Tues 12/ Oral history / 201300058 Yoonhae Kang

The dream of becoming a singer: My mother

201300058 Yoonhae Kang

 

One of my oldest memories during my childhood is listening to my mother singing beside my bed. She always sang the song "Bird, bird" before I fell asleep. As far as I can remember, my mother always sang whenever she does households chores. "So, mom", I asked. "When is the exact time when you started to singing in front of people?" "I don't clearly remember" she answered. "However, it started from my early childhood"

             When my mother was very young child, my mother's aunt who was living in the neighbor often visited my mother's house and sang famous songs of that time with playing her guitar. It was around 1960s, therefore, the song such as "Saranghae" or "Morning drops" were the most popular. Sometimes, aunt asked my mom and her sisters to sing with her, therefore, the young sisters singing with holding hands. My mother was always exposed to the environment of listening to music and singing songs since her childhood. "Do you think the environment was relevant with your dream of becoming a singer?" I asked. "In some ways" She answered. "Well, dear. The song which my aunt always sang to me actually gave me the opportunities of singing in front of people."

"You will probably have heard of Hee-uen Yang, the famous Korean singer. Your aunt-grandmother was so in loved that singer that I always had to listen the singer's song. What's interesting is that one of her song little pond led me to have a dream of becoming a singer." My mother said. When my mother was in 3^rd grade in elementary school, my mother was humming a melody in her classroom. Her teacher who was passing by heard her humming and asked to sing a song. My mother was also crashed into the song little pond of Hee-uen Yang which her aunts loved. Therefore my mother sang little pond in front of her class.

             From that time on my mother was always got a spotlight whenever there was a chance of singing. The teacher who asked my mother to sing always took her many singing contests. My mother won many prizes and sometimes even came out TV programs.

             When she became 20, she joined a singing club which was named Aruemari. The club was famous among young college students in Busan for its high quality of singing and performance. My mom made her own band in the club. She and her team performed in many university's festivals. Many people loved her and her band's performance. "I used to get lots of flowers from my fans whenever I finished my songs" my mother said. Eventually, they became very famous and popular among college students in Busan. The team was now decided to go out for a competition of MBC Campus Song Festival, which was the only competition for becoming a professional singer at the time. Many famous singers such as Sun-hee Lee or Dong-Ryul Kim proved their talent at the competition and became professional singers. My mother's team started to make their own song. It was hard for them because they didn't have many experiences of producing a good song. The band tried to produce an impressive song which is sufficient to win the competition, however, none of their products was satisfying.

"Finally, one of our club's seniors gave us a song", my mother said. "Although Iwe thought it is still little weak for a competition, however, we tried to perform it best." They practiced day and night. Every day they gathered and practiced for the competition. "Weren't there any troubles when you were preparing?" I asked. "We sometimes have trouble in meeting time. At that time, there was no cell-phone so that it was hard to contact each other. As a band, all four of our members had to be gathered to continue our practice. If one of us comes late, the rest have to wait until the late member arrives. As the competition day approaches, we became more sensitive in late arriving as there weren't much time left for practices" my mother said, with a little sigh. "However, all of those struggles reflect how much we were passionate to the competition of MBC Campus Song Festival."

Finally when the competition day arrived, my mother and her band wore in same dress code. With same white shirts on top, boys wore jeans and girls wore denim skirt. They wanted to give fresh, innocent and passionate impression to the audience at the completion. The competition took place at MBC hall. "I was very nervous, but soon after I started sensing it turned to excitement. When I started singing, I felt the whole universe became quite. The stunning spot light made me feel hot and I could barely see other people. All I could hear was my voice and the accompaniment of guitar. All I could see was totally black, the black figures of people. At the place, I got the feeling that I was the only one who could breathe and sing and seeing. I was in the music." The result was great. They won 2^nd prize. Everyone who saw her on television told she was shining and outstanding. They all said in one mouth that my mother is definitely a singer. She was like a pop-star.

However, sadly, the team had to be disbanded after the competition was over. 2 of the members got the call of duty and entered the army. The band re-gathered after 3 years, however, they were no longer college students.

Although she is now a normal housewife, she sometimes still seems to missing her old days. "Do you still want to become a professional singer, mother?" I asked. "No, my dear" She answered. "Maybe because I have just won the 2^nd price and because our team was disbanded, I was able to meet your father, and have a great daughter like you". I gave her a big hug after I listened to her words.

My mother still sings today.       

