Don't tell me you didn't see this coming... Okay, maybe you didn't

This is one of those really important, epic-times-to-come posts. If you care at all about my life, if you only read one of my worthless blog posts, this should be the one.

Ready?

This girl is going to Korea!!!!

For those of you who want to know (and this is almost every person so far) I'm going to SOUTH Korea, not North.  I thought that was an easy one, but I have no trouble clarifying for those who may get confused.

Explanation:
Back in other posts, I may have mentioned my discovery of Korean culture. (Just a tiny bit... or maybe more than that.) At any rate, the short version of the beginning of this long story is that I walked in on my sisters watching a Korean drama (hereafter referred to as a Kdrama) and sat down to watch a few minutes because I had the time. Life changing moment (thank you sisters).

Let's go back a bit.

You also may know that after I left the folk dance program at BYU, I was a little bit lost, okay a lot bit lost as to what I was going to do next. Folk dance was THE reason that I came to BYU. So it took me a semester to work out what I was supposed to be doing, what The Lord wanted me to do.  Not an easy thing by any stretch of the imagination (and I happen to have a pretty stretchy one- just ask those who have read my thrice-written, never finished novel). The first step in this transformation was finding a new major... again. I know. Believe me, I know. So after spending some time with a counselor, and talking with a good friend, I discovered the awesomeness that is the Geography department. And, after jumping through some hoops, I became a Global Studies major. Woot. First good decision. But I still missed folk dance. In fact, I think it's safe to say that taking all these classes about the world and culture made me miss folk dance even more. But I promised myself that after fall semester was over, I would move on. I would not be sad anymore about things that I couldn't change.
It wasn't that smooth of a transition, but I sure gave it my all.
It was a little way into winter semester that the Kdrama thing occurred. One Kdrama. "Lie to Me" was a fun, uplifting, CLEAN show. I wasn't new to the world of subtitles, having already been an avid fan of Bollywood, so it wasn't that hard for me to enjoy the overly dramatic, heart wrenching, depressing, laugh-out-loud cheesy stickiness that comes with just about every Kdrama.
Next for me came the language. I have always had a bit of a talent when it comes to movie quotes and intonation... My sisters make me quote Pirates of the Caribbean just so they can laugh at me... Anywho... I began to really LISTEN to the words and what those sounds implied. And then I decided that I wanted to learn Korean.
So I started teaching myself. The alphabet, how to put words together, making shot sentences like "우유요." (Translation: "It's milk.") And then listening and learning vocabulary words. But it was never enough. I felt like I was missing out on some aspect that was vital to my learning experience. So I decided to sign up for a class that fall semester. Another really good decision.
I almost forgot to mention K-Pop in this ever-so important post. Have you heard Gangnam Style? Did you know that Gangnam Style is a Korean song? News people: Gangnam Style isn't even close to being a good representation of what K-Pop REALLY is! It's a fun song. But there is so. Much. Better. out there! Expand your horizons! Start with this: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU. Or this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dww9UjJ4Dt8

Okay stop. Before you start the harsh criticism, I just want to remind you that it is a completely different culture there. Completely different. As different as tribes in Africa that walk around half naked or with piercings that cover their entire bodies. There is no need to mock their obvious femininity. They have a different idea of what is beautiful. This is CULTURE. This is what I am studying. Keep an open mind and appreciate. You don't have to agree or become a fan, but you do have to appreciate.

Off my soap box.

