Dear Unnie,
How are you? Hope you're doing fine.
It's Thursday today. And for those who are active in facebook and instagram,
it is the day when one usually posts pictures or movies taken a long time ago
to remind us of good memories.
Since I do not own any pictures of you, Instead of posting a picture either with you
or of you, I'll just post something which I have come to remember that has
happened before and has something to do with you.
When I was about to graduate from college, I remember, it was the time that
Winter Sonata was shown in the Philippines. But it was, I think. about a year
after it was aired in South Korea and Japan.
I used to live in a co-ed dormitory inside the university campus. There were only
2 TVs inside the dorm and both were located at the dorm's lobby. One
near the entrance to the ladies' wing and the other near the entrance to the men's wing.
What was amazing during that time was that, It was about the only time that I saw both
TVs showing the same program. The only time that the men and women of
our dorm were in agreement on something to watch. Usually, the men's TV was tuned
in to sports channel and other programs concerning manly stuff.
Winter Sonata was so popular, that even other students who do not live in our dorm
asks permission from the dorm administration to stay for a while in our lobby
so they could watch it. Otherwise, they'd miss an episode because it was shown
at prime time slot, which coincides about an hour past the time when most classes where
finished and students are on their way home.
I remember having to ask a crowd of students, gathered around our lobby watching the show,
to please make way so I could pass by on my way to my room. I wasn't a fan at first since it was
my last semester in the university and I was struggling to finish all the requirements so I could graduate.
It was only during the Christmas break, when I went home and found out that even my father
was watching it, that I took an interest and watched an episode. It was the episode
in the Ski Resort when both Yujin and Junsang were trapped in the storm.
I've been hooked right away, to the point that I bought a copy of my own because I could
not wait for the next day or for the weekend to be finished so I could watch the next episode. Haha... (waiting has never been my best asset).
Winter Sonata literally took the country by storm, whether young or adult. When it's time to watch Winter Sonata, you couldn't hear a sound different than what you're TV was emitting because
the neighbor's TV is showing the same program and was synchronized to ours.
Such was the extent of Winter Sonata's success when it was aired in my country! So much so, that when I went back to school after the break, one of the speeches delivered in my English Communication class was about it.
And just like in other countries where it became a smashing success, It brought about a wave of interest in the Korean Culture and Language in the Philippines. Suddenly, Korean Language classses became as popular as the French or other European Language classes. Membership at an organization related to Korea increased and students who would normally go to the US or Europe as exchange students opted to go to South Korea.
Congratulations on being a part of it. The drama was so effective and so successful, that it transcended the world of entertainment, to the point that it even boosted a country's popularity and its relationship with its neighboring nations.
Had digital cameras and smarthphones been prolific then as they were now, It would have been
nice to take a picture of the crowded lobby of a dormitory, with students avidly watching Winter Sonata , not minding that they'd be home late, the heat, standing and being crammed in a small space just so not to miss a single episode.
Happy Throwback Thursday Jiwoo Unni and to everyone. I hope that you are also
remembering an amazing, happy and wonderful memories today!