1. Lots of stuff is made in Korea, most notably the car I now drive, a Kia. A fine, stylin' ride, to be sure. Hey, it ain't much but it's paid for and it's mine and I'm glad to have wheels. Many things I like are made in Korea, like Samsung products (that would include my last three cell phones, three TVs, a DVD player and my external CD/DVD drive for my PC).
2. My uncle fought in the Korean War. Another man also fought there. He married a Korean woman there and they made one of the best things to come out of Korea, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Lisa.
3. Lisa and I have two separate matching tattoos. It will be a part of me forever because of Korea.
4. Lisa taught me about Kimchee and Korean food, which I still love. There is nothing like Bi Bim Bap on a cold day, for breakfast luch OR dinner. Hue Dup Bap is my favorite thing to eat on Earth.
5. I went to high school with a Korean girl named [bitchface]. She was nasty to me in school, but I didn't hate her because she was Korean, I hated her because she was mean. She was rude and called me names and had a shitty attitude.
6. I had a crush on a guy in high school. 17 years after we ate lunch together every day in school, he hunted me down on Myspace and pursued me romantically, professing his undying love. We planned to buy a house, get married, and spend our lives together. Since we went to the same high school, we discussed former classmates and had fun looking them up on Myspace. One of the people who found us was the erstwhile [bitchface], who, as it turned out, had had a math class with my love. Four months later, he dumped me by email...for her! A year later, they got married. I really hate [bitchface]. But, he cheated on me with her, he cheated on his previous girlfriend with me, and he cheated on that girl too, so no doubt he will cheat on Mrs. Bitcface as well. I still fail to comprehend how he could have liked two women who are so different. However, the one good thing about [bitchface] is that she saved me from winding up married to that asshole. Apparently, they have been happy together this whole time, so good on them. What can I say? My life turned out pretty fucking awesome, so I have no regrets. But, when I think about how he dumped me by email out of the blue with no explanation, I remember vividly how much it hurt, and the fact that my rival was someone with whom I had unpleasant experiences just added insult to injury.
7. So I threw myself into my work and I got promoted to a new ship that wound up going...to Korea. Pusan, to be precise. It was a great cultural experience and the Korean people were very nice. I was heartbroken for a long time and remained single for a long time.
8. I found solace, eventually, once I came back to Texas. In the arms of a very nice man who had recently moved back to the US from...Korea, of all places, where he lived for 10 years. Which he left because he finally ended it with...a Korean woman. We were both former ex-pats reassimilating to the US, and we consoled each other with Dr. Pepper, cigarrettes, tears, and a little lovin'. I decided to leave the US again, whereas he stayed in Austin.
9. I wound up dating a guy named Michael. I would not have had the pleasure of knowing him at all were it not for his divorce. Michael's ex-wife is Korean.
10. I love Korea, its people, and its culture. Nothing but good has come out of it for me. Including my first date with Michael, which happened at a Korean restaurant (Blue Ginger, in Kirkland). That was a magical night and a great first date story.
11. So I left the job of my dreams to move to a new city where I don't know anyone just so I can pursue a relationship with Michael. He travels for a living, and I didn't completely change my life so I could never see him because he's on the road all the time. So, I got a job doing what he does...as a sales rep, for a company whose products are manufactured where? That's right...Korea.
12. Korea also produced one of the first female friends I made in the place I moved to.
13. We like to watch comedy on TV. My favorite comedienne is Margaret Cho, who happens to be Korean, as is Esther Ku, two funny ladies.
14. It didn't work out for us; Michael and I split. He eventually got married to someone else, and his wife is... Korean!
15. I eventually married the guy from #8. You can read all about that debacle elsewhere in this blog.
16. I was lying in bed one night just thinking about how many intersections I have with Korean things and people, and I thought, well you can find connections like that anywhere if you look. So I started really thinking about how other countries might have affected me. I couldn't come up with more than three or four things about any other country. Instead, I wound up finding yet another connection I have to Korea: The most commonly practiced religion in Korea is Mahayana Buddhism. If I were forced to select a religion to align with, it would have to be Buddhism or Judaism. I've studied vipassana mediation and there are many Buddhist principles that resonate with me.
So there. 16 intersections or associations seem like a lot to me, and several of these intersections were quite profound in my life.
To Korea and all its people, I say thank you.
Who you are makes a difference to me.
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