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Period: to
Prenatal Development and Birth
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Born!
biosocial. Born in Atlanta, Georgia to Eung Lee and Kyung Lee. -
Period: to
First two years
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Moved to South Korea with grandparents
Psychosocial I was separated from my parents at three months old when my grandparents decided to take care of me, mostly because of my parents' financial difficulties (my father's income from his ph.D had been cut). Of course, I don't remember, but I imagine it was difficult for me to be separated from my mother. However, my grandmother provided much love and I grew very attached to both my grandparents. -
Said first word
Cognitive I said the word "um-ma" which means mother in Korean. I was being raised by grandparents, but the words "hal-mu-nee" (grandmother) and "hal-ah-bu-jee" were apparantly too long for an infant to grasp. -
Period: to
Early Childhood (2-6 years old)
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Moved back to Atlanta
Psychosocial After two years with my grandparents, it was decided that I would go back to live with my parents. I had been continuously shown pictures of them and taught that they were my mother and father, so I knew who they were. I learned to rebond with my parents, though I missed the warmth provided by my grandparents, who probably spoiled me a bit. Still, I had difficulty being open with my parents at times, which my mother attributed to my years spent apart from her and my father. -
Started childhood diet
Biosocial I was started on a diet by my mother, who was alarmed at the amount of food I ate and worried I would have adult obesity later on. However, on a visit to my grandparents in South Korea, my grandmother got extremely angry at my mother for making me so thin. My mother probably had a lack of experience raising babies, or at least babies with genes from my father's side of the family, who were known to be extremely chubby. My younger brother, for example, weighed nine pounds at birth. -
Father started tutoring lessons
Cognitive My father, who had completed his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, had difficulty finding a job and so my mother became the breadwinner of the family. While she worked at a Korean langauge newspaper, my father took care of me. My father began tutoring me in math. However, he probably lacked understanding of child development, because he would explain difficult mathematical concepts for long periods of time, up to two to three hours. I grew to dread the math tutoring sessions. -
Period: to
Middle Childhood (7-12 years old)
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Ballet lessons
Biosocial I started taking ballet, swimming, and tennis lessons during the summer. I didn't enjoy any of these, and learned only later in adult years that I enjoy team sports more. Still, the various sports I learned helped me develop active physical habits. -
Started school
Cognitive I started attending North Elementary School in Des Plaines, Illinois. Though I had lived in the U.S. nearly all my life, I was put in ESL classes because I had spoken only Korean at home and knew little English. However, as young kids do, I quickly learned English and soon joined my classes. School was easy (though a little boring) as my parents usually had me do at home math and reading workbooks several grades above me. -
Family moved to Rochester Hills, Michigan
Psychosocial My father finally landed a job with the automative industry and the whole family moved to Michigan. I had difficulty getting used to my new school, which had mostly Caucasian kids. This was a change from the community of Korean-Americans I had been used to. -
Family moved to Troy, Michigan
Psychosocial We moved again to Troy, Michigan, where I found myself more at home with the kids from varied ethnic backgrounds. I made friends with several neighborhood kids, some who were in my class. -
Period: to
Adolescence (13-17 yrs)
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Won first place in piano guild regional competition
Cognitive I had been playing piano since six years old and was able to play fairly well for my age. However, I hated practicing and quit around the time I hit my teens. The pieces I memorized for my competitions and recitals, however, are still engrained in my memory and I find I can play them in my adult years without having to struggle for notes. -
Joined women's lacrosse team
Biosocial This was my first time in organized sports, and though I had trouble getting used to the atmosphere at first, it was a time when the physical exhaustion from practice felt right for my body. -
Moved to Northville, Michigan
Psychosocial
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My family moved to Northville as it was closer to Ann Arbor, which my family predicted to be my future college. However, I had difficulty adjusting to my new school, which was a very small, affluent, homogenous community with kids who had grown up with each other all their lives. I had difficulty relating to the kids and also became very rebellious toward my parents at home. -
Period: to
Early adulthood (18-25 years)
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Moved to South Korea
Psychosocial I ended up deciding to attend a university in South Korea. This created a need for new relationships, assimilation to a new culture, and finding employment to support myself during school. -