Hajin Ahn/Oral history final draft/Tues 9a.m

A Valuable Lesson from Mr. Park (Final draft)                                                       201301918 Hajin Ahn              For city residents like us, it is no exaggeration to say that most of us live in an apartment where several middle-aged security guards are working shifts around the clock. In spite of the important job that they are doing, we rarely give them an attention or treat them with high respect. It is one of the jobs that people would never be willing to do. Then, why did they end up working as security guards at their mid-life? The question arouse in my mind by the time news about Korean security guards suffering from verbal abuse kept broadcasting on TV.             In order to find the answer to my question, I went down stairs right away and found Mr. Park, dressed in a dark blue uniform. He is one of the security guards in my apartment. I was watching him with a suspicious look and when he noticed I was standing in front of his six square meter office, he welcomed me with open arms as usual, saying, “Good morning!” He always says hello first to people with a bright smile which made him acquire a reputation as the best guard in my apartment complex.            I hesitantly approached him and gushed, “Could you do me a favor? Please Mr. Park. I would never forget your kindness. Please let me interview you.” He looked completely confused and did not talk for a while.           “Sure, but what about me? I don’t have much to talk about.” He said while adjusting his cap shyly.          “Everything is possible.” I answered with a delightful voice. That was the start of our interview.              When I first saw him three years ago, he looked much more hale and hearty. Unlike then, however, he became remarkably skinny that his pants were flapping in the wind just like the Korean national flag fluttering on the top of my apartment. I could sense that his job is not a bed of roses. He is 69 years old and has worked as a guard for 20 years.            I asked, “Do you have any children?”            “Of course I do. I have two daughters and one son.” He looked very happy just thinking about them. I was surprised to find out that he has someone to financially depend on. At the same time, it made me wonder why he has to work night and day.             He was so thoughtful and sensitive that he immediately noticed my dubious look and said, “You must be curious why I‘m doing this job, right? Don’t get me wrong. Each of them has had a successful career. My oldest child, Minji, is a lawyer. She is not only intelligent but also very beautiful. There are several dudes chasing after her. And my second daughter is a Math teacher. She now works in Yatap Middle school over there. She bought me a designer watch last month. My son is just a salary man but you know what? He earns the most!” He spent more than ten minutes to brag about his children. His face was flushed with excitement of telling about his lovely children.                     After that, I asked him whether he likes his job. I tried my best not to make him notice that I view guarding as a low-level job. He straightened up in his chair, gave an unnatural smile and answered with a heavy provincial accent. “Of course, I like this job. I can never do this job if I don’t like it”. Contrary to what he said, he looked somber and his voice sounded somewhat bitter. I could again sense how hard it is to be a security guard. It was later in our conversation when I really understood the meaning of his wry smile.                 He was born in Jeju province, which is situated in Korea’s largest island of Jeju. That was why he had such a strong accent. When he was 30, both of his parents died for a car accident. He could not bear staying in Jeju with all of the memories shared with his parents. Therefore, he cleaned up his fishery in the island and came to Seoul to start over.          He said, “At first, I wanted to open a raw fish restaurant. I put all of my savings into the business. All worked fine and the last thing I had to do was to make a contract with the building owner“. On finishing his sentence, he sighed, lighted a cigarette.           He continued. “I never, ever imagined that he would betray me.” His voice was shaking. He was still simmering with resentment.. On the day of the contract, his business partner who he just met in Seoul did not show up. “I should know how city people are like before then. He ran away with all my money and I was left with a heavy penalty for cancelling the contract.” He again emphasized how people in Seoul are shrewd with money while they care little about relationship. I couldn’t say a word because even as a native city dweller I often get hurt by people here acting selfish. At the same time, I was greatly astonished to hear his unrealistic story I would only see on a melodrama.             I asked him how he earned living. “I did everything I could in order to pay by debts. I worked at a coal mining company, a sanitary landfill, and several construction sites. You name it. I worked everywhere if it paid me well.” He dropped his head and wiped away tears with his handkerchief. I had never seen a person being cheated for my entire life. When I first heard, I could hardly believe my ears.            For the next several minutes, we didn’t talk. I felt pity for his toilsome life and he was busy getting himself together and controlling his emotions.            “How did you become a guard?” I asked him with a cheerful tone of voice for a change in mood. He smiled, saying, “It was something that I had never expected at all. I lived in a motel for ten years so I was pretty close with the owner. The owner’s husband was a security guard and at that time, he was just about to quit his job because he was too old. I was introduced to the company and hired as a security guard here in Hyundai Apartment. I gradually got used to this job and realized I was pretty good at guarding.”            This time, he looked much relieved, leaning over his chair with his legs crossed. It again made me wonder why he gave the bitter smile when I asked him whether he likes his job in the beginning.            Again noticing my mind, he added, “I dreamed to be a pharmacist. But as you know, I had a life that was too much for me. But I couldn’t abandon everything and go down. I had to accept my destiny and dedicate myself to this security job.” After listening to what he said, I realized what his unnatural smile meant. His smile was regret for his failure to become a pharmacist and it was regret for all of his misfortunes he should overcome.              Despite of everything, he said he loves his job. This time, I changed the subject and asked him about his current job. “What is the hardest part of your job and what do you think has made you sustain this long?” I asked.           He answered after another deep sigh, “Often, I have to endure people here treating me like their private servant. Some of them even talk to me with all the rude remarks. Working all night long in this office alone or clearing up the litter all day long is not difficult at all. I am exhausted mentally rather than physically due to few people around me. However, it means I’m still growing up and learning how to deal with people wisely without getting hurt. Also, I am proud of my job. Without me, there will be no one watching after this apartment, right? Do you know how many people I’m protecting now? It’s more than 300! Can you imagine? Children can come home safely because of me. By doing so, I can somehow contribute to their successful growth.” This time, he gave me a completely innocent smile full of pride, unlike the sad smile he gave earlier.                Our one and a half hour long interview finished with the following few words. “You can be knocked down eight times, ten times and even a hundred times. What matters is whether you face up to the reality, no matter how hard it is, and get back up. If you do so, you will find a way out.” While going upstairs in elevators, I repeated his words several times and wrote them down on my diary. “What matters is whether you can get back up.”                The reason why he became a security guard did not matter for me then. Even though the security job is not his dream job, he appreciates its significance and feels proud that he can do something for other people even after all those difficulties. I have respected anyone who wins their knock down and gets back up. I did not imagine Mr. Park would be one of them. Life is filled with disappointments and he had those disappointments more than others. He could become a whiner, or a quitter on his life but he didn’t. I was profoundly grateful for him giving a chance to interview him and even more, I appreciate the valuable lesson he gave to me. Daum 메일앱에서 보냈습니다.

Kwon Hye-ji/ Oral history final draft/ Tues 9am

Intermediate English Writing Ch.5

201200235 Kwon Hye-ji

Final draft

The Most Severe Winter of 1997

 

When I came into my uncle's house, I felt warm welcome by his smile. I could smell of food my aunt was making. It was almost dinner time, but we needed to wait for more than a hour to have a meal. She was preparing for dinner, so she showed me her face for a while to say hello and went back to the kitchen. As soon as I sat a brown soft sofa, he asked for an excuse to bring tea.

 

He was the oldest among five brothers of my mom. I visited him on national holidays like New year day and Thanksgiving day, Chuseok, every year, but I was always accompanied with my family. So, I felt a little strange and nervous after leaving alone in the big and familiar livingroom. But I became relaxed when I grabbed a cup of tea that he brought. When I smelt the tea, he broke the silence and talked to me.

