Why Sharon Au Keeps Returning To Seoul For Work Even Though She’s Still Based In Paris

Going to a new country where you barely know the language can be daunting. But for someone as experienced as Sharon Au, we think the adventure is part of the appeal.

Recently, the 51-year-old ex-Mediacorp actress, who's been based in Paris for the last eight years, took to Instagram to share about a new endeavour.

"Seoul, it seems, has plans for me. There is only one small problem. I can’t even read the menu," quipped Sharon.

She also said that the photos she shared "mark the beginning of something new".

"I don’t quite know where it will lead yet. Perhaps that is the point."

Sharon added that, every time she starts afresh, she gives up "a little competence, status and certainty" which "has been very good for [her]".

"Being a beginner reminds me that I am not my résumé. There is freedom in not knowing. In making mistakes, asking stupid questions, and discovering versions of yourself you haven’t met yet."

That said, Sharon admitted that starting over gets harder as she gets older.

"We have more to lose, and more pride to protect, which is exactly why I want to keep doing it," she said. "Paris is still home. But Seoul is where I get to be a beginner again: a new language and culture.

When 8days.sg reached out to Sharon, she clarified that she hasn't relocated to Korea, though work has been bringing her to Seoul more frequently since August. 

"I expect to be spending more time there in the future," said Sharon, who has been working as an investment director at a private equity firm in Paris. She, however, did not answer if she was there for investment or entertainment projects.

"So my base remains Paris. Seoul, however, seems increasingly determined to keep me coming back. And judging by my Korean, I will be a beginner for quite some time."

Sharon, who's self-learning Korean online, even sent us a photo of her cat staring at her notes, and quipped: "My cat Rudon and I are learning Korean together."

For now, she's still flying in and out of Seoul and staying in hotels.

"I do see myself renting an apartment eventually, somewhere I can unpack properly, make myself a little more at home, and stop living out of a suitcase," said Sharon.

Who takes care of her cats when she's away then? A cat-sitter moves in.

"Rudon, unlike his mother, has absolutely no interest in leaving his comfort zone. The prince does not travel. Staff come to him," she joked.

In an interview with South Korean women fashion brand L'H.A.S, Sharon also opened up about her endless curiosity about the world.

“When life starts to feel too familiar, I find myself wanting to leave the safe harbour and see what’s out there.”

“When I was 30, I learned Japanese. A few years later, I moved to Paris and started a new life without knowing any French at all," she said.

Back in 2005, Sharon moved to Japan at the peak of her showbiz career to study for her undergraduate degree at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Sharon also full embraces the joy and uncertainty of being a beginner: "Through the process, I discover entirely new sides of myself that I never knew existed.”

“I don’t want to keep doing only the things I’m already good at. As long as I’m alive, I hope I can always remain a beginner at something," she said.

Catch Sharon on Those Days Those Places on mewatch or in the video below: