Hello, my name is Zeus from Seoul, South Korea.
If you ever dreamed an American Dream or Korean Dream, you might want to follow this channel!
I went to America with no money only with a dream to be a doctor. I was a dreamer.
My ultimate dream was to be a medical missionary in Africa. I just thought that was my calling. But when I went to America, I was exposed to too many things: things that money can give and culture that made by money.
So, my dream to be a doctor changed and I became a realist. I studied Nursing in college because I thought it was going to help me get a job and hopefully a residency. I saw being an American in America was an absolute must to be successful. But economy crash came in 2008 as I was graduating and there was no job and no hope.
But I had to keep my status up so I continue to go to school and earned tuitions as I was going to school illegally working in Construction, Chinese Restaurant, Dental lab Sales, Golf store, Laundry, etc. I wonder how many of you can relate to this.
I was eating two packets of ramen for a day for two years and rented a couch from a friend's place before I start living under the bridge.
As I was listening to the cars drive by about 5-inch away from my nose, I imagine it was the sound of the waterfall. And remembered that my American dream was a futile dream.
After four years of struggle and pain, working two, three part-time jobs a week, I got a job as a nurse at the Rehab/Nursing Home and for the first time in almost five years, I tasted fruit and vegetable and I cried.
It was the cry of joy, sorrow, and cry of a man fighting for the survival.
The nursing job paid me much better than any other jobs I ever had. And I thought maybe I am finally getting a break I needed.
But life did not let me settle.
Not too long after, I received a mail and it was a draft note. All Korean males are obligated to serve in the military.
Life can be cruel sometimes.
It gives you a half-eaten carrot and asks you to run for extra 100-miles.
So, I came back to South Korea. And I became an alcoholic.
Every night, my conscience kept me awake.
I was a total failure.
A Prodigal son.
I had no choice for selecting my battalion. After the base-camp training, I was placed in GOP, a General Out Post where the border fence is against North Korea.
Every night for over 500 days, I carried over 20-pound machine gun (K-3), over 500 round ammunition, 2-grenades, and walky-talky and climbed two mountains.
It doesn't matter if it is over 100-degrees or -10-degrees in Fahrenheit, no weekend and no exception.
The fence was our home and we watched North Korean soldiers move from a 1-km away.
After I was discharged, I started a green energy generator company from the scratch and presented to the Seoul Government Officers in the 'Young Entrepreneur Contest'and won. So, for about a year and a half, I worked with Seoul City to nurture my company.
People say love waits in an unexpected place? I guess it is true. My company was almost 2 1/2hrs away from my house and I signed up at the gym in the middle of my house and the company. That is where I met my wife, at the gym.
She was easy to spot because she was beautiful.
After 100-days of dating, we are married and now we have a most beautiful baby boy name, Bo.
I wanted to introduce myself briefly to you because we are all living, walking and continuously generating life-books. And as we go on this journey and share our stories on this channel, I look forward to hearing from you as well.
Keep moving forward,
Zeus