Must Have 'Koreanity'
First of all, 'Koreanity' refers to the concept of what Koreans have and who Koreans are--close to 'Korean identity'. I should admit this word isn't on the Merriam-Webster's dictionary. Also, the suffix '-ity' usually means something religious. However, my terminology isn't about any religion at all. I believe the term 'Koreanity' would describe which card Koreans must keep holding.
"Hello, everyone. I'm a boy. I'm a student. I live in Korea" I bet some of you are sick of hearing one of these sentences, if you are a Korean student, or if you know one. As I'm pretty sure that I can introduce myself as a normal Korean student, I often find myself in a tunnel, a typical Korean student's tunnel which is through elementary school, middle school, high school, and then university of now. In this darkness, all my fellows are rushing to the sunshine at the end of the tunnel. The sunshine is from my Lord, English.
Land of English. I know this expression would be a big exaggeration. However, it counts for me at least, since I'm majoring in English Language and Literature. English is definitely an all-time issue in my land. Today again, I'm supposed to question myself like other days, "Where is the road to an English expert?" This is a concern of mine as well as of my friends, teachers, and even my parents. However, I take one step back from the question, and I'm about to come to look out over where my direction is instead of where the destination is.
People said, "Be like a native speaker as possible." They advised me to speak with an American intonation, to repeat after CNN, to laugh watching sitcom Friends, to think as if I'm a New-Yorker, and even to dream an English-speaking dream. Acting on the advices, I tried so hard to breathe in the English air from an innocent foreigner on the street wandering with a map, to sniff something 'homey' at the slangs of Afro-American 'dudes'. So, who am I supposed to be at the end? A full-time American?
Although I used to care for what I need to do for a better English without any hesitation, I didn't worry too much about what I've got to lose, a certain part of my being at the same time: 'Koreanity'. While my lovely motto "Be more like a native English speaker" was always in my heart and brain, "Lose more 'Koreanity', and leave your background as soon as you can" was always out of sight, out of mind.
Let's take this simple. Just think about Getting and Losing. Overseas childbirth is a 'big-time' business today in Korea. Many Korean parents want to let their babies be born in USA. So, pregnant women and nursing mothers--sometimes even fathers--hurry up getting out of this unwanted country when the expected birth date is getting closer. Those parents who want their baby to have an opportunity to be an American citizen consider how many benefits the baby is going to have. However, I come to think about what the baby is losing. Although things may be too tiny for the parents to hear, I would try to explain them. Suggest a case if a son with native Korean parents is born in USA eventually. He has grown up in America, and he's gotten enough benefits that his parents expected. What has he lost? Some will say "Not much." However, he's never had 'Koreanity' in my opinion. He's lost a childhood with Korean friends, memories of Korean elementary school, Korean common sense, how to feel the real taste of Korean foods--for example, his mouth won't be watering when he saw somebody break-opening a soy-sauce-crab with bare fingers--feelings that normal Koreans have with certain scenes, the comprehensive faculty to laugh at Korean comedy, general knowledge in the field of Korean songs which is required when singing in Noraebang(also known as karaoke) with Korean friends, and so to speak, Korean culture. He, an American grown-up, might have lost just trivial stuff. However, those small things could have made something 'different' from what he has inside now.
Last year, I was at a KATUSA(Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) ETS(military discharge) ceremony. CSM(Command Sergeant Major) Frace was giving a congratulation speech to KATUSA soldiers being discharged. "I'm proud of them. Above all, they've successfully adapted themselves to the most difficult language in the world, English. In fact, it's not English but American." He pointed American language out of English. "Americans will know what I am talking about. American is much more out of control than English. Those rules that are closed within only American must have been a challenge for other language users, especially for Asian people to include Koreans." I agreed.
Even though Americans are from England a few hundred years ago, they have made their own tradition quite different from the original one, so far. They use Letter-size paper for office documents instead of A4. They see things in the world with Inches, Miles, Feet, and Yards, other than the metric system. No wonder they don't weigh things with Grams but with Pounds. I'm not bringing a criticism at all to blame the fact that they don't follow global standards, but trying to focus on why on earth they insist their own ways of thinking. That's because they love what they have and who they are: 'Americanity'.
Some aspects of American culture show that Americans have tried hard to set up their uniqueness. When young, I learned that America has so shorter history than Korea's that it has also shorter manners and traditions. Later, I could see what was a phony tale for sure. From my point of view, the history is shorter but better-arranged. Almost every single historical event after the Declaration of Independence has been recorded as 'historical material' in proper order. This concept of 'valuing document first' helped to stand up the 'System of America' which is subject to benchmarking by other countries. When initiating whatever it is, American culture tries to build up a manual first. So that an organization doesn't need to rely on an individual's outstanding ability. It's to emphasize that each individual belongs to a group. Also, their coins and bills contain the image of "Many support one".
One thing I found is that Americans--who I'd been trying to be like--value and respect their traditions and ways of thinking. Once, an American friend of mine asked, "Suppose you are a member of personnel department in a famous company in USA. In an interview for only one slot, there were two Koreans left. Both were from Harvard. Same degree, same impression." "So?" I replied. "The only difference was between their backgrounds. One was American-born American, the other was Korean-born American. Now, who are you going to choose?" I thought for a while and said, "The American American. Because, he will probably know what situations in American society are like, more than the Korean-born." However, his answer was the opposite. "You are misunderstanding something. Whoever is American may pick up the Korean-born. The same old American isn't so attractive, but the Korean-born might be." To me who got puzzled, he added, "Oh, one more thing. That Korean guy should know something unique like Korean language, culture, history, and so on. Unless......"
As a Korean student working on English, I used to take myself just as a student in a hurry for English. However, I didn't even notice that I totally left my 'Koreanity' behind in the dark tunnel of desiring English. I believe Koreans so want to be world leaders that they try to equip English. However, I suggest considering not only Americans' language, but also their attitude of loving what they have. If you are a Korean, can you explain how to draw Taegeukgi(the national flag of Korea) in English? Well, you'd better hurry up!
*This article is my homework for the 1st semester in 2007.
