Joseph Kim Journey

“You have to choose to believe in hope. You have to choose to make it yourself” (Kim). Joseph Kim delivered a phenomenal talk about his life thus far. Life as a refugee was tough for Joseph. He fought many inner battles such as severe starvation, depression, and humiliation. Joseph worked hard to make sure he survived, with or without the help of others. He set many short term goals that he knew would help push him accomplish lifelong goals.
Joseph Kim lived during the Great Famine in North Korea. When Joseph was thirteen his father died due to starvation. Then later that year his mother left and went to China in search of food and money. Joseph Kim was left alone with his sister until she left to look for her mother, food, and money. Joseph was then an orphan with the daily goals of finding food in the trash and stealing from food carts. Joseph acquired many odd jobs where he worked in exchange for food. Kim was not alone, in fact, it was common for many children to work in mines in exchange for food or other necessities. There were many times when Joseph could not fall asleep because he was too cold or too …show more content…
He had hope that he would one day find his mother and sister. He had hope that he would one day be able to sleep without waking up from severe starvation. Joseph also hoped that one day he would be able to honor his foster father for all that he had blessed Joseph with. “Hope brought me to America” (Kim). Joseph remained hopeful even through the toughest times in his life. This was inspiring because Americans lose hope quickly. If something looks difficult or risky people will often put the hope aside and move onto something more realistic. This is where Joseph differs from the average American. He never lost hope even when he thought he would not live much longer. That constant motivation of hope was apparent throughout his