At first I was excited and then my next initial thought was… Oh shit…
That meant showing my life completely as it was. This meant unfiltered, barefaced, not completely did up like I was in all my social media. I think I may have panicked for a little bit like… OMG! What have I gotten myself into? *runs in circles*
If you’ve been following me awhile, I hardly ever go on camera showing my face without all the makeup. I wear coverup in most of my videos or photoshop my photos because I have hyper pigmentation and acne. Then I realized something super important.
You guys don’t know the real me. The unfiltered Gina that loves sarcastic jokes about sex and farts. You haven’t seen me as I really am, being 100% myself with my friends, surroundings and experiences. The Gina Bear online and the Gina Bear in real life can be very different people.
Of course, the real me is also very honest, blunt, real and raw. But there is another side of me that does get silly and likes to joke and laugh. I’m not always very serious!
It’s legit super scary putting yourself out there on the internet and letting complete strangers judge you. Because let’s face it, a lot of miserable people with sad lives like to say really nasty things about my appearance. Like haven’t ya’ll heard about the Golden Rule? For real…
Despite the sometimes negative feedback I do get, my blog, YouTube and Instagram are very important parts of my journey. When I look at everything, I want to be able to say… Yes! This was fun! This was the bomb! And maybe cringe somewhere down the line too.
In addition, I want to relate to everyone who has stumbled upon my little corner of the internet. I’m not perfect. I do have flaws. I have struggles like everyone else. I am a very real person just like the rest of you reading this. Therefore, welcome to a week in my life in Korea.
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What’s Life Like in Korea?
This blog and video post was born out of the many, many DMs I get asking the same question. “What is your life like in Korea?”
And for the longest time I just didn’t know how to respond. Like how do I describe my crazy, awesome, frustrating, and interesting life to others? (And without sounding like a pretentious douche canoe?) Living abroad isn’t always the easiest thing to do in the world. There are times where I just want to hit my head against the wall or throw the towel in frustration.
Life is different in Korea but also similar. Some of the differences would of course be the language, culture
But then I also know I’m living a life most people don’t get to experience. It’s unique and it’s not always rainbows and unicorns, but it’s mine.
Related: 10 Ways Korea Changed Me
Why did you leave YouTube for so long?
Sometimes, when you need a break, you just need one. From the bottom of my heart, I wish all my social media was my main source of income so I can continue doing everything I really love. I get a rush from documenting my life and making travel and expat videos. It’s seriously super rewarding to be able to help other people through my experiences.
But my hiatus starts last year after a FAM Tour I went on to promote the 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics. I go through phases in my life every so often where I just lose sight of what is important or I’m not happy with my current predicament. (I suspect the weather, holiday blues, and some aspects of my job make me feel that way especially around the holidays.) Expat life isn’t always pretty.
In November of last year, my satisfaction with my life and where it was got very overwhelming. I won’t go into too many details, but I made a bad decision, joined an MLM that went under 3 months later for fraud, and lost my savings.
Yikes…
Learn from my mistakes kids. There’s no money in most MLMs. Take away that despite my colossal failure, through it, I learned success. Everything is trial and error. To say my experience with the scammy MLM was a waste would be a lie. I did learn a lot of what not do. After you fail, that is what divides you from everyone else. Whether you pick yourself back up or decide to stay down.
Related: I’m Beautiful in Korea
What will we see in the vlog?
Well, you’ll get to see my life as is. Walking my dog, cooking at home, hanging out with my friends and traveling. As you all know, travel is my biggest passion and goal in life. I want to turn my blog and YouTube channel into a career and I won’t quit until I’m able to make that happen. You’ll also get to see my silly and sarcastic side making some adult jokes. I’m excited and a bit nervous for you to see my life. The way I work. How I do things. Why I do them. But enough of this talk! Check out what life is really life in Korea right meow! And also gain a sneak peak into the best summer ever.
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That sounds like an exciting time, Gina! I’ll have to bookmark this for when I have time to pay attention on getting my social channels to work a bit more professionally! (Sadly what with my schedule this is like a next year thing…)
Gina, I really loved seeing the real you behind the photos and posts. You always look gorgeous in your shots, but I feel like I can identify with you more now 🙂 I’m an expat living in Taiwan for a decade now, so I could totally understand some things you said in the video (ugh…so hot by 9 am). And I love that you joined the Pride Parade! Taipei has the biggest one in Asia, and I’ve only missed a couple in 10 years.