The most memorable photo...

There is a person who took care of me since I was born. He often times fed meals to me and changed my clothes when I got dirty. He loved me so much that the first thing that he asks to mother when he came back to school was, “where is Jeewoong?” He was always right beside me, looking at my face, touching my hand and feet. He is my brother, Eun Seuk, who took care of me for seventeen years.

I have a dream that one day I will become like my older brother. I always thought of the ways to be like my brother because he was the role model of my life. My brother always took care of me, and did all the things that my parents had to do. My mother use to say that, “You cannot find an older brother who is better Eun Seuk.” Whenever I heard my mom told me this, I just laughed and didn’t have much thought about what my mom said. I knew my brother was always nice to me, but I thought it was just a usual thing that all other older brothers do. However, when I was an elementary school student, I watched my brother working hard in his room studying to prepare for high school entrance. He was not only good at taking care of me but also great at his school works. At that moment, I finally realized that my brother someone to admire as a role model of my life.

My brother entered the University of Notredame and the picture below is the last photo that I have taken with my brother before he left South Korea. It is a meaningful picture to me because it was the latest picture that I took with my brother, and it’s the picture of my brother who I admire the most. In summer vacation, he stayed at home helping me prepare for the next semester and advising me how I should think of the situation that I am facing right now. Although he was busy preparing to return to school, he kept his attention on me, who he loves the most.

I won’t be able to take another picture with my brother until May, 2014, but I will still have a picture of my brother in my heart. I often chat with my brother and he still asks me how I am doing in my school. I always thank my brother and remind to myself that I should become a person like my brother. When I grow up, the first thing that I want to do is to take a trip with him and talk about all the things that I have thanked him for. We might smile looking at each other’s face while talking all the past events that was memorable to me and my brother.

I miss my brother, and it is just sad that I can’t go to United States right now. As always, I want to grow up like my brother and do the same thing to him when I grow older. In my life, he is the MIP(Most Important Person) in my life.

Giving up

    
     One hundred bodies are found every year in the “suicide forest” in Japan. People who are not sure to suicide, brings rope with them, so that they can go back when they change their minds. However, there are still many people who commit suicide in the forest. Messages saying importance of one’s life and lovely families don’t work to stop people from committing suicides. People do not exactly know why people commit suicide in this forest, however, it is known that people who failed their job and no one to get help from, come often to the forest can think about giving up their life for a moment.

     Although I believe a life after death, one’s life is the most important thing compared to ant other things. Frankly speaking, I have thought about committing a suicide for two times. Both were after entering high school. I had weak mental strength whenever I thought about leaving my friends and families. However, what blocked me from actually giving up my life were my families, I always try to think who my family members will act when I leave them forever. Parents are the same, they all love their child and try to do their best as possible to their love ones. If I suddenly die, my parents will live a hard life without their son.

     What was good about thinking to commit suicide was that, I could reinforce the purpose to live with my friends and families. It is not health to imagine committing a suicide, but when you overcome those hardships that lead you to a wrong way, you can become a stronger person. Thus, I believe Japanese government must do something to prevent more death in the forest and the society as a whole. Firstly, I think the government has the responsibility to take care of the forest. They should remove the forest even though it is harming the nature or place guards in different sections in the forest. Removing the forest might be the best way, however it is harming the environment and it will cost a lot to remove all the dead bodies and clean the masses in the forest. Plus, not many people will want to volunteer to be a guard in the suicide forest. Specific solutions must be brought up by the government because they have the responsibility to protect their citizens.

     Furthermore, preventing juveniles from committing suicide is also a significant issue. In order to prevent future suicides in Japan, the government must educate students in middle school and high school. Students are the future to lead one country to a right way. The government must protect these futures of one country by high quality educations. This might sound too ideal, but it is definitely one of the best ways to keep students from committing suicide because students absorb information efficiently.

     We know the feeling of people who give up their lives. Doctors and advisors in mental hospital say that, when most of the people decide to commit suicide, they indirectly tell to their close family or friends that they will soon leave them. In other words, government or doctors are not the one who can keep someone from committing a suicide. The one who can really save one person’s life is actually every individual. What we have to do is continuously pay attention to close people and friends around us. I believe this is the best way that can lead everybody to live a happier life.

http://youtu.be/4FDSdg09df8

Bear is my Friend!

     “I love bears and I want to a bear.” There is this one guy, Timothy Treadwell, who wanted to live with bears for the entire life. He lived in the forest with bears, only with a little camp that can hardly sustain his daily life. Timothy brought video tapes which can record his life with bears. He believed he can communicate with bears as well as foxes which he thinks as his closest friend. It was really dangerous to live close to bears because nobody knows when the bears going to attack. However, Timothy treated bears as a friend and he tried to touch and have conversations with bears. Along the video tapes, there were quite dangerous situations and this might be the reason why he died in 2003 by bears.