Started meditation practices
Cognitive I started to change my moral thinking as I came into contact with Korea's culture, which emphasizes family values, love for one's country, and a holistic view of nature. I had to break many of own paradigms of the world to understand meditation, the practices of Buddhism and Confucianism, and the idea that America is not the best at everything in the world. -
Started maintaining healthy eating habits
Biosocial I had suffered through several bad eating habits that came from living away from home, including a tendency to eat when anxious. I gained 10-15 pounds during college, but started to become healthier as I weaned myself off of highly addictive American-style food loaded with fats and carbs, and became committed to a diet of the local cuisine, which is mostly rice and vegetables. -
Period: to
Adulthood (25-65)
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Moved back to Northville
Psychosocial I decided to move back to Northville to attend graduate school in Michigan. I got back in touch with old friends, started attending church, and worked on reestablishing emotional ties with family (I had been in Korea for eight years). I got a part-time job tutoring foreigners in English and also started volunteering at a hospice, at an art therapy center, and at a youth assistance program in order to get in touch with the community. -
Start Masters Program
Cognitive Through my experiences with meditation, Confucianism, and the Korean education system, I had become deeply interested in developmental psychology, especially moral development. I had always desired to gain a grounded understanding of this topic to offset the metaphysical teachings I had received in South Korea, and so I start a Master's program at a Michigan college (Eastern, Wayne, or Umich) in a related field. -
Get married
Psychosocial I get married and have a quiet wedding for family and friends. -
Start Psy.D. program in Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Drawn to doing research while practically applying my skills as a psychologist, I start a Ph.D program in Developmental Psychology with my focus of research on moral development. -
Go to Europe to study school systems
Cognitive I embark on a trip to Europe to study moral education in European school systems, focusing on Germany, England, and Finland. I observe classes, interview students and teachers, and use the information for my dissertation. -
First child
Psychosocial Having heard the year before graduation from a ph.d program is the best time to have a child, I give birth to a healthy baby boy. -
Graduate with Psy.D in developmental psychology
Psychosocial I embark on a career as a researcher and consultant for schools. As I had focused on an international approach during my research, I work with schools around the globe to create environments that help children develop not just intellectually but also socially and morally. -
Birth of second child
Psychosocial A second child is born (another boy) and I am mostly a work-at-home mom, writing articles and seeing clients on a part-time basis. I live close to my parents so my kids go to them when I am seeing clients. -
Birth of third child
Psycho social My third child is born (a girl) and I decide that after raising this child to school-age, I will start working again. -
Travel to South Korea
Psychosocial I travel with my family to South Korea, where I have been hired to work as a consultant with the public schools in the capitol. My children get exposed to a new culture, and I work with the schools to develop positive environments. -
Travel to Finland
Psychosocial I am to research Finland's schools for two years (by means I don't know of yet), and I take my family with me. My children experience Finland's education system and gain a multicultural view of the world. -
Obtain university teaching job
Psychosocial I start teaching at a university and continue research on my topic of interest. -
Birth of first grandchild
Psychosocial My first grandchild is born. Later on I take him on many of my trips around the world. -
Retirement
Psychosocial I retire from academic life, and decide to spend the rest of my life traveling with my husband, writing, reading, painting, and doing photography. -
Period: to
Mature Age (60~)
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Learn how to design houses
cognitive After retirement, I take up the new hobby of architectural and interior design. I keep up my mental processes with the challenging art of designing and creating new houses. -
Building houses
Biosocial Being less physically fit than in my younger years, I need help from others in carrying out my dream of building houses, but I am still functional and can do a lot of my own work. -
Travel through Europe
Psychosocial I travel through Europe with my husband and best friends, taking pictures and enjoying the culture and scenic views. This trip is a year-long. -
Take up scuba diving
Biosocial In my old age, I conquer my fear of swimming with fish big and small by learning to scuba dive. I scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef and see sharks, whales, dolphins, and rainbow fish in the water. -
Take up painting and design
Cognitive I learn how to paint and I depict my life through pictures in a series of artworks involving computer graphic design and hand collages. -
Death at 100