OH! I forgot the most important thing I've learned:

If I'm ever in Seoul, I am not going anywhere near the Han river. :0)

All the slang/interjection type words that are fun to say have insinuated themselves into my vocabulary. Aigoo and jinjja and omo and ottokke and HAJIMAAAAAAAAA.

Question: What new thing have you done in the name of K-drama? Has becoming a K-drama watcher made you start eating kimchi, travel to Korea, or switch to soju as your drink of choice? Tell us about some way in which watching dramas has changed your everyday life. (*Don’t forget to use a valid email address, and this time please indicate at the bottom of your comment if you are NOT a resident of US/Canada.)

1) I've actually gone out to try those face sheet masks often seen in K-dramas to have nice soft facial skin like them.
2) I've gone out to eat Jajangmyun and on my birthday last year, I went out to eat at a Korean restaurant.
3) I've eaten kimbap several times. Actually, when my family (We're not Korean) goes to a Korean buffet restaurant, I actually know how to eat some of the Korean dishes and how to set up the little side dishes from watching K-dramas.
4) I am very tempted to try the magoli (rice wine) and soju. And I someday will try it!
5.) I own a Korean buckwheat pillow and been sleeping on it since october 2011.
6.) I have a lot of Korean songs on my ipod which I listen to more often than English songs.
7.)I own a few K-dramas, but I hope and dream of owning City Hunter, Secret Garden and Time of Dog and Wolf.
8.) I own a blog that contains reasons why I'm obsessed over K-dramas and other Asian dramas. I study them. :-D
9.)I watch K-dramas every week, if not daily.

I am a U.S. Resident and I hope I win the giveaway!!! Please!

Listening to kpop and watching variety shows (running man FTW)!

hmmm..at first i was addicted to twdramas then after i got hooked in kdramas i started watching a LOT of kdramas. i rarely watch TV now! (imagine not listening to local news but updated to kdrama news and even korean news. haha..)

also, it encouraged me to learn the language. not to boast but i had studied japanese and can speak 2 other languages fluenty, ad i learned speaking korean just by watching kdramas! sometimes i even mix the japanese and korean expressions while speaking.

lastly, kdramas gave me ideas on how to act cute and such when in a relationship. haha! Basically, kdramas are my mentor in life. :D they know how to touch one's heart. :DD

I've sort of inadvertently picked up some Korean words, but I definitely wouldn't have started eating kimchi if it weren't for dramas! Maybe I'll learn Korean after I'm better at Japanese...

Watching kdramas has exposed me to different types of humor (I'm more of a rom-com than a melodrama watcher), and sometimes I use lines I hear as part of jokes lol

because of many guys playing the piano in dramas I developed my love for playing it again. I spent like 3hours training everyday to become as good as they are. Also listening to the korean language, made me want to try to learn it too. it's hard, it's really hard but I try my best to learn it, when I grow up I want to study at an korean university and after that I want to move to korea. I rather see Korea as my destiny home than Austria. not to forget the culture and politeness are awesome.It totally grew on me after watching like 2 dramas, now I always bow down when I meet ppl. There faces are like WTF are you doing but I like it. I think southkorean ppl show more respect to elders, youngers....., in my country it's not like that.you can say: yo ugly granny what's up, that's pretty rude for me.

I was the only addict for 2 years. Everything in my life revolved around everything Korean and my friends and family questioned my sanity. But now they are all addicts just like me!

My neices Autumn(12) and Moukda(8) knows kpop by heart. We go the the korean shop every other week to pick up Music Core and Inkigayo and we'd watch them together on the weekends.

My brothers and sisters and I are now watching dramas online together (we try really hard not to get ahead of each other) and debate about them over dinner meetings.

And my dad is like the worst addict of all. Eventhough, he can NOT read English, he getting us to order from EthaiCD, the dramas we're watching so he can join in on our convo....My dad and I are totally addicted to historical dramas right now, its not even funny.

I dont know if the call me the kdrama/kpop guru or the "dealer". But now all the little girls at church are inquiring websites for best kdrama/kpop scoops.

