Haeung Jung / Interview with Jeenie at Room number 303(Final draft) / Tues 3-4

Globee dorm building, Room number 303! Last year I went there every day, it's my club's room. I went to Turkey on cycling trip last year with my club members. We usually met there. So it was like my room. But this year, due to many other things, I could not visit there. After a long time, I came to the room. There were many bikes and helmet. It was as same as last year. Many posters about bicycle trip were put on the wall. I had a time to look around club room and waited my friend. Before long, Jeenie came. "Hi, Haeung! How are you?" "It couldn't be better. What about you?" "It sounds great. me? just so, so." She is also my club member. In my memory, she was so energetic and powerful girl. But today, she looks little bit tired. "What's going on?" "Umm, it's little bit difficult to get a job nowadays. I just missed the time when I went to Morocco on cycling trip."

 In 2011, she went to Morocco with her team members. At that time I served military service. So I could not join the trip with her. After finishing military service, I read the book her team wrote and saw the video they recorded. But I really wanted to listen real story about trip from them. "What is the most unforgettable memory in the trip, Jeenie?" "Umm, there were so many incidents, and all the things I can't forget. But most unforgettable memory is riding bicycle on desert." "Wow, desert?" "Yeah, we rode bicycle on the desert for a few days, I couldn't see any building and people. We hesitated to give up several times. But we made it. When we arrived the city, I thought I was alive, haha!" She was so excited to tell about her trip.

 She suddenly showed the book they wrote after travel. There were many pictures about Morocco. In the book, I found the picture about KOTRA. "Did you visit KOTRA in Morocco?" "Yes, we visited there, and went on a field trip in Morocco. Thanks to the experience, I got to be interested in economics and trade. My dream is to be an expert in this area." "I hope your dream comes true." On the backside of book, there were picture of Morocco team members. I asked to her. "Do you still contact with your team members?" "Sure, we sometimes meet each other. But two members went to America as exchanged students. Next year, all members will come Korea. So we are going to meet all members next year. I hope to see them." Turning a page of book, she said "You asked me the unforgettable memory. On second thought, that is people, my team members. We spent 50days together and struggle together. Sometimes we fought but we did everything together. The people, my members are the present I gained from travel." Two hours went by, she laughed and gave me a book as a present. "Thank you Jeenie, it's so great gift for me." "Ok, nice to see you. bye!"     

When I came to my home, I started to read the book she gave. Reading the book, I recalled my travel on Turkey and my team members. We also spent more than 2 months, and did everything together. Some of my team members serve military service and some of them are foreign countries as an exchanged student. I suddenly miss them. Tonight I'm going to write some letters to them.

