2020 has been a year…now on to 2021!

I don’t know how to process the year we just had. I’m assuming a lot of people are in that same boat. I had no clue what to expect out of this year when it started, like any year before it. I looked ahead to a bright future and a small growth of our website. But also, I expected the worst and in the beginning of the year, I actually had intended to shut the site down. I tend to be a very pessimistic person.

               Then the world went absolutely crazy. And while the world, outside, had been somewhat of a cluster f*ck, being in quarantine was probably the best thing to happen to this site. Mainly because I was able to focus a lot more of my time on the site and it’s growth. And grow it did.

               When I entered quarantine, I had a lot of time to sit on my phone during the breaks from me doing my real job’s work. And instead of being productive, like a lot of people, I got addicted to TikTok. I had never planned to post anything, just enjoy the cute animals, food, k-pop, k-drama, and funny videos. Someone had said something about making a video of Bright from 2gether and I said that I used to edit videos so I could try. I made it but found the easiest way to post it was to TikTok. That was my first ever video. It got like 20 views and I was happy. And once again, I never intended to post anything else.

               But then I saw a few TikTok’s about weddings, and I decided to post some pictures of my k-drama wedding photos. I left it there, went on with the rest of my day. That night, I went to watch some more funny videos when suddenly I had 99+ notifications and I was hella confused. I saw my wedding photo TikTok had over forty thousand views and thousands of likes!

Now in TikTok numbers that isn’t a lot, but to someone who only had 15 followers at the time, I was in shock! I got so excited and decided I would make another video. The next video is what changed the course of my website and my life forever.

One of my best friends had talked me into posting TikTok’s because she thought I would be good at it. I wasn’t so sure about that. After a failed attempt at YouTube, I wasn’t sold on putting myself out there like that again. She had told me to post my story about being hit on by a kpop idol. I felt I had told it so many times and no one cared, or even read my whole blog post about it. She said, “Yeah, but that’s not TikTok.”

I looked to find a fun way to tell the story, and the Put A Finger Down Challenge seemed like the funniest way to do it. I filmed it, sent it to her to see what she thought, she approved and so I posted it. Within minutes I was getting flooded with likes, comments, and follows. I couldn’t keep up. I had hit over eight hundred THOUSAND views! And my followers grew to almost four thousand!

I couldn’t believe it! I was so happy. And I am still insanely grateful for that!

And then Instagram launched REELZ (their version of TikTok). At first, I had decided REELZ weren’t my thing, since I had TikTok. But then I was in an Insta rut and said, ‘eff it just post a TikTok as a REELZ’.

Again, I didn’t know how to react when I woke up the next day to over several hundred new followers, thousands of likes and comments. I get more likes and views on my TikTok reposts to REELZ, than the videos posted on TikTok. I am now at almost four thousand followers on Instagram.

My next big accomplishment goal for the website was to finally start selling scenarios through Ko-fi to build my following on the site. I honestly am still figuring Ko-fi out but I think it will help me grow! At the beginning of December, I put up a small number of open slots, not believing I would even sell one. Sold all five with several of the customers wanting part two’s!!! We have more scenarios open for sale now, if you’re interested in purchasing your own.  

               I didn’t think 2020 could do more for Korean From Context. We had grown so much, and I was so shocked and thankful. I thought to make another fun TikTok that would now promote Korean From Context and our book Seoul Searching in a fun way. The video blew up! People shockingly believed I had seduced a Korean Drama actor. Me? Laughable. But once again there was a large influx of people to our TikTok page, surpassing ten thousand followers! Which means I can apply to the Creator Fund. I have heard nightmare stories about how it screws over smaller creators, so I won’t be joining just yet, but looking forward to the furture.

And through the growth, people have DM’ed me telling me that they have binge read Seoul Searching and they are desperate for new chapters. These DM’s included one special woman in particular. She reached out saying she loved my book and followed up with asking if she could narrate Seoul Searching! Obviously I said yes so that is in the works!

2020 was a crazy year for so many reasons. But I am happy to enter 2021 and here are some of Korean From Context’s New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will be making our trip to Korea this year. This is our passion but our day jobs only allow two weeks off a year. And since Korea is hella strict on quarantine, our entire trip would be quarantine. The Resolution? I will continue working to get miles for us to travel and possibly even stay in Korea free of charge!
2. I would love for our Instagram to reach 10,000 followers and our TikTok to reach 100,000.
3. Finish Seoul Searching, finish editing it all, and release a limited edition book version! You read that right! A real book!
4. Sell even more scenarios to give people their one-of-a-kind k-drama experience!
5. Start the new books I have plotted, and get you guys ready to learn even more Korean!
6. And lastly, make Korean From Context the best it’s ever been!

I want to thank you all for making 2020 not a total suckfest and keeping me sane during the insane time we are living through. I hope 2021 can be a time for everyone to grow, heal, and hopefully prosper! I wish you all happiness and I wish for all of you to follow your dreams, your heart, and do what makes you happiest. I love you all and thank you so much for coming on this journey with me and the others of Korean From Context!