I'd be a better person if they would inquire more of God and our belief, but as of right now, kdrama heaven is all they want.

I...started watching them at work. Like I'm doing right now. And I watched an entire drama in one day. :P

1. I have started eating korean food more often
2. I have started collecting korean dramas ( therefore, been obsessed with subbing groups and realized how much work is required for a drama to be subbed)
3. Been obsessed with DRAMABEANS because of its RECAPS

I started learning Korean in a SRSbzness kind of way, it's on my bucket list to visit Korea (*cough*and marry a resident*cough*)

Every other show and especially romances now pale in comparison without glomping and drunken piggybacks and my friends and family literally comment on how I should make it my life's goal to bring Korean dramas to the UK ^_^

/not from the US/Canada obviously!

I dunno if this is quite what you mean, but I noticed that after watching about 3 different k-dramas I started using k-drama facial expressions and movements when I talk. I make certain faces, or catch myself saying 'aigoo' under my breath, things like that! I'm a US resident, btw.

I am now regularly trying out jimjilbang in the nearby area.^^ It's been fun! I get to relax and get my kdrama fix as I'm eating korean food! What can be better than that? HEHE^^

I have started eating kimchi and learning Korean, and I have taught my 4 boys about Korea too!! Love k drama!!

Wow its so great reading everyone's stories and realizing I am not alone! Since I began watching K dramas i have forsaken all other television. I also finally purchased a hdmi cable and wireless mouse/keyboard to better experience watching endless hours of drama to the wee hours of the night on my flat screen rather than my laptop. I always was a fan of korean food, but now eat ramen atleast once a week. I love the secret garden soundtrack!! and listen to random osts. I also use the common phrases everyone has mentioned (Aigoo, omo, oteke etc.) with friends and family though they have no idea what i am talking about. (This christmas I actually did the Oteke whine arm dangle dance thingy without noticing - lol) I have also actively thought about the possibility of marrying either Park Shi-hoo or Jung Gyu Woon on multiple occasions... sigh.

Hmmm... Listening to k-pop NON STOP. In fact, is the ONLY music i listen and when i do, i remember the exact same feeling i had when watching the drama....

Also, wanting a Samsung cellphone! ♥

Im not from the US or CANADA...

I started saying, "aish" every time something annoying happened. said it once at a Korean restaurant and the owners looked at me weird. oops. lol

Korean dramas have made me act more quiet and less talkative in the hopes that someday, I will attract a good-looking guy who is rather louder and have the opposite personality as me :P

OMG, that was a long scroll down!
In the name of K-dramas I've stayed up super late to watch just one more episode, started listening almost exclusively to kpop, I want to learn the Korean language, I've had many "you're crazy" looks from my friends whenever I bring up anything kdrama or kpop related. XD I already like Korean food and I love kimchi! Still have to wait a bit to try some soju. XD
It's been lots of fun!

Ive started watching sageuk dramas!

I used to steer clear of anything i-want-to-be-king-so-im-going-to-make-a-convoluted-plot-in-the-palace deals but lately my kdrama obsession has pushed into sageuk territory..

Because of k-dramas I am now in love with k-pop too, and I'm trying to learn Korean. Also, I rarely watch any American tv shows now.

