From Curiosity to Addiction: How I Fell for K-dramas

 How did your love for K-dramas begin? 

A little background about me: I lived almost my entire childhood in Lebanon. You can imagine how clueless I was about the rest of the world. All I knew was my culture, food, religion, and people. Everything else was a mystery to me, since there was no diversity where I lived. Ironically, I still looked forward to the days when I would watch my favorite Turkish and Bollywood shows with my mom. That’s how my curiosity about other cultures and people began.

I never expected to start watching K-dramas, but it all began when I was exploring some channels on my TV and Boys Over Flowers came on. Who would've thought a Korean show about a poor girl and a group of wealthy men known as F4 would make me addicted to K-dramas? I remember when I first watched it, I was obsessed with the poor girl, rich boy trope and dreamed of meeting my Jun-pyo... until I grew up and realized he was toxic and abusive all along.

That’s how my love for K-dramas began, and soon after came Playful Kiss, You're Beautiful, Dream High... This brings back so much nostalgia. I can't describe how thrilling it was to watch these shows for the first time and how comforting they were. I had a pretty rough childhood and often felt alone, but when I watched my K-dramas, nothing else mattered. It helped me escape from reality—it was like losing myself in a beautiful fantasy. It gave me the freedom to break free from the mental prison I was stuck in, and for that, I’m always grateful.

It started with innocent love and curiosity as a kid, and now I’m 24 and can’t imagine watching anything else. I can’t wait to share some of my favorite Korean shows with you all.