Slice of Life: K-Dramas

Korean Dramas have been part of my life now for a little more than seven years. As I'm sitting here listening to my "Slow and Quiet" playlist, it's cycling through many songs from drama soundtracks. I love that because aside from enjoying the sound or rhythm of the music or the words in the lyrics, it also brings back memories of the characters and moments from the dramas. And since dramas typically have between 12 and 16 one hour episodes, you really get to know the characters. Some of them are even 20 episodes and the characters feel like old friends by the time it's over. 

I started watching Korean dramas back in 2017 a year after we had hosted a Korean student for one year of high school. I wrote about the first few dramas I watched here. What I didn't know then is that I would visit Korea the next year, would start studying Korean, and we would host another student from Korea who would live with us for her final three years of high school. 

K-dramas are a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I tend to rationalize it by calling it language practice for a future return visit to meet the family of our second student. The shows make me smile, laugh, and sometimes cry. I'd much rather cry because of a make believe tragedy than from the stress of real life. It's a nice way to have some emotional relief in a way that seems like a choice. Whether it's for comedic moments, escapism, or emotional release, I'm glad K-dramas exist. I wasn't someone who watched much television so I am thankful someone convinced me to give them a try. 

Beware: Once started you may not be able to stop. Also, there aren't commercials, but product placement works y'all. I have purchased: automatic door locks, a cute bunny hairband for when I wash my face, Kopiko candy, snacks, soju, food, books, beauty products, and I don't know what else as a result. I've also learned how to cook a LOT of Korean food (some of that here). You have been warned.