I went to North Korea and Kim Jong Un took pictures of me.. Plus 5 things about me you didn’t know..

Awhile back I did an insta-story showing a headshot for work and started getting flooded with messages asking what I do for a living.  Turns out, most of you think I blog or model full time.  While it does take up a good portion of my life, it’s not what pays my shopping and travel addiction.  Truth is, I have a full-time office job as an Auditor working for the US government.  It made me realize that in the social media world, my real life is hardly ever shone and my “backstory” is unknown..  My head is all over the place when writing this, but stick around because I talk about how I went to North Korea because it was part of my job.

Unless you have purposely avoided all forms of social media, the news, or live in total darkness, you probably saw that President Trump recently visited South (and North) Korea.  This area is known as the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).. the infamous blue buildings that have been in the news from gunfire directed at North Koreans for defecting to the first sitting President stepping foot on the North’s soil..

I started writing this blog post quite some time ago and for some reason I never released it.. I edited, re-edited.. left it alone.. forgot about it.. and since there’s all this hype around Korea that isn’t going away any time soon, figured it was now or never.. you’ll notice my hair is much lighter due to a traumatic event that took place at a salon in Korea.. never. again.  Don’t worry, it’s all fixed now..

That’s North Korea behind me in the picture below.. It’s their “Propaganda City” immediately following the border for anyone wanting to defect (thanks, but no thanks).

 

 

 

 

{is being an “influencer” a “real job”?}

 

I don’t want this post to be all political, but I wanted to bring it to a topic that relates to social media.  Lately, I’ve seen posts ragging on bloggers and how it’s not a real “job”.. Someone actually had the audacity to turn on me and say something similar and how bloggers need to get ”real jobs”. . . *clears throat* before you want to ASSume all bloggers aren’t hard workers and have real jobs, you need to back the eff up.  Do I like fashion, traveling, eating macarons, and acting basic AF.. yup.. and I like documenting the crap out of it BECAUSE THAT IS MY PREROGATIVE.  Like Oprah Winfrey said as a clap back to someone who was not a fan, “then why are you here? Life is too short to be spending time in a place you don’t want to be”.  I paraphrased slightly, but you get it.  Don’t get me wrong, 99% of my time on social media is commenting and responding back to some amazing and inspiring men and women that make me want to see more of the world, reach the depths of my creativity and never stop to achieve the best for myself.  Is that so bad?  For me, it’s not.  It’s pushed me to pull the trigger on travel plans and be a stronger person.  I realize this might not be the case for some, and you have to take things on the internet with a grain of salt and not let it consume you.  My PSA for this post.

Even if I didn’t have a full-time job, being an influencer / social media marketer / blogger / vlogger or whatever you want to call your profession, doesn’t mean you don’t work hard at something you’re passionate about.  I think people see these occupations as glamorous and think how hard can taking a picture or making a video about your vacation be?  Well, coming from my modeling background, someone paid me to do just that.  Instead of waiting around for a company to PAY ME to do marketing for them, why not GET PAID to market your own brand?  Seems like entrepreneurship 101, just in a different platform.  I haven’t flipped through a magazine in forever but ask me how many pics on instagram I saw today and saved for future vacations and clothing inspirations..

 

{5 things about me..}

 

1. 1. I’m an Auditor for the US government.  Basically, I make sure our tax dollars are put to good use and I help detect fraud, waste, and abuse among other things such as ensuring processes within the military are running efficiently.  My degree is in Accounting and I minored in Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism Management.  I always loved traveling so I think that’s why I wanted a minor relating to it.  I don’t wear a pocket protector but I do track my life on spreadsheets and calendars.
   2. I’ve moved 14 times.  By the time I was 6 years old, I had already lived in 3 different countries (US, Australia, and England).  I’m talking 14 big moves from one state/country to the next, not when I moved out for college 20 miles away.  Pretty sure I’m now totally addicted to traveling and moving, although I hate packing and unpacking with a passion.  I’m currently was based in Seoul, South Korea because of my job (I asked to live abroad out here and wasn’t forced).  Most people think we are in Korea because of my husband (who speaks fluent Korean and he’s a white dude.. weird – I on the other hand don’t speak Korean).  Some have asked “why Korea”?  My agency has 2 overseas locations and one is in Seoul and the other is Germany.  At the time, the position they had open was in Korea, so I took it.  I like adventure and kimchi and had been once to visit, so I figured why not spend the next few years living abroad in Asia?  I had never lived in the Far East and who knows when the opportunity will present itself again.. so we went for it.
   3. I hate banana and peanut butter flavored things but love real bananas and peanut butter.  I’m a huge snacker but don’t like anything that is grossly flavored like bananas.  I’ll try something flavored with peanut butter, but unless it tastes like real PB, I don’t want it.  Reese’s cups are my only PB exception without question.
   4. I was in YABA – Young American Bowlers Association.  Before you judge, it was kind of a big deal growing up as a military kid overseas.  I have trophies and patches to prove how awesome I was between the ages of 8-14.  All I have to show for it now are mediocre bowling scores and bragging how I was in YABA.. then having to explain what YABA is because nobody knows what it is.
   5. My first job was at 15 and I was a perfume model for Estee Lauder.  My Mom worked for the company and I would freelance for her on the weekends to make cash and spend it on CDs.  I’ve been working ever since with very short breaks between jobs.  I’ve had some random jobs in my early days, to name a few, I was a 411 directory assistance operator, indoor putt-putt employee, I sold pagers at the mall, I even worked at Target because I love that place so much.  Turns out I hate wearing red shirts with khaki pants and walking around a store with no music.  Still got love for Target though.

