<p>Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
250-1000 words</p>
<p>At an early age, I have always considered myself American even though I was born of Korean descent. As a child, I vaguely understood the meaning behind my cultural customs, learning everything Korean from my parents and grandparents. We would celebrate Korean holidays like Independence Day or Hangul Day, which commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet. Despite their best efforts, I felt that living for 15 years in the suburbs of Los Angeles only made me more distant from my own heritage. I remembered telling my parents one day. “Why does it matter whether I learn how to be Korean if I live in America?” And my father responded by saying, “This is about our history and who we are.” At the time, I could not understand why my parents were so persistent. I was American.
In a sudden turn of events, my life drastically shifted when the economy worsened. My father lost his job; my sister decided to save money by going to her second choice college that offered the most aid. Our family’s financial future looked very uncertain, but our family’s unison made the transition bearable. When times were tough, my father always spoke to us about perseverance. This one word made me realize how important it was to keep moving forward. As my friends around me lived normal lives, we were struggling to survive.
Later my father received news of a job offer in Korea. Again, this led to more changes. Moving to another country, I was filled with fear and excitement. Here was an opportunity to get to know my Korean culture, many of which I heard through stories and gossip, yet I still knew very little about Koreans. I imagined being like Bill Murray in the movie Lost in Translation, and how he struggled to live in Tokyo, Japan. I got my first experience of being lost when I started high school in Korea.
Once fall semester began, I became known by many of my peers as a “twinkie”. This translated into appearing asian on the outside but white on the inside. In my new school where the majority of students were Korean, I began to feel ostracized because of my American upbringing. Even worse, my lack of knowledge of Korean culture had limited my ability to relate to others. Other girls would talk about the newest boy idol groups like EXO and 2PM. I would try to interject with my favorites like Maroon 5 and Nick Jonas. There was also a particular way one would address their peers based on age differences like Onni or Nuna, and getting this difference wrong could easily offend the person. I could sense that my classmates did not see me as one of them. Tagged as an outcast twinkie, I felt like I had received divine punishment for my naïve comments about learning the Korean culture.
Not deterred by a challenge, I mustered the courage to try to build relationships with my peers. So wanting to make friends, I decided to step out of my comfort zone by retooling everything I knew Korean. I used my classmates as role models and really tried to integrate myself. I watched popular shows like Running Man and Star King just to have conversations with classmates. I went out with the girls to Myeong Dong, a very popular shopping district, and kept up with the fashion trends. I practiced and spoke more of the Korean language and became good enough to even use slang words. Even taxi drivers were surprised by how well I spoke the Korean language. As months went by, I grew fascinated by everything Korean. It was as if someone had opened the door of my brain and said, “Hey stupid, get up and go outside!” Learning about my own history never changed who I was as a person. It dawned on me that I had feared embracing my culture because I was scared of being different.
My experience from the past three years led me to aspire for new goals. I genuinely enjoy learning about how people behave and what makes relationships work. To become a learner, not only in school, I want to learn the subject of people. As I move on to college, I am not afraid of losing my identity. I am eager to meet people from all over the world and study what religions, backgrounds, and cultures they have. Growing up in California, I never dealt with facing great cultural barriers. I am grateful for the experience I had in Korea because it shaped me into a more open-minded person. I am Korean-American.</p>