I started eating korean food & I love it. I even buy kimchi for home. I also started learning the language & forced few people to watch kdramas & eat bibimbab. Hopefully one day I'll be able to visit Korea.

I became a Korean! Well okay, at least deep down in my heart! (I'm Asian though) I started learning Korean language, started befriending every Korean people I see at campus (there's only 3 of them), and started checking out local Korean restaurants in our state (and some neighboring states). Heck yeah, I even curse in Korean now!

Kidding! I don't curse.

I switched to "natural" make-up now, which, in a way, defies the "normal" dramatic style of make-up most americans wear (i.e tons of eye shadow). Completing my ulzang look, I also tossed my old wardrobe and now started buying Korean clothing. Yay! But! Sometimes, my ever laid back American preppy style still shows every now and then. Guess we can't completely change 180 degree.

well watching korean drama is addictive and then you start to act like you fav actor/acress XD mmm the first thig i had done was calling every men older (well a lot) than me Ajusshi and the old or married ladies ajumma XD
mmm well every time i answer the telphone (even the one of my family ) i said"yeobseyo" and most of the time the other people think "wtf" ahaha (it's funny when call someone for advertising they will have some what the hell moment before wasting my timeXD)
I started to eat ramyun XD ahaha in the hoping of knowing a man like Choi Kang Hyuk ahahaXD damn flower boy i like them so much !
i'm so in my korean-happy-full-of-hot-man-drama-world that my friends stated to call me Mondo Corea that translated is "korean world" (but in italian makes more senseXD) well sometimes i find myself overacting in some situation and then i tell myself "you 're not in a drama stop it !"XD
when i drink alchool i drink it like soju with the "ghhhh" XD ahaha (i'm too stupid sorry but it's funny")
i also started to call my family member with korean names (omma,oppa,unni...)it's funny XD
ahaha that's all i think , i'm Not resident in Canada

Began eating Korean food at every possible opportunity, which is few and far apart for me as I can only get Korean food by eating out. And eating out is expensive, so had to scrimp and save and reorder my priorities. And also did almost everything else my fellow Kdrama addicts have been saying here (had great fun reading everyone's comments here). But food is my biggest change. I don't know how they do it, but even their fried chicken brings out the green-eyed-monster (or should it be open-mouth-salivating-monster?) in me.

Am not a resident of US.

Well I'm Korean and so I always eat korean food, watch korean tv, speak korean fluently... BUT I did apply to a Korean medical school so I could possibly move to Korea for school. I even was accepted!.. but then my dad got all paranoid so I wouldn't let me go so far away. But yes, crazy things in the name of korean dramas and korean culture

I started learning Korean from a friend of mine and I've been going to asian malls to try and find inexpensive DVD Boxsets
I got obsessed with OSTs which soon led to my interest in K-pop!!!

- I use "Fighting" as if it's a universal language. One time my foreign manager was having stress, I replied her email: "Fighting!" She asked, "Fighting?" Then I had to go through explaining to her it's Korean thing for "I/You can do it!"

- Korean is also full of aegyo, which I love. I love to use word like unnie and oppa to the older ones, trying to act cute to them. I buy cute cartoon and things that they show in dramas.

- At one point, I tried to bow to older ones too but American just move around too fast? lol! I manage to do the obvious, respectable nod to greet to people.

I made a playlist with soundtracks of many dramas and play it in my apartment. I got my roommate into dramas and music and she loves it!

K-dramas have kind of changed my life. Ever since I've become absolutely OBSESSED, I have since switched my music taste to Kpop. <3 I also eat kimchi now. A lot. Like really a lot. I can go through a whole jar in a week by myself. And my sister has started to become obsessed with Korean food. We just made our first ddeokbokki last week! It was completely atrocious, but we can only improve from there! I've also been trying to learn Korean. It's actually a really nice language to hear and to speak and I love the beauty and simplicity of how hangul looks. The way Kdramas have changed me most is probably deactivating my sleeping crazy fangirl mode. I never really gave a crap about boys before, but Korean boys have changed me. Eye candy has healing powers on people, I swear.