Suhan Lee/Final Draft/Tuesday 34

<Final draft> Interview with My Uncle, Pablo EIT 201002454 Suhan Lee   These days, more and more people marry a person with a different nationality. Nevertheless, multicultural families still have many difficulties in terms of different cultural backgrounds, child-rearing, social prejudices, and so on. In this era of globalization, people should accept and respect them just the way they are. My aunt is Mexican. My uncle married her about 15 years ago. They have two daughters who are fifteen and twelve years old respectively. Multicultural families have become common these days, however only 15 years ago there weren't many multicultural families in Korea. Therefore, it might be not easy for my uncle to decide to marry her. So, I asked him how he had met and decided to marry her. After I asked, he was deep in thought for few minutes. He seemed to look back on the past. Finally, he opened his lips. "At that time, I had no choice except going abroad to find new opportunities. I decided to go to Mexico and started studying Spanish on my own. For the first time, I didn't even know the word "Hola!" meaning "Hello!"" he laughed. My uncle has been an engineer in a factory. In 1998, he was suggested to transfer to an overseas branch. He accepted the suggestion and began to learn Spanish on his own. In the local factory in Mexico, he went through a hard time because of unfamiliar environments such as sultry weather, unfamiliar foods and a language barrier. In the middle of hard days, a woman appeared. He said, "She looked like an angel who came down from heaven. Although I've never think of seeing someone from different country, I fell in love with her at first sight." She always helped him in every way. Finally, he proposed to her and they came back Korea together. I wondered whether my grandparents readily consented to their marriage, because many aged people in Korea tend to have a strong prejudice against foreigners. My uncle smiled gently and answered. For the first time, my grandfather strongly opposed their marriage for the simple reason that she was from a foreign country. However, as a result of persistent persuasion, they finally won his assent few days before their wedding. Now they live a stable life, however, it was quite tough to live with a person who has lived in totally different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, there were many crises in their lifetime. I asked him what was the most difficult thing to him and his family. He said the most difficult problem was a high language barrier. Even though my uncle studied Spanish hard, it was impossible to express exactly what he wanted to say. "When I got upset, I just said what I wanted to say in Korean. She never understood what I was saying." he giggled. What was worse, my aunt couldn't speak a word of Korean. This problem brought them bigger conflicts when they faced cultural differences. "I don't understand the way she thinks! Shouldn't she follow our custom when she lives here?" I heard so many time my grandmother complained this way. My uncle was always flustered between his mother and his wife. He said totally different cultural backgrounds always caused conflicts between two women. "Do you have any know-how when facing that kind of problem?" I asked. "Of course I do. First, I stand by my mother and try to calm her down. And then, in our room, I usually massage my wife's arms and legs until her anger melt away. Oh, living as a son and husband at the same time is so hard for me." he whined. "If so, were there any governmental supports for multicultural families?" I asked. He mentioned that there were language, cooking and cultural classes. However, he said these programs were not that much helpful to his wife and daughters. They tried attending there, however they eventually found it actually more helpful to learn in their actual life. He added that he hopes government would give more efficient and practical supports. Also, I asked about his daughters. My cousins have exotic appearances, so I wondered if they have encountered discriminations. Koreans, especially the elderly, have taken an unfriendly attitude toward foreigners and mixed-blood people from old times. My uncle sighed slightly and said, "One day, Eun hee-who is the older sister-came home crying. She said an old lady approached to her and taunted about her appearance. Even, she called Eun-hee "Twi-gi" which is a slang despising mixed-blood people. It tore my heart and I got really upset, but there's nothing I could do for her. Fortunately, awareness of mixed-blood people has certainly improved, so now they adapt well to their school." He said that he is consistently trying to be an example to others. "That's the only way I can do to leave a better world to my kids." he added. Saying this, he proudly showed me his right hand with old wounds and oil stains. "We have to live more diligently to make a living. It makes me tired sometimes, but I'm still happy whenever I think of my family." I saw a sincere smile on his face. In the end of interview, he tapped my shoulder and offered words of encouragement. Then he promised to keep trying his best as he has done until now, linking little fingers each other. I could feel his firm resolution to protect his family as best he can. And then I parted with him promising to meet again.

Seon Hyuk Im / Ch. 5 Final Draft / Tues. 11am

I Go, I Go, My Way

             A tall Caucasian man is standing in front of the classroom teaching how to give a good presentation. He's got some gray hair on top of small head with black hair. He's wearing glasses as big as his eyes, but it looks like a toy because his big nose is in the way. He looks like George Clooney because he seems like he's aged gracefully. He's a very, very handsome middle aged man. His students are Korean boys and girls. So, I got curious what's making him teach in Korea? How does he adapt to this country? I had many questions that I want to ask, and I wanted to hear his story.

             "Professor Vincent, how long have you been in Korea?" I asked.

             "Probably about 10 years on and off. Before 2002, I was here for a year then I left, I came back in 2005 and 2006, then I went back and I came back in 2007 and I've been here since then."

             I wondered why his stay wasn't long at first. I assumed he came for the job of teaching, but left in between because he got homesick or wanted to take a vacation. But I just asked straightforwardly.

             "I like the job here. I didn't want to be a lawyer. I like teaching English. I could have a good job here; good working conditions here for that."

             His reason was very simple; just as everything else with him was simple. I was, still am, and will still be one of his students until I graduate. His classes were simple. His class rules were simple. His grading was simple. I didn't have to be ready to be hit with a long complicated answer. He just simply liked teaching English, but why here? Why Korea? I wondered.

             "Well, the students here are really good. I think you can't get better English students anywhere than here. They're pretty hard working, and they have a good level of ability. I like Korean people; they're hard working and decent people, for the most part. They're kind to me, anyway."

