The good thing is that I can see the scenery of Lumley
beach in my home. It is a beautiful beach. I always want to walk along the
shoreline of Lumley beach by myself. However, I am the only Asian who is there.
“China man!” Sierra Leoneans call me even at daytime. Then, I answered, “No, I
am Korean man!”
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| South Korea is really tiny as compared to China. http://news.techeye.net/ |
Wherever I go, people call me without asking, and
say “Chinese, China…” It seems like people think there is only one country in
Asia. What about Africa? People may remind Somalia or Africans who are about to
starve to death. Obviously, it is not true. There are more than 49 countries in
Asia and more than 54 countries in Africa; nevertheless, a specific country has
become image or representative of that continent, and people make the mistake
of hasty generalization.
While studying abroad in the U.S. and doing
internship in Africa, finding my true identity is important to me. There have
been several situations that I experienced inner conflicts due to different
aspects of cultures and history. I feel a strong responsibility that I have to
do everything really well as a Korean because people may form the image of Korea from my performance or behavior. Sometimes, I put limits to myself because I am worrying to much about people's attention towards me.
What is the image of Korea here? People know that
Samsung is Korean company, and they like Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Amadu said
that Koreans earn money here by fishing, while Chinese by running casino and
supermarket. I, myself is just one person, and people do not care about me too
much, but I have to consider myself that I am the representative of Korea here
in Sierra Leone. People who have not met me may also call me, “Hey, China man!”
Yet, I will have to have a positive impact on people around me, and I wish
people would realize later that I am Korean who showed a good example of World
Vision Global Health Fellow in Sierra Leone.
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