An Inside Look at Korean Immigrants

My reflection on the article by Dr. Kang from this week follows my notes from the book. (very end!)

 

A Step from Heaven

While I was reading this book, I took note of the page numbers and ideas that stood out to me. This is how I effectively read and analyze a book J

·         9. Going through the ritual- goes to church but without feeling.  This emptiness cannot lead to anything good.

·         11. Image of Mi Gook, big houses, pretty girls, etc. This seems like an illusion- no country can be so perfect, and they are in for a surprise!

·         12. Jealous friend Ju Mi.

·         13. Illusion that it is heaven, must be magic word.

·         17. You, little one, are my hope. This reminds me of my Pastor and how he said that while he was in another country someone wanted him to take their baby back to America to give it a future. They were willing to entrust their child into the arms of a stranger, thinking that just reaching America would solve all problems.

·         18. “I am too old to change.” Illusion of America and how she WILL be successful. Already conforming with hairstyle and hasn’t even landed in America.

·         21. Culture shock- this is an airplane, not a bus. “Mi gook is only for young people to have a new start, Halmoni said. Not for old people who are used-up dry fish bones.” I thought everyone could go to heaven! (America).

·         22. Legend of Mi Gook being heaven continues.

·         23. Misconception: “In Mi Gook, everyone will be happy and filled with love.” Assumption.

·         25. Linguistic difference. “He makes our words with a big floppy tongue.” I found this humorous because I can imagine that speakers of such an articulate language such as Korean would find it hard to understand an America who talks so fast and slurs so many words!

·         26. Mi Gook is a step from heaven! She tries coke and doesn’t like it but can’t say her true opinion of it. Just because everyone else likes it doesn’t mean you should like it. Apa is so desperate for her to fit in already.

·         28. Feeding into the lies of the future. How can school be in the future if it is so soon? Compared to my first day of school here in America, I realize that our experiences are so different! I was worried about being away from my mom for so long, but I was fortunate enough to know the culture and language already!

·         29- begins to lose identity with only the first name being pronounced (simplified). Vanity comparisons, not all have curly hair (hope I’m not a boy). Lots of different hair colors! Interesting to hear how she interprets words (Tees es Yung).

·         30-32 Major culture shock! Language miscommunication, I can feel the frustration of both characters! Color sticks, repeating lunch, goldfish, what are they?!? So much fear- of teacher, of lunch and eating, of wanting to touch shirt, of not having anything to bring home to family to show what she learned.

·         34-35 Abuse. So sad. Looks like Mi Gook has done nothing but cause problems- should we save money? Rent? It’s not forever.

·         38 “Maybe his hair will be curly because he was born in Mi Gook.”

·         38-39 Apa laughs at the thought of her being president. This crushes her, but Uncle Tim says that in America, women can do almost anything men can do. She interprets the fact that Apa never held her as a baby as the fact that he did not want to. She wonders if her brother, Park Joon Ho, will have the birthmark and he does! Heritage > residence. Baby status has been replaced.

·         41-43 Wants more attention, lies about her family. Gets flowers, kind cards and words.  She keeps “name like boy Park now.”  We can see the status associated with genders here.

·         43-44 Gomo wants her to speak Korean because Uncle Tim only wants to learn English. Reminds me of Chong family and how the children lost communication with their parents because they only wanted to learn English. English makes Gomo’s head hurt.

·         44 Value conflict- in Korea, lies are terrible!

·         45 “I listen to Uhmma and think, I cannot be the great son, but I can do important things. Then I will be the famous Park in the family. Maybe even better than first son.” Competition.  She feels the need to prove herself worthy.

·         46 Motivation to study for spelling test now that she lied about flowers!

·         47 She prefers the balloon over the elephant, but in America I would think the opposite! Interesting how different items are more appealing to some than to others.

·         48 Welcome to the land of surplus, if only at a carnival.

·         50 “Apa still says that someday we will buy a house of our own. For now we are renting. For now has been a long time.” Glass ceiling effect.

·         51 BREAKTHROUGH! She accepts her position as the older sibling and uses her English. Gives crying baby her elephant. This shows a lot of maturity.

·         52 Social barriers due to miscommunication, “going with someone” does not have dictionary definition. This is challenge I am sure many of my students will face.

·         53 BILINGUAL EDUCATION! “I do not understand why I have to speak Korean at home so I will not forget where I came from. Why did we move to America if I am to speak English only at school?” I can understand why this would be confusing and misleading. Children at this age are vulnerable and want to fit in and feel welcomed.

·         54 “I wish I could be the tall one. Tall as Amanda and not worry about what cider tastes like or what going means.” Joon pees outside but is not disciplined, but rather encouraged.  This must be confusing and hard for Young.

·         59 “Because when the Blob comes and wraps us tight in his arms, holds us so close we can hardly breathe, that is when we can finally put our arms around him.”