 

"I got a call from your mother. She told me that you want to hear my story of 1997. I was surprised at first that you would come alone, but I understood your situation. You Must do homework, right? haha." I felt my face got red. "But the story would be more or less depressing. Is it okay?"he asked me with a little worry. I looked up his face. His hair was touched with grey and had fine lines around his eyes. Since I was young, I liked when he smiled, his eyes crinkling. His tanned face seemed to prove he went though a lot of adversity in his life. I lightly nodded and took a sip of red tea while waiting for his next words.

 

"It was a winter of 1997. I still remembered that the winter was severely cold. One day, I woke up and turned on the television. I was puzzled at the news coming out from the TV. It said the government applied to the IMF for a bailout. At that time, I could not expect how it would affect my life." I could still read his nightmare of that time on his face.

 

"It must have affected your life as well as the society," I said. He nodded and the sullen look shaded his face slightly as if he did not want to even think of it. "I learned that Korea suffered the worst financial crisis in 1997 in the history class, but I actually do not know how people's life changed."

 

"As the national treasury was empty, companies could not borrow money from banks to invest and pay workers' salary. So the companies had to reduce the size by a large-scale restructuring. As a result, 1.5million people lost their works." He set his face as if he remembered people crying who were fired at that time. As he said, he drew a long breath and continued talking.

 

"I was one of them. I had worked for a small company selling car gears to big companies but I was fired after a few days later when I saw the new." I did not know what to say so I was just listening to him attentively. "There are few jobs available for those workers who have been fired as part of restructuring. So, I ran around to look for a job until my shoes were worn out."

 

"Also, my family had to go outside to work. My oldest son worked for family even though he was just high school student at that time." He turned to a picture that his son was smiling. "All family went to work until I found another job. My son delivered newspapers evening morning. I cannot explain my feeling of that time. I felt sorry but my family cheered me up." I heard the aunt laughing from the kitchen and talking on the phone.

 

"Fortunately, a boss of my son introduced me to a publishing factory, after hearing my story. So finally we could be well off." He slowly got up from the sofa, went in front of his family picture and picked it up as if he wanted to keep it in his eyes. "Not only my family, but many people started to find and stability and to stand up from the dust, because they had to provide for their family who always trusted and encouraged them. We overcame the winter with warm love of family."

Edward Yom/ Oral History Final Draft/ Tues 9am

염준호 201303872

Final Draft

Breaking Common Beliefs

 

 

     "Nothing was given to me, but nothing was expected of me." This was how my mother summed up her childhood. I wanted to try many things as a child, from playing instruments to sports. Although I did not stick to one thing for more than a month, my mother seemed to be indifferent to how much money I was wasting. I would buy a guitar, or a piano or a clarinet but become tired of it before long. Just looking at my room, I was going to be a celebrity. 

 

     My mother was very different from other parents. For the twenty years I have known her, never did she hint even hint that I should become a doctor, or a lawyer. Although she later admitted that she wanted to me to get a typical high paying job, she was a strong believer of, "Since it is your life, do what you want to do." My first guess was that she had a free mind because she lived in many places. So during the interview with my mother, the first question I asked was, "Did you travel to a lot of places when you were young?" However, she only moved once in her life, from Mullyedong to Gwangmyeong, and she did not leave Korea until she was in University.

 

     My mother was the youngest of four children, one brother, and three sisters. And she lived with four dogs. Like any typical Korean family at that time, she was rarely able to shop for clothes, and a majority of her clothes consisted of hand me downs. It was quite shocking to see the adventurous life my mother lived. When I asked my mother, "Did you experience any natural disasters?" she casually said, "My neighborhood used to flood a lot, and I had to evacuate my house and stay at school when it flooded." Like any typical child, she went to the zoo with her father, but she was able to ride the first subway ever built in Korea! The celebrities at that time received the same amount of attention as celebrities receive now, and when my mother was in middle school, she went all the way to Yeouido to see Cho Yong-pil in a concert called the Youth Parade. As for school, she either walked or rode the bus to school like any other child. Aside from that, her life was very unique. 

 

     Contrary to the Korean custom of eating at that time, where adults ate first, followed by the eldest son, than the sons, than the eldest daughters, and the youngest ate last, my mother was adored because she was the youngest, and often ate before her brother. At that time, it was uncommon for girls to be educated. It was expected of girls to only finished mandatory education, and get married. However, my mother was able to study what she wanted, and was able to attend Ewha Women's University majoring in business administration, regardless of the fact that she was the youngest child. 

     When I asked if there was anything she wanted to do as a child, but couldn't, after a deep sigh, she slowly opened her mouth and responded,"My only regret was that when I was a child, I was not able to play sports like swimming or skating because the only indoor gymnasium was in Jongno, and it was too far from where I lived." I asked her if she ever asked her parents if she wanted to play sports, but she simply shook her head. She knew how privileged she was, and how much her parents and brothers and sisters cared for her. Knowing how expensive and time consuming sports are, she couldn't bear to say that she wanted to swim, or skate, but not being able to play sports ended up as a little grudge in her. 

 

 

     "I know what it feels like to not do something you really want to do. That is why I want you to do what you want, and I will do all I can to help you do that thing." Prior to the interview, I felt my mother let me do anything because she didn't really care about what I do. However, through this interview I was able to figure out how much she cares about me, and what were here true intentions in letting me try anything I want from playing the guitar to snowboarding even if she probably knew I wouldn't do it for long.   

Park Heejune/ Oral history final draft/Tuesday 9 a.m.

201101551 Park Heejune

Final Draft

My Dream Continent, Africa

 

 I've always interested in life in Africa since I watched a movie named Out of Africa when I was a middle school student. In that film, that continent seemed like an amazing place with vast fields, burning sun and enormous trees. Of course, after growing up, I knew well what I imagined was just a part of Africa, but until now, I want to visit there. That is why I chose Younhee, a best friend of mine, who lived for 8 years in Cote d'Ivore, to interview.

 She left to Africa when she was 8 years old because her father was transferred to the Cote d'Ivore branch of an iron-manufacturing company. I asked her what the first impression of that country was. She said she was very shocked because, at that time, in 1999, the airport was not built well, she had to get off on the ground. She was also worried about the hot weather. "It was November when I arrived there, but it was hotter than the summer!" she said, "But after all, it was not humid like Korea, I could bear with it."

