110 Biweekly Journal #7

[Seokjoon Han]

During these weeks, I have been practicing Korean a little than usual just because work from other classes is becoming more intense. However, I am kind of glad that I can learn Korean through enjoyable mediums such as watching Korean dramas and listening to Korean music. I started binging on a Korean drama show called Reply 1988. However, the outcome of the show has really disappointed me. Like most Korean dramas, Reply 1988 has lots of romantic components. The main character Dosak, is a teenage girl that lives in the same neighborhood as her group of friends who are all guys. Two of the guys that are in her friend group eventually develop a crush on her, but sadly the guy that I was rooting for Jungwhan does not get the girl. Besides that, the show helps to visualize what life was like in South Korea during the late 80s and early 90s as a highschooler. This is cool because my mother was born in Korea in 1974 so it is like seeing the environment where she grew up. It was interesting to see how competitive academics were in Korea even around fifty years ago. The drama also highlights income inequality among Korean families. This show helped me feel gratitude towards my mom as she decided to immigrate our whole family to America for better opportunities for me and my brother. During one of our weekly sessions, Somyung and I talked about the plot developments in Reply 1988. I told her about my disappointment and anger at the directors of the show because they played my boy, Jungwhan. She understood my opinion but did not have the strong feelings I did. Tommy also told me that his mom also grew up during the late 80s and early 90s in Korea. In fact, Reply 1988 is Tommy’s mom’s favorite show because she gets very nostalgic when watching it. Apparently, Reply 1988 is a part of the Reply series. The Reply series seems to focus on a decade and includes real historical events that happened during that span of time. This is a very cool concept and so maybe I will check out the other Reply shows during my winter break to maintain my Korean listening skills. Tommy and Somyung and I talked about our plans for winter break because it was drawing near. They both reminded me that they are going to be on campus for Thanksgiving break. I also called my mother over the phone to practice speaking in Korean. We just caught up on our lives, and she told me that she is excited to see me again. She also told me that it has been getting really cold in Ohio. I am not excited about that. I also got to go to my Korean friend’s house this week and eat some Korean food. Ephraim’s mom is a pretty good cook. She made us some Kimchi stew with ramen in it. She also made some Bulgogi which reminds me of my mom’s cooking. I still think my mother is a better cook!