suddenly my son came flying into the carport in the wagon, pulled by the dog running at full speed. The dog sent the wagon careening into a fancy beer cooler-stand thing that we had set up. It was house-warming gift, and we had the top tub full of beer and ice. The wagon ran into this thing at full speed, and the entire top bucket dumped into wagon and onto my son’s lap with a thunderous crash! I did my best Mom’s scream, and pulled him out of the beer and the ice soaking wet. Amazingly, he wasn’t hurt- just wet and embarrassed. Not a single beer bottle broke because everything landed inside the wagon. Once we realized he was ok, everyone starting applauding. It was quite the move, and something that will go down in family party history!

For her part, Hana the lab survived the party very well. When we have people over, she goes on food patrol and will wrestle any crumb she can from the younger crowd as well as get into any plate or napkin left sitting unattended. By the end of the night, I know she ate at the minimum one bowl of red beans and rice, an entire loaf of pumpkin bread left of the edge of the counter, and numerous chicken bones. Aigoo…that dog would risk a smack on the nose any day if it meant a chance at more food.

My First Blog Post

2006-07-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at trying a blog, so we will see how this goes! Hafa Adai from Guam and Happy Liberation Day! This July 21st marks the 62nd anniversary of the arrival of the US Marines to liberate the island from Japanese occupation during World War II. It is a major holiday for Guam and is celebrated with a large festival, parade, and fireworks. We have lived on Guam for 2.5 years, and this will be the third parade that we have attended. This year, I will be walking in the parade with my 7-year-old son and his Cub Scout pack. He is so nervous…he doesn’t want to get run over by any floats or fire trucks in the parade. I assured him that it will be safe. Tropical Storm Kaemi is finally moving away from us, and hopefully, the weather will be nice. After the parade, the party is at our house. If you are visiting Guam, feel free to stop by!