A Korean American

I came to the United States when I was 9 years old. Leaving all my friends back home in Korea and coming to a new place with a new school, new surroundings, and new people; I was lost. Because the school I started in was situated in a relatively a “white” neighborhood, I felt alone. Perhaps it was because I was young, but within a year, I found myself adjusting relatively well. I met new friends and began to enjoy this place. This place was now home for me. Yet, I always had to ask myself many times; am I Korean or American? My friends around me had blue eyes and blonde hair, but I had brown eyes and black hair. Their eyes were big but mine were stretched. I spoke English as a second language; English is what they spoke since birth. At home I spoke Korean and ate Korean food, but outside I spoke English and ate hotdogs and pizza. Identity was not clear and I didn’t know who I was. Slowly, I felt as if I was pushed out to a place of no belonging. I was too Korean outside of my home, and in my home, I was too American. My English was too broken to be called American, and what I enjoyed to eat was too American for me to be Korean.

It was a few years later that I found my identity. Another Korean student had moved out to our school. He was straight from Korea and was lost just as I was when I first came. When the teachers reached out to him and was rejected by the language barrier, they called me over to help assimilate this poor child into the American society. We began to talk in Korea and he dearly held on to me until he became comfortable with his new home. I then realized how versatile and hybrid I was as a Korean American. I was blessed with two homes, two languages and two cultures, and I was ready to grab a hold of gifts both societies had to offer. I was able to reach out to both societies and offer them a hand. Knowing two much-different cultures allowed me to become a better person. To see in two different perspectives allowed me to develop into a character that TWO cultures can appreciate. I embrace both cultures and I thank God for allowing me to become a Korean American.