Live my life in Korea Podcast

Episode 15 2019/11/12 - A French girl living in Korea

"Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982" Review

Released on October 23 of this year, “Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982” is the movie adaptation of the best-seller of the same name written by Jo Nam-Joo. This movie directed by Kim Do-Young features several episodes of discrimination that Ji-Young faces as a daughter, as a young mom, and as a women in the patriarchal Korean society. In order to raise her daughter, she has quit the job that she loved and had studied for, and she is now living a more than ordinary life as a stay-at-home mom. Her name “Kim Ji-Young”, that is extremely common for women of her age, illustrates her situation that is anchored way too much in the norms.

Although making an adaptation of such a controversial book was a pure challenge given all the venomous critics that the book had received, the director did it with flying colours.

Kim Ji-Young faces discrimination after her pregnancy. She has to deal with discrimination inside her own family due to her mother-in-law who doesn’t allow her to go back to work and her father adoring her brother just because he is a male. She also suffers from social pressure during national holidays when she has to cook for hours for all the family while the men are only watching TV or chitchatting between them. All those subjects need to be talked about. She is sadly the Korean woman of today, but will she be the one of tomorrow? Thanks to the release of this movie the vivid discussions and debates that have already taken place when the book came out have been revived. It is by talking about the problems that things can change.

Just like in any other adaptation, some episodes of the struggles she has to face have been waved aside because it is too difficult in two hours to put on screen all of what the novelist wrote.

There is nothing really shocking nor surprising at the end of the movie, so we end up questioning ourselves. Korea is changing so fast in so many ways, for better and for worse. Is there a hope for a rapid change in the fast changing Korean Society? Several personalities have given public support to the book such as Girls’ Generation’s Choi Soo-Young and Irene of Red Velvet, and they have been attacked and cyberbullied for that. Some anti-feminists announced that they would boycott the film but the movie has already made way more than 1 million entries. By closing their eyes, the situation will not get better in any way for anyone. People have to open their eyes and open them wide to get through it. But is Korea ready for the change?

To watch the teaser click here.

★★★★★

DREAM IT REAL: ERROR 404

When the man told her that she was a month too old to go to Japan to study in an international program, Manon experienced the biggest deception of her life.

In 2015, when Manon was still studying in high school, her family welcomed a Japanese student named Shiori for 10 months as part of an AFS intercultural experience (click here if you want to know more about it!). Everything went extremely well and it gave Manon the hope that she could also go in a Japanese high school for a year.

She dreamed about how her life could be there, and was picturing this dream in her head thanks to the numerous stories that her Japanese sister would tell her.

After many researches, she found out that there was a limited age to go and realised that it might not be possible for her to experience a year abroad. Her Japanese sister helped her a lot by sending emails to the association but at the association meeting, an organizer finally told her to give up this destination. 

“It felt like my dream went to Neverland”

When they came back home, Manon and Shiori cried a lot. “It felt like my dream went to Neverland”, she told us. “Shiori was crying with me, like it was her fault if I couldn’t go, or like if she was the one that had got a refusal.”

They tried by several other means to find a solution, but it was either too expensive or too late. Already interested in Korea at that time, going there was still an option for Manon but because of the stressful high school life in Korea, her parents didn’t allow her to go.

“Looking back at it, I think it was for the best”

She stayed in France and studied for her high school diploma. It wasn’t easy because she was passionate by languages but had to study maths and chemistry that she was really bad at. Thanks to her hard work and the support of her parents, she managed to graduate high school with mention and got accepted in the university where she wanted to go, a university with courses that would allow her to study both Japanese and Korean at the same time. Thanks to the partnership of this university and the huge help of Mrs. Smith, the teacher in charge of the bachelor and thanks to Mrs. Chabal, her Korean teacher, she is now studying in a Korean university in Seoul, living her best life.

“I met beautiful people in my University in France and that would not have been possible if I had been a year abroad during high school. I felt bad at that time but looking back at it, I think it was for the best. If I couldn’t go despite my efforts, I think that it was not meant to be. Maybe I wasn’t ready. Now that I’m here, I think that Campus Life is the best experience that I could have got. I’m now studying abroad, my dream came true.”

Setting : Manon, France and Korea, 2015 and today.

Problem : She wants to go study abroad in highschool in Japan but it is impossible.

Solution : She works hard, graduates high school, chooses a university that allows her to study both Korean and Japanese. She’s now in a Korean University living her best life.

Moral : Never give up. Working hard and searching for opportunities is key. If something is still impossible after you really gave your best it was not meant to be.  

Fun-tastic French students give away Free Food at Festival

Sungshin Women’s University, Sujeong Campus, Seoul, that is where you should have been yesterday if you are fond of free food. On September 24^th from 12am to 3pm, the five best French students coming from Le Havre, France, ran a booth named “La Vie en Rose” for the University festival. In exchange of correct answers to some questions, you could be gifted a crêpe with strawberry jam, a little french flag or an Eiffel Tour pop-up card.
After hours of preparation consisting of meticulous cutting, delicate painting, and with some crêpes sticking to the ceiling of their dormitory, the French exchange students were finally ready. The ascension of the Sungshin Women’s University hill was the last obstacle to reach the stand they worked for. After a shy beginning, the interest for the booth suddenly rose. Was the “free food” written on a white board responsible of this immediate attention? Probably.
From 50 to 100 lucky people had the chance to win some presents. “Some questions were a bit difficult but I guess I managed to get enough good answers since I got a crêpe.” joyfully said Junghwa, a student of the University.
How do we say Hello in France? Who is the current president of France? Do French people wear berets and eat bread everyday? This is the kind of questions you could hear, helping to promote French culture and to dissipate a lot of clichés.
Jieun and Jisoo - both studying in the french department - were happy to use their knowledge to get presents. “During the pronunciation test we got every words right!” they proudly said.
Not expecting such an interest for their booth, the Frenchies ran out of crêpes after three hours of quizz but they continued to give away little cards and chocolates.
Unfortunately, this festival is only held one time a year and those marvelous French exchange students will probably have left by next time. But if you are lucky enough, some other students may come next year and you might have the pleasure to meet a new culture.
“I had a lot of fun!”said Hyemin. “The students are so nice and cute with their little striped sailor shirts and they cooked so well! Only the baguette was missing but I highly recommend you to go there!”

Their beautiful poster

The trigger of all interest

The Beret Team

Pop-up cards

Where ? Sungshin Women’s University – Sujeong Campus

When ? 2019.09.24 from 12am to 3pm

What ? French students ran a booth

Why ? For the Festival, to promote French culture

How ? Ask questions and give away presents and food