Mumbai Mirror/Times of India (India)- 3 March 2012
On International Women’s Day, we take a look at how a young South Korean woman has taken to the busy streets of Mumbai to ask passersby what their dreams in life are. Paayal Talwaar shares her story with our readers.
Meet Suyong Kim, a self-professed dreamer and founder of Dream Panorama – a year-long project that involves meeting people across the globe and discussing their dreams.
Kim’s recent stop in Mumbai yielded 24 interviews: “I find Mumbai a challenging city where I have gone through various emotions of love, hate, frustration and excitement,” says the 31-year-old. She has met people in Andheri, Bandra and Thane. Some people from the Dharavi slum shared their dreams with her. “I hope to adopt a daughter and name her Arundati,” says film-maker Harish Iyer, a member of the LGBT community, when he shared his dream with Kim.
Kim began her journey of dreams in London, June 2011. As of today, she has interviewed 268 people of 56 nationalities in 21 countries and 73 cities. Her subjects come from all walks of life: Cobblers, construction workers, sex workers, transgendered people, pilots, refugees, soldiers, life coaches, housewives and more.
“Young people have career specific aspirations while older people tend to just dream of a happy family life,” says Kim. “I have met an 8-year-old boy who wants to be a Lego designer to a 78-year-old mother who wants to see her son again before she dies. I have also encountered a Georgian village girl who wants to see the Eiffel Tower, a Lebanese celebrity who wants to live in a village, an Indian who wants to experience snow, a Palestinian refugee who dreams of going back to her old house despite having spent 63 years in refugee camps and an Iranian labourer who wants to be a musician in a country where playing music is banned,” she adds.
There are a few whose dreams have already been realised. An Indian couple had their first date on Christmas Eve where they announced to Kim that they wish to be together for life and are now getting married in April.
The Dream Panorama project fulfills one of Kim’s personal dreams. She listed the project among her 83 dreams as she battled cancer at the age of 24. So far she has realised 36 dreams in 6 years which include learning to sail, becoming a qualified Thai massage practitioner, fulfilling her mother’s pilgrimage trip and publishing a bestseller.
She has also bagged a small role in an upcoming Bollywood film which was also one of her dreams and has appeared on several TV talk shows. Future dreams include climbing Mt. Everest and turning her project into a book and film. “I am dreaming that who will play my role in the film,” adds Kim. “My biggest dream is to inspire the world and reach out to as many people as possible,” says Kim. Ten artists and professionals from all over the world are contributing to her dream project which culminates on May 31. The project is funded through a $110,000 grant from Johnnie Walker Keep Walking Fund, selected from 1500 applicants. She also plans to revisit the dreamers she meets in 10 years to discover what has been fulfilled. Kim recites Shahrukh Khan’s dialogue in Om Shanti Om: “‘Agar kissi cheez ko tum dil se chaho toh poori kainat use tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hain'” and says, “The more people know about your dreams, the more opportunities and encouragement you attract.”
– Think about EVERYTHING you wish to do as though it was your last day on earth.
– Make a LIST of your dreams however small or big such as saying ‘I love you’ to your family or travelling to Mars.
– Prioritize them and give a timeline to each of them in the list.
– With the timeline your wish becomes a goal.
– Visualize them and find others who are doing it.
– Make a vision board with combination of such images and put it where you can see it everyday.
– Imagine how you would feel when you achieve that dream.
– Share dreams with your friends and family.
Kantipur (Nepal) -24 March 2012
Translation:
Dream Journey of a Beautiful Lady
Suyoung Kim wrote me an email from London- My dream brings me to Nepal. Can you help me to show the way to the Everest Base Camp?
After 2 weeks, last Friday this girl was in Dasarath Football Stadium. There was a match between North Korea and Palestine. All of a sudden, she picked up a placard that reads, “We want United Korea”. All camera lens focused on her placard. The officials of AFC rushed to her and seized her placard as soon as they saw her.
31 years old, beautiful Suyoung Kim was at Kathmandu following her dream. She had a dream to climb the tallest peak of the world Mt. Everest for 7 years. She was saying, “This is my 41st dream and still I’ve got 42 more dreams to accomplish in the future.” She added, “Don’t you think everyone can realize their dream, do you?” Suyoung Kim was seated in Pyongyang Restaurant in North Korea and she looks philosophical. She says, “My friend, don’t run away from your dreams. Follow your dreams and your whole life will change afterwards.”
She showed scars around her body. My eyes were on the scars and at the same time on the North Korean waitress aside who was smiling at us.
Suyoung was interviewed 9 times to start her job at the Korean branch of world famous bank Goldman Sachs. However, within some months she had had a setback that she was diagnosed of cancer. She said, “I was 24 years old then. How would I die so young? It was my luck the cancer was at initial stage.” 6 months later she was cured in the year of 2005.
Then she listed 73 dreams from her heart and headed University of London to do a Master’s degree. The year she completed her Master’s, she started working for Royal Dutch Sale Company in London. In the same year she started a blog that she wrote on career-related topics such as how to do to interviews, how to work in international companies, how to cope with Europeans and how to work as a team. Her blog became famous overnight.
