New found love: Korean Dramas

I've never wanted to learn a new language so much. After watching 5 Korean dramas and 2 of them for an unlimited number of times, I HAVE to learn Korean. The beauty of the word "Sarang" (love), the gratitude while saying 'Kumawa' (Thank you)  is all what's on my mind right now. I just know about 10 Korean words properly but these 10 words make place in all my conversations, especially with my husband, who now understands and knows them as much as I do. If you think my obsession is just about the language, you are mistaken. Of late, I have been obsessed with Korean stars, especially Kim Hyun Joong and Lee Min Ho.  

Kim Hyun Joong

Lee Min Ho

I was in disbelief when I first caught my roommates watching K-Dramas after college hours. When there are umpteen series in known languages such as English and Indian languages, why watch a series in Korean? One day, my roommates forced me to watch a Korean drama during dinner and I'd obliged grudgingly. But 10 mins into the drama, I fell in love with the essence of K-Dramas.  For one thing, the dramas are so relevant to your life and capture the tiniest bit of emotions you have ever experienced in your life. Also, they are all just 12-15 episode dramas of one hour each with each scene more interesting than the previous one which makes the whole watching part satisfying. You could just watch it over tea/lunch for one hour and you are closer to reaching the end of the plot by one hour. As much as they are relevant to your life, the stories can completely take you by surprise through twists in the plot. To top it all, the K drama heroes are very handsome and though initially, they all seem similar (and in some cases like girls), you can't stop crushing on them.  

The leading ladies are all quite bold, strong, independent women with great strength of character and amaze you with their performance. I have come across such strong characters that I actually wondered why I was never like one of them when I was a teenager/even now. 

Of all the K dramas, the impact which the drama "Boys Over Flowers" made on me is the highest. The name sounds funny but trust me, the drama is very popular. The story revolves around 4 rich guys who are are called F4 in their high school. Though initially they are depicted as heartless, rude, and spoilt, as the drama unfolds, you can't stop gushing over the good-natured, kind, and understanding side of these guys. As two of the guys fall in love with the daughter of a dry cleaner who is a strong-minded, bold girl, the drama takes us through interesting series of incidents with a beautiful love story. 

Though it's a routine rich boy-poor girl story and the hardships they face, this drama provides you much more than that. Especially, the emotional quotient of this drama is so high that you can actually feel what's going on with the characters. The lead actors Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun-joong are fantastic and you can't stop wondering whom you are falling for: One moment, you are in love with Gu Jun pyo and the very moment, you can't stop thinking about Yun Ji Hoo. The brownie points you get are the melodious, addictive songs and background score which I am addicted to. Some of the songs in the Drama are actually sung by one of the lead actors, Kim Hyun-joong, and once again, you can't stop wondering how talented a person can be. 

I recommend everyone to watch "Boys Over Flowers" and in general, K Dramas. You will not regret the experience.

P.S: "Boys Over Flowers" was made into a popular Hindi soap that was aired for more than a year.

D.C. DIARIES

I work in Downtown DC and its the most interesting work place ever. Earlier, I had mostly always worked in remote campuses and to get an opportunity to work in the capital city of a country is amazing. To break away from the monotony, I have been visiting nearby places around me during lunch/break time and have set a target to visit at least one new place per week. On the pretext of exploring D.C, it also gives me an excuse to munch away street food or have unlimited coffee. Here are a few places around my work place:

Franklin Park:

Franklin Park is located 5 minutes away from my work place in Downtown DC. Its named after Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Its presence amidst concrete buildings, busy roads brings serene vibes to Downtown DC.

It has many trees, benches and annoyingly large number of birds. One side of the park is surrounded by food carts and serves as an open ground lunch area to many employees. It almost always has atleast fifteen people in it who prefer it for either talking on phone or catching up with friends but mostly for having lunch. The park also serves as a home to homeless people.


I once had lunch there and it felt really good to get away from office but the downside was that there were too many birds after my food :|  and I am not ready to go back. I might prefer the park to have coffee maybe - the partial sunrays, slight breeze and green surrounds definitely are a plus.
The Park also has a statue of Commoder John Barry who is widely credited as the Father of the American Navy. He is supposed to be the first captain placed in command of a U.S. warship at the rank of Commodore from President George Washington. It feels good to know that there's so much history about the places around you.


Well, next time if you wanna have a walk and relax in a natural abode in DC Downtown, you know where to go!

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church:

I have always been fascinated by the architecture of churches ever since I started reading Dan Brown's books. I like the construction: especially the the high roofs, sculptures and the paintings. I have been to 4-5 churches till date and it's been a good experience visiting them. 

One such church is the Presbyterian Church which is right in the heart of DC. I was going back to office from Panera Bread one day when I spotted this church on the GPS. I couldn't afford a longer break and could not take a detour to the Church. So the next day, I payed a quick visit to the church. I had always expected churches to be amidst scenic locations surrounded mostly by greenery and I was a little disheartened to see this church as just one of the buildings with only the flags and pole distinguishing it. 

I stood outside it not knowing not whether to enter it or not when I saw an old lady going through an

entrance. I followed her and found her talking to the Father. I chose to come out of the place and know the history of the place rather than go barging in. This is what I learnt: 

The church was formed in 1859-60 and due to its proximity to the White House, a number of Presidents have attended services there. It was founded by leaders of the Associate Reformed movement, who had seceded from the Church of Scotland and retained a separate identity in North America. The church has seen many wars and war heroes, funerals of many Presidents and numerous gatherings.

By the time I had read this, the old lady came out of the church and informed me that its closing for the day. Having just read the history of the church, I just wanted to have one glance at the church interior but alas, I had to go! Hoping to go inside the church next time and get a few pictures if possible.