             Korean people indeed are hard working. They are decent people. Being a Korean myself, I can't agree more because of the way Korean society circulates. They are hard working, and they think and know that their hard work will pay off; like how they picked themselves up after the Korean War to keep up with the rest of the world. Within 50 years, Korea became one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Within 50 years, they became the fastest country in the world to modernize themselves. They're decent people too, because Koreans don't like to be a bother to people they don't know. They don't want to be rude to people around them. Our conversation naturally flowed on to my next question.

             "How do you like the Korean lifestyle here? Korean and American cultures are way different, and the lifestyle."

             "I don't live a Korean lifestyle. I basically live my own lifestyle. I can get everything I'm comfortable with. And I think Korean people have too much pressure and stress, and I don't want to live that way. The main thing for me that I miss is urban spaces that have lots parks and beautiful scenery, but I don't find that in Seoul. It's too crowded and noisy. It's not built with a sense of beauty being important. For that reason, I do like taking my vacations to Europe because it's beautiful and relaxing. This job does offer me long enough vacation so I have time to do that. And I like what I do here, working here is fine but I do like taking my vacations to Europe."

             Ever since the first class I had with him, he's always had his own vibe, his own groove, and his own world. He was this tall white professor who looks very clever; who looks like someone that would challenge his students academically often. But he was nothing like that. He had this unique way of teaching, since he taught English presentations. He didn't go hard on his students. He was really free, open and relaxing. He gave a lot of tips and advices, and wanted his students to practice more and more. In his way of teaching was a part of his lifestyle. His class would be one of those classes where I don't want to miss out a thing on, a class where I felt comfortable sitting and listening to. He was fun. His class was fun. Then, he continued.

             "My wife and I say we have a bubble. We have our own culture bubble."

             I envied him. I told him I envy him for that. He has his own philosophy, he has his own lifestyle, and he has his own way of living in this country. He was what one would call a free soul. He did what he wanted to do. He didn't need to speak Korean since he can get everything he needed online; he has his wife to talk to, and basically did what he wanted to do.

             I told him, "You should come by Malaysia some time, my dad works there since his tour company stationed him there."
             "Maybe I will! That sounds great."
             I really wouldn't mind seeing him there, having a glass of beer or cocktail and continuing our chat about anything, everything; life. He was just this laid back person whom I really came to look up to. He had a meal with the class once. It was very awkward at first, but once he started talking, everyone started talking. Everyone would follow along the topic he spit out from him mouth. From that conversation, we found out he had a very creative mind, literally like he said, he has his own culture bubble. That's what he meant, he likes to think creatively, imagine vividly, and create a world in his mind.

             This is a man that I envy. Professor Vincent is a very open man, a very creative man, and a man who enjoys life. He does what he wants to do, he fulfills his dreams and goals. He wanted to teach English, so he did. He came to Korea because of the smart and hard working students. He wanted a job that provided him lots of time for himself, and he found it. There's nothing I cannot envy here, and I hope to become to be a successful person like him, a successful person in enjoying life.

Jieun Kim/ Final Draft/ Tues 11-1

Interview with my role model

             Since I was a little girl, my dad was the love of my life. Wherever he went, I followed him and loved spending time together. His friends always envied him because I was the only daughter among others to give a good-night kiss even after becoming a teenager. Like this, I was my dad's little angel and he was my role model. However, after entering university, I have felt that I did not have much opportunity to communicate with my dad and I got curious about his life. I thought it was going to be a great chance to get to know him even more. Therefore, I have interviewed him with several questions.

             The interview started with the first question, "What is the most important thing in your life?" The answer was not immediate. A deep sigh and a little frown on his face made me worry if he did not like my question. After a few minutes of consideration, he answered very discreetly. "I think the most important thing in life is health, no doubt." I continued asking why he thinks health is the most important among many other things. He mainly related his answer to work. He sighed and said that one should be healthy in order to work hard or achieve their goals. He also added that there is a limitation in working harder than others and fulfilling their goals if he or she had a health problem. And if there is not enough energy to do one's job, it will be very frustrating.