The positive things I've done after watching some Korean dramas :
(1) Started learning Korean...*coughhalfwaycough* but I can write/read all the characters so that's quite an achievement :)
(2) I was lucky enough to catch a few phrases... good and bad... and I used it in a lot my daily life. When I was pissed off, I would swear in Korean and people wouldn't know. I also started acting all cutesy to get things (didn't really work because life is not a korean drama and I fail at being cute.) Aside from that, I started calling my sisters 언니 and saying 아 when they do something wrong.
(3) I remember tying my hair up like 채경 from Goong and 한지은 from Full House instead of letting it 'fly' freely around my head.
(4) Although we have our own version of mixed rice here, I tried to make their version - the one where you mixed things around in a bowl - and I liked it. Plus, after watching a particular scene in Goong, I started to roll everything - and I mean, EVERYTHING (MEAT) - in a salad! Until now, the habit stays with me! Food somehow taste better that way!
(5) I became tech-savvy. I figured how to google things better than before and I know all the legit file-sharing sites as well as streaming sites. I dl-ed subtitle maker, took subtitles (with permission, of course) and posted the vid with eng subs to share with the other fans on yt. I also started reading manhwas as well as mangas (yes, Japanese) because of Goong. Indirectly, Kdramas not only introduced me to their cultures but also other cultures and countries around the world. I'm quite thankful for that :)
(6) Made a lot of friends online! I was never open to the idea of online buddies but soompi's a good site for that and thanks to KDramas, I met some really amazing people who live in my country and overseas!
(7) Instead of just onlining for friendster & myspace (back then, these were the social medias I used), I found a few websites to visit daily ; allkpop, popseoul, soompi, dramabeans, etc. These websites kept me updated on Korean entertainment!Then I started getting curious about other countries so I found ONTD, AramaTD & OmonaTD. So I guess, in a way or so, this is all thanks to KDramas. Now I bookmark a lot of gossip sites :S
(8) Ramyun, need I say more?
(9) In life, Korean things made it easier for me to relate to people! I started to talk to strangers without being tongue-tied as most of the people I tried to talk to like Korean things too. So I made friends easier :D
(10) Instead of just listening to English songs, I also listen to Korean songs and burn them on discs so I can listen to them when I'm in the car.

Now the negative things
(1) When I listen to the K songs in the car, my dad skips the songs until he hears an English word (which lasts for about 5 seconds until the guy/girl starts to sing in Korean) then he'd click the eject button and I'd plug my earphones on while he starts criticizing the songs. So yeah, life got more interesting with the constant banter between us...
(2) When I walk outside and a hot guy passes by (makes about 1 sec of eye-contact), I'd think he has a crush on me for no reason what-so-ever. So I'd start to get all self-conscious and stuffs...
(3) If a guy likes to argue with me all the time, I'd think he like me. Then I'd start having this mental discussion about it.
(4) Whenever I see a bus, I'd automatically think of every single bus-chasing scene in Korean dramas. This is a big deal because I have never cared about buses, much less think about them.
(5) Eventhough I'm not a pro when it comes to relationships, I started giving advices to my friends like I'm a freaking psychologist. I guess it's because I *think* I have it all figured out after watching all those plots between the leads in Korean Dramas.
(6) I started wishing my life had a theme song... And a couple of songs that'd play when I'm happy or sad. Thanks to all the osts, most of the songs perfectly describe a certain day of my life.
(7) When I like a certain (indie) actor or singer, I don't talk about them with people because when they get more popular, they get more fans which means more attention and I don't usually like guys who're mainstream. (Yes, I know, it's pretty immature!) But now I'm more laid-back. It's funny cause I was just talking to my friend about this and she agreed on how I said we're ~seniors~ when it comes to these Korean stuffs so we're more relaxed and carefree now. Haha
(8) I've never spent 100 on anything but I bought a few original cd so that was a big deal! As my interest in KDramas increased, my money decreased.
(9) My sister who usually spends time going to the mall, started arguing with me. We only had a computer back then so we'd argue about the usage since we both wanted to watch different KDramas. This is new because we've never argued about the computer before & never about watching dramas!
(10) I remember waking up at 4am so I could watch BOF (with subs!) on yt before they remove it. Since I'm not an early riser, that was a big deal to me.

*Not a resident of US/Canada

PS: Now my dad lets me listen to Korean songs in the car while my mom hums along. She specifically likes Paparazzi and she'd cutely sing "I'm a papapapa razzi, papa razzi," with me when the chorus starts! Maybe I should add that to the list : Singing ~cutely~ with my mom for the very first time!

use short simple words like "yah" "otoke" and etc! lol it just comes out! oh and started eating ramen too!!! love it!

Watching K-dramas makes me crave korean food and the desire to travel to Korea

Because of Kdrama.. I started watching korean variety shows too =D my mp3 player is full of Kpop songs <3

I've started to call my Chinese husband "Yobo"! I've also taken Korean language classes and only watch Korean dramas!!!!

