North Korean Defectors

About 12 years ago when I just started learning English seriously, I met a group of missionaries from the United States. One of them was a father of a family from North Korea, and I remember his wife was a Hanguk-American as he introduced to me. I knew little about North Korea, and on our first met I asked him “I heard North Korean soldiers are strong and tough, is that true?” “YE~~~~S~~~!” He replied with his eyes wide open, and laughing, too. Soon he explained that though born in Chosun, as North Korean name their own country, he himself was not really a defector because his family escaped to the United States during the Korean War when he was a little boy, far earlier than the post-war period able to convict a person as defector or traitor if being found crossing Yalu or Tumen rivers. He was the first North Korean guy I had met, and so far the only one. I guess that was the reason why I am so interested in things about North Korea.

The Girl With Seven Names helps readers to dig even deeper into things that happen, and are still happening, in and out of Chosun, because the author Hyeonseo Lee herself had been a defector; while Nothing to Envy was completed by Barbara Demick an American journalist through interviews with defectors living in Hanguk. Both are talking about different destinies and disasters defectors with different songbun are facing. Both are excellent books.

Kindergarten

In a couple of days Eucanny will be 3 years old, and the hottest topic being discussed within family is which kindergarten and what type is best for him. The most possible time to start his school is probably either coming February or May, and now we're having two kindergartens or three in the list.

Yeah, some people might think kids' only mission is playing instead of learning any skills which in many cases make their parents proud so that perhaps it's way too early for Eucanny to go to school now.

But you know what, I am Eucanny's father, he is my son, that means he is my sole responsibility. I have got a plan and decided what's best for him. I don't care about what other people say or think, because they are not the one taking the full responsibility of my son's future. I have considered as many possibilities as I can, and once the decision is made, no one can change my mind.

And besides, everything Eucanny is and will be doing is not to make me proud. He's already a person, a buddy, a guy who can make decisions. What I do is provide an environment for him to play and learn happily, to grow up happily and learn skills he will need.

I'm going to take a draw for Eucanny in a kindergarten called Hess International. As soon as we've got this position, he will start his first education there, and that's what I'm very looking forward to because I've never been to American school when I was kid and I myself expect to learn something if my son gets the position to Hess. God, I'm already excited about it!

Morning

I had a bad dream this morning before waking up. In the dream I was on a hilly place full of grass and some stones. I saw one thing kind of like a well on the hill down below me, and while I was watching it I was going to slip down. That place was a bit like a place where Mayan or some ancient but high advanced tribe had once dwelt.

In the dream, however, it was my school where I will return to keep at the translation course. In the dream, it was the first school day and I was actually heading for the classroom, but I couldn't find the way at all. Time flew fast and five days had passed and I still couldn't find my classroom. All the "residents" I asked there neither replied me nonsense nor gave me a reasonable and clear direction I was looking for. I was angry, disappointed and.....well, angry.

Then I woke up, with a bad and negative feeling welling up, making me feel extremely foul and even making me feel like committing suicide. Though I was and am and will be by no means doing it, it felt still so bad as if something dark and invisible is nearing. Whatever that feeling was, it wasn't coming from job. It was coming from something dark or negative in my mind, and I should really find it out and deal with it. Shouldn't leave it there as if nothing had happened.

There had been time, like from my 23 to 31 years of age, that I had loved trying different things. When I found something interesting or worth doing, I quit what I had been doing and just went for it. That period had been extremely important because what I had achieved had given me enough confidence to overcome obstacles, to ignore how other thought about me, and to encourage myself to become better. I love challenging, I never choose easy paths. If anybody heard someone saying Eugene's picking up easy parts, that would never be me for sure. 

I've been also very fortunate to have encountered friends who have positive mindset and are always encouraging. They were the key roles having made me the way I am now, even they might not know it.

But now it's probably about time to dig what are in my hand deeper and make them more profound, more meaningful, instead of trying things all the time like before. It definitely doesn't mean that I'm getting mentally older. Not sure what I'm trying to describe, but perhaps just like birds knowing when to migrate, it's time to be steady, take root deeper and nourish what I am doing right now. This change of me, I truly believe it's for a big good cause.

Last year my wife and I went to Cambodia, we saw poverty, economic inequality, however, people still struggle to learn as many languages as they can to earn small wages for a living. That reminded me of how fortunate I was and how I should be grateful for what I had been given.

This year my life has come to a big change. Finally I resigned from the carmaker I had been working for six years and eight months because of numerous reasons and have received an offer from a bigger international company. Before the starting of New job, I spent one week visiting Kyoto with my wife. Here I saw an advanced, organised society, a society where its people get their jobs done properly and even beautifully, where drivers overtake cyclists while keeping a safe distance, where streets are clean, where people truly care about how to nurture pupils' creativity and knowledge of how the world works.

I think it's an ideal place I have been eager to live in, though I'm not sure how much I know this place. Indeed, every society has its own problem, but in Taiwan, the government does not care about economic and social development as well as welfare of people. In Taiwan we don't know what to show to visitors from other countries, we don't know what we're proud of, sometimes even don't know who we are.

Since I have been given the chance to work for the new company. I have a new hope that I'm able to give better life for my family and better education for my kids. I wish my kids leaving Taiwan and getting to know the world, earn a living in a country they prefer, and have a colourful life. And that means I will have to work harder, and manage my family relationship properly.

Easy to say, but I will do my best for my family.