Mo' Sibyl

시간에 춤을 추는 방법| The One With Jenim Dibie - On How To Dance in Time: Episode 15 (2022)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: 시간에 춤을 추는 방법| The One With Jenim Dibie - On How To Dance in Time: Episode 15 (2022)

Our guest on this episode is my friend Jenim, a poet and a writer who I first met in college. She has written over 500 poems, two poetry anthologies, and just released her third book, How To Dance In Time. Jenim started writing from an early age and has since made a name for herself. In her spare time, she likes to read, dance, and watch The Office. She dreams of one day living in a house by the sea with ten dogs and having written a hundred books.

Jenim has used her writing to process her negative experiences of verbal abuse, pain, and life pressures and found succor, strength, and expression by sharing her heart through her words. We talked about her journey as a poet and writer, her struggles with depression, the fame that comes with the peaks and the lows that come with the valleys, and how she has been able to navigate both. She shared about writers who inspire her and those who were overwhelmed by their “demons” and how she works to avoid ending up like them.

Jenim has found joy, which has positively affected her art. How did she do this? Listen to the full episode here.

리지의 이야기| The One with Lizzie Lopez – Mexican-American, Korean-Speaking, Spanish-Learning Lizzie: Episode 25 (2019)

Meet Lizzie! A Mexican-American who is learning Spanish! I met Lizzie at my language school (s/o to Northwest Baptist Church); she was also one of my former Korean teachers. Lizzie spent a year teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Korean elementary students (K-6) in Gunsan, South Korea. Lizzie is also an artist who teaches arts to children and the elderly. She belongs to the Canadian Valley Art Guild (CVAG) and loves to paint human and animal portraits, abstract art and illustrations.

In this episode, we talked about her cultural history and what her identity means to her, especially the pressures of cultural expectations. We also talked about the year she spent in Korea and why she won’t be moving back there permanently. She also shared some tips for those considering teaching abroad. Finally, we explored the downsides of being creatives, how to cultivate friendship, and what her faith means to her.

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Kelechi

I lost my faith once when I went through a phase of existential crisis that spanned almost a whole year; I wrote about it here - https://goo.gl/NCf1A2. I look back at that period with gratitude as it made my faith stronger and my relationship deeper with Christ. In this episode, I ‘sat’ down with one of my dear friends – Kelechi – who is on the other end of the spectrum, searching for meaning and questioning his faith. We talked about crisis of faith and the roles the church and our culture play in this. Kelechi is a Nigerian who has lived in Canada for a major chunk of his life.

PS: His favorite word seems to be “absolutely.” If you can correctly guess how many times he used this word in this episode, you get a chance to recommend a topic we can explore on the show.

Fun facts about Kelechi

He is a continent drifter since he has visited less than ten countries. With the exception of Antarctica and Australia, he has visited every continent on earth
He studied pharmacy briefly then got a degree in biochemistry and is now in school wrapping up his MBA
He is very single (*wink wink* ladies)

Takeaway Points:

Not all who wander are lost; be kind to those who have left the faith
All your friends don’t always have to be people you agree with all the time. You can disagree with someone and still respect them
Christianity has a lot of space for questioning and asking those tough questions does not reduce the quality of your faith
Embrace your crisis of faith tightly; it could make your faith stronger

Recommended Song:

“Dare You to Move” – Switchfoot (2004)

Cited books:

Lewis, Clive Staples (1940). The Problem of Pain. The Centenary Press
Lewis, Clive Staples (1961). A Grief Observed. Faber and Faber
Bryson, Bill. (2001). In a Sunburned Country. Doubleday Publishers
Bryson, Bill. (2010). At Home: A Short History of Private Life. Doubleday Publishers

Yours Faithfully,

모 /Mo!/