Korea, once an unified nation, is now divided into the North and the South. Before, the brutal Korean War that separated the nation, my grandfather lived peacefully with his big family in Hamheung, which is in the northern part of Korea. He was seventeen years old when he decided to study abroad in China, and swam across a river to get there in his youth. Then the war happened unexpectedly. He was not allowed to go back to his family in North Korea, leaving him to go to South Korea. I was always fascinated by the unbelievable story of the Korean war, which I usually heard in books or movies. However, when my grandfather told this story, I could picture the scenes even better. After the war, in the mid 1900’s, South Korea was a poor and demolished nation, where most people could not afford basic necessities. However, even though my grandfather lost all of his family completely and had to live by himself, he did not lose hope when starting his new life in South Korea. Therefore, he was able to make a prosperous life for his family which included his sons and a daughter, my mom.

“Mom, did you have to live like that when you were young?” I asked her recently as I pointed at an old picture of a poor girl carrying a hungry looking child.

“Most people went through difficult times after the war, but we were okay, thanks to your grandfather, “ she said. She explained how hard my grandfather worked for his wife and his kids.

Not only did the story of his journey to South Korea captivate me, but also his passion to achieve his goals through difficulties inspired me. Away from their entire family, knowing that they would never be able to see them again, most people would be devastated. However, being successful is a matter of finding hope to achieve goals. My grandfather worked strenuously to achieve his dream of becoming an art teacher and having a family.

There is an old saying that says something like, “You must expect to get stung by bees in order to get honey.” This saying means that no success can be achieved without risks and going through obstacles. Even though my grandfather knew that starting a new life would be difficult, he relentlessly refused to give up.

I used to be scared of facing challenges in my life and tried to avoid them and find easier solutions. For example, I refused to learn challenging math problems, which did not prepare me for a math contest that I wanted to win. However, after learning about my grandfather’s story, I realized that I would not achieve anything without confronting hardships in my life. I have always
admired his stories, which influenced me to challenge myself and achieve my goals.