You are probably thinking at this point, "This is all very well, Christina, but how did you get to actually going to Korea?"
Back in April, I happened to see a sign for a study abroad to India. Yes, India. What do India and Korea have in common? They are both in Asia! I know this is pretty crazy. Believe me, the story is even crazier! So... April. I didn't think much beyond, 'I should sign up for that.' I didn't really think I would get accepted. I assumed that they would want me to graduate. But a week later, I got my acceptance email. I was excited. It was something for me to look forward to. Unfortunately, it was also for into the future. A few months shy of a year and that gave me plenty of time to worry and wonder. But I was determined to step outside my bubble. So I put $1000 down toward securing my spot. I had a talk with my friend at work who was all about support and bolstered me up. Despite what everyone was saying about India, it would be a good experience. And I was dedicated to it. But then...
Fall semester came and I was ready for it. I had classes that I was hoping to enjoy and a study abroad to look forward to. Sometime at the end of September, my dad walks up to me and asks, "Christina, can we talk about your study abroad?" I said, "Sho, Daddy. What do you want to talk about?" And he said, "Can we talk about you going someplace else?"
Boom.
He proceeded to explain that he just hadn't been feeling good about it. I was upset mostly. I didn't understand why he couldn't just support me. That night as I was going to bed, I said an upset prayer to Heavenly Father, asking why my dad couldn't just believe in me for once. Boy, does Heavenly Father answer prayers.
The next morning, I woke up with an uneasy feeling. It was the same feeling that had been haunting me on and off for the past several months. This time, I followed it instead of squashing it. It led me to the Kennedy Center. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to walk in and just explain my situation and see what my options were. The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was a flyer for a brand new study abroad to South Korea. And in that moment, it was as though Heavenly Father was whispering in my ear that He has a plan. And I was reminded that fathers can receive inspiration for their families. I will be forever grateful that my daddy followed that prompting that he had. Not that BYU would ever take students someplace unsafe, but that this path is the right one for me.
A secretary listened to my situation and happily explained that it would be a simple process to change programs but that the $1000 was nonrefundable. But I didn't want it refunded, I just wanted it transferred! I took my problem all the way to the top. I started by emailing the student accounts manager and waited. When he didn't get back to me, I went to his office and he told me I had to go see someone else. Eventually, I ended up at the director of all study abroads' office. He knew who I was and began to look some things up on his computer, while I explained my situation to him. At last he said that transferring the $1000 shouldn't be a problem.
So I filled out the application for South Korea. It got quite sticky for a while because I was still enrolled in India, so nothing would happen to my money because I cancelled all of a sudden. But then I started getting emails from the director of India. So I eloquently told him my problem and he proceeded to lecture me on how India is a very time-intensive program and if I wasn't ever dedicated to it, I shouldn't have signed up and I might as well just cancel right away. Ouch. Needless to say (after he called my parents), I knew that I wasn't going to India, even if I didn't make it into the Korea program.
It took a long time for me to find out that I was for sure going. In fact, it was just yesterday. I got an email from the student facilitator asking me to come to an information meeting. Naturally, he told me and a friend the wrong room so we had to wait for 30 minutes... but we got there.
and then it was official. I am going to South Korea in May.

Pause.

It still gives me shivers.

...

Freak out complete.

I'm going to go all ecumenically philosophical now. If you don't want to hear about it, you've read all you really need to. :) (Mindy joke)

I have never had a BIG dream. My dreams have always been pretty rational because I am, for the most part, a sensible being. My biggest dream was coming to BYU to be on the folk dance touring team and that wasn't even fully realized. One thing I've learned, with help from a friend, is that it is okay to dream big. Even if someone tells you that it's never going to happen, dream it anyway! This realization led me to another self-discovery. Deep breath. I am so glad that I'm not married. There, I said it. It's a funny thing to consciously realize. I really am glad. Here's why.
There is so much in this world that I haven't done that I want to do. There was a time in my life when I wanted nothing more than to find a great guy and settle down, but I'm glad that didn't happen. Heavenly Father has a big plan in store for me, so big that he pretty much flipped my world over. Seriously. If I had been able to look at what my life is like today, two years ago, I wouldn't have believed it was true.
I think as human beings, especially in this day and age, we are so accustomed to getting what we want when we want it. Immediate satisfaction. The past year and a half has taught me to trust in His plan. Not just to trust, but to rely wholly on Him. An old roommate taught me that if He closes off one thing, it means that He has something much better in store for you. And I believe that. I know it. Because if He hadn't led me away from folk dance, I never would have found Korean and I wouldn't have this big dream for my future. A plan for my future. Something I have never had before. I honestly never imagined my life past college. And now I have. I know what I want to do. But that's for another post.

We are so silly. Time and time again, we get frustrated with God. We blame Him and think He doesn't care about us, about what we want. He probably just shakes His head and murmurs, "I care more than you know which is why I'm doing this." He knows what is best and we should, by this point in our lives, understand and accept that. Have faith that He is steering you down the right path, to your ultimate destination. Take a moment and look back on your life. Think about some of the things you wanted. Would you be where you are now if Heavenly Father hadn't given you nudges in other directions? Maybe you were lucky and your plan matched up pretty well with His. Lucky you

I am living proof that Heavenly Father cares and will guide us to where we are meant to go. He's had to push me pretty hard sometimes. It hurts. It can be the worst, but ultimately it will be the best.

Protect the Boss... or the One I Skipped

From left to right: Ice Cream, Jerk Face, Idiot Heroine, Cute Boy

So let's be honest about this one. It has a fun preface. I actually watched it before I watched Boys Over Flowers. But here's where it gets a bit... ahem. We'll get back to that.