 She adjusted her new life quiet well thanks to Korean friends, and fortunately, in the international school, there was no trouble (like racism) at all. But soon, the first hardship came to her, a civil war. 3 weeks after her family settled in the country, a general who was a candidate of president mounted a coup. "Actually I was only 8 years old, I didn't know much about how it was going on. But what made me really scared was armed soldiers. My house was nearby the broadcast station, so around my house, it was always crowed by them. Even though they tried not to make troubles with foreigners, one day, they threw a used grenade into my house through the window!"

 Although this civil war ended after 3 months when the general defeated and died, there was another civil war 4 years later. It was much harder than the first one, and I could feel it while interviewing because her voice suddenly became low. "I remembered the second civil war much clearer than the first one, because this time, French military intervened. Well, the reason it happened was the president wanted to cut the relationship between France. So French government sent an army and in Cote d'Ivore, people separated two groups, one who agreed with the president and the others who didn't, and fought each other. This time, Korean embassy demanded to return but every Koreans stayed," she kept saying, "I can hear the sounds of tanks and grenades. It became a trauma, I can't really enjoy firework because it remind me the brutal and harsh moment. Yes, I saw through the windows, soldiers lashed some people with whips. I watched them only for a moment, but I know I can never forget the scene."

 I thought I knew the dark sides of my dream continent, but after hearing this vivid experience, I realized I was totally wrong. To be honest, I was scared when she talked about the civil wars. Therefore, I asked her my last question, "Do you want to go back?", and I was sure that she would answer "no." However, I was wrong again. "Always," she answered very brightly, "even if I suffered little bit, I missed Cote d'Ivore. This country is really nice to live, low price of groceries, delicious and sweet fruits, and especially the atmosphere! Ivorians always have a room, not like Koreans, they never hurry and spend enough time to rest. I think we need this attitude!"

Her high-pitched tone encouraged me to shake off the fear I got, after I heard the civil wars. Also, that voice brought me into reality again. I trembled little bit after finished the interview because I could imagine, based on her story, the sunny African and the bloody Africa at the same time. Thanks to her, I could know the both bright and dark side of Africa and this experience will help me someday when I go there.

 

 

Jiyeon Yang/ Oral history final draft/Tuesday 9 a.m.

                                                                                     His Whole Life for the Family

 

201301957 EIT Jiyeon Yang

 

My father wake up every day at 5:30 a.m. to go to his work. He was a teacher in middle school for 20 years and he became a vice president last year. However, I remembered that when I was young, he said that he did not want to be a teacher and his real dream was to be a doctor. At that time, I did not ask the reason why he had to be a teacher because I was so young to understand him. Then one day, I suddenly wondered the reason why he became a teacher.

I wake up two times a week at 5:30 a.m. to go to take a 9a.m. class. My father drove me to the subway station. As a usual day, we left home at the crack of dawn. The early morning street was silent and lonesome and the cold air in the car made me shiver.

"Aren't you tired of leaving home at dawn, dad?" I began to talk in a half-annoyed and half-whining voice.

"Of course, I am tired. But as you know, I have to go to work to earn money." He answered in a calm voice. When I heard those words, I thought that he had regrets about working as a teacher, not doctor. Because he answered that he goes to school every day to earn money rather than meeting lovely students. So I wanted to ask about that in detail.

"But you are not satisfied with your job, right? I remember that you wanted to be a doctor. Then why did you become a teacher? I think it is really hard to work you don't like." I fired questions at him in a high pitched voice.

"Um, it's a long story. In short, your grandfather passed away when I was seven. So I grew up very poor. I really wanted to go to medical school However, my little brother also wanted to go to medical school and he was much smarter than me. And my mother could not afford two son's medical school tuition. So I conceded the opportunity to go to medical school to my little brother and I went to national university. After that, I decided to be a teacher and earn money as soon as possible." While he was talking, the rims of his eyes were little red and his voice trembled a bit, which was clear that he was reminding his hardscrabble childhood.

According to him, His mother could not afford the basics like electricity as well as tuition. So he had to study at night underneath the streetlamp. As he said, although his real dream was to be a doctor, he had a family to support because he was the first-born of three sons. So, instead, he decided to become a teacher for its more reliable income. He studied so hard and he did really well on KSAT and he entered a prominent national university. After he graduated, he became a teacher.

"Then, do you think of your job just as a means of earning?" I asked carefully.

"Of course not. As you said, how can I work if I think of my job just as means of earning? I found my value in a teaching job. Actually, for me, teaching is a very rewarding job. First, I loved learning. Becoming a teacher has given me the opportunity to engage in my own love of learning. As a teacher, I am always learning something new either about teaching or about the content." He looked very excited. He said so with his eyes twinkling with amusement. I was little surprised because I have never thought that he loved learning.

"However, the best part of teaching is always, without question, the students. I think teacher is a lighthouse to keep my students sailing in the right direction. Whenever they are in trouble, they talk to me. Then I really try to be a big help for them. Also, as you know, I teach math. Math teaching is rewarding when I can get students to overcome their fear of math. Many students walk into my classroom saying that math is hard or they are not good in math. I feel the greatest reward when the students get the math concept and a conceptual understanding of the formula or mathematic vocabularies." He answered constantly with a clear proudness in his voice. I always thought that he regarded his job just as a means of earning. However, surprisingly, He found value in a teaching job and was proud of his job.

Although he loved his job, I could not understand why he tried to be a vice president. Because I thought that the advantage of teacher is that job period is guaranteed until sixty three. So he did not have to promote. Also, there are only few vacancies while teachers should spend at least 3 years to prepare for this competition. So, most of teachers do not try to promote. However, my father really tried hard to be a vice president and I wanted to ask about the reason why he tried so hard to be a vice president.

"Dad, what makes you try hard to be a vice president?" I asked.

"It's you and your brother." He answered immediately.

"My final goal is to be a president of the school. You and your brother will marry in future. And I really hope that you and your brother would be proud of me and my social position when you marry." He added.

