CROSSING OVER
It's a long way from Busan, South Korea to the ABS-CBN studios in the
Philippines, but for Sandara Park, the journey began when she was eight
years old and knew she wanted to be an actress and singer.
Sandy's mother, Kyung Ran Kim Park, remembers that as a child, Sandara -
who was named after a Korean revolutionary general - was quiet. "She was
silent and not so outgoing." says her mother through interpreters Jean and
John Ryu.
First, Sandy and her family lived in Busan, site of the 2002 Asian Games.
Then they moved to a place called Daegu, which is about five hours away
from the capital city of Seoul by train.
Sandy's life in Korea was nothing like her life in the Philippines today,
with its crazy schedules, people ringing their doorbell then disappearing,
or stalkers and angry fans who dislike the idea of Sandara having a "crush"
on someone other than Hero, like Patrick Garcia. "I remember that life in
Korea was very simple, since I was still very young when we left [to come
here],'' says Sandy.
Her mother, meanwhile, remembers that for a long time, Sandy was the baby
of the family. "For about 20 years, there were no babies being born in our
big [extended] family,' says Mrs. Park. "So all her aunties, her uncles,
they would give her money, and Sandy would just save it. She's like that."
She brought that sense of frugality to the Philippines when the family
moved here. She is very thrifty when it comes to personal spending, but
generous where her friends and family are concerned. She likes nice
clothes, but doesn't necessarily go for designer brands. Her favorite mall
in Robinsons Place in Ermita where she and her friends from school used to
hang out.
Ironically, now that she has the money, she has lost the time to shop. "I
miss the mall, because when I do plan to go there, it's 5 p.m. already. I
love to sleep kasi!" she smiles.
Sandy also has a hazy memory of her first few years in the Philippines.
Even in school, she kept mostly to heself. "I didn't talk much, and I only
learned to speak Tagalog in school," she says.
Now, she's pretty much used to life in the Philippines. Sandy says it's
absolutely untrue that she plans to abandon her career here and return to
Korea the first chance she gets. "No, I don't plan to go back to Korea for
good. Sayang naman my career here, because I know the people love me very
much."
"Actually we go to Korea every year for a vacation and to see our relatives
there," explains Mrs. Park. "It's just this year that Sandy wasn't able to
go because of the contest, she was so busy."
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