"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Bae, the rooster, crows. I jump out of bed and put on my casual clothing. It s !"#$ %.&.

, time to take care of my ten hens and one rooster. I hurdle down the stairs. 'he sun is almost up. I smell a breakfast of rice, kimchi (a traditonal )orean pickle*, soup, and a melon, our current seasonal fruit. I pull on my rubber boots and jump out the door. I open the door to the coop, and my two fa+orite hens, ,ana and -un, fly out to greet me. ,ana pecks my fingers and -un starts s.uawking. Bae crows again. I start my work, and the hens follow me. I refill the water and food and start raking the yard. &y mom says to me, "'hey re your chickens. 'hat means they re your responsibility." But I don t really mind taking care of the chickens, they re like family to me. ,ere in )orea, a lot of people raise chickens for laying eggs and meat. I don t e+er want to kill my chickens for meat, but my parents might. I just hope they don t. /eople ha+e all different religions in )orea. 'he economy can change .uickly. 'he )orean lifestyle +aries too. 0et me tell you, )orea is my home. 1ore+er my home.

2ut of all the religions, (Buddhism, 3hamanism, 'aoism, Christianity, and so on*, my family practices Buddhism, where we belie+e that sal+ation can come from gi+ing up worldly desires and li+ing in moderation. 3lightly less than fifty percent of the population in )orea are followers of Buddhism. % lot of people in )orea, including some of my friends, practice 3hamanism, a system of beliefs and practices that honor the spirit of nature. 3hamanists belie+e that spirits inhabit e+erything, li+ing and nonli+ing. &y best friend, %ya, and her family, practice 'aoism. It came from China during the 'hree )ingdom s period, and is similar to 3hamanism in its worship of many important gods. Christianity is also a religion people here belie+e in, se+eral of our neighbors follow it. It was brought to )orea in the 4!th century and now, more than 55 million )oreans are Christians! %ll of the religions are ama6ing in different ways, but I fa+or Buddhism. 'ruthfully, I couldn t ask for a better country to li+e in.

&y father knows a lot about the economy in )orea. 7e used to li+e in 8orth )orea. 7hen we li+ed there, the economy was comple9, the go+ernment s rigid control of the economy lowered efficiency, causing us to mo+e to 3outh )orea. 7hen I was about se+en years old, we mo+ed. 3outh )orea is a global producer of steel, iron, automobiles, ships, and electronics, and my family thri+es here. 8ow in 8orth )orea, the economy is plagued by problems such as lack of human resources. But, most of the peninsula s mineral resources are in 8orth )orea. Important mining products are found there. 2ff the the top of my head, I remember a few, sil+er, gold, and coal. Coal is used to produce about :$ percent of 8orth )orea s electric power. In 3outh )orea, we ha+e minerals like, copper, iron ore, and 6inc. 'hey are on small supply, howe+er 3outh )orea has to import most mining products. 1rom 8orth )orea, we get coal, gold, and 6inc. 'he economy in )orea can change fast, but I m happy I mo+ed to 3outh )orea. 2therwise, I wouldn t be where I am today. I .uickly finish my chicken chores, go into the house to change into my school clothes, and then eat breakfast. In e9actly an hour and a half, I will be in school.

0ast, but not least, the )orean lifestyle ranges. &ost )orean men and women work long hours on farms, factories, offices, and at home. &y dad is a lawyer and he works in an office. &y mom works at home, writing cookbooks. )orean children, like me, study hard in school and after school. 'hankfully, I m good at homework and I can get it done early enough to get together with my family and friends. 1or special occasions, we all ha+e a yummy meal of beef sirloin, soy sauce, honey, sugar, garlic, onion, sesame oil, black pepper lettuce, and green pepper. 'his is an ama6ing dish and I enjoy it when we ha+e it. 'he ideal Confucian family has four generations under one roof. &y family s Confucian household is made up of my mom and dad, me and my siblings, and my dad s parents, because he is the eldest son. &y )orean life is incredible, and I wouldn t change it for anything.

;eligion, like Buddhism and Christianity, is important to )oreans. -conomy, like 8orth )orea, can change fast, and can cause people like my family, to mo+e. %nd the )orean lifestyle, some people like me, lo+e their life and wouldn t want to change it. %ll in all, )orea is an ama6ing place to li+e in. 8ow, I walk to my school. 3o far, my morning has gone well. &y chickens are safe and happy, breakfast was delicious, and I m ready to study hard in school. 'omorrow is a special occasion, and I can t wait for the delicious meal. I lo+e li+ing in )orea. 7ait! <id I mention it s my fore+er home=