Cast:

Choi Kang Hee as Noh Eun Seol (aka our tough and fun-loving heroine who is struggling to find a job-- who isn't?)

Ji Sung as Cha Ji Heon (aka stupid male protagonist who is immature, rude, pretentious, rich, spoiled... you get the idea)

Kim Jae Joong as Cha Mu Won (aka the really nice guy who the heroine should fall for, but is an idiot and does not so...)

Whoops. Did I just ruin it for you?

Note: I did not finish this drama. And here is why:

Some of you that know me... may know that I get tied emotionally to things and K-Dramas are no exception. So when I started seeing the signs that Eun Seol was falling for Ji Heon, I backed out quick. I waited for Mu Won to put up a bit of a fight, but I knew that it was useless in the end, poor boy.

Here's the storyline:

Ji Heon is super duper immature but due to his connections, he is a director at a big company. (Connections= his dad is the chairman) Eun Seol, who had some behavior problems in high school, has since matured and is job hunting. Unfortunately, she can't seem to catch a break. By some mistake, she is granted an interview at this big company. Cha Mu Won (Ji Heon's cousin) is also a director at the company, but he is the opposite of Ji Heon. He is mature and hard working (and sweet as opposed to sour)... gives Eun Seol a chance when no one else will after she gives him a piece of her mind. She is assigned to Ji Heon and, not wanting to be fired, puts up with a lot from him.

Naturally, both men start falling for her....

You'll have to watch the rest to find out what happens. Really. Because I couldn't stand the idiocy of it all. :)

Rating: 5.5 and this is only for Jaejoong, cute thing. :)

Boys Over Flowers... or the one where I fell in love

When my sister first told me about Boys Over Flowers, I was a bit skeptical. I mean really... a high school for rich kids where the four top students call themselves F4 and go around torturing the poor kids? What is that all about? I say to all you skeptics now: Wait and see.

Cast:

Ku Hye Sun as Geum Jan Di (aka strong female lead)

Lee Min  Ho as Goo Jun Pyo (aka rude jerky protagonist)

Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo (aka awesome, amazing, spectacular, sweet, thoughtful co-star)

Kim Bum as So Yi Jung (aka Casanova)

Kim Joon as Song Woo Bin (aka Don Juan)

Kim So Eun as Chu Ga Eul (aka best friend)

Plot:

I guess that I should start out with a bit of an explanation. Welcome to ShinHwa High School, school for the rich only, ruled by the mysterious F4 (F standing for 'Flower', meaning pretty boy). Things happen. Geum Jan Di, who is the daughter of a dry cleaner, ends up being given a scholarship to ShinHwa. Due to her strong personality, she ends up butting heads with Goo Jun Pyo and he declares her an outcast. Because of that, she is tormented at school without much relief. Only Ji Hoo helps her and he certainly does it in a roundabout way. However, it is the first scene that really makes the difference. You can watch the whole thing, but at this moment I would recommend only the first 5ish minutes.

Hee. When I first saw this, I remember smiling stupidly just like Jan Di does as she walks away from him. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty boy who plays the violin. And the guitar. And the piano... :)

The hair... it grows on you. Seriously. Not just literally. 

Of course Goo Jun Pyo finds her defiance attractive and feels like anything he wants, he can have. So he gets pushy. And of course that leads to other things, but I shan't spoil the entire show for you here. Suffice it to say, I can't stand Lee Min Ho and his "Aish!"

Suffice it to say, Kim Hyun Joong is the shining star in this show. :) Aww... I'm blushing.

Rating: 9.5 Watch it and you'll understand, in the end, why I docked it half a point. 

The Secret Garden

One of the more popular Korean dramas, Secret Garden came second on my list. I don't know how it happened, I wasn't particularly drawn to it, I just started and didn't stop until it was over. :)
Our two main characters are: Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im and Hyun Bin as Kim Joo Won.

The story line is fun if a lot unbelievable. Gil Ra Im is a movie stunt woman and she has some pretty sweet moves. Kim Joo Won is the CEO of a large company and a total jerk. By chance, he mistakes Gil Ra Im for a popular actress which is how they meet. She, naturally, thinks he's a good for nothing son of a gun which oddly attracts him to her. Through a bicycle incident, a mysterious restaurant in the middle of the woods, and bottles of liquid that should probably read: "WARNING: this looks bad for your health. This IS bad for your health. Do not drink.", the two switch bodies. And that's where the hilarity of it comes in.