I was really touched and my voice broke with emotion. As a daughter, I saw the whole process that he became a vice president. Every year, only 50 teachers in Seoul become a vice president. Actually, He failed twice at this competition. At that time, He said continuously that he could not stop himself from getting the negative thoughts like failing again and I could not understand why he tried so hard while he got stressed. I was a high school student at that time. So I did not try to understand him because I was confused enough with my own problems. However, after I heard his answer, I could understand everything. Family was the most important thing in his life. After I realized that, a lamp came into my throat.

"We are almost there. Prepare to get off." He said in his blunt way.

There was nothing unusual about his words or behaviors. However, I could feel his love. After I got off, his car disappeared into many cars on the road. His whole life was for his family. When he was young, He changed his dream for his poor family. After he married, he decided to be a vice president for his wife and children. However, He is also happy and fulfilled with his teaching job. I am really proud of him and I want to back up him as much as I love him.

Seonghwa Jeong / Final Draft of Oral History / Tues. 9-11am

Poverty Changed into Property

201003120 Jeong Seonghwa

             Even one generation before, Korea was a nation suffering from poverty. For instance, there were many families worried about their meals every day and students who cannot deal their school expenses. My parents were also children in the hard times of Korea. At that time, in the middle of 1960's, South Korea was about to overtake North Korea's GDP. Therefore, for their generation, life wasn't easy from the childhood.

             Preparing the interview, I desired to know about my parents' experiences about the difficulties and endeavors to overcome the hardship. These days, my family lives well. We have our home and cars, and the house is large enough. So it is kind of hard to think about my parents' poverty in my position. That's why I decided to interview my mother.

             When I started the interview, my mother and my younger sister was watching TV seated on a comfortable couch. First I demanded a brief introduction about herself.

"I was born in 1964 and 50 years old now. I lived in Namhae for 20 years and came up to Busan after the high school graduation. Wow, I have lived almost 30 years in here!"

             Mother seemed to be surprised by living in Busan for a long time. She didn't think about that usually. Then, I asked something I had hoped to hear about. "Then, mom. Tell me about your daily routine in your adolescence."

             "My daily routine? Because my hometown is a small countryside village, I went to school and after finishing classes, I needed to go to farm to help my parents. Also, I went to the sea, located in front of my home, to gather lavers or clams when it changed into mud flat. Since we had no our seafood farm, I and my sisters just picked up those things spread on the flat. Then they were usually used for our meals. Oh, your father's routine was nearly same with me maybe."

             I could imagine the scene because I often went my parents' hometown and played on the mud flat with mom or aunts. According to her, my father moved in my mother's village in her 5^th grade of elementary school so they were friend since their early age.

             "Then, both of you liked each other from that time?" I suddenly wondered and asked. "No," she answered, "We were just friend and even never had been a same class due to the gender division classroom. Moreover, after the high school days we worked in Busan but couldn't see each other. We started to get along with when I and your father met in our hometown on national holiday. That was in 1988 and then 2 years later, we finally married."

             It was the first time I heard my parents' love story. Nothing was so special indeed. I don't know why but I always thought that my parents loved each other for a long time, from their adolescence. Anyway, it was wrong. Back to the point, I focused on the poverty. "Mom, was there a memory specifically related to poverty in your childhood?"

             Mother thought short time and started to say. "Well, my family didn't suffered by poverty a lot. But, yes of course I have an episode. My school was very far from my home. I had to walk 30 minutes to get to the school. Sometimes I wanted to come back to home with a bag of snacks since the trip was so boring. The snack cost about 100 won at that time. But every time I asked my mother to give me 100 won in the morning, she scolded me and never allowed me to take that 100 won. So I often went to school with crying." At this point I strongly sympathized with her sadness and sorrow. Because I know her appetite. "So I cheated my mom several times. I told her I would buy a notebook and got money. Since a notebook also cost 100 won, I could buy a snack with that money."

             "Grandmother only gave you money when you said you would buy a notebook." I got a point. "Yes she did. I needed something educational purpose to get money. Your grandmother didn't want her children be suffered in studying, likewise I hope it to you."

             At least I have been able to eat something whenever I want, I felt more thankful to my parents.

             "Then, what about the expenses? I saw lots of cases on TV that there were students who couldn't deal their expenses."

             "Yes. In my middle and high school days, there were some friends who couldn't pay their expenses in time or even gave up their registration. But I wasn't. My two elder sisters already came up to Busan and earned money. Thanks to their efforts, I could pay my all expenses in time. I also came up afterward and sent some money for my younger sisters' school expenses. That's what my friends normally did. After school days, they came up to a big city and earned money for their own life and also their family members."

             It was an impressive part: most people in my parents' generation did like that. They worked hard for not leaving the poverty in their family and to next generation. That was the biggest source that leads South Korea to overcome the extreme misery after the Korean War. I was proud of my parents who contribute to the nation in the important period.

             "So, after the high school days you also came up Busan right? What did you do?"

             "You know, I don't have a special ability to show off so I entered a factory which made electronic components. Have you ever seen the workers of Gaesung Industrial Complex in North Korea? I did those things in my 20s until I got married. Before the marriage, I lived in Busan with my sisters. They did similar jobs."

In 1990, mother and father got married. There was a video tape in my home which contained the ceremony. Two looked exactly people in 90's. They got a big congratulations from the guests. Mother rested work about 10 years after the marriage for raising me and my sister, and restarted work at father's company. Their devotional efforts made my family live better life. Wrapping up my interview, I lastly questioned what mother misses in a passed time.

             "One thing I'm missing about is: peace. I could see beautiful nature in my childhood. Although I definitely suffered by poverty, I could feel nature and find peace in my mind with seeing the mountains and sea. In other words, I don't have to hurry, or busy, or worry because of being rested, even the poverty. But it is hard to do in a city. I already adapt myself to this city life long time ago, but sometimes I miss the countryside where the peace is still there."

             The growing background of me and my mother was totally different. I thought I knew much about my parents but it wasn't. I could see my parents' steps of life through the interview. They made their poverty a stepping stone to living better. As a result, the poverty changed into property.