             Since he emphasized the importance of health so much, I became curious of what made him think that way. Without the need to even ask, he began telling his story. "It all started when we came back to Korea after working in the United States for 5 years." One day, when he went to the hospital to get a checkup, he found out that he did not have a healthy liver. The doctor requested him to get enough rest and emphasized that he should not get stressed out. However, this was a difficult instruction to follow because he was just about to become an executive of the company that he has been working in for a long time. In addition, he was more than sure that the coworkers would not appreciate a person who cannot fulfill his job in earnest. This diagnosis was especially shocking for my dad because he thought that at this age, he must be in a position that can fully support his family. Due to this thought of his, putting health before work was very difficult. Therefore, he took some time off from work and was hospitalized for further treatment. Getting enough rest for a month was not that easy, though. Instead of feeling relief, he kept worrying about how he could support our family. Therefore, after one month of rest, he jumped into the front line of work with a handicap. Fortunately, he was able to get into a medium enterprise with the recommendation of others. It was renowned for a semiconductor company. He also assumed an important position as a plant manager and helped the growth of the company.

   However, the fundamental problem was not solved. Every time he visited the doctor, the doctor kept on pointing out that he should get enough rest. However, that was not the type of person that the boss or company wanted. My dad took a deep breath and sighed again. Maybe it was such a frustrating situation for him to think of. He continued talking. "I thought that, if I cannot stop worrying about balancing health and work, why not just start my own business? That way, I can manage my health and work hard without having to mind others." This was a very clever idea. He had doubts but he never gave up and developed his company year by year and made it successful.

             After hearing his story, I asked him, "What were some of the biggest changes that you had to make in order to manage your health?" While I was waiting for his answer, I was able read regret, sorrow, and frustration from his face. "There are mainly two things that I tried hard to change. First of all, I stopped drinking. As a breadwinner, I thought that risking my health was a sin, especially since I had a great goal. Second of all, I tried very hard to operate my company in a way that minimizes the stress. Within the boundary of the company, I tried to work efficiently rather than working long hours. It was quite easier than I thought it would be, though. I think it was because I was used to the field of work due to the experiences in my past. As a result, my company was able to grow gradually and steadily."

   Even though what my dad answered can be seemed as two small changes, I was able to understand how difficult it would have been for him to stop drinking, especially because now I am old enough to drink. Thus, I asked him, "So, what were the difficulties that followed?" He answered, "The biggest problem was that health problem always acted as an obstacle in what I was trying to achieve. I was not able to go to long-distance business trips freely. Also, I had to send an attorney at company gatherings or meetings. This was a critical problem because as a CEO of the company, I had to communicate with the employees and clients. It was difficult to express ideas in the most effective ways." I was worried about the company's situation now, since he told me that not being able to attend meetings or gatherings because he could not drink was a pivotal problem

             "So, how are things now?" He answered, "10 years have passed after I founded the company. Now, everything is stable also the company accomplished great growth. Now I have my own system and now there is no problem in developing and operating my company. This does not mean I do not have limitations now. I still do. I have to readjust my hopes or aspirations to the reality. However, I am still trying hard and I wish that someday I can work without restrictions. Well, this is pretty much the end of my story. I hope that you really keep in mind that health is the most important part in your life. There are so many things that you cannot do when you become sick. And watching people go ahead while you are just sitting still because of health problems is such a heart-breaking process. I wish you do not have to worry about falling behind just because you are not healthy enough to work harder than others. Thus, I want you to take care of your health starting from now on. Even though you feel too lazy or busy to work out in the gym, you should try the best you can. I will always be behind you and encourage you with love."

             After the interview, I was so touched by my father's love. As opposed to my childhood when I was even closer to my dad than my mom, recently, I was getting the idea that we were gradually drifting away from each other. And because my dad was a person who is too shy to express his love very frequently, it was good to know that he still cares about me so much. In addition, I felt so embarrassed. Embarrassed of myself. I knew that he is a great person who gives his greatest effort for his family, but I have never imagined that it would have been such a difficult process. He sacrificed the most important thing in his life just because he is a fantastic father who felt the greatest responsibility to support the family as the head of the household. Now I love him even more and I decided to try even harder to become a better daughter and student.

