Congratulations on your memoir being published, Christine! Tell us a little about Five Seasons in Seoul?
Five Seasons in Seoul is a memoir about my experience living and performing in South Korea. My father’s death, after a prolonged illness, left me suffering with debilitating anxiety and depression, and I was at a low point in my musical theatre career, dressing up as a dinosaur to pay the bills. A role with an experimental theatre company based in South Korea seemed like the perfect escape from my problems, but I soon discovered there’s no running away from yourself. The book follows my journey from the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the affluent district of Gangnam in Seoul, where I faced a lot of unexpected challenges while adjusting to my new job and home. It’s an exploration of Korean life – the food, landscape and culture – as well as a deeply personal story of travel and the ways it can transform us.
You write candidly about your mental health struggles working in theatre and dealing with insecurity, anxiety and imposter syndrome, and you also write about the grief of losing your father. What have the difficult periods in your life taught you most?
The difficult periods have taught me that I am resilient and stronger than I thought. That it’s important to acknowledge uncomfortable feelings and emotions and give them the space they need rather than push them aside. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that I’m not the only one who struggles with anxiety and self-doubt. When you go through challenging times, the sense of loneliness and isolation is one of the hardest things to deal with. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those feelings are unique to you, that life is easier for everyone else, that you’re weak or there’s something wrong with you. The reality is that there are a lot of people out there struggling with similar things, but they might not feel comfortable talking about it or they might not be able to. That’s why I wanted to be completely open in my memoir even though it meant making myself vulnerable. I wanted to show others that they’re not alone.
You absolutely loved your time in South Korea. How much of the country and the culture is in the book?
My love of South Korea and Korean culture is at the heart of this book. It is a memoir, so as you’ve already mentioned I do share a bit about my childhood, my career in musical theatre and my mental health struggles, but the book is called Five Seasons in Seoul for a reason – South Korea and the city of Seoul are front and centre. There’s a lot about Korean food in the book because the food and rituals around food were an important part of my experience. I wanted to take the reader on a sensory journey through the seasons, landscape, and quintessential flavours of South Korea and I hope I’ve succeeded.
What is a day in your life like as a writer and author living in Melbourne?
I like to get up early and do most of my writing in the morning because that’s when my mind is sharpest. I try to get out of the house first thing to wake up my body and grab a coffee at a local cafe. Treating myself to a coffee is an important part of my morning ritual and I’m lucky enough to have some of Melbourne’s best cafes and coffee roasters on my doorstep. While I drink, I think about what I want to achieve in my day and then I do a 15-minute mediation before I start writing. Meditation helps me focus and puts me in a positive mindset.
What do you love about Melbourne?
I love the art and culture scene in Melbourne. I’ve always loved the theatre district, the Paris end of Collins Street, East Melbourne and the Fitzroy Gardens. I do a staycation with one of my closest friends every Christmas and I look forward to it all year. It’s become a tradition. We stay at a hotel in the city and have dinner at a restaurant on Flinders Lane. We watch the Christmas light projections at the Melbourne Town Hall or visit the Myer windows and enjoy the best of what Melbourne has to offer.
Where are your favourite places in Australia to travel to, eat at and enjoy?
Melbourne is my favourite city, not just because it’s my home, but for all the reasons I’ve described above. I enjoy taking a day trip to the Yarra Valley or Macedon Ranges for the scenery and fresh local produce. I also love Tasmania for its food and wine as well as its natural beauty.
What does being Australian mean to you?
While I do love to travel, Australia will always be my home. It’s where I feel safe and secure and where I know I have access to everything I need. Australia is not a perfect country, but I am proud to be Australian. My parents lived through the war years. They worked hard to provide for me, and as mentioned in my memoir, they faced many challenges. Based on their example, being Australian means hard work, courage, persistence and gratitude.
