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89 Groove Korea: What was your intention when you frst started the blog? Nichola Gwon: When I was younger I worked as an artist, but gave it up several years ago because I didn’t like dealing with the traditional art world. I went back to studying and didn’t paint for several years. By the time I met my husband, I had a creative urge again but wasn’t sure what I should do. Eventually, the idea of a blog came about and I thought comics were a good way of sharing our life. It was like starting at the be- ginning again. I also found a lot of negative stuff about Ko- rean husbands online and wanted to show a positive voice. Have you been surprised by the positive response to My Korean Husband? The biggest surprise was how many peo- ple relate to our comics because they have a similar relationship. There were things that I thought were personality quirks, but so many women have told me that their Korean hus- band does the exact same thing. We didn’t realize there was a cultural reason for it. The other surprise was just how much peo- ple follow and appreciate the comics. People have said how much the comics make their day, how they have helped them get through a difficult time or been the only reason they got out of bed when they were struggling with depression. That has really touched us. MorE INFo j Websites www.mykoreanhusband.com www.youtube.com/user/MyKoreanHusband www.facebook.com/MyKoreanHusband twitter.com/MyKoreanHusband mykoreanhusband.tumblr.com Why do you think people have responded so well to the blog? The comics mirror what is happening in our life; it’s an ongoing story broken down into short daily chapters, so I guess that’s one of the appeals — wanting to know what happens next in the story. People also start to feel like we are their friends because we become part of their daily routine. We are showing the reality of romance and relationships, but still in a positive way. A lot of the comics are humorous and my husband and I poke fun at each other, but I think people can see how much we care about each other. Negativity can draw a lot of people very quickly, but it’s not sustainable. Positivity has a slow burn and takes a lot of work to create something that people want to keep coming back to, but the rewards are much greater. What’s been the most surprising thing about being married to a Korean? How caring and romantic Korean guys can be. The difference in their definition of mas- culinity is surprising, but I really like it. For ex- ample, Korean men don’t have problems with using face masks and beauty products, being stylish and having things like earrings. This, of course, is the younger generation; there is a huge difference between my husband and his friends and his father’s generation. Korea is a rapidly changing country. What advice would you give to people who are dating a Korean? Learn as much about the culture as you pos- sibly can. Use the fact that you don’t speak the same native language to your advantage and always be conscious that there may be misunderstandings. Hugh and I are slower to jump to conclusions about what the other per- son means and slower to get upset. Waiting to fully understand the situation can benefit the relationship a lot. I personally think good relationships aim to be bicultural. Rather than one person having to adapt completely to the other person’s cul- ture and maybe feeling resentful, if both peo- ple learn about each other’s culture and meet halfway it should be a happier relationship. It’s not always easy being married to someone from another culture, but there can be many amazing experiences and rewards.