Jihoon Yoo 201301135/Oral History Final Draft/Tuesday 9-11am

FINAL DRAFT Love is the Strongest Power Jihoon Yoo EIT 201301135              I pondered very hard on who to interview, as I could not think of a person that went through so much hardship or terrible incidents during their lifetime, like the person that was a soldier during the WW2 written in our book. While I was typing random people like grandmother, aunt, and uncle on my laptop, I unconsciously looked at the kitchen to see my mother, who was making a noisy by doing the dishes. While she was doing the dishes, at the same time she was watching a drama that she watched very often and was laughing so hard, and suddenly an image of her doing the dishes at my grandparent's house popped up inside my head like a flash. "She never had that laugh, nor did she ever look so happy in my grandparent's house" I murmured to myself in disbelief. She was very polite and friendly to my grandparents, to my aunt, uncle and my cousins indeed, but she always seemed like she was keeping something to herself. I always knew that my grandfather and my mother did not get along very well, but every time I asked her, she refused to talk in details. So without any doubt I decided to interview my mother and about her marriage, and unveil some secrets concerning her and her father-in-law that she was hiding from me. When I asked for her permission on interviewing her for my work, she frowned and said, "Well, what are you going to interview about me? Surely there are not many interesting things about my life." "Actually, I am going to interview you about your early years of marriage, like whether there were any troubles related to you and your father-in-law." Then I looked closely at her face, concerned about her not wanting to talk about the issue, but she said with a wide grin on her face, "then I have a lot to say about that issue." "Before I talk about it, I know we recently celebrated you and father's wedding anniversary, and so on what year did you and father get married? Do you remember that day?" "Yes I still remember the day vividly like it was only yesterday. It was November 24th, 1991, and the weather was very cold and rainy." She began to retrospect on the wedding day. She said she was very nervous and anxious, but on top of everything, she could not even believe she was getting married. She said my father was no difference. According to my mother, his face was very serious with just a pinch of smile that was clearly made with a great effort. "I asked your father to do his hair in a proper salon, but he was so nervous that he went to the barbershop instead and had his hair cut really short. He couldn't even differentiate between salons and barbershops." Realizing that my father got accepted to the Public Administrations Examination after my older sister was born; I got curious and asked her: "What was the reason that made you want to marry my father even though the future was uncertain then?" "The future was uncertain indeed, and there was no proof or solid evidence that he was going to pass. However, the way he studied for his exam was enough to convince me that he was going to make it, and even if he did not pass, it felt like he was able to succeed in another area or career," she said, and chuckled quietly, having remembered how my father and she was reckless enough to get married at that period. She did not have any trouble with her father-in-law before she got married, or even during the first few years of her marriage. In fact, before the marriage she only met her parents-in-law three times in total, first to introduce herself, then on the Thanksgiving Day just for a few hours, and on the day of engagement, which was due to such a long distance between where my father and my mother lived. When I asked her what her first impression of her father-in-law was like, she said: "Your grandfather was very kind, and welcomed me with all his heart. I felt very lucky to have such a warm-hearted father-in-law back then." She explained her early years of marriage into two words, 'emotionally tiring.' Back in the early days of her marriage, she lived with my father's family in Seoul, having left her own parents living in Incheon. However, nothing seemed bright, as there were seven family members excluding herself which she had to take care of. Therefore every day she would prepare meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for my great-grandparents and my grandparents, my uncle and aunt whom were still college students, and my father. Also, my mother had to wake everyone up in the morning at their appointed times, and clean every rooms including the kitchen and the toilet. To make matters worse, as my father was still studying for his exam, she was left with my great-grandparents and my grandparents during the day when my father went to study in the library. She explained the situation as 'a little girl having lost her parents in a big zoo with immense and scary animals threatening her.' "Those were the worst days of my entire life. Your father was away studying, and I was doing all the chores in a house that used to have no relationship with me whatsoever before the marriage, and do the errands that my parents-in-law asked me to do. It never felt like I just got married to your father, because I saw your grandparents more than your father," she said with her eyes closed, as if she was visually reminiscing those moments as she spoke. Suddenly she added after a while, "but at that time, your grandfather still was very fond of me, and was very generous."  "Then when did things start to get difficult? You said you had a lot of trouble with your father-in-law," I asked for her explanation. "That was when your father passed the Public Administrations Examination. From that time onwards, things started to get difficult and arduous for me." Suddenly the tone of her voice became very low and monotonous, and I held her hand to soothe her just to find out that her hands were actually cold. She started speaking very calmly and quietly. When my father was studying for the exam, even though all family members were cheering for him, my grandparents were concerned about him not having any job now that he was married, and therefore wanted my father to have another job. However, as soon as he passed the exam, my grandparents regarded of him differently. He instantly became the breadwinner of the family, and my mother, whom was normally regarded as an angel that stood beside by my father even though he did not have any job, was degraded to a person that was just next to my father. Therefore that time onwards my grandfather always picked on my mother with even the tiniest things like not having cold water at home, or answering late when he called her. They must have thought that my father deserved a better woman now that he became so successful. When I asked her: "do you remember one incident that happened because of your father-in-law? One that made you devastated and hurtful?" She thought for a while, and after a short breath she began answering my question. "It was before giving birth to your sister. It was during the eighth month of my pregnancy, and I had to go to your grandparent's house. It was too far from where I stood, and therefore I decided to take a taxi. When I got home and explained that I took a taxi because I was too tired, your grandfather yelled at me for taking the taxi and told me that I was wasting money for no reason. That was the most devastating moment of my life, and I wanted to leave everything and never talk to your grandfather again." My mother talked about her most sorrowful incident without having any emotion on her words, and therefore it even made me more uncomfortable as it seemed that she was just trying to hide her sadness from me. But at the same time, the feeling of admiration towards my mother grew, because if it were my case I would not have endured all the hardship that she went through, and would have just gave everything up. "I know it's very typical and unoriginal, but the key is love. Love is what makes you withstand despite all the hardships. I became part of this family because I loved your father, and as that was the case I also had to embrace your father's family too," she said with a wide smile on her face. It has been over 20 years since my parents got married, and my mother still seemed to love my father very much. After all the hardships and harsh incidents that she went through, she said that all started to get better when my parents moved out from my grandparent's house. And she did not forget to mention that it was one of the greatest decisions that she made so far. For the last question, I asked what advice she would give to herself in the past, and she told me without hesitation: "Do not keep your anger to yourself, but try to release it by having a conversation with the person you are angry at." Being a young 24 years old woman, she always thought of it as a norm not to talk back to the elders, especially her parents-in-law. Therefore she always said "yes" to everything my grandfather told her to do, and that conversely made my grandfather to look down on my mother. Also, all she gained from being a 'yes woman' was stress and frustration towards her father-in-law, and numberless wounds inside her heart. She mentioned that if she had been more confident and independent she would not have gone through all the hardships related to her father-in-law, and accentuated that it is never okay to just endure everything and try to be nice all the time. Her last words for our interview were "it is rather wise and sensible to talk about things that you want others to change." Right after the interview had finished, as usual my mother started giving me lectures on how to live independently, and that I should always express my opinion and never succumb to what other people say. It was so typical of my mother, but she was my mother that was, and still is much stronger than any other people anyone can imagine.

