Judy and I had a fantastic day recently. We attended 'The Future of Hallyu; Korean Cinema on the Global Stage' at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. (Hallyu is the term used to describe the 'Korean Wave'; the successful efforts Korea has had in sharing its culture.) It was an afternoon filled with interesting speakers, lively discussion, some humor, and Judy’s favorite, Lee Byung Hun. Mr. Lee, for the uninitiated, is the actor who portrayed Eugene Choi in our favorite Kdrama of all time, “Mr. Sunshine”. His presentation was witty, heartfelt, and filled with anecdotal information that made us feel we had the inside track on knowing him.
We also got to hear Park Ji Eun,the screen writer for the smash hit “Crash Landing on You”. She struggled for many years to become a successful writer and chronicled her path to success. (The process of writing a Kdrama was fascinating...I don't think the writers can possibly be paid enough as they are so essential to the show! ~Judy)
The unexpected for both of us was the academic part of the program where several professors from diverse Universities spoke about their individual Korean studies programs. We hung on every word of these humorous and insightful presentations.
All in all, it was a great day for these two completely hooked on kdramas Gmamas! ~Pat
Let me be completely honest....the exciting part was being about 20 feet from Lee Byung-hun! Fabulous seats with no one in front of us meant I'm pretty sure we locked eyes several times and he wants to get to know me...
Interestingly, he mentioned that he spent the previous 2 months taking English lessons in preparation for this event which shows his commitment level & the fact he thought this was an important event. We also had the good fortune of rubbing shoulders with some young people who appreciated our interest in Kdramas and are new followers to the Gmamas!
A shout-out to our youthful Interpreter Raymond Ha.... it was fascinating watching him work. As the writer Park Ji-eun spoke exclusively in Korean, he would take a few notes on his yellow pad, and then when she paused (usually after a rather lengthy narrative) he would tell us what she said. He was able to include the humor as well as the information she was conveying. Definitely impressive! ~Judy
Lee Byung-Hun on left and Raymond Ha our fabulous interpreter.
Great Girls' Trip! and to such a fascinating event and location. I like Mr. Ha's matching socks and tie!
Sounds interesting and we want to gear more!
What a great and fun experience for you both.
Thank you for this wonderful account, Pat and Judy! I'm thrilled that you got to go AND sit so close to them!