·         63 “this was a different Uhmma. Not a sad, tired Uhmma who cooked and cleaned and sometimes yelled, but a stranger who had a friend and a secret language all her own. Not my Uhmma. A Suna.” Being in a safer environment brings about a different Uhmma.

·         65 Joon shows defiance. Effect of Mi Gook.

·         68 Joon pressured to be a man and not cry like a girl. Only the strong can make a future.

·         70 Brochure that says you are the next billionaire can be misleading in America- we know it can’t be true, but to foreigners they may not know this!

·         88- Immigration office visit is so draining!

·         94. She comforts Apa and he reaches for her hand.

·         95-97 Uhmma takes the place of Apa in the checkbook- he has left her.

·         103. It is interesting that Uhmma and Apa don’t want her to hang out with an American girl because she can influence her. Yet, they wanted her hair curled so she would look very American. Stereotypes.

·         104. Big disgrace to borrow money from others. “We are Korean. Do not forget.” “Then why did we move to America?” I think this is a big question that many students may wonder. It makes me think back to class with the activity with culture shock situations. Many people from other cultures and countries may wonder why someone has not paid them back in America. However, people don’t always pay others back here, which may be considered rude or disrespectful!

·         109. Not allowed to see Amanda anymore. “The only person who lets me ask questions and be someone other than a good Korean daughter.” Young is being tested and tested and this could be a breaking point. She is trying hard to fit in, but is facing a lot of opposition.

·         116. Even Apa rebels by driving when he shouldn’t be. Does not return for 3 days, worries everyone.

·         120 In Korea, the police are not “friendly” officers.

·         129. “Your life can be different, Young Ju. Study and be strong. In America, women have choices. I stand up. Stare straight at Uhmma. YOU have choices, Uhmma.” They are believing that America is going to make problems disappear, but really it is an individual choice and perspective.

·         133. Joon has been skipping class, trying to escape the sad reality in which they live. “Get out of here and mind your own stupid nerdy business. You’re probably jealous that I even have friends at school Who are you friend, Uhn-nee? Who do you eat lunch with? The books at the library?” If he had grown up in Korea, would he talk like this to her?

·         143. Finally, Young receives affirming words. “You are my strong girl.” They have the choice to move to Korea again, but they decline it. Even though Young didn’t want to move to America in the first place, now she really doesn’t want to move back. She is stuck in between two worlds for now. Soon Mi Gook will become her true home.

·         151. Hands tell a lot about our identities and how we have been raised. They often literally show our experiences in life- especially the callouses and scars. We must never forget our past, just as it is carried in our hands.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave me another opportunity to see the devastating realities that many immigrants face. It is easy to try and picture a happy transition to America, but this is not reality. As we discussed in class, older immigrant stories seemed to paint a nice picture, but as more and more stories came about, we began to see the truth behind moving to America. Throughout this book, I enjoyed taking notes and seeing the social, academic, emotional, and certain other struggles that Young, along with her family, faced and tried to overcome to ensure the best futures they could for themselves. Mi Gook seemed like the answer to so many problems, but it also became the root for many challenges.

 

I really enjoyed reading the article by Dr. Kang on the effects of family involvement on bilingualism. It became even more evident to me upon reading that parents must be very consistent and supportive in their use of the home language, or minority language. Bilingualism proved to be most successful when at most one parent spoke in the majority language. Support is clearly needed both at home and at school. As a future bilingual educator, I want to be able to encourage the parents of my students to support their children in further developing their native languages. After all, these native languages are assets that equip students with more life knowledge.

 I found it interesting that parents rely on popular parenting books and personal experiences in determining how and if their children should be bilingual. I hope that as a teacher, I can be a reliable and trustworthy resource for these parents as they form their decisions as well. The article stated that the language barrier is perhaps the greatest barrier keeping Korean parents from involving themselves in the school.

When students focus just on the acquisition of English, research shows that these learners often have weak literacy skills and their production skills lag behind their comprehension skills. I currently help run a Reader’s Theater program where I can help bilingual students further develop literacy skills in their native languages.

When I lived in Spain, my Spanish host parents would only speak to me in Spanish. I know that they knew a little English, but they knew it was in my best interest to speak to me in my minority language, Spanish. This was a tremendous help because I could really value and see the importance of speaking Spanish. I became that much more of an effective communicator in Spanish.

Another part of the article that I found interesting was why Korean parents want their children to keep Korean. The fact that they want them to made me very happy because it is a tragedy when children forget their native language and lose this meaningful communication with their parents, who may not be able to speak English yet. The reasons for keeping Korean as well are as follows: languages are identity markers, the parents want to avoid language barriers in the host country, and there is always a chance of possible return to Korea for familial obligations and economic opportunities.

Overall, this article allowed me to see the true advantages to family support in being bilingualism. If parents are consistent in speaking and using the minority language (native language), their children will benefit immensely. A parental code-switch to English almost always leads to a child’s use of English. That is why parents must use their home language consistently! I really enjoyed reading this article. It definitely pertains to how I want to be as a future educator!