Haesook Yoon/ Oral History Final Draft/ Tue. 9 a.m.

Hates 201302209 Haesook Yoon                Hating someone for no reason happens sometimes. I also had that moment when I was in high school and was very confused because I thought there were always reasons for hates. It was not only my problem so I met my high-school friends to talk about it. We eventually got into a discussion whether hate is inherent emotion or not and control of hates.              The stars were bright when we met in a very warm café. I had a cup of coffee, Sarah had a cup of latte and Amy had a cup of hot chocolate. It was just a week after Amy's College Scholastic Ability Test of Korea, so we were very excited to meet each other. We talked about our high-school memories and Amy's another year studying for the test again. Because hating someone or being hated was a tough topic, I had to be very careful before I ask questions. To my relief, we had no secrets to each other about our high school life. Before the harsh questions I asked them about their childhood hates. I asked them when their first hate was. Sarah who was always bright and brisk, quickly repeated my question. "The first hate? What do you mean, like the first, first hate?" So emphasizing the 'first', I asked the question again. "Yes, when was you 'first' hate?" The two girls looked at each other and really thought hard to remember their first hate. Then, Sarah started her story. "Well, my first hate, or something like hate was my younger sister and my mom. As you all know I have two younger sisters and one younger brother. When I only had one sister, our parents bought us a double-deck bed. We fought to get the first deck and our mother stopped us. As the result of our fight, mom hit me in the palm 15 times and my sister's 10 times. I thought that was really unfair. The fact that I am only 2 years older than my sister does not mean that I have to give everything to her. Also that cannot be the reason for more punishment. That moment I hated my sister and at the same time envied her. I still think my mom's treat was wrong." Sarah's stubborn face made us laugh. She also wanted us to agree that her mom was mistreating her, so we did. "Yes, older age does not mean infinite give away. So what happened as you grew up? Do you two still fight over little things?" I asked. "Not now, but as my sister and I grew together we fought a lot over tiny things such as seats in the car or sharing our clothes. However, now I do not really care whether she gets more than me. Because that much is not really a 'more-than-me' size. Now I understand that sometimes I can have more and other time she can have more." Amy added to Sarah's saying. "That's true. I also think that just by concentrating on what you can get instead of what others are getting compared what you are getting, people can be much happier." We all nodded. I thought we needed more sugar to talk so bought two pieces of tiramisu cake. As we all had some rest and are charged with sugar we started our discussion. This time I asked Amy about her experience of first hate. She had quite different story from Sarah. "When I really felt strong hate, I was 16. I studied in the United States and there I was busy learning the culture and language. I really could not have a moment to hate somebody. Also there were a lot of Korean students and we were very close as we were in the same situation. However, when I came back and went to a Korean middle school, there were more separated groups in a class. Fortunately, I got into a group. However, two girls from other group sometimes joined our group to hang out. When they did, they talked to my friends but not to me. They listened to my friends but not me. I thought they were pushing me out from my group of friends. That's when I really felt strong hate. They hated me first, so I hated them too, just in a same way. I acted as if they were not there. This lasted for about two years and finally we went to different high schools." Sarah and I did not know this story, so we were surprised. However I continued. "So I guess some people have inborn hates and other people learn their hates from others. However, we all agree that humans have hate inside them, right?" They nodded. "Just like Sarah changed her mind to control her hates, have you tried anything to control you hates, Amy?" I asked. "Well, in the middle-school I showed my hates to others easily and did not try to control them because they caused my hate. In contrast, in high-school, I also experienced hates for no reason and totally understand what you feel, Haesook. Because I learnt to hate others by them hating me, I could not understand myself hating others although they are not hating me. So, for days and weeks I tried to find the reason, avoiding the person I hate. But I could not. So from that moment, I started to hate myself. You know, hating me is more hurting that being hated from others. Now, as a lot of time went by, and I just understand that these things can happen. One thing I can do is to hope that this will not happen again." That was true. Things happen all the time. All we could do was to pray that those heartbreaking things not to happen again. I could not ask more about Amy's story because that might hurt her again by reminding her how she hated herself. Suddenly, I felt the night breeze. After we all talked about our hates, we were all in silence. Then Sarah broke the ice by telling us the Christmas party we will be having in few weeks. We forgot the hates and planned the party. The stars in the sky were blue but still bright.

