I think I was lucky to be able to live in Panama for four and a half years and attend my high school, the International School of Panama. I don’t know how I would be living right now if I lived in Korea all my life. (Honestly, I don’t even think I could be attending our university right now!) Attending my high school shaped me in many ways that I’m grateful for, and one of the positive influences was the playful atmosphere of being with my friends.
Though my friends were from all over the globe, half were Latin American, so the overall atmosphere was driven towards the Latin American attitude of being laid back, and not taking things seriously. This was a stark contrast to the kind of atmosphere I experienced in Korea, which was obsession to perfection and competition. I was habitually trying to overthink everything and freak out about every little mistake. So being with these friends helped me learn about the value of not being serious, or being playful.
I think this kind of playful attitude is what enables people to be mentally free and to focus on what they value. One incident that comes to my mind, and is a very fun experience and relates to this point. One day, during the 30-minute lunch break there was a spontaneous party in the cafeteria. It was unplanned, because my mistake provided the cause. I had played guitar during the flag ceremony (weekly assembly of all high school students) and left the amplifier from the music class onstage. Some guys decided to close the curtains and turn on some music using the amplifier. Soon, my friends called me, and I followed them to the stage, where behind the curtains, people were dancing and singing together! It was like a very small club. Sometimes I enjoyed going to the parties, but even when I went to parties at my friends’ homes, I didn’t have this much fun, because the high school cafeteria was the last place I would expect someone to party.
They had a playful attitude, so they were creative and used what was available to have fun, as long as they thought that it was not hurting anyone or prohibited. Having a serious attitude would have killed this ability. This is in school, so what if some people think I’m weird? What if they say I can’t do that? One more self-debilitating question, and that idea is out of consideration.
So I think it is important to have a playful attitude, so that I could believe that the many ideas I come up with about achieving what I value are actually possible. As I get serious at times, focusing too much on things as if my life was dependent on them, I keep trying to remind myself of the amazing friends I had.