Ever since watching k-dramas I fell in love w/ ramyun. lol whenever they eat it in dramas, it's inevitable for me not to

Watching dramas has changed my everyday life in probably more ways than I'm aware of, but here are some of them.

Eating Korean food every so often is a must and I've been gradually branching out in terms of the different types of Korean food there are. Listening to kpop has definitely become a daily event and so has searching for english-subtitled videos of drama actors, actresses, etc.

I started to learn the language, eat kimchi even though i hate spicy, I even memorized Kim soo han mu and it is now forever in my head. :)

*not a US/Canada resident

1. Every single time I trip, I half-expect some hot guy to appear out of nowhere and catch me. By the waist. And I'll manage to look graceful in his arms and my hair will be perfect and we'll have 10 seconds of romantic eye contact. Definitely.
2. Korean food is now my favorite type of Asian food, although I'm not very good at cooking it yet. Especially steak bibimbap (Shining Inheritance)... because y'know, maybe one day I'll get to cook it for the hot grandson of a CEO and he'll be impressed.
3. I like the original story of The Little Mermaid better than the popular one, thanks to Secret Garden. Also I've started to work on my sit-up technique.
4. Cross-dressing actually doesn't seem like that bad of an idea... Sungkyunkwan Scandal, 1st Shop of the Coffee Prince, and You're Beautiful. <3
5. Lesson learned - you must be ready to do anything for the guy that you love (ex. swallow a caterpillar *ISWAK*, hold a sword to your own neck/write notes to him in blood *The Princess's Man*, jump in front of a bullet *City Hunter*, etc.)
6. I practice fighting with a spoon/water bottle/hat daily. Perhaps if I post a video on YouTube, LMH will be impressed :)
7. I've spent countless hours thinking about what I would do in a 49 Days situation. Hm, probably just abuse the emergency button to death -- 49 Days with Jung Il Woo is perfectly fine with me~
8. I've perfected my Ramyun recipe after seeing FBRS. I even tried chocolate sauce. And cheese. Yep.

Thanks so much for this giveaway! Love your site and Korean dramas (duh)!

Sleeping at 4-6 in the morning when I don't have school has become a common occurrence. Kdramas have become something I can actually talk to my mom about excitedly. I occasionally say "aigo". I understand a little bit of what my korean friends say to each other and when I tell them I know what they were saying, they freak out. Every time I turn on my computer, I check dramabeans to check out updates on the Korean entertainment industry. And then there's the kpop, kfood, kdramas, the usual. :)

[email protected]

I started getting into K-pop (Yay for 2NE1!) and Korean food (Double yay for bulgolgi!) after watching dramas. I also went looking for a Korean penpal so I could try to learn Korean and get more insight about Korea in general. She's so very awesome and we've been sending each other letters and small gifts for a few months now. Without K-dramas, I wouldn't have met such an amazing friend or broadened my tastes as much as I have. Now I want some kimichi...

Learning korean and listening to korean songs.

Well, i remembered when i first watched my first k-drama was back back all the way back to 2009. YES! 2009. I know i'm havent watched k-dramas as others but i TRIED :D!
anyways...ever since 2009 i have been so obessessed with KOREAN!! OH YEAH! LOL ^^ i tried alot of korean restaurants and their food was WOAH DELICIOUS! i loved it! i love kimichi! LOL the tasteness( i'm not sure if there is a word like that) of thier chilli YUM! OH OH! i loved the SOUP! i remembered when i first tried at this famous k-restaurants their soup was NICE! they had so many many favourites and btw... i love their BBQ!
i also become a HIT FAN of k-pop! K-POP IS AWESOME! i especially love 2PM myself and i have been a fan for about 2 years now. i love k-pop that i even particpate the wonder girls dance contest 'be my baby'! and if you win u can see the wonder girls and go to JYP company ISNT THAT COOL! talking about it i havent dance for so long! LOL

*i am not a citizen of us/canada

I started to eat the various Korean food, such as kimchi (I have kimchi in my fridge nowadays ^_^), kimchi jjigae, bulgogi (very nice with leaves wrapped around the meat), japchae, ramyeon, tteokbokki, and so on.

