I AM KOREAN AMERICAN

Occupation

Volunteer

Own Words

I’m the type of person who might spend the rest of her life trying to figure out who she really is. I was born in Seoul, but grew up in the Midwest in middle class suburbia. I’ve been the only Asian in my class a handful of times, but never questioned my Korean-ness until after I survived my adolescent years. I am in constant flux, trying to strike a balance between my very “American” way of thinking and embracing my Korean roots.

I spent most of my high school years suffering from typical teen angst, and agonized over what I should specialize in at University. After jumping from Business, to Pre-Med, to Economics, I finally graduated with a degree in International Studies. I liked it so much, I decided to get a Masters in International Legal Studies. I want to eventually get my Ph.D. Why? Someday, I just want my name to have “Dr.” attached to it. Who wouldn’t?

Short lowdown of my personality:
I – have backpacked around Europe; like to think about zombies; am a major film nerd; can be a gluttonous pig; prefer walking over other forms of transportation; like being in group photos; can sleep past noon; dislike the process of cooking or cleaning, but revel in the end result; think bathing is burdensome, but do it habitually; admire street fashion; enjoy talking about life and its complexities; hate lies, but admit to telling them; recognize my many character flaws; strive to be a more admirable person; want a lot of cool experiences in life; like people who are honest and earnest about friendship; dislike being the only one putting in effort; dig open markets, but hate haggling; would suffer mental anguish without the internet; like people who make me want to strive higher.

Somehow all my soul/identity searching landed me in Kazakhstan. I decided that the comfortable life I had in the U.S. just wasn’t doing it for me and one day I joined the Peace Corps and became a volunteer. Well, actually it was like a year process, but you get the idea. I jumped from one culture, tried to come to grips with another, and instead of finding my place in either of them, I landed in a country that has little to do with Korea or the U.S.

Life is so funny that way…