1) I watch k-drama every evening (on DVD) 2) I google to find Korean eateries that serve food or snacks mentioned in the dramas 3) I "see" my Korean neighbors and colleagues differently (and I wonder how much drama they watch :-) ) 4) I am picking up new Korean words from drama 5) I am seriously thinking about visiting Koran one day

I have been a fan of Korean food for a looong time now. My husband is prior Army and just outside about every Army base is a Korean restaurant. He also did a one year tour in Korea and I got to visit him for 3 weeks. If you look closely there is a "made in Korea" tag on my daughter's butt! :)

Despite that, I have only been a drama addict for about 2 years now. Watching drama has made me even more interested in learning about the culture, food and language. So, I have been taking Korean lessons at the local community college for a few semesters and I absolutely love it. When you are taking a college class you need to study, right? So every night I "study" Korean language for a couple of hours. Among my favorite tutors are Gong Yoo, Lee Min Ho, and Lee Jung Jin. I also have a lot of Kpop and TTMIK podcasts on my iPod that I listen to all of the time. I also make Korean food feasts complete with banchan, bap, and jjigae!

Just one way, I can't do that, lol!!

For one I've always been afraid of staying up all night because I tend not to and don't want my parents to get mad, but the idea of not watching my drama and not finishing it was not an option for me! When I first started watching, I had long-run marathons EVERY SINGLE DAY (good thing it was summer.)

Also, I fell in love with Korean Ramyun!! I don't even know how I lived eating just regular Ramyun??? :D
On top of that, I'm slowly learning korean. I know lots of words because of the dramas, but I'm taking classes now too so that I can learn!!

My ipod is completely filled with Korean songs (mostly OST) and I have no idea about the latest news or songs of American Celebrity World because I'm too absorbed in Korean entertainment!!

My friends now officially call me weird because I end up saying "Aigoooo" "Aish" "Bichiso? (Are you crazy?" "Pabo (Stupid)" and many more phrases ALL THE TIME!!!

But I dont regret it because I love being addicted!! Hehe

I am an American Citizen. :D

KimLuvv@yahoo.com

Happy 5th anniversary Dramabeans & Dramabeannies :)

1. Kdrama turned me into a hopeless night owl!
At first i started sleeping at 3am.. then my stamina became better as i did more kdrama marathons and it became 5am... till eventually i slept at 1pm and woke up in the evening (ok, it was the school holidays). gulp.

2. Everytime the characters eat Ramyun or a ramyun CF flash by, i indulge in it too. with kimchi.
bad bad bad. culture-wise (in Singapore), ramyum is thought to be unhealthy and only eaten if there's nothing else to eat at home. but they make it so delicious and iresistable! and i started buying korean brand ramyuns and to appreciate the taste of kimchi. I even brought 1 kg worth of kimchi with me when i went on exchange. & had my mum sent me a carton worth of korean brand ramyun while i was in stockholm.

3. I can read and understand some hangul!
so while i was in stockholm, instead of improving in swedish, i watched so much kdrama that my understanding of korean improved vastly instead. & i'm taking weekly korean lessons right now. Alas, I was watching a variety show the other day and 1 youtuber commented on how the adopted dogs in the show understood more korean than us viewers did. so true. shows without subs are still a pain. overcome, 1 day I must.

4. from kdrama -> kpop ->kvariety -> dramabeans ->lesser known korean music :)
I was watching kdramas ad hoc before BOF. But BOF got me obssessing over Kim Hyun Joong and from liking 1 guy, I started getting acquainted with his popgroup and variety show featurings to following the happenings in kpop and watching variety shows as much as my daily kdrama intakes.
That BOF period also led me to stumble onto Dramabeans website, which has shaped the types of kdramas I watch with your introductions and recaps. & i always fall in love with the songs that you recommend on your site! i'm listening to Zitten ever so often these days. So, when i log on to the internet, its all korean media and entertainment news i'm looking at.