I started to listen to Korean songs while working or studying. Not so much the K-pop groups, but more of the drama OST, and Sung Si Kyung's songs (he has great voice!)

And Korean drama even managed to intrude my studies - which I am glad of as I finally can justify all those hours of watching Kdrama ^_^. For my TV studies class project, I did a gender analysis on Sungkyunkwan Scandal. It feels good to tell people that I 'need' to watch the drama to complete my school assignment :).

I have started watching K-dramas since the longest time ever. I have started to branch out to watch different genres of K-drama. I used to be all about just romance genre, but now I have broadened my view of K-drama to mystery, suspense, action, melodrama, etc.

Watching K-drama has made me have a lot of common topic with new friends and such. Sometimes meeting new people, it is hard to start a conversation, but fortunately, a lot of people watches K-drama nowadays; so I'm able to click with people easier when we talk about the dramas we watched or watching.

Heyyy!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! So I am definitely one of your lurkers. I stalk your website everyday religiously. I was not planning on entering the contest but I do want to share the changes in my life because of kdrama. Just like everyone I have started learning the language, I have taught my roommates some of the words and phrases and we use them in public as our own secret language ...yes I know we are grown girls behaving as teenagers. Watching the dramas def made me want to eat jajangmyun and drink soju and makgeolli. So when the roomie and I discovered assi plaza (Asian super market) near where we live we went on a shopping spree and bought all the diff kinds of soju and makgeolli coz we did not know which one to get or which one was good, ingredients to make jajangmyun, kimchi, different types of ramyun, our personal bowls to cook ramyun in, metal chopsticks and the big spoon…we went all out!! We have switched from wine to soju as our feel better poison.
The biggest difference that k drama brought in my life was bringing me closer to my godmom. My godmom and I used to be very close and as I grew up we started becoming distant and our relationship became that once a week courtesy call that lasted for about 5 mins max. In 2009 my parents were out of the country so I had to spend my Christmas holidays with her. I spent most of the time watching dramas and after a few days she was like what are you always watching lets watch it together and I told her I was at the end of the show and she can watch the next one I start. I did not really think she would watch it with me. The next drama I watched was coffee prince and she watched the whole thing with me and we had a blast watching it together…we finished the whole show in 2 days and after It was over she wanted to watch more (I created a monster and I loved it) and so for the rest of the holidays we hung out together watched dramas. After that out once a week phone calls slowly became more then once a week and longer…at first they were about what drama should she watch next and we would talk and laugh and get angry at scenes from the drama…then they were about the drama and our lives and now the phone calls are like every other day they last forever and we talk about everything under the sun and the dramas.

Thanks dramabeans for bringing this diehard lurker out of the woodwork! In the name of my Kdrama obsession (and in the face of much mockery from friends and family), I started learning Korean. I've made a pilgrimage to my nearest Koreatown, put Hangul on my computer keyboard, have Kpop running through my head, and feel the need to bow to people often. I have also noticed some changes in how I see myself and the world. I honestly think, amidst the drama cliches and silliness and fun, I have gained a lot of interesting perspective on cultures and on my life. Also, I can't watch American TV very much anymore! All the brazen skinship is too overwhelming!

Dreaming in school (and not paying attention in class) thinking about the hot actors in Kdramas xD

I tried to learn Korean!

i tried to learn Korean

Actually I have started to go often to korean restaurants to eat spicy food, tried to start learning korean also but it is too difficult, and I have travelled to Seoul twice.