Hyun Bin does a fantastic job as Gil Ra Im. That's why it's so enjoyable. I'm not saying that Ha Ji Won does a bad job, merely that Hyun Bin does better. But then, it's easier for a guy to overplay being a girl for the most part. Anyhow.... funny.

RATING: 7

The best part about this drama, for me, was when they had switched souls. It got a tad bit long, but still thoroughly enjoyable the whole way through. Both main characters did a fantastic job.

Next up: Boys Over Flowers/ Boys Before Flowers

LIE TO ME or... where it all began

As promised, I am starting my long list. I hope you're open-minded aka... ya'll ready for this?

It started with Lie to Me, starring:

Yoon Eun Hye (aka the Korean Amanda Bynes)

and....

Kang Ji Hwan (I thought he was the most attractive thing I had ever seen... I should have waited to make a statement like that)

Storyline:

It's a pretty involved beginning and, I will admit, the first episode was a bit rough  to get into. But at the time when I started the show, I had already watched episode 8 with my sisters so I had a little bit of insight into what I was getting into. Awesomeness!

The show starts off with the hero: Hyun Ki Joon. (My sisters and I had a running joke about calling him "Hunky Joon" :) Anywho, he owns a massive hotel and right off you can kinda tell that he's OCD. He has a particular thing with buttons being undone. I digress. You eventually find out that he's searching for his younger brother who let the country a while back because of some reason... which ends up being a girl, of course. I shall leave the rest of that to your viewing. No, I shant say another word.
Our heroine is the lovely Gong Ah Jung, also known as "Ah Jung-ahhhhh". (That will make sense to you later. :) She works for the government and after a mishap at an important event, she's feeling a little bit... undervalued. She goes to a club to get drunk and write her resignation letter on a napkin which is where she meets... nope, not the hero. She meets the hero's younger brother, Sang Hee. Sang Hee is a bit bored and he finds Ah Jung's drunken rants to be a bit amusing. Unfortunately for him, Ki Joon finds out that he's back in Korea and at the club and comes to crash the party. Sang Hee steals Ah Jung's resignation napkin and takes off. As both Ki Joon and Ah Jung follow him, they end up meeting and Ah Jung, due to a bee sting (yeah, I know) and her excessive drinking, collapses. Realizing that this crazy woman might just know something about his brother, Ki Joon takes her to the hospital and waits all night for her to wake up so he can ask her. She ends up knowing nothing and he feels bothered but she wants to repay him for her hospital bill. It doesn't end well. She's mad, he's mad. They part. The end. Or... not.

The other side to this story is in Ah Jung's past. In college she was madly in love with one of her school mates. She felt sure that if she passed her exam to work for the government, that he would notice her as more than just a study buddy and they could get married. Unfortunately, while she was doing all of her studying, her witch of a best friend ended up seducing and getting engaged to said man. End of friendship.
Back to present: Ah Jung is at a salon, getting her hair done when witchy ex-best friend AND husband (aka Ah Jung's first love) come in together. Ex-best friend proceeds to make Ah Jung feel terrible by saying "oh, you're not married yet? Well, that's all right. Not just anyone can get married, etc. etc. etc." At that moment, Ah Jung's phone rings. It's a sales recording, but Ah Jung pretends that it's her honey ("yahbo") just so that she can wipe the smirk off of the witch's face. It works.

And THIS is where the REAL story begins.

Through a series of unfortunate events (I suppose not so unfortunate), Hunky Joon is mistaken for Ah Jung's husband. The rest is for you to watch and find out. Hee hee. You will die laughing.

RATING: 9

On my scale of 1 to 10, when I first watched it, I rated it as a 10. I now rate it as a 9, simply because I have seen better, but not many... :)

