“Mom, why did we move to America?” my stressed, crying sixteen-year-old self asked. I wished to move back to Korea. My mother gave me a look of sorrow, one that told me that I did not understand the world the way that she did.
Anger and bitterness were prevalent as I grew up in the United States after having moved from South Korea at the age of four. As a child, my earliest memory is of my family pulling up to our first house in America. It wasn’t much, but being the toddler I was, I was excited to be in a new place—to meet new people and make some new friends. However, I quickly realized that my lack of knowledge about both the country and the language was a detriment to my time here. When I ran out to the cul-de-sac to ask the neighborhood …show more content…
Why would they move to a country whose language they could not speak, where it would be difficult for them to find jobs? Why would they move when I was a child, so that I, their youngest, would grow up and be unable to communicate fully with them? I tried to ask—I tried. I could not formulate my sentences in Korean, and I was unable to articulate my thoughts so that they could understand. I had to put all my questions on hold.
I attempted to re-learn Korean the same way I learned English: by immersing myself in it. I spent hours watching Korean television, listening to Korean music, and practicing with my parents. Although this wasn’t quite the same as when I learned English, my parents patiently worked with me to improve my Korean—after all, who wouldn’t want to be able to talk to their child?
It just so happened to be that this period of time was one of my most stressful academically—I started my IB courses, which were more challenging that I could have imagined them to be. So began long nights of homework and pressure to do well. Last year, I asked my mother why we moved to America, tears in my eyes and stress on my
Anger and bitterness were prevalent as I grew up in the United States after having moved from South Korea at the age of four. As a child, my earliest memory is of my family pulling up to our first house in America. It wasn’t much, but being the toddler I was, I was excited to be in a new place—to meet new people and make some new friends. However, I quickly realized that my lack of knowledge about both the country and the language was a detriment to my time here. When I ran out to the cul-de-sac to ask the neighborhood …show more content…
Why would they move to a country whose language they could not speak, where it would be difficult for them to find jobs? Why would they move when I was a child, so that I, their youngest, would grow up and be unable to communicate fully with them? I tried to ask—I tried. I could not formulate my sentences in Korean, and I was unable to articulate my thoughts so that they could understand. I had to put all my questions on hold.
I attempted to re-learn Korean the same way I learned English: by immersing myself in it. I spent hours watching Korean television, listening to Korean music, and practicing with my parents. Although this wasn’t quite the same as when I learned English, my parents patiently worked with me to improve my Korean—after all, who wouldn’t want to be able to talk to their child?
It just so happened to be that this period of time was one of my most stressful academically—I started my IB courses, which were more challenging that I could have imagined them to be. So began long nights of homework and pressure to do well. Last year, I asked my mother why we moved to America, tears in my eyes and stress on my