(not a resident of US/Canada)

watching k-drama has mixed up my japanese from anime/j-drama... i started using korean phrases w/ my japanese friends.... always have a sudden cravings for ramyun... when i see korean guys i have an urge to call them oppa... hahaha

my life is taken over!! but im happy :D almost all the time if meet is cooked, i wrap it with some lettuce and eat imagining im in a store in korea and use chopsticks when eating cup noodles whilst watching dramas :) fun times....my phone is filled with all kpop, and ost's and every day for at least 2 hours or more i watch kdrama episodes and always forget the time...keep saying short words like 'dont want to'- (shiro), ahh molla molla, cheomal,ahh bashta(started doing that more oftern since gumiho).. and just love it how theres so much kdrama lovers and love javabeans and girlfriday's commentary and recaps..ah and i laugh out loud or smile to myself thinking of drama scenes when smething similar like that happen in reality..what would i do without kdrama <3 saranghe <3
I couldnt wish dramabeans before but WISH U A HAPPY 5th ANNIVERSATY!! hope that the site will be able to continue forever with more followers and lots of awesome recaps <3 <3 AJA AJA HWAItinG!! ^^

*I a not a US/Canada resident

like a lot of people here i have started eating and making Korean food. Depending the drama, i try what their eating or famous foods from different regions in Korea (Busan=Pork Bone Soup, which was amazing :) and i try out different ways to make ramyun. When i go to the grocery store i try and buy different food from Korea lol.

I have lost countless hours of sleep pulling all nighters to watch K-dramas, and now i regularly say "omo" and "aigoo" and i am slowly learning how to speak in Korean, with the hopes of going there someday :)

First of all, Happy 5th Aniversary~ ^_^
After starting k-dramas, i visited Korea~ XD
Every time I passed by a place I recognized from a kdrama, I would spazz. (I probably looked like an idiot.) When I realized that the lobby of the hotel I was staying in was the same one I saw from Oh My Lady, I started spazzing. haha. I even went Myeongdong just because Park ShinHye went there in You're Beautiful. (It's so nice there. *o*)
I fell in love with Korean food when I was there, so now I eat a lot of Korean food at home and when I'm. Samgyupsal is definitely my favourite. XD

I only started watching K-dramas in 2011, and in that short span of time, I've discovered this awesome site called Drama Beans. I come here a few times a week and it's awesome. :)

I also quickly brushed up on my k-pop and went to the Kpop Music Fest last year. NEVER would've done that before! I walk around singing the Lotte Duty Free song in my head, and my ipod is quickly being filled with more and more kpop and K-drama OSTs. :)

Now I'm planning a trip to Seoul.

*Not from the US or Canada.

Hmmm,

I guess the only thing I ever did that was an influence from k-drama is cut my hair like Go Mi Nam from You are Beautiful.

Haha, It turned out well actually. :)

#giveaway 2

I am a typical of quiet girl before, but after i watch korean dramas, makes me often to smile to other people, and this is how finally i can have a boyfriend :) Watching korean dramas can make me more cheerful, because most of the drama actress act to smile and friendly to people around.
Beside it, watching korean dramas makes my style of dressing better. Korean dramas give very good example how to dress up in daily life, because most of them are in polite dress for daily wear. I love korean dramas :D

I am Indonesian Resident, my email [email protected]

I started learning Korean, and I've been starting to beg my parents to try kimchi and other foods!!
I've also taking a liking to K-pop!!
*Living in North America

Watching kdramas has definitely affected my sleep-wake cycle. Now I can make do with just 6 hours of sleep in order to squeeze in more time to watch all my favorite shows. My sense of fashion has also definitely improved... ending up with me spending more money on clothes than I usually do. I've now made more korean friends through mutual interest in dramas and I've tried cooking korean cuisine. I love cooking and eating dukbokki which I've always seen in the dramas.