 

{that one time I went to North Korea}

 

So back to my “real job”.. I went to North Korea.  Yup, the country that the whole world is sketched out about and wondering what Kim Jong Un’s next move is going to be.  While I was living in Seoul, I lived about 35 miles from the DMZ line, which is the border between the two Koreas – I recently moved about 45 minutes south of Seoul (read: away from the border).  The head of our agency was in town from Washington DC and we were given a private tour to the DMZ line.  There are a series of blue buildings at the border, perfectly aligned on both sides – this area is called the JSA or Joint Security Area.  We were allowed to enter the building where all the big negotiations occur.  The US Soldiers explained they hardly ever communicate or have interactions with the North Korean Soldiers.  They basically try shouting across this invisible line if NK wants to talk but said they never get a response back – at least it’s been a few years since they had.  So they just patrol.  The most militarized, demilitarized zone in the world.. ironic…

That big gray building in the back is the North Korea side.. recognize it from news stories and the President’s visit?

 

 

 

We must have looked super official because we were a small well dressed group, that two North Korean Soldiers came running from their building and starting taking our pictures!  Um, WTF?  I really got freaked out when this happened after the US Soldiers just explained they hardly have any interactions with them.  His response “take pictures of them, because they are taking pictures of you”.  So basically Kim Jong Un now has pictures of me for his perusing.  Yup..

 

 

The blue buildings have their separate doors on each side so each country can enter when necessary.    The shared building is technically in both countries so when you stand on the one side, you are on North Korean soil.  I officially was in North Korea…  There are South Korean and US Soldiers patrolling here ready for anything.  The South Korean Soldiers hold a Taekwondo stance and wear dark glasses to show no emotion to North Korea.  They are the first line of defense if shit things gets crazy.    Unless you’re Chinese vacationing from China, this is the easiest way to go and say you did if you are a US citizen.. or you could do a tour group (I think as of this post, all US are banned) and North Korea will show you what they want you to see.. (read: everything is fake, practiced, and if you deter from the group you can legit be jailed).. I’m sure you’ve seen the news media about this the last couple years.. scary.

 

 

 

Peep the North Korean Soldier on his side of the country taking pictures of me.. total normal work day… might want to clean your windows bud..

 

 

We were taken to “Checkpoint Charlie” and from here you can see an unobstructed view of North Korea’s Propaganda City and border town in the distance.  They have music and the Korean language you can barely understand blasting on their speakers.. it’s to lure any South Koreans who want to defect.  I repeat, no thanks.  The buildings have no electricity, windows are painted on to look real, and nobody really lives there.  It’s all a ruse to make it look like a nice town from far away.  They have jamming towers so cell phones don’t work (including mine in this area).. The Supreme leader wants to make sure no outside influence infiltrates North Korea and having people question the country’s current state.  It was all very crazy to be at the front line of current major news headlines.

 

 

The bridge of no return.  This is the bridge used to pass people, things, whatever back and forth because it’s larger than the main DMZ line where the buildings are located.  It’s wide enough for a car, but cars don’t drive on it.  It’s apparently the road that would lead to Propaganda City.  They used to let people wander around this area, but apparently our former President Bill Clinton went too far on the bridge and almost defected, so they put some parameters in place to prevent that.  Thanks Bill.

 

 

I don’t always show what I do at my job.  Nobody wants to see my coffee next to my sticky notes, PowerPoint charts, or Hot Cheetos because I needed a snack at 2PM.

 

{before you pass judgment on someone’s life…}

 

My point is this, you never know someone’s story when you see them on social media.  If you see a beautifully curated coffee post and view of a historical building in the background, what you might not see is someone’s mound of paperwork to meet a deadline.. As glamorous as influencers may seem on the internet, they are some of the most hard working, organized, and structured people I know and while some do it full time, a lot do it in conjunction of a so called “real job”.  They’re doing the duties of a whole magazine crew: directing, producing, storyboarding, styling, photography, communication with the brands, the list goes on.  We as a society are used to seeing this type of marketing done in a different way through commercials and hardcopy magazines that seeing it on a platform like Instagram or blog is “different” and appears more glamourized on an individual level.  It’s cheaper to pay an influencer for pictures than a whole crew for a concept for the same amount of content.  Believe me, I’m on both ends of the spectrum.  The market is turning and this is the new way of doing business..