Links.net FolksName:Christine Lee Zilka Birthdate: 08/19/1973
Where are you from and where do you live now? People ask me where I'm "from" to find out my ethnicity sometimes -- I know they want to hear "Korea" but I'm really "from" Los Angeles. Then again, I'm not really "from" LA because I was born in NYC. So I guess I'm "from" NYC, although I only lived there until i was 5. Where I live now is so much simpler -- Kensington. I will be moving to Berkeley next month. You're born in New York, grew up in LA, moved to the Bay Area. And you look Asian, so is "what's your ethnicity?" better than "Where are you from?" I'm curious about that myself sometimes and I don't mean to call into question anyone's citizenship. You mind talking about that with relative strangers? Your web site front page definitely evokes a cross-cultural synthesis. here I go...(and asian american studies was part of my major in college, I'm married to someone Jewish and Israeli, I'm converting to Judaism, I'm tri-cultural, so i'm very comfortable discussing culture)
"What's your ethnicity" is so much better than "where are you from" for the
following reason/s (in my opinion): it's a judgment call, most of the time...like when someone says "come here sonny-boy" -- it's all about context. I see you are married - how did that happen? Well -- we each said "i do" and exchanged rings, that's how it happened...
What drove you and Ari to decide to get married, suddenly, over sushi? We had just told my parents that we were living together (we had been, for over 9 months). My parents flipped out. That pushed us to encounter the topic of marriage again. I proposed domestic partnership -- and he proposed that we get married, since we could. Then I said we had to have a wedding, and he looked at me, and then I said "no we don't." I suggested eloping, his eyes lit up, and we never looked back. I think we were ready, and needed a push and the situation was so weird, that we felt free to do it our own way, since everyone was already mad at us (how could they get madder?)
 My families get along great! We just had my birthday lunch together. I think the cultures fit very well -- close families, and we have similar interests. It was a bit tense at first, because everyone wanted to get along -- and also because Ari's family mostly socialized with jewish folks, and my family socialized only with korean folks -- so it was a bit exciting yet anxious (like two dogs meeting on a playground). But it all clicked. Mostly, I think it is because both sides like us as a couple and want to support us unconditionally. Weddingpics are at http://www.cristine.net/~cristine/wedding/ if you want to see a bicultural korean and jewish wedding (we did them back to back).
My father was an atheist (really, an existentialist), my mother was apathetic. At the age of 8, I discovered Christianity, went to church by hitching a ride with a lady who ran a bible study group down the street, and converted the rest of my immediate family to Christianity by the time I was 11. Why convert to Judaism? Because the principle of living the good life in today as opposed to the afterlife is more life affirming to me, and is therefore closer to the ideal. I always did feel like I was "living to die" in Christianity -- so that, coupled with Korean fatalism, made me a very morbid child growing up. I was obsessed with death. In Judaism, we do our good deeds on earth -- for instance, on yom kippur, we fast and apologize in person to those we've wronged instead of going through an intermediary like a priest or to G*d. It is no wonder that I ended up having a fulfilling relationship with a Jewish man...and being in a Jewish family makes conversion even more the next step in my spiritual development. A wedding following sushi dinner, Christian evangelism, taking on Judaism - you sound like a person who dives in deep. You think so? How has that been for you, and the people around you? I think I"m pretty intense -- I come from intense stock, from an intense social/cultural history (my mom and dad have survived wars, deaths in their family, oppression, and somehow survived very well -- and there is some survivor's guilt that I deal with). I never wanted to be intense, but then again, when you're 11, and your dad assigns you Crime and Punishment for reading and the unabridged version of Les Miserables at age 12, that's just what happens. Nurture and nature both! That said -- I demand a lot from the people around me, but I love people deeply in return. I have very good friends, and an awesome family. I'm happy with that, and completely satisfied. It took me a long time to get to this place, but it's an awesome place! Do you plan on having kids? Would you offer one or another religion or culture for them? Which of the many cultures you've experienced do you think is best for any young minds you spawn? I do plan on having kids in my future. We plan on raising them Jewish (wrt Religion), and as biculturally as possible -- that will be quite a challenge, but I look forward to it. I think there isn't one culture that is the "best." One of the awesome things about "America" is that we can pick the best parts of every culture. I am still challenged by my own (tri)culturalism (Korean, American, Jewish) in my own life, so I've got my fingers crossed. I am not sure of many things when it comes to the future, especially how children will turn out. What do you do? I work for Openwave, Inc. I am a technical recruiter there. Technical recruiter - you like that work? I used to love it -- socializing for a living, yay! I'm very fortunate to still be employed in this market, and to be in a lucrative position at that. However, it's not my dream, and never has been. You said technical recruiting is not exactly your dream - what would be? Writing, if I were to be truthful. But I'm addicted to money. So the dream would be a "pulitzer prize winning writer who is solvent" What do you do for fun? I like to travel, I like to take long drives (as the passenger), I like to sew and cook. I love to shop. I really love shopping for shoes. What do you love about shopping for shoes? I just bought by first new pair of shoes after 14 months, and I was so excited I bought another pair. Whew!
I was never interested in shoes until last year, when I bought a really weird pair (which in hindsight, weren't that weird). There was something freeing about wearing something other than brown loafers or plain black pumps. Do you have a web site? Why/why not? Yes, I have a website. Because I like having and defining my own space. What music do you listen to?
techno -- moby, orbital, prodigy, etc. How do you define "cool 80s?"
madonna!
NOT vanilla ice Read any books ever?
Yes. What was the last book you read? A Gesture LIfe Do you cook? Yes. What's your signature dish?
i don't know. How do you do Korean BBQ?
Easy.
Mix all ingredients together.
Marinate for at least 2 hours (overnight preferred). How did you find Links.net? Why are you here? I found links.net years and years ago. I don't remember how I found it. I liked reading about Justin's (your) life. It's exciting, like watching someone undress through a window. Tell us your favourite websites.
www.angrylittleasiangirl.com Thank you Christine! |
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