For starters, I began eating a lot of Korean food and went to Korean supermarkets (ie komart and hmart) for kimchi, and Korean drama merchandise (ie jang geun suk stickers). Then I started dreaming about meeting Korean actors (ie lee junki) which was quite and interesting experience. All in all, it's been a fun time with Korean dramas xD

I started mumbling/talking in Korean. Obviously not fluently or to people or about everything, since my Korean is limited to what I learn in dramas, but I started incorporating it into my everyday life. Somethings are better explained in Korean too! Like AIGOOO. :P

The first time i ever pulled an all-nighter was for a korean drama :) Watching kdramas have screwed up my bedtimes and caused many sleepless yet entertaining nights!
And you can't watch a kdrama without catching some korean phrases!! I've gotten into the habit of busting out some korean to my family xD

SO. Where I live, my clock’s insisting it’s an hour of morning I don’t even believe exists.

I’m fresh off of an eye-bleeding, coffee-powered Ojakkyo bender, you see, and I’d only intended to drop by dramabeans to check in on what I’ve missed these past few days while I put my life on hold for Total Immersion’s sake. And then I’d planned to be unconscious for like, a month or two.

But I can hardly go sleep now when I’ve got such precious little time to make my own grab for FREE PRIZES.

Free DRAMA prizes.

…I only mention any of this because it’s a near-certainty that at some unknowable point in this post, any sense I’m inadvertently making now will magically disappear.

I just want you to be ready.

THAT SAID:

Once, long ago, in the ravages of a distant, dreary 2009 (year of swine flu and keyboard cat), by the grace of a benevolent flying spaghetti monster, I met k-drama…and we’ve been basically inseparable ever since.

Two years in, and the littler, more pervasive drama-induced Life Changes (like, for instance, the intermittent two or three day-long binges, or the sacrifice of precious after-study sleep in favor of one or two episodes of a series I *have* to watch, or finding myself with profound, inexplicable cravings for soju –a drink I’ve never even tasted) have finally culminated in the motivation to pursue a Most Unspeakably Righteous opportunity: a study-abroad venture to Korea.

Just got my D-2 in this morning, in fact, and on Feb 18, I skip town for Yonsei University in Seoul. Or…*near* Seoul. (The prepositions change depending on who I ask.)

K-drama made me fall in love with a culture I’d previously known next to nothing about (largely because the only history we’re ever really taught in Uhmerka is Western history rabblerabblerabble), and with a language I *definitely* knew nothing about. As a result, like so many others here, I signed up to take the language at school the instant I realized they offered it, and now I’ve got a couple semesters’ worth of Basic Knowledge to give me a bit of a leg-up while I’m there. (Knowing the alphabet made "Tree with Deep Roots" easily a zillion times more awesome, that’s for sure.)

But it wasn’t enough.

K-dramas do things to my thumpy-thingy; squeezy, smashy-type things. (I need that to continue being alive, Korea. Stop crushing it in your glorious story-telling fists! >.<) I can’t even begin to tell you how often I think ‘well, that’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m just going to have resign myself to an endless cavalcade of stories that’ll never measure up, because how the hell do you *top* that?’ in post-drama funks, only to discover a day, a week, a few weeks later –invariably, that there’s another drama out there, or up-coming, that’s just as good or better. South Korea’s drama industry is *unstoppable* at churning out rich, epic, layered, intelligently-written and emotionally-riveting narratives, and eventually it became clear that my imminent future needed to include a first-hand encounter with the culture behind the lens (and the pen!).

So now, with another several thousand dollars heaped onto my disgusting pile of Student Loans, I’m bound for Korea!

Because of drama.

Life’s crazy.

…how long have I been talking now?

(WARNINGSHAMELESSFLATTERY:) Thanks, Dramabeans, for being my/everyone’s k-drama touchstone; you do indeed feed the addiction.