Yujeong Suh/ Cha5 final draft/ Tue 11-1

Memories in Hiroshima

201301616 Yujeong Suh

 

I remember my grandmother regularly visited Japan once a year. At first, I unconsciously thought that she went Japan as a trip. However, I started to get curious about her regular visit to Japan since I had never heard of any stories that my grandmother had any connection with Japan or Japanese.

My grandmother was born in Japan in 1937 in a small village near Hiroshima. Both of my grandmother's parents were surely Koreans. At the time of the 1930s, the Korean peninsula was under the control of Japanese imperialism. A lot of Koreans were forcefully drafted to work at mines or at wars for the Japanese empire. Also, other Koreans moved to Japan since it was hard to support their livelihood in their hometown. Therefore, those people went to Japan and settled there. My grandmother's family was one of those people. The family members including her parents and her siblings settled in Japan for their livelihood near Hiroshima.

When I heard the word Hiroshima, I was in a shock for a second. The word Hiroshima reminded me of the event '1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion' that I had learned from several media sources and school. So, I rapidly changed the topic and asked her, "Were you in Hiroshima when the bomb exploded?" She hesitated for a moment but finally answered, "I wasn't exactly in Hiroshima but I was quite near there since I lived nearby."

The day had no difference with other days. It was just an every single ordinary day.  She was a little girl at that time. She was in the house with her parents, brothers and sisters. She rolled her eyes to recall the memories. She made a several coughs and started, "Suddenly the whole space became fiercely shining. Her eyesight became so white that she could not see anything even my family members who were in same place. The flash of massive light stayed for several moments."

Hearing her experience, my mouth was opened wide and had no signs to get closed. So, I tried to ask her right away. Then she stopped me and replied, "You have to listen all of my words. My story has not ended yet." She continued, "And after the massive shining for some moment, the sudden deep darkness came. Even in the very morning, the whole world fell into a deep darkness. Again, I could not see anything nearby but this time not because of shining but blackness." She continued, "Since so many years have passed, I cannot recall the situation exactly. However, still, I can remember the feelings that I had at those times. I was just scared looking at the massive shines and darkness and shivered as if I was naked in the mid winter. (The day of the explosion was in August) It seemed as if I was in the living hell."

After that devastating atomic bomb experience, my grandmother and her family came back to their hometown, Pusan, Korea. The day of the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion was equal to that of the collapse of Japanese imperialism and that of liberation of Korean peninsula. And since the day, she has lived a normal life and the experiences she had in Japan started to fade away in her mind. She could not speak Japanese anymore. She just could understand several Japanese expressions. Her childhood in Japan began to be a folk tale of her life.

 Then, several years ago, she received a call from one organization. The call was from the organization that dealt issues of the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion. The organization said that my grandmother was qualified to receive health medical measurement for free since she was confirmed that she lived near Hiroshima at the time of the atomic explosion in 1945. So that was the reason she visited Japan several times. She went there to take medical measurement service provided by the organization.

She told me, "When I received the call, I had mixed feelings." First, she was surprised because she had lived her life forgetting the experience. Second, the call made her to remind the devastating day that she had to experience. She became sorrowful. At the day of the Hiroshima atomic explosion, a lot of people got dead and severely damaged. Among those, a lot of Korean people were included. As she mentioned, a lot of Koreans lived in and near Hiroshima at that time and she was one of them. She said, "I was too young to know all of this at that time. However, by the time I received the call, so many years had passed and I was old enough to be able to understand this tragedy."

Looking at my anxious face, she added, "Fortunately, I have not suffered from any disease or side effects of the bomb explosion. I was lucky that I was not at the exact scene of the explosion. So relieve your face."

After the interview with my grandmother, I searched Internet to know more about the Hiroshima bomb explosion and its Korean victims. Later, I could found out that Korean victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb had protested for Japanese government for proper compensation for many years. However, due to the lack of attention, they could not be recognized and treated properly by our society and people. I was aware of Hiroshima bomb explosion since I had heard of it from many media. However, until now, I have not realized that the event had any relevance with me and my family. After the conversation with my grandmother, I felt guilty of my ignorance and indifference toward my grandmother and the Korean victims.

