It’s no secret that BLACKPINK’s Jennie spent a lot of time as a child in New Zealand.

According to the singer, she was born in Korea but moved to New Zealand on her own at the age of nine, and she only returned five years later. It’s difficult to fathom a young girl living away from her family, but Jennie didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, she was delighted with the change! Jennie said in an interview with Rolling Stone that she was able to acclimatize to her new country in just one day. She didn’t mope around looking for her mother; in fact, she did the exact opposite. She was just itching to get back to her trampoline when her mother called her on the second day.

She was immediately exposed to the vast cultural disparities that exist between New Zealand and Korea, particularly in terms of education. Children in Korea, including Jennie, would go to a hagwon (cram school) after school and stay there until late at night. She was, however, free to play to her heart’s content in New Zealand. Jennie took to it right away and found it to be far more enjoyable than cram school.

“When I was living in Korea, until 10, I’d go to hagwon [for-profit cram schools], or study, or go to school. Korean education is very different. There’s not much outdoor stuff going on. Then I went to New Zealand, and they said I could run around and play every day! It was sad to be away from my family, but I was so happy to be there.” — Jennie

She was even the subject of a documentary aired on MBC, which was quite interesting. She could be seen having fun with her pals, running around the neighborhood, and participating in a variety of other activities. It appeared to be a fun way to spend one’s childhood! Finally, Jennie pondered on how living alone in New Zealand made her stronger, though she didn’t realize it at the time. At the very least, she never felt like she had to put up with her stay.

“In retrospect, that existence in New Zealand made me tougher, but I wasn’t thinking, “I’m alone, and I have to bear this,” when I was living it every day.”- Jennie 

Regardless, she missed her mother, which is why they moved in together as soon as they were able. She’s ready to leave now, though!

Source- koreaboo