I have to go now before my face explodes.

muchlywithgratitude,
ag

new thing? reading and now finally submitting a comment to a kdrama blog, all for the love of kd!

watching kd's have become an escape for me. at the end of a long day of work, it's the way i unwind and relax. it's also my way of rewarding myself as it has become one of my favorite things.

i would luv to do what you do too, if only i could... keep doing what you do because there seem to be many of us who really enjoy it =)!

hehe, seems like i've been doing a lot of the same that other k-drama fans have been doing since i started watching 1 1/2 years ago: started teaching myself korean & how to cook korean food, i've been buying korean housewares, and even made a trip to korea this past summer!

I haven't mentioned this to anyone I know in real life yet, but I've started thinking that I want to study Korean, Japanese and Chinese and become a professional translator.

hey I wonder if i can still participate, is there a deadline?

oh well here g

Wow, this question has really made me consider just how huge an impact k-dramas have had on my life. If I had never watched and became obsessed with my very 1st kdrama back in 2005, it'd be very different indeed.

As a result of kdramas, Im studying Korean as a degree in uni. (before my korean obsession I had initially been set on doing something like journalism)

Became really interested in the culture and korean news so much so that i usually have no idea what is even happening in my own country but i can reel off more current news concerning South Korea. (My korean friends who live in Seoul/Busan, are usually shocked that I know more than they do. I remember the time I was telling them about south korean law, they just had a look of disbelief).

It got me addicted to korean music too and then i stopped listening to english music/radio. 98% of my itunes library is all korean.

Went to South Korea last summer where i bought lots of kpop merchandise. =)
And I'm going again this summer for a 6 week summer korean study course.

Have spent ridiculous amounts collecting the big shiny boxsets of my fav kdramas. And my latest count, I've watched 85 kdramas since 2005. Often neglect my social life just so I can stay in to watch more episodes. ><

I now love korean food so much its always my first choice suggestion when deciding which restaurant to go to, lol my family dont see the appeal and why i find it more delicious than chinese food. But Korean BBQ is my favourite food period! nothing can top it! lol

I dont usually like going drinking, my when it involves a soju bar or korean bar, im there in an instant!

Have bought loads of books concerning South Korea in general (ie.economy, society etc) and in particular its relationship to North Korea.

I spend a lot of time following and reading a LOT of different korean related blog sites.

My ideal type has changed from western guys to asian guys. (My parents couldnt be happier at this fact lol)

And most of all, watching kdramas has really changed my perspective on life. I think Im a lot more culturally open minded than I used to be and Im more appreciative and proud of my own asian background.

I daydream a lot and am more receptive to stuffed animal toys.

For me, watching Kdramas has got me really interested in Korea to the point that after graduating uni, I want to go teach Engish there for a year. Oh, and of course, I've also started eating kimchi, ramyun, etc., and learned a lot of the Korean language :D

I remember the first time I watched a drama, I was really captivated by some of the buildings. (I was in architecture school at the time.) I've become really interested in Korean architecture, and I'm hoping I can get a job with a firm who does work there.

I am a resident of the USA.

Again, Happy Birthday Dramabeans and Congratulations:

Email: [email protected]

THE WAYS IN WHICH WATCHING KDRAMAS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE:

