Jean Youn

Monday, December 12, 2011

Jean Youn: Mountains, echoes, and the holiday spirit

Have you ever been to the top of any mountains? Korea is a very small country in land area, but it has many mountains. About 70% of the land is covered with mountains. Most of them are not very high though. Anyone could climb to the top of them. When you’re at the top of these mountains, if you yell […]
Sunday, December 4, 2011

Jean Youn: Steve Jobs and that special time of the year

 It is now the month of December, the last month of the year 2011. There are some people who live as though they have nothing to live for and there are also those who live every day as if it were their last. Steve Jobs was one of the people in the second category. These are some of the words […]
Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Jean Youn: A thankful Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. There are countless things that we feel that we lack and want but there also a countless number of things to be thankful for. Of those things family is what’s most important and what we are most thankful for. Family is what I am most thankful for but what allows my family and me […]
Monday, November 14, 2011

Jean Youn: Burning red time

Have you ever heard anyone say ‘burning fall/autumn?’ That is the name given to this time of year in Korea. It’s in reference to the red color of the leaves around this time. Fall isn’t a time of melancholy as some might say, it is a burning red time of year. Burning is often used to describe passion. Passion is […]
Monday, November 7, 2011

Jean Youn: The tale of the old man and the village

I want to share a story with you.  A long time ago, an old man sat underneath the shade of a tree near the entrance of a village.  A traveler walked toward the village and noticed the old man. He asked him, “How are the people in this village?” The old man asked the traveler, “How are the people in […]
Sunday, October 30, 2011

Jean Youn: Halloween, customs, and traditions

Tomorrow is the last day of October and it is also Halloween! Do you celebrate Halloween? Some people do and others don’t, and that’s ok. People hold different kinds of customs and traditions based on their culture and beliefs. Families like mine that consist of first and second generation immigrants often find it necessary to mix the customs and cultures […]
Monday, October 24, 2011

Jean Youn: Passion for life

Have you ever heard of a species of bird called the goldcrest? It is a very tiny bird about the size of your thumb. Goldcrests are birds that can withstand very harsh winter climates. Animals have different methods of winter survival. Bears hibernate and migratory birds fly south for the winter. Goldcrests also have their own special way of withstanding […]
Sunday, October 16, 2011

Jean Youn: A good time to focus on the positive

A Korean proverb says that people from long ago are never wrong. This is to say that the things they have said had come from experience after experience and they’ve had a lot of time to think about what they say. The Korean word for autumn is Gah-Eul. Gah-Eul means to cut off. The origin comes from how fruits from […]
Sunday, October 9, 2011

Jean Youn: Helen Keller & appreciating the season

The sky is wonderfully blue. The weather is neither hot nor cold with just the right amount of sunlight. The breeze is cool and refreshing. The leaves turn beautifully red and yellow. These are the images that remind us that it is now fall. When we’re too busy and have this and that to worry about, we often miss the […]