You'll Never Know Until You Know
The thing that I love the most about myself is that even though I have fears I never allow myself to let the fears keep me from experiencing new things. This also keeps me from following biased opinions. In my younger days I often found myself saying, "I don't like this." To this day, I thank everyone who ever responded with, "Well, have you even tried it?" Usually, my answer was a resounding, "No." Now I live by the principle of taking - sometimes creating - every opportunity to try new things, so I may be better equipped to give a well researched response, even if it is a little biased.
Until December 2018, I was closed off to ever watching any shows produced by Asian countries. I was put off by other's reviews, as well as the way American shows had incorporated their understanding of Asian cultures, which was usually used as comic relief. I do like foreign films, so I would have Netflix always suggesting for me to view Asian shows. I would skip over them every time. "I don't like it," I would say. How did I know this to be true if I never actually watched an Asian show?
One day I was scrolling through all the foreign film suggestions. Here is what came up by origin of region: Asian (skip), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), British (I've seen it), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), French (thriller...hmm...not right now), Asian (skip), Asian (okay, I'm done). I went back to the first Asian show in the list. Netflix displays this show to be matching my preferences by 96 percent. I read the caption. It is a Taiwanese romantic comedy. Okay. I'll give it a try. I can always watch something else if I don't like it. I was definitely confused throughout the first episode, but before I knew it, I found myself watching the second episode. 24 hours later I was starting the last episode. There are 30 episodes approximately 45 minutes in length.
Did you add up the math? Yes, I watched this show from start to finish without going to sleep after already having a full day. My plan was to fall asleep watching the first episode. Side note: I was reading subtitles the whole time too. I went on to watch 2 more shows in the next couple months. One is Taiwanese and the other is Korean. I was unable to watch them in one sitting, but I put everything else I was watching on hold for these shows. Basically, I ended up relearning the lesson I was talking about at the beginning of this post.
My eyes are now open to a new culture. One I was closed off to because I wouldn't allow myself to enjoy something as simple as a show of Asian origin. I started to appreciate their outlook on life and the circumstances that surround them. I could relate through my own experiences in Ukraine and parts of Europe. Suddenly, I wanted to visit the nearest tea house. I was looking up recipes for Asian dishes. I invested in a good pair of chopsticks to use to eat all of my food. I dreamed up a trip to travel to Asia to visit Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, etc.
I look forward to my next experience. There is still so much left to discover.
Until December 2018, I was closed off to ever watching any shows produced by Asian countries. I was put off by other's reviews, as well as the way American shows had incorporated their understanding of Asian cultures, which was usually used as comic relief. I do like foreign films, so I would have Netflix always suggesting for me to view Asian shows. I would skip over them every time. "I don't like it," I would say. How did I know this to be true if I never actually watched an Asian show?
One day I was scrolling through all the foreign film suggestions. Here is what came up by origin of region: Asian (skip), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), British (I've seen it), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), Asian (skip), French (thriller...hmm...not right now), Asian (skip), Asian (okay, I'm done). I went back to the first Asian show in the list. Netflix displays this show to be matching my preferences by 96 percent. I read the caption. It is a Taiwanese romantic comedy. Okay. I'll give it a try. I can always watch something else if I don't like it. I was definitely confused throughout the first episode, but before I knew it, I found myself watching the second episode. 24 hours later I was starting the last episode. There are 30 episodes approximately 45 minutes in length.
Did you add up the math? Yes, I watched this show from start to finish without going to sleep after already having a full day. My plan was to fall asleep watching the first episode. Side note: I was reading subtitles the whole time too. I went on to watch 2 more shows in the next couple months. One is Taiwanese and the other is Korean. I was unable to watch them in one sitting, but I put everything else I was watching on hold for these shows. Basically, I ended up relearning the lesson I was talking about at the beginning of this post.
My eyes are now open to a new culture. One I was closed off to because I wouldn't allow myself to enjoy something as simple as a show of Asian origin. I started to appreciate their outlook on life and the circumstances that surround them. I could relate through my own experiences in Ukraine and parts of Europe. Suddenly, I wanted to visit the nearest tea house. I was looking up recipes for Asian dishes. I invested in a good pair of chopsticks to use to eat all of my food. I dreamed up a trip to travel to Asia to visit Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, etc.
I look forward to my next experience. There is still so much left to discover.
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