(...although I am sure I am not the walrus.
Sorry about The Beatles reference - couldn't help myself.)
Despite all the country-hopping, losing whole sets of friends at a time, and relocating so many times that I don’t even know how many more hands I need to borrow to be able to count them all on fingers, I don’t fare well with changes.
I am a nostalgia-monger. I spend more time missing the old ways and trying to figure out how on earth I will get used to the new ways. I suppose it might be an immigrant syndrome as well; in order to miss the “old country” less, one sometimes has to hang on to the motherland’s traditions
However, our new look on Kimchi Mamas is fabulous. We are indeed spicier. We feel rejuvenated. We didn't even outsource; we used our own. We have been adding new voices. And, yes, we will burn your tongues.
Ah...but, I am an old dog. My ability to learn a new trick depends on whether there's a fresh strip of bacon dangling in front of me as a reward.
So. Here's a brisk walk down my memory lane:
I still remember that email I received, the one that asked me if I would like to become one of the contributors on Kimchi Mama site. I doubt Charlie Bucket was as excited to see that Golden Ticket as I was to become a part of this community, to be able to share what little I had, and to maintain a connection to all things kimchi.
Do some of you remember this APA parenting meme that went around? Those were some very important questions for me back then and they still are very relevant. My role as an APA parent was initially challenging and blurry as I felt that I didn't have a community, a role model. I struggled with questions. I struggled with fears. I struggled with inadequacies.
Imagine my surprise when I found the community here. On the internet. I was (and still am) not tech savvy but you bet I learned quickly how to create my own blog. Not so much because I had anything to add but because I wanted to be able to interact better, so I may become an active member of this community.
Well, the rest, I guess, is history.
And as history often does, it brings us here. I want to be reintroduced to YOU. Yes, you who are reading us. As we upload our posts, we have you in mind, we think about what our readers would like to gain from us. Isn't it about time you told us something about you?
We know that not everyone is a mama. We have papas who read us. Some of you are reading us from Korea. Some have never been to Korea or have any tangent connections to anything Korean but you read us anyway, perhaps because you came here via one of our personal blogs. Some of you, like me, wanted to find a community...
Tell us. Let us hear you this time. How did you find us? What do you like about us? (Yes, we do adore flattery... okay, I shouldn't speak for the other Kimchi Mamas.) What do you think could be changed about us? (Be kind.) What are your expectations of a blog community like this one? Are they being fulfilled?
I know that some of you have never commented but, if you can bring yourself to comment, we'd love to hear YOUR voice. Just think of it as... that first day of school or Orientation Day.
Oh, and who's reading us just because we are a bunch of hot spicy mamas?
-Mama Nabi