She then started going to her own country. Many people surrounded and listened to her. She was no more than just a blogger; she was a role model who inspired many people around. 2 years ago, she had published a book which was successfully sold to more than 150,000 people in Korea. The book was mainly her biography.
‘My parents were laborers. When I was 10 years old, my father tried his luck in business. Unfortunately we lost everything we had. We had to flee from Kwangju and started living on a community building. I used to sleep under a same blanket along with 2 sisters and a brother. Many other students teased me because my family was poor. I had attempted my first ever suicide at the age of 12. I left my high school without completing my study afterwards. I had already run away from home 3 times after I left my school. Police returned me home for 2 times. Third time I was on roads for 3 months. I was with gang fighters when I learnt to speak vulgar words. Look at my nose, it is not straight. I was hit on the nose by a knife in a gang fight. I have never drink such amount of alcohol in my entire life which I did at that time. I was a die heart fan of Seo Taiji then. The most popular song of that time “Come back home” was so inspiring that made me come back home.
After returning home, I joined vocational high school. I had a dream to go to University. I had dream to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest and drive my own Ferrari. But my parents could not fulfill my desires back then. They searched a job in Factory for me and they wanted me to marry with a guy from that factory.
Everyone’s got a chance, an opportunity to prove themselves. The only difference is that the doors are not open, we should recognize and open doors ourselves.
In 1999, I had got a similar opportunity to take part in the quiz contest organized by KBS TV – Korean Broadcasting System. That was the real test in my life because winning that contest meant everything for me and my family and I won that contest.
Before going to Mumbai, I watched a film “Slumdog Millionaire”. My whole life was changed the same way the main character of this movie expreienced.
I was able to pay for tuition fee with the prize money that I had earned from that contest. I was admitted to the Best university of Korea, Yonsei University. After I completed my study, Goldman Sachs invited me to join the company.
Suyoung has taken a year leave to fulfill all her dreams she had wished earlier. She says everyone should dream and it’s not that dreams are never fulfilled but it depends on how you approach to your dream. So, she inspires others to dream and fulfill them.
Suyoung has visited more than 60 countries in total, 19 last year. After visiting China, she will go to South Korea.
‘Dreams vary from country to country and person to person.’ She said, “Like 77 year old refugee in refugee camp in Palestine dreams to die in her own home. Her home had been captured by Israel. 43 years old Chemical Engineer in Italy, Paulo De Falco dreams to love 20 years younger girl but he is still single. 40 years old, Afghani Javed in Iran dreams of getting his hand cured which was damaged by bomb explosion. 8 years old boy from Korea wants to be a Lego Designer. There is a difference between dreams dreamt by rich and poor too. Poor wants to get rich and rich wants to get richer. But many poor people have no hope to become rich and rich people are somehow turning into social. These rich people are taking part in donations and other social works. These are the things that happen outside Nepal.
Among all the people she met in Nepal, Lama Dorze, who lives in Solukhumbhu Monastery, was the eldest of them. The 84 year-old monk wants to build monasteries all over the world. Trekking guide Samir Tamang wants to become a singer. Saleslady from Basantapur wants to complete her English language and fly to Japan.
Suyoung visited orphanage in Kathmandu and met orphans. There she saw children with dirty clothes and shoes. She asked them their dreams. Some of them answered to become doctor, some answered to become businessman, teacher, actor and teachers and so on. Then she collected data and bought new pair of shoes to all orphans. She said, “I hope these pair of shoes would lead them to find the way to success. She then met a famous filmmaker Nir Shah. He is one of the most renowned filmmakers and actors in Nepal. He had once won Nepali hat when his film Caravan was nominated in Oscar award ceremony. His dream was to become a internationally successful filmmaker.
Suyoung had planned to go to China after visiting Nepal but she had to change her plan and therefore she directly took a flight to London on Wednesday where she shoot with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif in a film by Yash Chopra. “I was Bollywood fan ever since I moved to London and since then I always dream of appearing in a film with Shah Rukh Khan and it’s actually happening.” It was not easy for her. When she was in Mumbai many filmmakers promised her to give her a role but most of them didn’t. “Many took advantage of me without keeping the promise. Finally, at last I fulfilled my dream.” She added, “After I complete my shooting in London, I will return to China and Korea.”
She had bought a house in Korea for her parents 3 years ago. Every parent wants their children to live with them. Suyoung had the same dream too and this time she is going to meet her parents after a long time.
What would happen to her dreams? Yes, she has answer for every question. She says, “I will write a book on every dream I have seen, my 2nd book.” She had drink red wine after 3 months to celebrate having reached Everest Base Camp and said, “I’ll make photo exhibitions and a documentary film. I will return after 10 years to meet them.”
At first she insisted to drink only a glass of wine but it was her 3rd glass. She was half drunk and then she started talking with a young North Korean Waitress. The waitress asked, “How do you speak Korean?” “I think she is taking me as a detective.” She didn’t want to stay any longer in that restaurant. She was smiling at the waitress while returning from that restaurant. She slowly said, “The day when two Korean nations finally become one, they will all smile at me.”
D R E A M P A N O R A M A 