5. argh! wat's with every contemporary show being a romantic comedy?! i 'm still single!
yeah, it makes me self-question wat's wrong with me so often. ok, its all the kottminam-faced, chocolate abs male leads and the its fated!The One!Destiny! plots that making me delusional!

hopefully, my plans to visit korea this summer won't be dashed! its been delayed by 2 years already!

ps. not a resident of US/Canada!

How has Korean television changed my life?

#1. This past Christmas, "Santa" gave me
a gift certificate to a local Korean restaurant,
named "Kimchi" that I had recently discovered
and from where I've had some delicious food.

#2. I've met up with some other very addicted
Kdrama fans (out of a Philadelphia-based web
site) and enjoy our annual get-togethers,
catered by a local Korean barbeque restaurant
of incredibly spectacular food; and there is
usually somebody Korean to present a slide
show for us, or models wearing traditional
Korean clothes, and answering any questions
that we might have.

#3. My refrigerator is full of frozen dumplings,
Korean plum wine, etc. purchased from an
oriental grocery store that I discovered was
nearby to where I live.

#4. Same store; I bought refrigerator magnets
of colored clay representing a Korean bride
and groom. (He's carrying that traditional
jigundo backpack of wedding gifts.)

#5. I'VE SPENT A FORTUNE, A FORTUNE, ON
PRINTING RE-CAPS OF KOREAN DRAMAS; AND
LET'S NOT FORGET THE NECESSARY PLASTIC
SHEET PROTECTORS AND 3-RING BINDERS.
BUT I'M NOT MENTIONING ANY NAMES HERE
OF WHO'S FAULT THIS IS.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>DRAMABEANS<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

#6. And like everybody else here, I tell so
many people that I meet how great Korean
TV is. If people think I'm crazy, unfortunately,
it's their loss.

#7. There are probably a few other answers
that I could relate, but that would take away
too much time from watching my Korean TV.
:) :) :)

*

Hmm, how have Korean dramas changed my life?

Well, I am only a recent convert to Kdramas, a mere 3 months so a relative newbie. However, so far I have watched 10 dramas (and have another 10 on my hard disk waiting to be watched). I also have 4 boxsets of historical dramas waiting to be watched.

Anyway, things I have started doing:

Have practically stopped watching anything other than Korean dramas.

Found myself a private tutor and have started learning the language (she tells me I am doing really well). She is the first Korean I have ever met, and she is my friend now too.

I now do a lot of my shopping at the big local Korean supermarket (I have a loyalty card for there now) and my main meal every night tends to be Korean.

Have started planning for a trip to Korea.

Find myself randomly bowing to people, especially when I am saying sorry. One particular incident, I drove out of a car park and forgot to turn on my headlights. At the traffic lights, the man in front of me got out of his car to inform me. I instinctively bowed and said sorry.

I have never been there (well, not yet!!), but I now feel an affinity for Korea and its people, and when I eventually visit there, I am determined to be able to converse with them in their own language.

Oh the influences are ENDLESS!!

-I'm taking classes online to study Korean and it helps to watch drama cauz I already learned lots from it.

-I'm influencing my friends to learn Korean... hehe...

-Words like "AISH" "AIGOO" "Ottoke?" and "Chincha" are my every day words now.

-I look at guys differently thinking that maybe they're just jerks on the outside and sweet on the inside... daydreaming... LOL

-I asked my parents that when we're travelling we stop by at Korea and it seems to be a work in progress!!

-I bought LOTS of Korean clothing, jewelry, creams, and foods now!!

* I lick my finger and touch my nose every time I'm distressed or hurt :D

That's just to name a few :D

I am a US/American Citizen

aatqamemon@Yahoo.com

Oh, I forgot, 고맙십니다. I am not a resident of the US or Canada.

well watching korean dramas made me more interested in the korean culture. The thing I really liked about watching korean dramas is a look into how close korean families can be or simply how they show love for each other(family wise) and also how sweet couples can be. Also the aegyo part!! In my country we don't do aegyo and acting cute is a turn off.. Made me want to go to korea take a deeper look into the rich culture and just experience life as a korean and see for myself how is living a korean life! Hope I dont sound to serious!