1—I have been sleeping on the floor for the last almost 6 months to have more space in my room, using a sleeping bag at the bottom and 3 blankets on top and I am loving it, plus I have more room to organize things on the floor when I need to (my landlady took the bed out 6 months ago, she needed it). . 2—I listen to Kpop a lot, more so than any other genre and in the process I have come to appreciate many, many Korean artists and singers, too many to list them all (a few: Kim Hyun Joong, Hero {JeaJong}, Kim Dong Ruyl, Alex, Kim Bum, Fly to the Sky and many, many OSTs as well Korean Trot music and Korean Traditional songs and music). 3—I ate instant ramen noodles for lunch and dinner last summer, the whole summer actually until Sept. to save some money and I would cook it in various ways to keep it interesting, as I had seen in “The Education of Men.” 4—I started learning how to speak and understand Korean on my own, I am slow but I am hanging in there and I am slowly making progress . 5—I watched all Korean TV programming when I worked as a caregiver for someone who was bedridden. I had KBS on all day until late in the night to watch variety shows. I would have on one program after another and sometimes I would switch with KEMS, another Korean TV channel. 6)—I would eventually like to visit South Korea, hopefully more than once and go to places like Jeju Island, the Namsan Tower and other places featured on shows like 2D1N (or vice versa). 7)—I have been paying attention to relationships (business, cultural, aid, volunteering) South Korea has with African countries (whether it be at a government level or regular people ,such as the priest I think who lived in Sudan and died of an illness. I think it was cancer. If he wasn’t a priest, he was a religious figure. A movie documentary was done about his life “Don’t cry for me Sudan” and his foundation and the priest received an award after his death [picked up by his brother who is a doctor I think and who now works at that foundation] and his foundation got some money at the award ceremony and more exposure through KBS (this was broadcasted in January 2011 in the US on KBS World, I think).I pay attention to Korean celebrities (and regular people when I can find out about them) who do volunteer work (or business) in Africa such as : Daniel Henney (he’s not totally Korean but…), Won Bin in the Gambia, Lee Byun Hyun, A singer I saw on Happy Together (Can’t remember his name right now), Actress Aeri and many others (some of whom go there, others do things through projects and organizations in Korea such as World Vision Korea). Even the Korean minister of Tourism ,Sports and Culture went to Tanzania in 2011, brought some aid and worked on some development project I think, representing the South Korean government. This was right after his trip to many European countries to promote Korean culture and the Korean Wave 8)—I talk to myself and friends who watch Kdramas using Korean words such as “Araso”, “Chincha,” “Chincharoo”, “Kya”, “Omo”, “Aishh” and other words I can’t remember right now (I know I misspelled those words and I apologize). 9)—I looked into whether there is a Cameroonian embassy in Seoul (not yet) and a Korean embassy in Cameroon (Yes) so I could get some info from them as a start in organizing a trip to South Korea. 10)—I have stayed up all night and all day to watch Kdramas . 11)—I have stayed in my room for 3 days straight (only taking bathroom breaks and going to get water and food in the kitchen) to watch Kdramas, or watch variety shows like “We Got Married”. 12)—I did the same thing and read post after post on Dramabeans , just wanted to read as much as I could. Read other blogs as well about Kdramas. 13)—I registered with the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles so I would know what cultural events they host as a way to feel connected to South Korea. I don’t live close to LA, otherwise I would be taking their classes and attending their cultural events. 14)—I stopped watching Am TV. 15)—I have been to a Korean restaurant and had some of their food (couldn’t have it all in one sitting). 16)—I have listened to and paid attention to news about South Korea. 17)—I talked once about Hyun Bin’s life (as if I knew him personally) to someone I was having dinner with (was surprised at how enthusiastic I was about someone who doesn’t even know that I exist and whose life in the public I seemed to know so much about. I also talked a lot about Korean dramas). 18)—I approached a lady and her son at a Public Library because I thought they were speaking Korean, and they were. They were very gracious and kind, and the lady gave me her email info, so I could stay in touch with her and ask her questions about Kdramas. 19)—I pay more attention to acting and emoting when watching Kdramas and other films or shows (International ones, meaning non Korean). 