Cover curiosity, uncover stories

"You're just asking all these questions because that's what you do for your job, right? What are you trying to find out?!"

I had just met him. And two minutes into our conversation he was questioning my questions. 

I quickly realized that my inquiries on how much gas his aircraft uses, how many flight hours he has flown, and how much it costs to fly what he flies could seem a bit much, especially when asked all at once.

I had never met a Marine Corps pilot- or more specifically, a Naval Flight Officer- before in my life. I thought it was quite normal for my questions. I did not think being a little curious would seem invasive.

Being curious had done more good in my life than bad, so I thought. 

My mind of always being curious has essentially made my career as a journalist. My curiosity to know data, the ‘whys,’ the ‘hows,’ and ‘how comes’; the ‘whos’ and the human stories behind the headlines— it’s almost as if being a storyteller was my destiny. Now I get paid to do that.

My curiosity led to my reporting about the growing number of Muslims in South Korea; the relentless search by relatives of American soldiers missing in action from World War Two; the antagonizing process behind the family reunions in North Korea of families separated by the Korean War, and so much more.

The questions and my curiosity have taken me on an adventure that I never could have imagined for myself. But it led me to what I had wanted in life: to be able to share stories with my community, my country and the globe all over.

All the while, I get to learn more about myself— I can eat chicken gizzards, I am highly adaptable to new cultures and food, and can sleep on a hard floor if I needed to.

I have a lot of questions- but most of the times, it’s to sate my own curiosity. And if I quench that, AND happen to uncover a cool story in the meantime, that’s a bonus.