     I have seen many people who love animals and live with animals all day. Even, some of my friends love animals like dogs, cats and many pets that can be raised by humans.. They really do love pets. However, I have never seen a person who likes bears, which is predator of many animals and want to be a bear. It was really shocking to find out the fact that there is a person who wants to be a bear. I suddenly thought about a wolf man and I thought living with wild animals are only some subjects of making movies or horror videos. After getting shocked for few minutes, I changed my perspective. What if Timothy Treadwell was my best friend? Am I going to allow him to live with bears? I say definitely no.

     I might stop the relationship with that friend in order to make him notice that it is a serious issue. I don’t want my friend to be killed by wild lives and I am a person who thinks there must be a line between animals and humans. Animals can be pets but they cannot be a “real friend” of a person. They cannot have conversation or give and receive some feelings. It will be dangerous when a person crosses that line. People who crossed the line between humans and animals will get socially abandoned or hard to live a harmonious life with other people. It is because they think different from other normal people. For example, Timothy Treadwell only had one friend who gives food and shelter to him and his only friends are bears. Almost everybody in the world who knows Timothy Treadwell, will think him as “insane person.”

     I also love dogs and whenever I see dogs on the street, I try to be nice to them. However, I don’t want to live a life as a dog. There is an old saying in Korea, “If you live a terrible life, you will born again as animal.” I think this statement is partly true because I believe in life after death, and people like Timothy Treadwell might have done wrong acts in his before life. That is why he is living a life similar to bears.

     In conclusion, I hope if there is a person who thinks similar to “Grizzly man”, Timothy Treadwell, please stop them from wherever they are and try to persuade him or her to think again more carefully, There are many people who care about animals and sincerely love animals, but I believe there must be a line between animals and humans so that people can live sociable life with other people.

Last present

 Last present

     The air is always suffocating. Today is the d-day that I have waited for 6 months. It feels quite good but not as much as I expected. I thought it would be like coming out to a new world. But, the world that I truly hoped was not there and it was just the same as before. I headed to my house that hasn’t been any people for 6 months. On my way home, I started crying. The life that I am living was the cause of sorrowful tears. My house was 10 minutes away from the hospital. When I arrived home, I set on a couch and reminded what doctor has told me right before leaving the hospital.

     “You might want to wrap things up. There are only three months that you can live. I am sorry and I hope you spend your time well.” I could not believe what the doctor has said, and I asked to him one more time but what he did was repeating his words with a drop of tear from his eye. I thought after 6 months of curing in the hospital, I could go back to daily life that I used to live. However, things didn’t go out well as I expected. I have no reason to live right now. 3 months is just too short to get everything done what I wanted throughout my life.

     I spent one week without doing anything productive. I just lied on my bed crying all day, sometimes hitting myself and crying harder. It wasn’t easy for me to get out from the darkness that I caught myself. A person who rescued me from this darkness was my girlfriend. She doesn’t know I have a cancer because I told her that I am going to United States for basketball practice. She was too glad to meet me after 6 months. When I saw her face with a smile, I couldn’t stop my tears. She asked me why I am crying, and I said because it feels like a dream seeing your beautiful face again. We went out to eat and I ate so much since I didn’t eat a meal for almost a week.

I found an old looking diary under my boyfriend's desk. It had all the journals he had written since we started our relationship. Although he does not want me to read his diary, I read due to the curiosity that led by the last page. It said, "Here, in this last page of my diary, I wish to write lists of things that I want to do before the end of my life. It has been one month that I’ve got lung cancer. Doctor said I can only live for less than three months. And one month has passed already. I thought I should do everything before I end my life with regret." After reading the last page of his diary, I dropped his diary on the floor. 

We talked about how my trip to United States was and I was busy making up stories. I did my best to be natural as possible. I asked her what she wanted to the best.

“I want to learn basketball from you.” She answered. I also wanted to teach basketball to my girlfriend before I die. We went to the gym where I practice the most.

I actually read the first list of what he wanted to do. "Firstly, I would eat my favorite food every day. Steak, chicken salad, seafood buffet will be something that I want to eat as everyday meal. But I will try to keep my health by going to fitness centers. Who knows? I might survive if I improve my health!" I still couldn't believe my boyfriend is sick. Nevertheless, similar to going fitness center, I lead him to keep exercising by asking him to teach basketball to me. I kind of fulfilled his first list and promised myself that I will make all the wishes come true.

My girlfriend was pretty good at basketball, better than I have expected. I thought my girlfriend was a girl who is week and always need my protection. However, she was powerful and athletic who absorbs everything I teach. It was the best day that I’ve ever spent with my girlfriend and it was so sad that I might not have a day similar to this after two months.

