Childfree and Minimalist 3

I remember I bought the Gucci bag for the first time in 2010.
It was not because it was nice or I liked it.
I knew it was not worth its price at all.
I might have bought the bag to enhance my image in a stupid way that showing people what I have.  I guess I wanted to seem a high social status.
That' s very shameful even to recall.

Back then, It was getting popular to have luxury bag in Korea.
It wasn't difficult to see  women with a high-end designer  bag in the street.
I totally followed the trend without any critical thinking.
Now it became a kind of tradition to get a luxury bag as a wedding gift from bride groom or parents-in-laws.
By the time I got married, there was no such a thing.


I envied people who had not only  expensive bags but cars, houses.
I felt I was poor. I wanted to be rich enough to buy that expensive stuff.
I bought a couple of more bags for the same reason. ( They are on the second- hand market now )

Since I got to know the minimalism, I've realized how stupid I was and regretted I gave bad impacts on the environment by purchasing too many stuff which can not be recycled  or take hundred years to decompose.

Now I realized that I cannot help getting caught in the state of inferiority complex (lack of self-esteem) unless I stop getting obsessed with  material possession.
I should find other virtues, my own virtues cannot be compared with other people.

I have thought of peace, caring people, patience, loving the earth, contribution, sympathy, justice, morality.. etc  by now.

Childfree and Minimalist 2

  I am  childfree.

  I decided not to have kids a couple of years after I got married, and it took a couple of more years to confirm my big decision.

  (I got married in 2002)

  I think it took years to realize that there is no answer to life and I am the owner of my life, therefore I don't need to follow other people's opinion.

  I guess I believed there was a one ideal answer to life.

  My picture was like this.

A baby born - nice education - having a job ( 6 figure salary ) - getting married to man/woman with high paying job from good family - having kids ( a girl and a boy, this combination is more ideal ) - raising them with nice education - retirement - dying happily  with my kids and grandchildren's warm care.

  I don't know this would be successful life in another countries but it seems to  be a pretty decent life in Korea.

 However, would it be the answer I have been looking for?
 It looks nice and valuable but I don't want that life. I want more freedom, passion, variety.
 If everyone is guided by same ideal life model, what is the point having our own?

 Not having kids is not that simple idea. It includes one's philosophy, values, lifestyle.

 people often ask " Why do you not have kids? "
 Simple question, but not easy to answer that.

 The "why" makes me feel like " You should do, why do you resist the rule?"
 It was certain that I didn't want any kid. However what make me unsure was the question  that it would be okay to take a different path most people don't. 
I had no role model around me. Everyone got married and had kids and told me you have kids at least one. Furthermore, all the mass communication was telling us child is necessary. Later I found out it was asked by government due to low birth late.

 I started ordering books about child-free from Amazon, as  it wasn't easy for me to find those books in Korea. I also joined some online child-free cafe on a regular basis. As I attended online cafe and met new child-free people and talked with them about life without child and saw them happy,  I've got a courage to live my own way.

Now,  I am happier than ever, and confident of my choice.
I talked to myself  " I love my life." several times in a day.

Childfree and Minimalist 1

2016. 9. 29


Now I am really into the minimalism.
I started thinking about minimalism since last winter when I spent my time in Singapore as a winter vacation.

I had just 2 baggage and that was just enough to live. Despite of such a simple thinking, it took a couple of dacades to come up with that idea.
I realized that I have got too many stuff to live and I do not even appreciate that. But I didn't take any actions.

However, preparing my opening class the topic of which included energy savings, I got to know the minimalism, this year. I found some people already took a minimal life and they looked very satisfied with that lifestyle.

I have made up my mind to take a minimalism.
Today I donated some stuff which I do not use, some stuff were I didn't even know they existed in my house.

Kadewe department store

kadewe 

   Kaufhaus des Westens (English "Department Store of the West)

English "Department Store of the West.  it is the largest department store in Europe.

The store is located on Tauentzienstraße, a major shopping street, between Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz, near the center of the former West Berlin. It is technically in the extreme northwest of the neighborhood of Schöneberg.

   - from wikipedia -

Household items

I could see a lot of unique design. If I had not decided to take a minimal lifestyle, I could have paid a lot of money to purchase some items. 

These are cushions. I would like to buy one of them. It costed like more than 100 euros.

Food court - Le Buffet

You can put food on the plate and  it is charged by the weight at the counter.

The fruit you can see was over 10 euros. so expensive.

I feel more grateful for my breakfast at the hotel.

Outside of KADEWE

I found I could have walked from my hotel. 

Berlin Dome

                  the Berlin Cathedral Church - the Protestant church

It is located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough.

The Berlin Cathedral has never been a cathedral in the actual sense of that term since it has never been the seat of a bishop, which is very ironic.

Monday through Saturday	09.00 am - 8.00 pm
Sundays and Holidays	12 noon – 8.00 pm
From October 1st through March 31st, closing at 7 pm 7 euros for admission

- from www.berlinerdom.de -

There is the Radisson Blu hotel next to the Berlin Dome.

People are enjoying the sunshine.

I totally understand people are addicted to the Sun after I knew it is not easy  to see the Sun  in Germany.

Right before the entrance

 You can take the stairs to go up. 

 I  could see the Martin  Luther on the wall  who I learned only from social studies books in my junior years.

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk^[2] and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money, proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517

 -  from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther -

I guessed this might  be one of the reason why I found fewer Cathedral in Germany. 

We could see the beautiful landscape of the city on the top of the building. (Actually it was not technically top floor, but it was  the highest place where we could go by stairs. 

Waldorf Astoria breakfast

Le Solistes by Pierre Gagnaire on 2nd floor

Fresh carrot juice, croissant... I love it.

 

Variety of cakes and breads

Hamburg

Le Meridien hotel lobby

One of different thing  I found from Germany is that they use glass for coffee .

We always use coffee cups in Korea. 

 ALTITUDE bar

  Hamburg beer ; ASTRA

near the Main station.

near the Europa passage.

Bikini Berlin

 Bikini Berlin ; Berlin's Concept Shopping mall

I love this unique and modern place.

The mall's rooftop terrace offers cozy seats to rest and nice view.

We could see monkeys.

People were watching the monkeys along the wall.

 A sort of like music event was happening.

People looked  happy and had a leisurely evening. We wanted to be a part of it.

The mall was offering a place to take a sit. You can use a colorful cushions and see  monkeys out of the window.

The shopping mall has supermarket Kaiser's.