When I talk to people about the cultural differences I have experienced living in Korea and the relationship difficulties between my in-laws and my husband, most assume that I should be familiar with the culture just because I am Asian. While growing up in a small town, the undeniable frustration I had experienced when people would assume I’m Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, or Korean still occurs now.
NOW I GET IT.
Many of my Korean friends often tell me all Americans look the same to them. I never had any issue seeing the differences between people until I moved to Korea. Not only do I still continue to have difficulty remember people’s names here, I sometimes find myself having a hard time remembering who is who. My husband often jokes that it’s probably because everyone does plastic surgery here and are after the same look. Therefore, making it seem like everyone looks the same. LOL.
TO BE FAIR
NOT THE SAME
Back to what I was talking about earlier! Definitely, I continue to learn about the Korean culture every day. New things come up all the time that I catch myself thinking, “I miss the comfort of my home and my own crazy parents.” I also thought that having my mom and dad as my parents gave me the shield that would prepare me for the Korean culture. (Because growing up with Chinese parents in a mostly Caucasian town definitely made for a cultural learning experience all on its own.) But it’s definitely a different kind of hard and a different kind of bananas.
Caption of this image
Involve the children in the process as well