1. Low grades due to late night drama watching or recap reading :)
2. Better health from eating healthier asian food rather than the greasy McDonalds
3. dark circles and blurry eye vision from watching dramas at night in the dark to avoid getting caught by parents
4. listening to osts or kpop songs
5. regularly checking the dramabeans website for new recaps
6. started having better standards for guys ( APPLE WANTS HER OWN DRAMA HERO)
7. daydreaming constantly in class about meeting the love of my life in the bathroom
8. bond with friends who have the same drama madness as i do <3

i find myself stalking dramabeans and koala's playground to read recaps of my fave kdramas...i also download the kdramas as soon as they've just aired in south korea, and when the torrents are late in coming, i say, "otto ke, otto ke?"...haven't tried korean dishes though, since there are no korean restaurants in our area, but longing to try them everyday....not only this..I also watch arirang from time to time...:-)

I've used a proxy in school during my computer aided design class to go online and live stream the latest episode. Lucky for me the time works out perfectly haha!

Congrats again!!!

And since watching dramas, my poor internal biological clock started to go senile and confuse day with nights. :)

first i wanted to say thank you guys for the giveaway!!! i never win these things. hahahaha.

not gunna win again i'm sure, but wanted to share my answer to the question. i'm korean so i actually eat kimchi, speak korean and whatnot. but i just say a lot of the catch phrases out in random that appeared in the dramas like "ppwing ppwing" (HighKick), "ddingddong!" (BestLove), "michutseo!!!" (FBRS)...etc. I also did the sauna towel head thing that appeared in Samsoon (then in a lot of other dramas after that).

so yay! and thanks again guys :)

Hmmm....
Well, I now spout random Korean phrases from time to time even though I can't speak Korean. LOL

*Not a resident of US/Canada

well watching korean dramas made me more interested in the korean culture and made me want to know more about the korean history. Korean dramas always made me feel that koreans are a very nice bunch of people and I like the way they show love for their family and their close bonds. Makes me envious. Made me want to go to korea and see for myself the rich korean culture and trying living life as a korean. I think it'd be a great experience.

As a lot of others before me also said: I've started to learn Korean.
I also changed some food habits and started to eat noodles and rice a lot.
And although I really hope to be able to go to Korea once, it probably won't be any time soon.

But there are also some other things that I learned from kdrama's, because they made me feel like myself again and it also gave me a huge confidence boost, because I was able to stop watching wat everyone else was watching. I'd watch those programs just to be able to talk about it. But now, I'm just watching the things that I really like (which include kdramas, but also other tv programs).

*And I'm also not living in Canada or the US.

I have obviously become addicted to korean dramas.. korean dramas have changed my life drastically, in many ways they have made me a better person and shaped up my life. Because of kdramas, i have become a nicer and freindlier person to approach and i always have hope b/c kdramas teach me that something good will happen eventually. secondly, korean words tend to slip out of my mouth although not on purpose.. B/c I'm so used to of the korean language I am picking up on it a lot lately and now i use it in my everyday life, at home, at school, and on internet. I speak with my friends in korean and translate what i m saying so they understand although it does take a bit of time. kpop songs are understandable without eng subs because I can understand korean better now and speak it more fluently. I am still improving-I am currently learning how to read and write in hangul. thirdly, korean dramas have changed my food choices. i prefer eating kimchi, kimbap, potato pancakes, seaweed salad and tofu and vegetable soup. i love eating bibimbap one of my favs <3 fourthly, I somehow manage to relate korean things like music, actors, singers, dramas to school related activites, projects and assignments and presentations. In one class i have related 3 assignments to korean things already. My teacher got tired of it but i told him you are always learning something new and once he heard my presentation on jang geun suk, he immediately surrendered. So i love connecting school related things to korean things b/c it gives me a chance to better express myself. Lastly kdramas , have changed the way I think. It has made me realize that i should always think about others before myself instead of being selfish. I made a pact with my friends that before we all turn 30 we all will go together to korea hopefully, our promise comes true.