Category Archives: The Simple Joys in Life

It might be a k-drama if

Someone chases a bus/ car that the other main character is in
Someone gets kidnapped/locked up
A main character gets sick and the other main character nurses them back to health
The main character is probably sick from one of the following options
- Being out in the cold
- Being out in the rain (without an umbrella or rain coat)
- Over working (most likely working all night in the cold or rain)
There is a disapproving ajuma (older woman) or halmeoni (grandma)
Instead of holding hands, main character goes for a wrist grab
You have to wait until half way through the series for the real first kiss
Someone cooks for the other person (and is very quick at chopping veggies)
Someone calls the other main character stupid, dummy, or fool (??!)
A main character is admitted to the hospital
The two main characters hate each other at first
The female lead gets drunk and admits something she would never have otherwise admitted
People drink soju — lots of soju
The female lead is a poor, quirky girl surrounded by multiple tall handsome men
There is always a second male lead who doesn’t get the girl
The second male lead is kinder and sweeter than the main male lead
There are one to four girls who are jealous of the female lead and make her life difficult
There is a scene where the female lead puts on makeup
There is a scene where the male lead puts on a suit
Finally, after both the female lead and male leads have confessed their love for each other, one or the other has to avoid the other (or get engaged to someone else) for “family reasons”
The female lead yells at the male lead for being stuck up and/or cruel
The male lead gives the female lead a piece of jewelry (most likely a necklace or hairpin)
The male lead yells at the female lead for making some mistake (probably losing the jewelry he gave her) without knowing the whole story
The male lead gives the female lead a VERY DRAMATIC back hug
Someone is a CEO, president, prince, or artist
There is a playful surprise kiss
The male lead gives the female lead a makeover
Someone goes grocery shopping
The male lead is constantly criticizing the female lead or is steadfast in pursuing her (or both at the same time)
Someone is related to someone else (surprise!)
Someone hugs someone while the other person just stands there awkwardly
A main lead changes clothes in the same room as the other main lead making the other skirmish. The following words are probably said, “What are you doing?!” “Turn around” “There is nothing to even see”
It is a HUGE DEAL when the main lead says “I love you”
Parents are always whacking their kids’ backs, and older siblings are always hitting their siblings
One of the main leads moves away for some period of time for one of the following reasons
- Learning or running the family business
- Studying abroad for some random program like coffee making or perfume
Someone calls someone else a pervert or a stalker at some point
Someone has a traumatic past or secret
One of the leads is allergic to something (most likely crabs in soy sauce) or they have an irrational fear (such as swimming or elevators)
Someone tries a new food for the first time and loves it
There are less than 25 episodes in the whole show

I work here, but it’s not work.

Several weeks this semester I’ve worked over 50 hours a week on top of my 17 credits. It sounds worse than it is. In reality, 20 of those hours are spent at camp. It’s about an hour drive to Lake Geneva Youth Camp, and I’ve been going up almost every weekend. My mom is concerned that I need to ease up and destress. I respond that camp is my destress.

Story time: It was minus 20 degrees. I worked outside all day at the giant swing and then headed to Conference Point Center for lazer tag in the evening. I suggest taking my car across the lake because I know it’s reliable. Previously, the truck we normally take wouldn’t start because of the cold. However, because I’m a minor and my car isn’t on camp insurance, we took a camp van. The problem with this camp vehicle? The gas light doesn’t work. No big deal. Kitchen staff filled it this morning. “Yay,” I think to myself as we head to CPC. “Warmth inside at last.” But no. Tippiwalkin, the building we set lazer tag in, is unheated. It’s now past sunset and the inside of Tippi acts as a freezer: no wind, just bitter, bitter cold. My toes hadn’t defrosted from being outside all day, and they went completely numb. Good times. After lazer tag ended, it was time to head back. We get off the highway and are just entering the quaint Lake Geneva town when the lights of the van start flickering on and off. The gas peddle isn’t responding. Yep, we ran out of gas. You know what no gas means? No heat. We waited around in the freezing van for about 20 minutes until my boss saved us. That was one of the coldest days of my life.

Yes, I know it’s strange, but I actually gain energy by working at camp. Yes, it does make me happy. Plus I got to share rec life with my friend, Than!

I’m also learning super cool things at the rock wall. I was able to start one of the hardest courses at the wall: yellow. I was super proud. I haven’t made it to the top on yellow yet, but it’s a working progress. My biggest accomplishment is that I can climb up a rope. My boss, Neil, taught me how. After watching me he said that I should join cross fit with him because I would be good at it. These are the comments that warm my soul.

The power of being specific

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Two days left at camp. It’s been a very eventful 67 days. I’m going to level with you. I didn’t want to come. It often seems like I really REALLY don’t want to do something that turns out to shape my life. It was that way when I went to Hallstrom. I did not want to try out for that first play. And now I can’t imagine how my life would have been if I hadn’t have gone. Anyway, God has a way of closing all other doors and pushing me through one — or just having my mother force me through. I applied for several other jobs and didn’t hear a word from any until I applied (very half-heartedly, I must say) for Lake Geneva Youth Camp. Then after applying for LGYC, I got two calls back from other companies. I even had an interview with the Girl Scouts. I was waiting to hear back from them when I was interviewed by LGYC and offered the job on the spot. Okay, God, so you want me at camp.

