Choon-rye Choi, the Singing Nurse from Korea [Bravo My Life] / YTN Korean

There is a woman who has built a life in the unfamiliar land of Austria. Choi Chun-rye, who spent her entire life as a nurse and now lives a life of service as a member of the Korean community. Today, we meet her to hear her story. [Choi Chun-rye / PAO Nurse, Korean-Austrian: Hello. I am Choi Chun-rye. I worked as a PAO nurse in Austria for 40 years and am currently serving as the Vice Chair of the Council for Central and Eastern Europe.] This is the home where Choi Chun-rye has lived for over 40 years. Old photographs and precious items brought from Korea are placed on the desk. In May 1973, 100 Korean nurses came to Vienna, Austria, with dreams. Choi Chun-rye was one of them. However, the journey of these nurses, who took their first steps on unfamiliar land dreaming of a better life, was not easy. While there had been many nurses and miners dispatched to Germany in previous voyages, the number for Austria was barely over 100. Due to language barriers, unfamiliar culture, and longing for my homeland, I cried a great deal every night. [Choi Chun-rye / Nurse at PAO, Austrian Korean: Each region in Vienna has its own distinct dialect. Our hospital was in Department 13, and when people from other areas spoke in their dialects, I couldn't understand a single word. Back then, I carried a dictionary around every day, going to the restroom to look things up, thinking, 'Ah, this is what this is.' At first, there were many funny incidents. But when people swore, I would look it up thinking it was a word, only to find that it didn't exist.] Ms. Chun-rye said that the hardest part was that almost no one knew about her country. She also experienced racial discrimination countless times while working at the hospital. [Choi Chun-rye's eldest daughter: In the 70s and 80s, Korea wasn't popular yet; there was no Hallyu, no K-pop, and no K-food. No one knew where Korea was.] "There was just 'ching chang chong' (a racist term)." However, just as the saying goes that sincerity prevails, her unique sincerity and warm heart were fully conveyed to the Austrian people. [Choi Chun-rye / PAO Nurse, Korean expatriate in Austria: When we first arrived, Korea was so poor that we weren't accepted. But when we worked really hard and were genuinely kind, people started to acknowledge us.] It was during this time that she also met her husband, Franz Brunner. Brunner met Ms. Choi while visiting his mother in the hospital, and the two soon fell in love. [Franz Brunner / Ms. Choi Chun-rye's husband: At the time, I was working as a technician in Munich, Germany, and went to visit my mother who was hospitalized. I met my wife by chance while visiting my mother. That is right. It was a meeting between two people who were destined to love each other someday.] Ms. Choi and other nurses from Korea established a Korean Association and have continued their volunteer activities utilizing their nursing skills, as well as serving as "cultural ambassadors" to promote Korean culture. [Choi Chun-rye / PAO Nurse, Korean expatriate in Austria: We visit people living alone who need help, provide medical services during major events in the Korean community like Liberation Day, and administer vaccinations. When Koreans come here to travel and get injured or hospitalized, we go and provide interpretation services.] Among these activities, the choir is the volunteer work Ms. Choi is most passionate about. The Vienna Korean Women's Choir has been visiting nursing homes and orphanages in need of comfort to perform for them. In 2018, in recognition of their contributions, they became the first Korean organization in Austria to receive the Prime Minister's Award. [Choi Chun-rye / PAO Nurse, Korean expatriate in Austria: Korean people particularly love singing.] [I hum along to songs, and as I sing, I find it fun and it makes me happy.] [Jeon Mi-ja / PAO Nurse, Korean expatriate in Austria: Although Ms. Choi Chun-rye is older than me, I respect her greatly, and there are many reasons why. She raised her three daughters very well. She is very diligent. Third, she keeps her promises well. And she helps others a lot.] The young woman in her twenties who came to Austria with big dreams has now become an elderly woman over seventy. Although she has walked a more arduous path than anyone else in a land where the language and culture were unfamiliar, her life now is nothing but peaceful, like a beautiful song. [Choi Chun-rye / Nurse at Pao, Korean expatriate in Austria: I want to start by teaching my neighbors and the people next to me what kind of place Korea is, what kind of people Koreans are, and what Korean culture is like.] ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/replay/view.php... ▣ Subscribe to YTN Korean YouTube Channel: https://goo.gl/gcKeTs ▶ Mobile Replay: https://m.ytn.co.kr/replay/replay_lis... ▶ Facebook:   / ytnworld   ▶ Naver TV: https://tv.naver.com/ytnk...