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April 2, 2009 - By Janice Kang
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Lee's head filled with questions that her mother refused to answer directly. "I argued with my mom because I was entering high school soon and so I said I shouldn't be going anywhere," said Lee.
Two days later she arrived on American soil, thousands of miles from her home in Korea. "I wasn't sad and I didn't cry when I came to America because I knew I would be going back in about a month or two," said Lee.
After she moved into a house her mother enrolled her in a school. "I thought it was very weird how my mom was putting me in a school since we were going to be heading back to Korea in about one to two months. I didn't see how I was going to learn any English or anything for that matter within two months," she said.
There were obvious differences between life in South Korea and life in America that Lee noticed when she first arrived. "It's very roomy; there's a lot of space in America compared to Korea. I think it's the first time I've seen so much grass and so many trees too. Also all the buildings are low here; in Korea all the buildings are built tall."
The differences are due to the large population of South Korea, relative to the amount of space. South Korea is roughly the size of Indiana--98,480 sq. km. Yet the size of the population is over 48 million. If you need a comparison, there are only 6 million people living in Indiana and just over 30 million in the much larger state of California. Buildings are constructed high to save room and there is little space to accommodate the population, let alone grass and trees.
The educational system in America is slower and the atmospheres of the schools are different. "The differences I've noticed was first uniforms, lunch system and time; the freedom of students. The speed of the learning system in Korea is a lot faster," said Lee. "The classes in Korea aren't as loud as they are here; it's dead quiet. Also I'm still not used to asking questions directly to the teacher because in Korea we ask our friends. If you ask your teacher questions it's sort of an embarrassing thing because that means you weren't listening carefully to the lecture that just went on and other students look down on you and consider you dumb."
A student in Korea and a student here in America have very different educations. In Korea the learning pace and the depth of the subject are a couple of steps ahead. "We learn algebra one in one semester and then algebra two in our second semester; we learn both of them in one year and during our freshmen year we learn pre-calculus," said Lee. Because of the fast pace students go to school on Saturdays and Sundays. "We don't have that many days off and we don't have that much time to rest, especially during your senior year. When you become a senior you're dead … your life equals studying and you prepare for the test that practically holds your life on the line," said Lee.
For seniors, this is the most important year of their educational life. Near the end of their senior year they take a test, the scores of which determine what college they may attend. Here in America students search for colleges that provide the best education for their majors but in Korea they simply look to go to the best colleges regardless of whether the colleges will fit their needs.
In Korea students are also required to wear uniforms. The rules vary according to the schools but general disciplinary guidelines are the same. "You aren't allowed to wear earrings or any jewelry to school and you can't grow out your hair past your shoulders and you definitely can't get highlights or dye your hair. Nail polish and makeup are not allowed and for girls the skirts of the uniform have to be knee length, no shorter. If you get caught with a skirt that does not match the requirements a teacher will give you a loaner skirt and you have to either make the skirt longer or buy a new skirt," said Lee.
For weeks Lee was under the impression that life in Riverside was only temporary and the cultural differences that Lee was not used to would only last for a month. However Lee was surprised by her mother who revealed that Lee would stay in America at least until she graduated from high school. "I cried so much after my mom told me. First off I missed my graduation and second, the thought of living here in a country that I couldn't even communicate in was a horror to me. I didn't even like going to school but the only reason I was able to go through with it was because I had the thought of going back … it's not forever," said Lee.
On top of a new school and home there were other problems that Lee had to face, such as the language barrier. "I moved here a month ago so it's still hard but I try my best. Subjects like biology, literature and health are especially hard because you're required to read the books and speak the language. Also I have to be able to understand the lecture but subjects like math are really easy for me," said Lee.
The language barriers and the differences in culture can be very hard to adapt to but Lee is gradually adapting to her new school and home. "At first I really hated it here because it was so different and I can't speak English and also there's nothing to do here. But as time is progressing it's getting better because I've made friends and since I have friends now it is more fun … It's a little boring here because I came from the biggest city in Korea with crowded streets and city lights but I'm okay with living here for the rest of my life."
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