Sofie to Korea

This may seem like a mundane question, but how often do you really think deeply about this? As we go about our lives, it happens much too often that we fail to pause and really think about what truly makes us happy. In the end, finding out which things make you happy and putting in all your effort to doing these things is the true secret to a happy life.

So what makes me happy? I’m always happy when I’m teaching. I love explaining complex things to my students and seeing their eyes light up when they finally understand. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had been inputting the grades for my students’ midterm. The next day, one of my dear students came to see me after class. He just wanted to let me know that he was so happy, when he received his A+ that he actually shed a tear. Hearing this made my teacher’s heart incredibly proud. I love when my students realize their own potential and put in all their efforts to reaching their goals. I felt so happy that entire day. Things got even better when, a few days later, my Korean boss came into my office and told me that I’d also been given a class to teach next semester. He even asked if I’d be willing to teach one extra class, and I instantly agreed. To make things even better, he told me that he’d worked to give my the best time slots so I would be able to attend my Korean classes in the morning. (From December, I’m enrolling in the Sogang Korean program and I can’t wait.) This of course made me even happier.

I’m always happy when I’m learning something new. Naturally, living in Seoul means learning plenty of new Korean words and expressions every single day. Feeling my own growth and improvement is amazing, and I have vowed to myself to keep learning something new every single day for as long as I live. On that note, I’m so excited to start my Sogang Korean program. I had to wait until the winter term, since I’m teaching in the mornings during the fall semester. I’ve enrolled in the intensive 10-week program, where I’ll have to attend classes every day Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm. That’s a total of 200 hours of classes, and it’s going to be awesome. I never attended any formal Korean classes before, and I’m just so excited about this. Hopefully this will really help me take my Korean skills to the next level.

I’m always happy when I write on my blog. I just love writing and I dream about being able to write for a living someday. There’s just something about putting your thoughts in writing, and I also very often think on paper when I have to make decisions, big or small. Ah, the power of the written word.

I’m always happy when I’m exercising. I used to run a lot, but that has become a bit more difficult ever since I moved to Seoul. It’s hard to find good running paths in my neighborhood, so my runs have become quite infrequent. On the other hand, I walk a lot every single day, and I take the stairs to my 12th floor apartment at least once a day. I also work out at home ever day using a yoga mat, a stretching band, and a set of dumbbells. It feels great during and after, and I really find that it refreshes my mind as well as my body.

I’m always happy when I browse the fashion and beauty shops in Seoul. I live right between Sinchon and Edae, which means access to fashion and beauty galore. I love all things cute and pretty, and even though it may sound materialistic, a new lipstick can actually bring me real joy. Rather than calling it materialistic, I prefer calling it finding happiness in small things. Just yesterday, I had a lovely experience in Edae. I was just browsing through the many fashions shops, when I noticed a pink coat I’ve been eyeing for ages. I admired it for a few seconds before a sweet girl came and told me to come in and try it on. She was so surprised by my Korean and kept complimenting me in a manner that seemed very sincere. I really liked the coat, but not the price tag. She said that because I spoke Korean so well, she’d give me a 25% discount. That settled the deal, and I bought the coat, high-fiving her when she handed me the shopping bag and the receipt. I wore the coat when I walked to work this morning, and just the feeling of wearing something pink made me happy.

I’m always happy when I establish good relations with other people. Here in Korea, there is a concept known as jeong. This is a special kind of Koreal love and kindness, like the kind I felt from the girl in the fashion store yesterday. I love when Koreans show me this type of kindness, and when they are thankful to me for learning the language. In general Koreans are quick to give sincere praise, and that motivates me to become even better. I always strive to create positive relations and give jeong to others as well.

I’m always happy when I listen to music I like. Since moving to Korea, my exposure to Korean music has increased quite a bit. This week, one of my favorite Korean bands Urban Zakapa released a new single. Even though it was just released, it’s already playing in every store and restaurant all over Seoul. I’ll include it in this post, so you can enjoy it as well. It’s not a particularly happy song, but rather a quiet ballad. The pace of the song makes it easy to understand the lyrics as well. I’ve also added the lyrics after the video.

I hope that this post has made you reflect on what makes you happy. Let’s all strive toward doing as many of the things that make us happy every day!

아무 이유없이
문득 외로운 날
생각이 많아서
잠들 수 없는 밤
찾아갈 곳 하나 없는
쓸쓸한 밤
평범한 하루 끝
그런 밤

여느 때와 다를 것 없는 날
아무도 전활 받지않는 밤
한없이 초라해지는 내 맘
또 그런 날 오늘도 그런 밤

아무 이유없이
문득 외로운 날
생각이 많아서
잠들 수 없는 밤
찾아갈 곳 하나 없는
쓸쓸한 밤
평범한 하루 끝
그런 밤

집에 와보니 익숙한 내방
말없이 깊어져 가는 밤
할 일이 참 많은데
할 일은 또 없는 날
뭔가 좀 아쉬운 밤
오늘따라 차갑게
느껴지는 밤공기
숨을 크게 들이쉬며
두 눈 감는다

아무 이유없이
문득 외로운 날
생각이 많아서
잠들 수 없는 밤
찾아갈 곳 하나 없는
쓸쓸한 밤
평범한 하루 끝
그런 밤

아무 이유없이
문득 외로운 날
생각이 많아서
잠들 수 없는 밤
찾아갈 곳 하나 없는
쓸쓸한 밤
평범한 하루 끝
그런 밤