I’ve already mentioned being stronger since I’ve come back from camp, so I won’t go too much into that. Instead I want to focus on God. Specifically His goodness. One of the things about camp and church and Christians is they challenge individuals to give themselves completely to God. (I suppose the bible tells you to do that too). It’s not that this is a new idea to me, or that I didn’t want to do that, but I realized I really hadn’t done that. Not that anyone truly has either, but this was my thought process.

Question 1: Why should I give myself to God?

Sunday school answer: Because of His unfailing love and because His plan for your life is perfect and He has your best interests at heart. (Selfish reasons, but they are all true.)

Question 2: How can I really know that God’s plan is perfect for me?

Sunday school answer: Because He is a good God that cares.

Question 3: How can I personally know that God is good?

Sunday school answer: Because he died on the cross for my sin, I can forever live with him.

Those are all true, but somehow I’d heard them too often and they had lost meaning — like a fact memorized for a test or knowledge without understanding. So my life was not fully given to God because deep down, I didn’t believe — I didn’t know — that God was good. It wasn’t real to me. How could God be good when I had experienced so much pain from other Christians? How can I know if God is good? How can God be good when he hasn’t shown ME?

When I was at camp, I had an epiphany: why don’t I just ask God to show me His goodness? I had never thought of this before… A lot of my prayers consisted of “your will be done”. That is still a great way to pray, but it’s not very helpful sometimes. For one, how can you know if your prayer is answered since you don’t really know what you’re asking for (that is unless you know God’s will for everything). But I think I didn’t pray for something so specific before because I was scared. What if God didn’t respond? Praying for something specific means that whatever happens you can’t just say “well that must have been God’s will, so prayer answered!” When you pray for something specific, you’re believing there’s a God who will hear you. You’re believing that He will answer you. You’re believing He is all powerful. You’re believing He can do anything. That’s scary because what if He doesn’t do or isn’t those things? General prayers can turn into cop-outs because there are so many ways they can “be answered”. Specific prayers mean business.

I was at camp. I meant business. So I asked God to show me His goodness, specifically through other believers that summer. I had it in my mind that it would take most of the summer for me to see God’s goodness, so I wasn’t prepared when the very next day He dropped it on me like a ton of gold. That day and every day after it I was loaded and loaded with more signs of His goodness, kindness, and love.

I’ve now been home for quite a while (yes, I take a while to finish posts sometimes), and I’ve had my faith restored in God through fellow believers and through that, my faith restored in believers. The real lesson here is this: God is big enough to answer your prayers — even the specific ones.

Camp Life

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The thing about camp is it provides you with opportunities that you would never have the chance of getting otherwise. You can try countless new things. You can make amazing new friends. You can learn a lot. You can get away from all the troubles of “real life”. Most people just get the camp experience for a week. I get it for the whole summer.

In three days I applied, interviewed, and arrived for training to be a member of the rec staff at Lake Geneva Youth Camp. I literally packed my bags and left the day after my interview. I unpacked that next day into a house full of 25 other girls. 25 girls, two showers and one washer and dryer. Over the first week I was trained how to facilitate archery, the waterslide, and the camp’s 70 ft giant swing. I learned how to belay a person on the rock wall and zip line, how to program and run lazer tag. I was taught how to detect abuse and how to respond to an armed attacker.

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The Shenaniganders following Mama Duck

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Telling them what’s up

My new hairy friend.

It’s been over a month now. I’ve been pulled into hand-craft and taught kids how to make lanyards and paint. I’ve worked in the nature center and held a tarantula and 4ft snake. I’ve watched as kids overcame fear of heights and watched their faces light up when they got a bulls-eye in archery. I’ve gained 15 pounds of muscle thanks to the intense rec life and camp food. I have a tan like I’ve never had before. I bought myself a harness and hope to join a climbing gym when I get back to Rockford. I’ve gotten cash back for the fist time at Walmart. I impulsed bought for the first time. (Strawberries and whipped cream. Worth it.) I’ve gone on several day trips to cities I’ve never been to before. I’ve watched a bunch of new movies, and met the most amazing girls.

Each one is so unique and so beautiful and have challenged me in so many ways. Their example and attitudes, their uniqueness and different personalities inspire me to become more myself somehow. I feel like I’m in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video. Strong. And with a house full of B.A. women to back me up.

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Chilling in the hallway

Day Made

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Today I gave my first real speech – information in proper format, PowerPoint, note cards, visual aid, all under 7 minutes, which for me is a challenge. I was pretty nervous, but I went up in front of my class and did my thing. My speech was on swing dancing and I demonstrated a bit in my 1940’s attire. I got all the points and sat down happily and listened to everyone else’s speech. After everyone had gone, and we were all packing up to leave, a guy in my class gave me this. I didn’t even know what to say. It’s just so perfect. It even kind of looks like anime. I think I’m more excited about it than the good grade I got on my speech.

Swing Sketch