Open Post #3

(Note: Today's post might be all over the place as I'm trying to collect my thoughts in the midst of my neighbor's weekly Thursday night ragers - a.k.a beer pong, incessant screaming, yelling, top 40 blasting, and drunken laughter until 4 a.m. Can't you tell I'm already annoyed?)

Upon finding two shoe boxes full of photos and letters buried deep in my closet, I had quite a fun evening plunging into old memories. Well, not that old, considering I only graduated high school less than three years ago. But looking back on all the things that I have accomplished since then, I definitely feel like I have grown a lot in college.

My perceptions of North Korea have also changed, now that I come to think about it. As one of the heads of International Students Association, I was always seeking for ways to update our school community on what's happening on the other side of the globe. Having gone to an all-girls boarding school full of WASP-y country club goers and Ivy League graduates as parents, I was bound to encounter problems truly communicating with our student body on such matters, of course.

Every Monday, we had this one-hour period called "X Block" during which the entire school gathered in the auditorium for a special presentation, ranging from our school band Reckless Collision's performances to alumni lectures. Being a prestigious private school and all, everyone was set on going to one of the top colleges and naturally, obsessed with community service. There were probably at least twenty email blasts about some kind of a drive - clothing, canned food, children's toys, etc. - benefiting all kinds of charity, often local but occasionally international. After seeing with my own eyes how successful our "Save Darfur" movement turned out to be, I wanted to do an X Block presentation on North Korean issues.

The first step I took was to schedule a conference with my East Asian teacher, Mr. Neumann. Although strict in grading and rigid in class rules, he came second to no one when discussing anything East Asia - politics, culture, latest TV shows, you name it. "I wanna tell the girls about North Korea and raise money to help the refugees," I remember my naive, seventeen-year-old self declaring in his classroom. After what seemed like a huge chunk of infinite silence, Mr. Neumann finally faced me and said, "Well, you gotta take baby steps. You have to first make them be aware of the big picture and then slowly guide them toward the humanitarian issues. The situation is a lot more complicated than you think."

I walked out of the classroom disappointed. I expected a little more enthusiasm, but it seemed like I was either on my own to make it happen or go with his directions of "taking it slow." Slow? How slow? I was graduating in two months; I did not have the patience. Later that day as I walked into my usual 2 p.m. East Asian Studies class, Mr. Neumann handed me a huge stack of articles, telling me to read it to "understand the big picture first."

Of course I never finished reading it - nor did the presentation ever happen. It's probably not the best excuse, but being a second-semester senior in the Boston private school circle meant driving up to Providence for Brown's "sophisticated college parties," shopping for multiple prom dresses, tanning on a yacht while drifting down Charles River and sneaking into Braeburn Country Club's outdoor pool. Between senior projects and insanely packed social calendar, I found no motivation to sit down and read article after article about the Korean War and Kim Jung Il. Mr. Neumann, if you're reading this right now, I'm so sorry - but I can guarantee you that I through with my crazy days and now have a whole blog dedicated to North Korean issues, so I hope you'll forgive me.

Funny how things turn out... While I was researching for my last paper, I ran into the exact same article he handed to me two and a half years ago. I can't remember what it was called, but it contained a very deep insight on the relationship between South Korean and North Korean soldiers along the border. If I had read those back then and really understood the things that I know now, I might have made a difference earlier than expected.

I forget where I was going with this post (thanks, ridiculously wasted girl 1 and girl 2 outside my window having a "whose voice is louder" competition), but I guess the moral of the story is never miss your opportunity to study what you're passionate about for the moment's fun - you never know what you'll get out of it.