Han Gyul Kim/Chapter 5 final draft/Tues3-4

Interview at Café Wiro

201200909 Han Gyul Kim

 

"Would you like to have some coffee? I roasted Yirgacheffe coffee beans today. It tastes better after day or two, though."

Hee Su Park, the owner of Café Wiro, recommended the coffee of the day whenever I visited the café. He is a man in his thirties, who opened Wiro after quitting his job in one of the major companies of Korea. "Wiro means 'consolation' in Korean," he said, "it is what I want to give to my customers by a cup of coffee I brew."

Wiro is a small, cozy café located at the first floor of a small building. Two Dutch coffee makers are placed on the bookshelf beside the entrance. There are only four tables: three inside and one outside. Some paintings are hung on the wall and a small stereo is placed on the biggest table, playing classical music all the time. The owner is usually standing behind the bar where he makes drinks. Or sometimes, he is doing something sitting in front of the desk in a small space behind the bar. When I asked for an interview to him, he came to the table that I was sitting with a cup of Yirgacheffe coffee.

"I can see many paintings here, and as far as I know those paintings get replaced every month except the biggest one," I said. "For the biggest piece," he said, "an artist I personally like and know gave it as a present to celebrate the opening of the café. She visited a few times and drew it based on the atmosphere of my café." He explained that the calendars on the wall are also from his another painter friend. "Actually, I have been interested in art and culture almost as much as coffee since I was a kid. I had been a member of choir and theater when I was an undergraduate, and I still have the passion for those activities. So I have been thinking the way to relate my interest in coffee, art and culture, and to support to the indie art culture. If I could expand my business in the future, I would like to do some culture business. I'm thinking about planning performances or organizing a troupe." He was dreaming of expanding a café to make a stage in it. A couple weeks after the interview, there was a private exhibition of an indie painter at the café, just like he said. He said it was very satisfying not only because it was the first step for his goal, but also they donated the earnings to charity.

"I heard that you once worked in a big company. How did you come to open your own café?" He answered with a smile looks like he had a lot to tell, "Since long ago, I wanted to do something on my own, something like my own shop. So I started to think about what makes me happy and what I am good at, and came to an answer that coffee is the one that can satisfy both." Listening to that, I had to ask why he didn't start a café from the beginning but worked as an office worker. "Because there is more risk to fail when you start a business without any experiences," he said. So he worked for a company first to learn how to work and build up experiences. Also he thought the people's view toward an ex-worker at the major company would affect positive to him, which turned out to be true. He said it was an advice from his supervisor when he participated in an internship in school days. 

             "So obviously, it wasn't a difficult decision for me to quit my job," he replied as I asked him how he felt when he quitted his job. In fact, it was quite surprising to me because I couldn't imagine myself quitting a solid, high-paying job. "But the problem was my family." His voice was shaking a bit as he reflected the time his family was always worrying about him. "As I was preparing a wedding, I felt sorry for my wife, too." What made him so discouraged was that he couldn't talk to his family about the difficulties he was going through. He didn't want to make family's worry bigger.

"Weren't you worried about yourself? I think you would have had some uncertainty about your future," I asked. "Of course I went through all the worries and thoughts that you may have expected," he answered with a small laugh. He said he was worried whether he was doing right or not till lately. But he thought that it was the last chance he could do what he wants. "There were two choices; certain unhappiness and uncertain happiness. I chose the latter." For him, working for the company was something that caging him in a fixed routine.

He remembered the hard labors that he had done to open the café. It was surprising to know that he painted the shop by himself. "I had to make the wall smooth with sandpapers before painting it. I worked with plenty of dust. I almost cried, and really wanted to give up," he said. The lack of confidence about success made him suffer. Looking back those hard times, he now thinks that it was a worthy experience which helped him cut down the startup cost.

These days, he is teaching coffee to students in church and sometimes at his café when students come to do job experiencing. He said it is sad to hear students asking him whether he earns enough money for living. "I don't think money is everything about career and life, but it's hard to tell young students so. But that's what I try to say to young students when they visit here."

