Articles From June 2007

Undercover Korean
by Ray Munns

We've all heard the phrases "Oooo what are you?" "You look so exotic!" Or any one of the many variations of the two phrases. Some of us don't mind, some get offended, and some of us revel in it. For the most part I revel in it, I never mind, and I only get offended if "what are you?" is followed by a hint of racial prejudice. Besides being separated by our unique looks culturally, we are so "special." We consist of French/Chinese, Irish/Korean, Spanish/Filipino, and Japanese/African American. We are all a part of so many different cultures but still connected by our Asian descent. I think it's fair to say that all Americans have heritages that are multicultural. This is why we call America the melting pot. Unlike those of European descent, we all know that the culture of our people of Asian descent is completely different than that of any Western Civilizations. Not to say that our culture is better than any other, it's just a completely different way of life.

Personally I am a quarter Irish; quarter English, and half Korean. Having been born with blonde hair, blue eyes, and of light complexion I believe I can give an undercover perspective on what it’s like to grow up bi-culturally. Being that I look as though I am Caucasian, it’s hard to believe that I am of Asian decent. Unless you yourself are of Asian descent, chances are you would have picked up on the fact that I am half Korean. Growing up with a Korean mother and English/Irish father I found that even I sometimes would question my bi-cultural identity. The easiest way to describe my upbringing is to simply tell you my story.

My parents were married in 1978 after they met in Seoul the year prior. I was born in 1980 and my sister at the end of 1981. Being in the D.O.D. (Department of Defense), my father did his best to keep us in one place, but the option was not always there. At the request of my mother, my father chose to be stationed in Seoul. She wanted to raise her kids in the same environment she was raised in. Family is the very foundation of every Korean. One of my first memories is of being whisked away to Korea. The running joke in our family was that my mother adopted me, because women would always, I mean always ask if my mother was my nanny. This not only happened in Korea but in countries across the globe (Saudi Arabia, Greece, and the United States). We would tell them that I was adopted then quickly tell them we were joking, much to their astonishment. Then as soon as they knew the truth, my head would get rubbed for good luck. That led me to believe that I was the perfect mixture. I was taught English and Korean at the same time. My English school was on base, then off base I had art school, piano, and Tae Kwon Do in a Korean school. While we lived in Korea my mother kept us busy with family friends to ensure that we would have a strong sense of our Korean heritage. As a child I remember sitting with the CEO of Samsung, Mr. Lee. Even at a young age I could hold my own in conversation. Growing up in Pusan, Seoul, and Taegu I was able to mix with all Koreans; after all when you have "lucky hair" you get to meet people from all walks of life. As a child I remember having a conflicted feeling of whether I was being treated as a novelty or not. I guess all of the head rubbing got to my head. But I never actually felt out of place in Korea. Having been raised in a Korean household and being schooled in Western and Eastern manners, I knew to serve my elders first, to pour their drinks ever so carefully with both hands. I had all of the Hyeongas and Noonas I could ever wish for. For those of you who don't know Hyeongas and Noonas are what you would call an older sibling or friend. I think that's what I miss the most from Korea, that and its culture. The respect given to elders and the words of respect given to older friends.

When we first made the permanent move to the United States, I made the transition from Korean to half breed. I was in the 3rd grade when we moved to Virginia. We made the move to live near family friends that were also half Korean, half Caucasian kids. To grow up near a family with the same dynamics as mine was a dream, and no mistake by any means. Not only did I still have my Hyeongas, it was even better, since they were mixed like me. That was short lived when my father, recently retired, decided to move to Colorado. It wasn't until we moved to Colorado that I truly understood how different the two cultures were and how unique we as mixes are. In a small town like Fort Collins, there are very few minorities. The differences were obvious and sometimes painful. I had little to no Hyeongas and no Noonas. The only place anyone preached respect for elders was at a Tae Kwon Do Academy, where thankfully I was able to meet and befriend the very few Koreans in town.

I remember thinking racism was a thing of the past until I started hearing the words of hate thrown at my Korean Hyeongas and me. Hanging out with my Korean brothers, I was always stared at but I never felt as though I didn't belong. As time passed my Korean friends moved away to college (being my Hyeongas they were all older than myself) and I was left as one of the rare Koreans in town and the only halfie in town other than my little sister. At times my mother will say she's not sure if raising me as a Korean was the right thing to do but its the only way she knew how, and for that I am grateful. I love sitting in a Korean restaurant listening to the employees chatter about the guests that have no clue they are talking about them. I love my blonde hair and blue eyes. I love my heritage and the fact that I could be Caucasian or Asian! I love telling people that I am half Korean and even more so that I am full American! I'll let you the masses continue to guess, "What I am…" while I sit back and take pride in my Bi-cultural heritage. You be the judge: Who's special?

A Mother's Perspective
by Jae Thomas

Twenty seven years ago St. Charles, Missouri was not the most race friendly place, especially for inter-racial children. I have experienced many counteries especially Hong Kong where practically people from every race lived. Good or bad, attention was always part of our lives due to my children being part White and part Korean, especially my son who has fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes. My daughter was a very pretty little girl with green eyes and copper hair. I was even asked by a baby clothing company to have her model baby clothes. My children drew wonder from many people. At times they whispered loud and clear to where I can hear them, even though they did not know I could hear them. I constantly explained to my children why they were getting so much attention. I would explain it was due to their uniqueness. Since they are unique, I explained that they needed to become good and likable people. Never be selfish and have good manners. Manners are as important as good food.

I would love to talk about a couple sweet stories . . .

One story was when we were in Saudi Arabia; people would rub my son's hair. We found out the reason was that the locals felt if you found an Asian boy with blond hair and blue eyes before noon, it would bring them good fortune. When we went to the market, people would give us fruit and vegetables as a gift for my son. Also, because of my son, I never had to cover myself as many women in Saudi Arabia are required. This was fun. My son enjoyed every moment of this attention. His hair would get greasy and flat due to the people rubbing his hair.

Another story is that no matter what country we were in, when we went to a restaurant, the service was great! The people who worked there would give us lots of free stuff and attention just so they could have an excuse to take another look at my children. Again, they would whisper about my children. However, I did not get upset because my children enjoyed the attention. It was good, strong medicine for me to become a strong mother.

Today I am grateful for my son and daughter. They have turned out to be good people. They are not selfish and have good manners (however, not 100% of the time). The good and bad attention is still with them and will be there forever. As for me, the good and bad attention will be medicine for them and will be good fro them when they raise their own children.