Sejong Lee/Final Draft of Interview/Tuesday 9 am

My uncle and the school life of the 60's
Full of study but also had their life
                                                                          201002416 Lee Se Jong

When the uncle visited my house, my mom and uncle talk more than two hours and it seemed like they have many things to talk about. My mother said there are not only things about to say in those days, but also they had their past to talk about. He was always with smiling face and it always feel like he is a virtuous person. Having more and more gray hair these days, he looked more like grandfather rather than uncle now but still his eyes were bright like a young man. I was always curious about his life because when my mother talked about her past, uncle usually appeared in the story and it made me really interesting that his life story was much fun than my mother's story. He was like a character of the comic book and that leaded me to learn about his past. I decided to interview him and when my uncle went my home last week, I made a time to have an interview with him while my mother was sitting with us preparing some snacks.
 In my first question 'when did you born', he answered that he was born in 1956, when Korea was quite a different at that time. He had to overcome the lot of difficulties different then these days. There were too much to ask like what is different from now but at first I was asking about his school life which was most curious to me.
"Uncle, please talk about your school life."
He was like knowing what my question will be. His answer was fast and clear without any time to think about. From the elementary school, he went to school at 8 and it finished at 10. He did this from elementary school until the high school. The class was finished at mostly 5 o'clock but after that he had to study at school or went to the academy. So his life was  fulfilled with studying. When my continuous question about do you satisfied about your school life, different from what I expected, he answered he was understandable that the every student at that time was just doing the same as him.
"At that time, entering the elementary school was also by the test." He still talked about it even though I didn't ask about it.
"So at that time, is it really hard to study every day?" I asked the second question in succession of his saying.
My uncle smiled and said that he's childhood was just full of the test. Every Monday they had test about major subject and every month, they had a test on every subject. Of course there were middle term and final term exam. So he always had to study. Every test was linked to the big test and bad scores would be punished. At that time teacher punishing students was very normal and it was continued until 21c century.
About the question of whether he was good students or not, he replied that he was a good student but the scores were not goo. He was the lowest grade student in the middle school but he became middle score student when he graduated the high school. He said that he thought himself as a steady person so he was studying for 12hours although the total concentrated time were just more than 5 hours. He also said that the school where he went allowed to enter only students with most excellent scores in the southern part of Korea, so his scores were not bad as I thought.
I also asked what was the most difficult subject to do. As he was eating the cookies, his answer was Physical education. At that time, physical education is also count as score which also highly influenced the entering to the middle or high school. Not to lose the score in that subject, he had to exercise 5 at the morning with my grandmother every day. He recalled that was the most difficult challenge for him. Chin-up was the hardest thing that he had to do. But how hard he exercise, he was still behind the score and in order to fulfill that blank, he had to be excellent on other subjects.
"But at last, I failed. My physical education score needs one more point and I couldn't make it. My grandmother really wanted me to go to high school in Seoul, but at last I was going to Busan high school."
About the question about how did he manage to go to school, he answered that he used little bus. It was the bus used in 70's to solve the traffic problem. It's almost capable of 25 people and always a crowded bus. If the driver turned the bus, than the all the people inside there were fell off inside the bus. About the fee, first they used some tokens resembles old Korean brass coin but later it was changed into tickets.
"Is there any circle or club?"
"Oh, only the bullies were in the club. We had no time to do such a thing."
"Then what was your hobby?"
Not uncle, my mother replied while drinking the coffee and said "he loved to collect the record. You stack piles of record in our house." My uncle continued after my mother says. There were no mp3s or cellular phones that day so the only way to hear the music was by radio or record. As he mentioned before, he was not good at any physics so his hobby was related to more static contents. He loved to collect it and listened the music with the record. But after his recalling, he showed bitter facial expression.
"Yes, I really loved to collect it. But your mother also knew what happened to my records."
He stared my mother.
"Yes. Grandmother broke it all because you didn't study enough. It was really incredible that she broke that all. I also tried to break his record but it even didn't bend."
After heard about his hobby, I was curious about that day's play style. His answer was quite interesting that he argued every period had that characteristic time of playing. At nowadays children were mostly playing with computers, but at that time the most fun thing was the comic books. So, burrowing a book from the bookstore was the most fun to the student. At that time, bookstore was different from now. It was place where the people burrowed the comic books and because it was the main reason for the students to absent to academy. Parents usually monitor the place near the bookstore. His family was not the exception. As the oldest son in the house, he should have not bring any bad things that would harm studying moods in the home and therefore comic books were banned in his house. But he loved to read it and grandmother was watching with the baseball bat on her hand.
Next, I asked about his after school life. It was very broad question that anything he wanted to talk about He said that the most memorable thing that he remembered was the school uniform. Current students tend to think that the school uniforms are vestige of the Japanese colonialism, but at that day, the uniforms were the most fashionable clothes that during he came back to home from the school, every girl students were watching him. This gave feeling like he was becoming an elite, and in fact he was at that day. That was why when he went to some meetings, he always tended to wear the uniforms.
"So, you made lots of problems that day. So are there many problems with the grandmothers?"
He laughed at my question. He said as the old Korean usually said, 'you can't imagine that day'
"I could still remember that day when your grandmother chasing me with the knife. She was a passionate woman and because I was lazy to the study, she thought that you would be better killed here. I was Lucky to escape that day. She even chased me to the downtown. Your grandmother is sick now, but when she was young, she was too passionate. She even threw away the books to the fireplace or the pond that I didn't study enough and student who didn't study enough didn't need any of those things. But few hours later we always ended with buying them again. There were always problem with my mother every day. But I understand everything she did because the study was the most important thing in that life and she wanted to have a hardship with me. She didn't just observe me but did the study with me and that was why I really thanked to the grandmother."
There were almost no snacks lefts and also did my question. My final question was about the most important thing that learned in his life. He stared at me, and said his last story.
"You can fail, but you don't have to make a mistake. In my school, they were all the elites in the Korea. Lots of my friends in middle school and high school went to Seoul University, and some were having a good job and earned a lot of money. But not everybody succeed. Many of my colleagues were also now living in single room with no money. Do you think why? They did not waste their money or not working hard. The only wrong thing they did is they made a mastake. You always have to remember cliché that 'There is only one life.' So, there are fails but you shouldn't have mistakes. Whether you are now in good university or good job, once you have a mistake, you lost one pile of your life. And this is hard to recover, almost cannot. You have to remember that the fail and mistake are very different. Whatever hard life you had, one mistake can ruin all."
Although his life was full of failure, he  recalled the past that he didn't make big mistakes in important points and that was the key for him to finally entrance the medical university and now sitting here enjoying the time here.