"Secondly, I will participate in Super Star K 5, the national audition program. If I’m going to die anyway, why not achieve the “impossible?” I have always liked singing, so I want to make sure that I don’t regret when I die." I thought about for a moment how I will fulfill this list.

     After wonderful day with my girlfriend I lied on my bed again. It was different from when I first lied on my bed after coming from the hospital. I thought about wonderful moments with her and I slept with a plan in my head what I will do with her. It was exactly one week after I could have a date with my girlfriend again. Surprisingly, she planned the same thing with what I wanted to do with her, which was singing with her. She always told me that she is a good singer but I never heard of her singing. Plus, I never sang in front of her and I thought it is a great chance to send message to her with my voice.

     In hospital, I used to listen to many songs and I always thought about sing “Just the way you are” to my girlfriend which is originally sung by Bruno Mars. We went to singing room and she started singing first. It was her lovely voice that started my tears but I hardly stopped my tears. I could also sing in front of her. I thought only great singers can sing in front of their love ones but I realized it was not. She complemented for singing with great voice and it left a smile on my face.

Thirdly, I will have a long trip. I want to have a really good last trip with someone I love the most. I will remember that trip forever and make my last memory.

     I thought about a moment and I was worried whether my girlfriend knows that I have a cancer and wrote down the lists that I wanted to do. I wanted to ask her but then she will know that I have a cancer. Nevertheless, one day, I will have to tell her that I might leave her soon. But, I changed my mind that I won’t tell her before I die because I didn’t wanted to leave a scar on her heart.

     We met the next day but she wasn’t feeling good and suddenly started crying. She yelled at me.

“Why didn’t you tell anything to me!”

“What didn’t I tell you…?”

“You have a lung cancer! I found out from your diary when I visited your house.”

“You knew I had a cancer?”

“Yes! I knew it!”

“That’s why you were doing all the things that I wanted to do….”

“Why didn’t you tell me….this is only making me stupid!”

“I am really sorry… I will do my best before I leave you”

“Please don’t say you will leave me”

We started crying together.

Although I told my boyfriend that I know the fact that he has a cancer, I still wanted to make all his wishes to come true. "Lastly, I want to marry someone. I have a girlfriend, but I want to experience some kind of “intimate relationship” that I haven’t had experienced and what people say is the most important in one’s life. This wish should be the hardest thing to achieve since it is doubtful that a lung cancer patient with 2months to live will be appealing." I cried the hardest when reading this wishlist. 
     After the day that she told me that she knew everything, we weren’t able to meet for another week. However, she called me and she said she has a present to give. So I went to a place where she told me to come. She forced to close my eyes and it was a wedding hall where she took me. She said she will marry with me. I couldn’t say anything to her. I changed my clothes to suit and my girlfriend also changed her clothes to wedding dress. She was just beautiful, most beautiful person in the world. We had our own wedding ceremony and also went to wedding trip that she has planned.

I couldn’t believe what is happening right now is real. We headed to Bali by riding an airplane. But, something was wrong in my body when we were in the airplane. I couldn’t open my eyes. I desperately wanted to see her but I couldn’t. I could only hear her crying and feel her tears dropping on my face.

Key to problem with North Korea, China

South Korea has run over rapid civilization after Korean War. Korean citizens have always thought about their lives, whether they can continue their lives for a day or not, with a hope of getting things better. South Koreans have desperately wanted to get out from the worry of livelihood. Thus, Koreans have always emphasized the word “fast” in order to get many things done as fast as possible to maintain their life. And this mind, filled with urgency without accuracy has made them to get a disease named “public apathy from danger.” Whenever bad phenomenon or accidents happened, they have always calmed their hearts by saying “it was just bad luck.” Plus, if it’s not one's own problem, they claim "it doesn’t matter any ways." For instance when people work in a construction site, they often times do not wear helmet because they are not aware of accidents. This is one of the great example of public apathy from danger and this kind of event is common in South Korea.  As a result, public apathy from danger have decreased public responsibility and increased selfishness to the citizens.

I had a debate in my English Debate class on February 22nd. The motion was “This House Should bring nukes to South Korea.” The reason why we were having this kind of debate was because South Korea is under threat from North Korea. While considering the fact that North Korea had another nuclear test, our team claimed that nukes are necessary to South Korea in order to protect our own country. I came up there on the podium, stating that, “we can no longer depend on the United States and we need something that can protect ourselves which can give equal threat to North Korea.” Furthermore, I found the fact that 64 percent of Korean citizens are worried about the attack from North Korea. Two out of three is a considerable number which allows us to know that South Korea is in urgent need to assure South Korean citizens that they are safe. At the end, besides the result of the debate, I could realize that this issue is something serious more than a debate class. Since many people are dull about the danger, there are only a few people who care about the threat from North Korea including students. As a result, people must also consider about the issue of whether China should restrain their relationship with North Korea or not.

