[Community] A drink to the years to come

118 June 11, 2019June 11, 2019

by Guest Beanie

Age of Youth

Dramas. They used to be my little secret. I would watch them late into the night under my blanket, my arm propped up by a couple of pillows. It was my little guilty pleasure that no one needed to know about. It was my daily “me time,” a time to indulge the introvert in me; a time to enter a different world of fun.

Then came Dramabeans. For a long time, I only ever read recaps and nothing else. But then I saw an announcement offering free Beanie points for completing a survey and my need for free things kicked in and I joined the survey event. With that survey, I fell down a rabbit hole–I was instantly sucked into the fun of Open Threads and the fanwall.

I cannot begin to express my love and gratitude for all the Beanies I have had the pleasure of interacting with. As some of you may know, I recently immigrated from my home country to a brand new place. My move meant I had to adjust to different cultures, practices, accents and make new friends. I didn’t adjust particularly well. I was horrible at making friends, could not pick up their accents properly, and didn’t share the same values or interests as them — I was an oddball who could not fit in. As such, I looked to Dramabeans for meaningful social interaction. The friendly replies to my posts, the virtual hugs I received, and other Beanies’ encouraging words made me feel like I was home. This was home.

Buam-dong Revenge Club

The community felt like family: the bunch of older sisters and brothers who stayed up late to cheer me up when I was down. The aunties who imparted their wisdom and knowledge onto me. The maknae line that didn’t hold back their overfilled glasses of love.

At some point, they were no longer just “online friends” I met because of Korean dramas. They were my family. There were nights I spent hours smiling like a fool while staring at my phone. I’d often stay up past 4 in the morning just so I’d be able to chat with my Beanie family. But it didn’t just stop there, thankfully. I now had family located all over the world who I desperately wanted to chat with in person. Family I needed to meet.

And that’s exactly what I did. Just this year, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of Beanies over lunch during my time back home. No lie, it’s an experience and memory that I’ll always treasure.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju

The Beanie community is just so much fun. We have rad parties on fanwalls, chill music rooms, and there was even an intricately planned “wedding.” I couldn’t have asked for more, but somehow that wasn’t the end of everything I gained. Though most of my conversations with Beanies were initially drama or K-pop centered, the more I chatted with individual Beanies, the deeper our conversations grew. A few years ago, I couldn’t have imagined how my views would be challenged in the most polite of manners and how my perspectives would be broadened. I became the person I currently am due to the meaningful interactions I have had with Beanies here.

I joined for the points, hung around for the drama fun, and stayed for the people.

So now that I’m legally an adult, I’d like to raise a glass to all Beanies. Thank you for filling the last of my teenage years with laughter and happiness. Here’s to many more happy years together!

I’d like to end with a quote from Sassy Go Go which aptly describes my last year with Beanies:

“Please remember this time. The passionate and painful moments when we were 18. We were us because of you. Because you were there, I was able to find strength. Because you were there, I was able to look inside myself and do better. Going forward, I’ll probably stumble. I’ll make mistakes because I’m clumsy, get hurt, and probably even cry. Even so, I won’t have any regrets. Today, we did our best to be happy.”

Sassy Go Go

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118

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1 KS stuck on 🥰 Aegiya KHAAJA🥰

June 11, 2019 at 11:06 PM

that such a sweet dedication to this lovely beanie land.. and obviously all the ahjumoni's (respected aunts) here are like so close to our heart as of we are their own kids.. and they take care of like one. I love this whole world just for that close bonding we have as a family (a big Kdramafamily)
lovely write up..

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