katie chung

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten used to painting my nails regularly. It’s provided me with a senseofnormalcythroughoutbigtransitionperiods(likecollege!)andI’veappreciatedtheroutine thatitgivesme,simpleasitmayseem.

Recently, while painting my nails, I was struck with a childhood memory from Korea that I hadn’t remembered in a while. In Korea, there is a long history of dyeing nails with crushed up balsam flower, where you create a paste and wrap your fingers tightly with the paste in plastic gloves overnight. The result: a subtle and beautiful sheer orange tint on your fingertips the morning after. This technique is typically used amongst younger children who are not quite allowed to paint their nails yet, and I remember my grandma and mom helping me with this process–a generational tradition that I hold very near to my heart. Although 6-year-old me may have been impatient and fussywiththenailsallnight,itwasallworthitwhenIsawthetangerinehuehoursafter.

Even though I live far from most of my extended family now, memories like this are interwoven throughout my daily life as I cycle through my routines here in the United States. I think about it often when I paint my nails and it reminds me of the time-old tradition, which I feel lucky to inherit and hope to carry on in the future. It’s always the small connections like this that make me feel closetomycultureandproudofmyheritage.