He didn't say the exact amount of the money he earns per month, but he implied that his income is not that big. His idea was that it is not right to wish or earn the big money without proper experiences and competence. He was looking 50 years ahead from now for his business. "I have a lot of time left to make financial success. I think what I have to do now is to find what I can give to people, to meet their needs."

When I said to him that I want to do my own business after graduation, he gave me a warning; although our society encourages the young to launch their own startups, it is not easy at all because the risk of failure is too huge and funding is difficult. "I hope our society to be a better place for youth to realize their dreams." 

Jang Sung Young/ Ch.5 final draft/ tues 11-1

An Honest Life

'An interview with my grandfather'

 

by Sung Young Jang

 

             The sun innocently shines its bright rays on a small farm village in Yecheon, as a young handsome teen strolls the empty streets. The thin boy struts slowly with his head down lost in thought. The whole village is eerily calm and quiet, with nobody to be seen. The boy holds on to his stomach as its sound ripples through the soundless air. Suddenly a loud BANG! The boy is no longer slow, as he hurries back home to where a woman is frantically looking for her son. Gun fires continue as men in green shout and run at each other.

 

             "The village was always quiet" said grandpa, "and we were always hungry." The Korean war had stripped this small farm village of not only its food and resources, but also its people. A lot of people had been killed, taken hostage, forced into the military, or just honestly lost. The place resembled a ghost town, with only a few people alive and everybody famished. "It was called a death town back then, at the time." said grandpa, "So much death... and from a single village." This is very surprising as the village I have always experienced is filled with life and people. It is hard to imagine something so tragic had happened to so peaceful a place.

 

 "It was then that I thought I had to do something. I had to save my home."

 

             My grandfather, Jang Iho, was born in the 1930s, a time in which Korea was still in Japanese imperial rule. Grandpa said that nothing was enough at the time, neither food nor luxuries were plentiful. "Tree barks were our main food source. We would strip the outer barks off of trees and bring the insides home with us. It was all boiled to be made soft so it was edible, but it was never enough. Hunger was just part of our lives. Then the war broke out."

 

             War is never good and there is never a good time for war, but the Korean war came at an especially bad time. Poverty and hunger had been common in Korea, and the war just worsened the situation. My grandfather and his family was not an exception. "Everybody was fleeing south, to get away from the clashes of war. Me and my family went all the way to Chungdo, where my grandfather barricaded a school to fend the North off. Many people died from bullets and hunger. Chungdo eventually fell to the North, and a lot of people died again. " My grandfather was only able to go back to his home after the army retaliated against the North. A place that had now turned into a death village. Things were much worse than they were a few years ago, the poverty, the hunger and the death. "Difficult times they were" grandfather said, "difficult times."

 

             Grandfather had always had a thing for farming and growing things. It was his passion to work with the earth, and one day go back into it. "After middle school I went to an agriculture high school. Even though I was a couple years older than my peers, I was never bothered. I was very lucky to be at such a school and I loved what I was learning. I was learning the skills and the knowledge that would help me rebuild the village, something I had sworn to do." At the time, going to high school was a very hard thing to do. It was an elite course, while a step lower than college, and it also needed a handsome amount of money. At the time grandfather was a very successful athlete, especially 400m running. After high school he was scouted to Kyeong-hee university as an athlete, but was never able to go. "My education had been funded by an uncle of mine, but he was not able to help me go to college." So, that was the unfortunate end of grandfather's education.

 

             "The fact that I was not able to continue my studies left me feeling weak and powerless. I spent the next few years wasting my life, playing with my friends until I was enrolled into the military." After his three years of military service, grandfather came out eager and passionate to do something. At this point in his life, he was given a choice, one of which would change his course of life. Great-grandfather had given grandfather an opportunity to work in the city hall of Seoul, a very good opportunity, different from living in a small town far south of the capital. At the same time grandfather was also offered the position of head of the village, something that was rarely given to somebody of his age. Grandfather was unsure of his decision, but eventually chose to remain and become head of the village. "My old passion and decision of rebuilding my home and village stuck to my heart and I could not ignore it."