To start with, China must restrict their partnership with North Korea in order to keep world peace. North Korea has comfortably tested a new type of nuclear bomb on February 22^nd because China shielded in front of North Korea. For instance, in 2009, when North Korea tested their nuclear power plant, China pretended to be blinded about this issue. The mistake made North Korea to grow up as a threatening country. As China’s shield gets thicker and thicker, the threat of North Korea will also increase tremendously. Thus, China must no longer act in the same way in order to prevent North Korea’s dangerous acts.

Moreover, China must restrain its connection with North Korea for the benefits that can occur to them as well as surrounding countries. China must utilize the fact that they are the last ally of North Korea who supplies them economically. When North Korea finds out that China will be against them, they will do something profitable for China in order to keep the ally. For example, China provides 80 percent of consumer goods and 45 percent of foods in North Korea. Furthermore, according to the statistics by the Korean Government, the percentage of the finance in military service comparing to GDP is 4.5 for the U.S and 2.5 for South Korea which can be lessened significantly when North Korea stops its hostile relationship with South Korea.

In my opinion, this is a serious issue not only for China but also for the entire world. North Korea was withdrawn from the NPT(Nonproliferation Treaty) signed in 1993 (NPT). This fact makes North Korea a dangerous country which has tested nuclear power three times. I believe North Korea is already a country with powerful nuclear weapons. We can consider North Korea as a child with a gun. Usually, a child cannot control her or himself, and a gun makes a child more threatening. However, I think China can be the mother of this child because China can control North Koreawith its power and relationship. According to the online news Der Spiegal, on April 8^th, Xi Jinping has claimed that “A country should never make the world into disaster for its benefits.” It was a harsh comment by the premier of China to criticize North Korea. Thus, China must act as a mother who can be harsh and nice at the same time.

In a nutshell, China is getting impatient with North Korea. North Korea is trying to make the whole world blind. However, China can be Mahatma Gandhi, the peace keeper in the world by actively participating in making North Korea calm down. South Korean government should keep paying attention on the issue with North Korea, and also make their citizens to be aware of the seriousness of the issue. South Koreans can no longer be apathy about the threat that North Korea is giving to them. It is the time to be changed!

 

Name Essay

121144 최지웅 (Choi Jee Woong)

Rookie

Kyrie, it feels like a girl’s name. Actually, kyrie has many different meanings. The phrase “kyrie” and its equivalents in other languages is one of the most often repeated phrases in Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Eastern Christianity. Although the Greek words have seven syllables, its pronunciation has five or six syllables. Most importantly, Kyrie is a name of basketball player who plays in the NBA team called, Cleveland Cavaliers. He plays point guard and his nick name is “Mr. fourth quarter” because he becomes explosive scoring machine in the fourth quarter. Kyrie has many meanings including a short liturgical prayer that begins with or consists of the words “Lord, have mercy.” However, Kyrie also means different to me.

To start with, I want my name to be “Kyrie”, because I want to be a diligent person like a basketball player Kyrie Irving. He is my role model in my life not only for the talents that he has in playing basketball, but also the attitude that he has toward basketball. Kyrie Irving is a rookie player in NBA. But, he plays as if he had been playing the NBA court for several years. He is always confident even in dangerous situations in games, and he leads his teammates as a point guard. These behaviors don’t match with the fact that he is a rookie player. I hope for these talents as a member of basketball player in my school. I love playing basketball and the time when I spend playing basketball, I feel the happiest moment in my life. Thus, I want to be a basketball player like Kyrie Irving who has amazing talents. Plus, he is always modest about himself, although he is a great player. I saw a you tube video related to Kyrie Irving’s work out, and he was exercising even as if that moment is the last chance. This is the behavior that I want to learn from him. As he is “Mr. fourth quarter”, I want to work hard as I can until the last moment.

Moreover, the name “Kyrie” has epicene beauty in its name. Many people can think Kyrie as a girl’s name and my teacher also guessed Kyrie as a feminine name. This is what I want to expect from my name. I don’t want my name to be definitely a male’s name. Because, I think the image of myself does not fit to the names with virile appearances. My friends call me “teddy bear” or “caterpillar” due to my chubby body and cute face. The advantage that I can get from my name is the feminine feature which seems like a kind and generous person with soft appearance. So Kyrie is a best name that fits to the image that many other people think about me. I believe name is more important than the first impression. Name must imply one’s image or characteristics. It would be odd if the impression of the name and a person’s characteristics are exactly opposite. I feel like “Kyrie” is my name that is gifted from the sky which has epicene beauty that matches with my personality.

     “Name” is the first thing what people think about others, and “Kyrie” is what I want to be called from others. As Kyrie, I want to take rank with Kyrie Irving and this is my dream.

Debunking the Myths related to AIDS

Debunking Myths related to AIDS 

By Jeewoong Choi, Ri hyun Kim, Gi Won Jung