20)—I have commented on blogs that focus on Korean or Asian dramas, when I had never commented on a blog before, even though I have spent time reading them. 21)—Reading Dramabeans daily to keep up with recaps of dramas that I like or follow but don’t have the time to watch and to find out about what is happening in the Korean entertainment world. Once, I had to send my computer to be repaired and I could only go online at the public library. I would go there once a week (that was all I had time for) and could only be online for 2hrs. The first page I would go to was Dramabeans, I would scan the titles and read quickly what I might be interested in and then move on to my email. I thought it was interesting that Dramabeans came first. I ended up signing up for the daily updates to be delivered in my inbox in my email. 22)—Reading regularly Soompi, Hancinema and other blogs dedicated to Korean and Asian news and matters. 23)—I have become a part of 3 online blogging communities that focus on the Korean and Asian entertainment world (I had never been a part of any online community, as I said earlier, I would just read the blogs). 24)—Thanks to reading Dramabeans regularly, I have become more analytical when watching a series or a movie, whether it be Korean or other (American, French etc…). I pay more attention to the acting, directing, OST, cinematography, the writing, the lighting, the make-up, the clothes, the landscape and scenery, the houses, the time period, etc…and as a result, I feel that I get more out of my experience. 25)—I find myself caring for the people in the Korean entertainment world (actors/actresses/Producers, etc…) and often praying for them, literally. 26)—I have developed an interest in finding out or having a sense of who the actors/actresses/singers/artists are behind their profession. I read articles about them, and watch them on interviews. Very often, my sense of who they are ends up being accurate or confirmed. 27)—I am more selective about what I watch, whether it be a movie or a series and whether it be Korean or from another country. I like watching movies or series that will pull me in and make me want to care about the characters and be invested in what happens to them. 28)—I have developed an appreciation for movies and series that are well written and yet have little or no sexual content, whether they be Korean or other. 29)—I am interested in actors/actresses professional and personal growth and I very often watch dramas with actors/actresses I know to see how they have grown, or I watch their previous work to see how they have grown or change and I silently root for them in my heart (that they will continue to improve over time) 30)—I am educating myself about the Korean language, culture and people because I have developed an interest in Korea (both North and South) and also because my hope and my dream would be to work on a collaboration project (be it in business or humanitarian) between Africa and South Korea. I would love to be part of such a team and bring my understanding of Africa and African peoples as a contribution to the project and work with South Koreans who are also interested in helping non Koreans understand and learn from the Korean culture, Korean experience, and Korean expertise and who might have an interest in Africa or France, since I lived there for 10 years. 31)—Being exposed to Korean dramas has made me appreciate the value of being humble in life and working hard and has made me look at my own culture (Cameroonian) and realize what I appreciate about it as well and what I am more critical of and see how my generation can bring about some changes, whether it be cultural, social or in our families. 32)—I also follow the development of the Korean Wave in other Asian countries (such as Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, etc…) and in Europe and how entertainers are handling it. When I lived in France and traveled in Europe, the Korean Wave was non-existent there (this is about 25 years ago) and now it is interesting to see how it has grown in Europe with the huge concerts that took place in Paris last summer and the JYJ concert that took place in Barcelona last October. JYJ will be going to South America this Spring I believe [Chile and another country, can’t remember which one at the moment]. I am interested in how one bridges the gap culturally between people who do not speak the same language (Korean and non Koreans, in this instance) and who might have (very) different social and cultural values and backgrounds, using the entertainment industry, for instance. 33)—I have watched Arirang News and KBS World regularly. 34—As a linguist who speaks 4 different languages, I have come to appreciate the Korean language. I love listening to it, even if I don’t understand all of it (I don’t think that is very important) and I am fascinated by the idioms, proverbs and language structure in Korean as it informs us about the Korean culture but also about the philosophy and way of life of the Korean people. 34)—You could say that I have Korea on my mind and on my heart a lot.

I ended up getting obsessed with K-pop and J-pop
and I started watching Japanese and Taiwanese dramas!!!
I tried going to various malls trying to find Drama Box sets :)
*Living in North America

Watching K-dramas has made me embrace my Asian heritage and realize all the wonderful things Asian culture has to offer. It has also allowed for me to form bonds with my fellow k-drama lovers, most importantly my current best friend. Now if only Kim Bum would magically realize that he's meant to be with me...