Up next: Secret Garden

When you think He doesn't care, He showers you with LOVE

I'm sure many people have had similar experiences... life gets hard, sometimes really hard. And then some miracle occurs that turns your life around (or perhaps just your perspective). And we're so grateful and we thank Him every night in our prayers and promise to remember all that He has done for us. And sometimes we do. And... sometimes we don't.
As I'm sure many of you know, the past year has not been the easiest for me. There were a couple of times when I looked to the sky and said, "Heavenly Father, I'm trying really hard to understand why all this is happening to me. I'm trying to see it as a blessing but really, isn't this a bit too much?" Things just kept going wrong. Even as my life slowly started to improve and I didn't feel like laying in bed with a bag of almond M&Ms every day, there were still problems, things that I had to deal with. I got pretty frustrated.
And then, one after another, two miracles happened.
1) My sisters discovered Korean culture in the form of a tv show. I mentioned it here. (Go reread or read for the first time, or completely ignore- whatever suits you best.) I wasn't terribly interested at first... I mean, I've been a fan of Bollywood movies for several years and this seemed fairly similar to that so I wasn't against them. After some persuasion on my sisters' part, I sat and watched an episode. Two words. Life. Changing. I should probably dedicate an entire post to this. And I will. Once I finish my 12 page persuasive writing research paper. Ha. For now we'll just say that it started me down a major path. One that I never imagined or expected. Enough said on that for now. TBC later.
2) Acceptance into the India Study Abroad for Winter 2013. First thing people say when they hear that. "Wow." Second thing: "Why India?" I'm going to say it now and only once, so pay attention. I have no idea why India. It was pretty much a whim. I saw a big poster in the SWKT one day while walking to class and I figured that I didn't have much to lose. I applied, doubting that I would get into the program. I was sure they'd want me to focus on completing my degree so I could graduate. But somehow I was accepted. And then it was a great battle within myself. Should I be focusing on graduating or should I actually go to India? And what about the money? Thousands of dollars don't just materialize. And there were things that I wanted to do that I wouldn't be able to do if I did go to India. And then people started suggesting that I go someplace else. India is so very far away. Four months is a long time. It's not a clean place. It's so different there.... things like this. And even though I didn't want to, I started to get nervous. It took me a while to talk myself down. I kept telling myself that I needed to try something different. Stepping out of my bubble and into the real world would help me grow by leaps and bounds. I'm not a weak person; I can handle reality. But money was still an issue, as it usually is. So I went to the temple. The irony of it was that it was probably the shortest amount of time that I'd ever spent in the temple, but I still got my answer. I didn't know how, exactly, but I knew that everything was going to be all right. So I put my trust in the Spirit and pushed forward, putting down the payment to secure my spot and beginning the preparations. Despite the fact that I still didn't know how I was going to come up with the money for the trip, I didn't worry. I knew that He would provide me with the answer at the right time.
Two months ago, I received a grant from the government. Oh, what a blessing! It wouldn't cover the whole fee, but it would certainly help.
About a month ago, my mom told me to go to this Veterans Affairs website and fill out this form and submit it for a little financial aid. Thursday I received a letter saying that I my application had been accepted and I would be receiving the aid. According to my papa, $900 a month for up to 45 months. When I saw that, a huge weight lifted off my chest and I literally felt His love and I could feel Him saying, 'Yes, Christina, I do love you and I am looking after you.' I am so blessed to have a loving Father in Heaven who takes such good care of me despite all of the silly things that I do. He loves me unconditionally and He gives me great opportunities to grow and to experience incredible things. That is the beauty of this life.

Brave or My Very Own Disney Princess

The current Disney Princesses

Here's a little bit of info on a random part of my growing up years. I never had a Disney Princess that I thought of as "mine". I loved them all for different reasons but I never truly connected with one specific princess. I admired Jasmine for her spunk, Snow White for her graceful sweetness, Sleeping Beauty/Aurora for her innocence, Cinderella for her ability to forgive, Pocahontas for her courage, Belle for her acceptance, Ariel for her perseverance, Mulan for her resolve, Tiana for her dreams, and Rapunzel for her understanding. But never did just one jump out at me. (Okay, maybe Rapunzel did, but it wasn't exactly the same. She wasn't 'my' princess).
And then, at the midnight preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (AWESOME!) I saw a poster. There wasn't much to it; it looked like a deep green forest with a red blob in the middle. Upon closer examination, I discovered the blob to be a head of red curly hair. And something sparked. My friend Mikey, who I was seeing the movie with, pulled up the preview for the movie on his laptop. There still wasn't much to it, but I was intrigued and I kept thinking back to that red-headed girl despite the fact that I had no idea what the movie was even about.

Okay so it's not as foresty as I remember

And then an extended preview came out. And it was EPIC!!!! See here.

And I got all these bubbles in my stomach. This was someone who I could relate to. And it wasn't just the hair. It was the heritage and the "I want to let my hair flow in the wind as I ride through the glen, shooting arrows into the sunset" and being brave enough to change my own fate. 

And I finally saw it yesterday with all of my princess friends. Merida is my hero. She is my princess. The movie was everything that I wanted it to be and more. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it for you so GO SEE IT! But it fills my heart with so much happiness and excitement. And now I feel as though my childhood dreams are complete because I have my very own Disney princess.

Be Brave. Change your own Fate.