my romangs
you're probably asking, "what the hell is a romang?"
simply put, it's a korean word that i can't quite find a good english translation for.
a romang (로망), is described as a "dream," but it's really more than that - it's kind of like something you have a fantasy about, a possibly mundane thing that you romaniticize in your head.
you know, the things you dream about that make you feel like the person you want to be, that make you feel like you could totally vlog your fancy life for everyone to see.
for example, maybe you once had a wish to study abroad in a european country, and meet a handsome man or a beautiful woman, and fall in love while living out your quaint dream european life.
in korean, you would say you have a romang about studying abroad in europe, and blah blah blah.
i recently had some thoughts about escaping (both my environment and my situation), and remembered some romangs i had.
maybe this will become an ever-growing list as i remember or come up with new romangs.
- having a drink by the han river in seoul, either with a friend or alone, at an ungodly hour like 4am while immersing myself in my feels
- living in the city and having a go-to cafe where i am a known regular and where i do my work and read books
- decorating my spacious apartment with white and light wood furniture and light blue accents from fancy furniture brands
- having an amazing sleeper couch for when my friends need to crash
- hosting my friends at my spacious apartment and cooking delicious and interesting dishes for them while being super extra - butter molded into cute shapes, colorful drinks that look like they're from cafes, bread that i baked myself
- pre-mincing garlic via a food processor and freezing them in ziploc bags/ice cube molds for easy use later (idk why this is a romang, i'm just really excited to do it in the future)
- running into one of my favorite celebs on the street when no one else is around and having a conversation with them (hey, a girl can dream)
- being a faceless youtuber/vlogger with amazing videography skills
- having a pretty desk setup and a pc with top tier specs
- being totally comfortable at the gym and knowing exactly what i'm doing (i'm working on this one!)
- being able to easily access somewhere with a beautiful ocean view
- traveling and seeing beautiful sights and feeling like i'm free while being healed/energized by the views (like the northern lights or something)
- being a really good programmer lol and having several side projects under my belt that people actually use (whether it be for money or not)
- crocheting four-leaf clover keychains for my friends and maybe even selling them for like $2
- being really good at graphic design and then having my own small business with products i design
- bar hopping with my friends without worrying about money and dangerous situations when the weather is nice so i can wear cute clothes without worrying about layering and then getting new york pizza at 3am
- having all the dogs come up to me when i walk around the city
- being a good dancer and filming k-pop cover dances (i can start on this any time but being surrounded by good dancers is both helpful and harmful)
- being super well-read and discussing books with my friends (who don't all read books but maybe i could find some friends who do read books)
- having a wedding that is totally me and unique (ex. handmade favors, invitations/program that i design, wedding website that i build myself, fried chicken somewhere, dessert buffet, instant ramen bar??)
- being an advocate for mental health, having people read my writing and feel hopeful/comforted/understood, and breaking more of the stigma around mental health, helping people to open up more and be okay with being vulnerable at times