Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
Every day, we encounter different people and environment and strive to adjust ourselves into it without any difficulties. Is overcoming certain barriers in our lives an easy process? At least for me it wasn't and it was my fourth grade year that I began to understand that.
After finishing my third grade year in my hometown Mokdong, my mother announced that I will be away from my home to stay in America for a year. At first, it indeed sounded like delightful news but as an aborigine of Seoul, I was afraid to step outside and take ‘adventure’ to an unfamiliar place. By the end of winter vacation, I flew to Boston with my uncle and cousins. During the flight, memories of precious moments with my dear friends and families soaked my mind. But at the same time, I was apprehensive about speaking a language that I've never spoke in my 10-year life. Boston just seemed to be a city burning in flame of unknown culture and languages.
A flickering light from the airplane's ceiling signaled the arrival. As I took my first step inside the airport, I was absolutely astonished. It was neither the size nor the interior of the airport that amazed me but it was the people and their civil manner. Although I was immature to understand what they were saying, I knew by sense that they were respectful to one another. Every scene that caught me was so different from the images of my country that seldom appeared in my head.
On the next day, without having sufficient amount of sleep, I was almost forced to commence my first school life in Bartlett. My uncle introduced me to some of the teachers who seemed affable but I was yet too nervous to approach and speak to them. Then the bell rang, indicating that the first period had begun. I hurried to the classroom. At the moment when I abruptly opened the door to enter the room, a cluster of sharp eyes descended upon me. I stood in front of the class with my eyes blinking, unable to find a clear focus. My new classmates started asking innumerous questions and I was in a state of great panic.
During the first week, I felt like being a main character in horror movie where people speak to others in arcane languages. Everyone was so natural in speaking English and their words and sentences which crossed over my head brought a total chaos to me. Different language, different culture, different appearance; it almost seemed impossible to find a common ground with my new friends until I sighted them reading one of my favorite books ‘Hobbit’ and playing Pokemon cards.
Step by step, I carefully broached the subject that my new friends would be interested in. I used lunch time and recess time to share common interest with them and enjoyed the attention I got from them. I ardently reread ‘The Hobbit’ at home to remember the interesting parts and invested some of my savings to buy Pokemon cards. Also every night, I spent more than an hour pondering about what to speak of and searched for sophisticated expressions and vocabs to become a fluent English speaker. My endless effort to be part of a ‘different’ society didn’t show noticeable outcome in the beginning. However, as the time elapsed I began to realize that everyone was no more reluctant to share conversation with me unlike the beginning of the semester.
Looking back at my situation, I feel abashed for being such a nerd who meticulously observed each one of his classmates and even prepared for trivial daily conversation topics. But there was something really special about this process. Students in America have relatively extensive and diverse interests. This makes every one of them have unique characteristics. My experience of trying to assimilate into their society not only gave me abilities to mingle with new people but it also gave me the chance to be exposed to much diversity which was the ultimate power to overcome language and other barriers.
America, as we call it by the name of ‘land of opportunity’, I found the ‘key’ to go beyond the barriers to reach my ultimate goal.
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