Working Through a Senior Year Crisis

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight"

Proverbs 3:5

happy mini me

Ah, it felt so good to have a nice long 2+ hour brunch today...haven't had one of those for a while. Us grandma seniors and sophomores sat around talking about elementary & middle school days. Topics included: good books we read (Boxcar children!), cakes & flowers for "becoming a woman" HAHA, using rice instead of glue for our school projects, and for one person, racing not boys, not girls, but men at the track and beating them when she was in middle school hahhahaha. Such good carefree days!! I miss reading for fun, I used to read like crazy when I was younger...

We also talked about looming post-college life :( I've been mad stressed about the future and feeling indecisive, but I'm finally starting to accept that I can't plan everything out right now. I make a schedule every night for what I'm going to do the next day. I don't necessarily stick to it, but I really enjoy making schedules and knowing I have a plan haha. I also really like making lists (hence the name of the blog). I've been trying to schedule the rest of my post-college life b/c I feel like I have to plan everything out right now and know each step, even though I can't really control what's going to happen.

happy & optimistic at my sixth grade graduation

stressed out & getting yogurt pretzels from Subin at 2 am to fuel my thesis proposal writing process :(

I've realized I am way too indecisive and need to trust in God! Life after college is not the end of the world, and I know I'm probably gonna look back on this time 5 years from now and think about how foolish and unnecessarily stressed out I was haha. Until now, I thought I had a set plan for my future, but I realized I have to be flexible and open to other options. These past few weeks definitely made me see that I have a lot of growing up to do. Even though I know things will probably get crazy second semester, I will find my peace in the Lord and trust that He will guide me...

i like bulldogs

I know most people don't really like bulldogs, but they're so cute! At lease the little ones haha. I decided to start blogging again and this is my first entry in almost 2 months. I will be posting exciting updates about my life as a hermit senior who is tryna stay on top of all her stuff. This entry is probably as exciting as its gonna get haha. Enjoy!

I think this last one is adorable, but some people disagree *ahem. I think this little guy expresses my feelings on getting through senior year and having to leave college :/

these are a few of my favorite things...la la la~

So...

I have one week to translate a 25 page article of academic writing from Korean to English.

-_-

Life is hard.

I must also do many annotated bibs. Its the last week of my internship and my second to last week in Busan. This article has become a large dark cloud following me around. It took me a day to get through 3 pages...I am doomed.

One of the professor's daughters and a 3-week-old baby from her church.

Here's a list of stuff that makes me smile that I made a while back but never got around to posting. I shall try to be positive and focus on the things on the list to ease the suffering of translating this darn article (hm...sounds passive-aggressive haha):

• good weather
• sleeping in
• mini things!
• watching a good movie
• reading a good book
• blueberries
• oatmeal
• dark chocolate
• surprises
• thoughtful gestures
• making someone happy
• sunsets
• sunrises
• late night talks
• finally getting to sleep after being sleep deprived
• baking (and now cooking)
• getting a good deal on something
• free things hehe
  
• extensions
• getting caught in the rain & not minding it
• good hair days
• patbingsoo (i like ice)
• accomplishing something
• spontaneity
  
• brunch
• wandering around cities
• lists
  
• a good laugh :)
• and.....babies!!

I feel like a chameleon moving from place to place, but I'm ready to settle down for senior year. I will miss Busan and the people though :( Btw I shall no longer be posting my blog updates as my facebook status so visit or subscribe for updates! I shall try to blog more regularly...we shall see what happens haha. It's a mystery! So my five (give or take) loyal readers, be alert! ;)

Korean Studies

Growing up Korean in America has been both enlightening and frustrating at times. I was born and raised in the U.S. and speak English fluently, but my "Americaness" has always been questioned. I wasn't sure how to feel about this when I was younger, but have come to better understand it through my studies (and more importantly through faith). While I identified as Korean growing up, it wasn't until senior year of high school that I started getting interested in Korean society (via kpop and kdramas haha). Especially after taking classes on East Asia and Asian American studies, I became interested in more important aspects of Korean culture. As part of the Korean diaspora, I wanted to better understand Korean culture so as to understand "Korean American" culture. While Korean Americans may feel that they don't fully "belong" to Korean or American culture, I am thankful for the somewhat objective or outsider perspective I am able to have on both cultures.

One of my main areas of interest is the Korean diaspora and Korean society. There's definitely a lot of stuff I love about Korea, but there are also many things that make me worried, sad, and disgusted at times. These are some of the Korea related topics I want to explore more in the future:

• gender inequality
• class disparity
  
• hierarchy (sunbae-hoobae system) & the abuse of it
• suicide (highest rates in the OECD)
  
• education & schools (high costs and crazy competition)
  
• regionalism
• the role of military in shaping culture
• sex (industry, affairs, etc.) --> 1 in 10 men in the world have purchased a prostitute, 1 in 5 Korean men pay for sex more than 4 times a month (see more stats on prostitution)
  
• intense working culture (Korean men work the longest hours in the world)
• superficiality (plastic surgery anyone?) & body image
  
• consumerism
  

I've been meaning to use this blog to write more things on my mind (and in my moleskin) and not just post pictures. Okay must go write some papers now :( I shall update with Italy pictures soon and still need to do a food post!

Btw heads up! I shall be coming home May 18-25! Honestly, I was starting to forget home, but am definitely looking forward to going back :) See y'all soon!

blog 1

Hello!

This is the first entry to my first blog.

Here are a few fun facts about me:

• I no longer have an appendix, which is why I'm at home starting this blog
• I am a Christian
• I was recently described as "down to earth but weird" (they made sure to emphasize the weird part)
• I like miniature or giant versions of things
• I like to bake :)
• I love babies!
  
• I'm beginning to think driving is more and more dangerous o.0
  
• I am going to study abroad in London next semester!
• I am a sociology major
• I am a list oriented person...hence the name of this blog and this list you are currently reading
• I am Korean...and here is a picture of a burger with a South Korean flag in it