🎙️ Tina’s Diary | Ep.2 – She Had a Fever. The World Had One Too.

Welcome to the second episode of Tina’s Diary — a gentle, reflective podcast where I share pieces of my life and heart… all while helping you learn Korean.

In this episode, I talk about something deeply personal — my two-year-old daughter’s high fever…and the record-breaking heatwave that swept through Korea at the same time.

As I held her tiny hand and looked out at the strange summer sky, I realized something:

The world she’ll grow up in is not the one I knew.

The climate is changing — and it’s happening fast.

So I made a quiet promise to myself: Start small. Start now. Because her future matters.

💬 In this story, you’ll also learn a few Korean words:

 • 고열 (High fever)

 • 폭염 (Heatwave)

 • 기후위기 (Climate crisis)

 • 환경오염 (Environmental pollution)

 • 사계절 (Four seasons)

 • 실천하다 (To take action)

Each word is explained gently and clearly, so you can follow along even as a beginner. 🌱

Let's listen to it!

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팟캐스트에서 내용을 들으셨다면, 아래 스크립트도 함께 확인해 보세요!

If you listened to the podcast, check out the script below!

🎙️ July 10. 2025. Tina’s Diary.

My daughter has been sick for days.

She’s only two years old.

She lay there with a hot forehead, barely breathing, too weak to cry.

It broke my heart.

“I wish I could take her place…”

우리 딸이 며칠 동안 고열로 아팠어요.

겨우 두 살밖에 안 된 아이가

뜨거운 이마와 축 처진 어깨로

작은 숨을 쉬는 모습을 보는 것만으로도,

가슴이 찢어질 듯 아팠어요.

차라리 내가 아프면 좋겠다…

I truly meant it.

While she was sick,

the weather turned strange.

It was supposed to rain-but it didn’t.

The monsoon came and went, barely leaving a trace.

Then came the heat.

And not just any heat.

A record-breaking heatwave.

진심으로 그렇게 생각했어요.

아이가 아플 때,

장마가 오락가락하더니

갑자기 무더위가 찾아왔어요.

그리고 곧 기록적인 폭염이 시작됐어요.

As I stood by the window,

I realized something:

“The world is no longer the same.”

The world I once loved was full of seasons I could feel —crisp winds in autumn, snow falling softly in winter, blossoms blooming in spring, and hot summer days with shady places to rest, and nights spent cooling off by the Han River.

Each season had its beauty.

But now, that balance feels broken.

창밖을 보며 저는 생각했어요.

“이젠 정말, 예전과 달라졌구나…”

제가 어릴 적 사랑했던 세상은

맑고 선선한 가을, 눈 오는 겨울, 꽃 피는 봄, 장마 있는 여름이 있었어요.

사계절의 흐름이 자연스러웠고, 그 안에서 우리는 자연의 아름다움을 배웠어요.

하지만 지금은 점점 달라지고 있어요.

The world my daughter will grow up in

feels hotter, harsher, and more unstable.

Climate crisis. Environmental damage.

These used to be things I only read in the news.

But now, they feel dangerously close.

They feel personal.

They feel real.

우리 아이가 살아갈 세상은

점점 더 뜨겁고, 더 불안해지고 있어요.

기후위기. 환경오염.

뉴스에서만 보던 단어들이,

이젠 내 아이의 삶을 위협하는 진짜 현실이 되었어요.

And so, I made a promise to myself:

“Start small. Start now.”  

“Do what I can to protect her.”

그래서 저는 마음속으로 다짐했어요.

“작은 것부터라도 바꿔보자.”

“우리 아이를 지키기 위해서.”

Because the world she lives in matters.

Because our children’s future depends on it.

Starting today,

I’ll take action — even in the smallest ways. 🌱🌏💛

우리가 살아가는 이 세상이

조금이라도 더 나아지길 바라며…

오늘도, 저는 실천을 시작합니다.

Now, I’d like to share some Korean words from today’s diary.

📚Today’s Korean Words

• 폭염[포겸] – heatwave

• 고열[고열]- high fever

• 기후위기[기후위기]- climate crisis

• 환경오염[환경오ː염] – environmental pollution

• 사계절[사ː계절/사ː게절] – four seasons

• 실천하다[실천하다] – to put into practice / to take action

📝 Here’s a simple summary of today’s diary using all the words:

우리 딸이 고열로 며칠 동안 아팠어요.

My daughter had a high fever (고열) for several days.

그때 밖에는 폭염이 왔어요.

Outside, there was a heatwave (폭염).

저는 기후위기를 느꼈어요.

I started to feel the climate crisis (기후위기).

예전엔 사계절이 뚜렷했지만, 요즘은 그렇지 않아요.

The four seasons (사계절) I remember from my childhood are not the same now.

환경오염도 점점 심해지고 있어요.

Environmental pollution (환경오염) is also getting worse.

그래서 저는 작은 것부터 실천하려고 해요.

So I decided to take action (실천하다) — even small steps —

우리 아이의 미래를 지키기 위해서요. 🌱

to help protect my daughter’s future. 🌏💛

📖 That’s it for today’s diary.

Thanks for listening to my story — and for caring with me.

Let’s take one small step at a time… for their future.

If you liked this story, feel free to leave a comment, give it a like, or subscribe for more. 💛

This was Tina’s Diary.

💛 티나의 일기, 끝! 💛