 

             At this point out of curiosity, I asked him whether he regrets this decision he made so long ago. Grandfather's eyes looked at me firmly and said that he regrets it deeply. Then he told me something that he has always remembered to this day, something his father had told him when he decided to become the village head. "That position, in Seoul, is not there for you. It does not wait for you. Why should it? Who do you think you are? Grasp the opportunity while you still can." Then I asked him, "What about your passion? Rebuilding the village? It was important. It was noble. You did not make the wrong decision, you followed your heart. Isn't that what matters? Doing what you want?" Grandfather shook his head firmly. "No, Sung Young, no. I was a fool, driven by a thought that I believed to be so important. I was blinded by it... unable to see further. "

 

             Grandfather maybe disappointed by his decision he made at a young age, 29 to be exact, but he did his duties as town head with great success. He was head of the town for 12 years, until 1981. The village that had once been a village of death had become a village that was famous for its prosperity. Grandfather had done what he had once sworn to do, rebuild his home and village. After he gave the position of head to another person he was reappointed as head of the village again in 1984 because the other people wanted him to do it once more. He did the job once again with passion and left many of his own marks in the village. One thing was that he made the village hall that connected all of the village people and made a place for everybody to come together. "I did many things with the village people and I am proud of what I did as village head" grandfather said, "but I had had enough, and gave up the position in 1988. It was time to move on."

 

             The impression I got from grandfather during the interview was that he was always eager to do something, and was actually always doing something. It's a trait in the family I believe. My father is just like that, and so am I. Grandfather moved on to become chairman of the board for the Saemaeul finance firm in the region, and soon became a board member of the National Agricultural Cooperative Firm. All the time grandfather never let go of his passion in farming, and for his eagerness to serve his village. This passion led him to become a senator for the district, his final position. If you think about it, his whole life, all of the things great and poor he did, came from the single decision he made as a fellow of 29.

 

             Finishing his life story grandfather looked at me with the same firm eyes again. "As you can see Sung Young, life is filled with choices that you must make. Decisions will direct your life from one place to another. Making choices is inevitable, making the right ones is what is important. There is a saying in Korea that I strongly believe to be true; a person has three opportunities in his life. I had my three opportunities, maybe more, and I regret three choices that I made. The first being not going to Seoul city hall at 29, second being wasting my life before enrolling into the military, and third becoming a member of the district senate rather than president of the National Agricultural Cooperative Firm(another option he did not take). " At this I asked him, "If you could go back to one moment in your past, what would you change?" Grandfather answered without hesitation, "Becoming senator. Politics was never my thing. The lies were very uncomfortable." This actually surprised me because I thought he would choose to go to Seoul city hall. It would have changed his whole life, but the next question answered my curiosity. "Then grandfather, what are you most proud of?" Grandfather answered again without hesitation, and with pride in his voice. "Of being honest all my life. Even though I have nothing expensive to show for, I was always honest in my life. An old teacher of mine told me once that pursuing riches makes a person inhumane, and I guess I can say that I have lived by those words."

 

             Although grandfather regrets his decision of staying in his hometown, he is also proud of all the things he achieved there, and of how honest he had lived. Being a senator, which is rarely an honest job, had been a fault in his honest life, which made him want to change that choice the most.

 

             On my last question I asked grandfather what his plans were for the rest of his life. Grandfather said, "I have no more plans. Just to live peacefully until I go back to the dirt, just as I had planned so long ago." Maybe he does not have any more plans, but I believe his enthusiasm, his passion, and his dedication is not yet over. I believe he still has quite some time in his hands left, and his eagerness will lead him once more into a pool of decisions. I just hope he makes the right ones.

 

             I believe I inherited my grandfather's passion and eagerness, and I am proud of how it drives me to do as much as possible in the limited time I have. However, it also makes me careful, knowing that one decision may change my life. In the end of our interview grandfather asked me if I remember our family motto. I answered "To do my best in what I do." Grandfather nodded and said, "It is important to be acknowledged by society, Sung Young, and by acknowledgement I mean you must become trusted. Your words must become a stamp. What you say must be certified to be true, and to do that you must live an honest life. I hope you never forget that." I nodded at these words and deep down I knew, that these words were true.