From the outright staring eyes of the old ladies to the curious expressions of the little kids, it wasn’t hard to feel out of place in a room full of Koreans. The one black girl in a sea of Asians. I was easy to point out, but by now, I was used to it. The only problem was that I had to prove that I wasn’t just some random person wandering around a Korean church for the hell of it.
I let the words flow through my mouth. Smoothly, the Korean reached their ears and they realized that I, this curly headed girl, could understand every word that they said. And that made all the difference. The children started greeting me as their teacher. The Korean ladies started smiling and talking to me.
And in that moment, I felt acceptance.
Throughout my high school career, there was always something missing. I didn’t exactly fit into that ONE squad, and I was always seen as the black girl with many Asian friends. The fact that I knew Korean surprised people, but it also caused a separation.
I was unique in the fact that I knew a language that isn't known by many, but I was different because I had more music on my phone that was foreign to the American ear than the regular American pop or hip-hop songs that played on the radio. I had more knowledge of Korean slang than I did of the slang constantly said by American high schoolers.
My small group of friends understood me and my weirdness. They accepted the fact that even though I may know some of those popular American songs one day, I may not know the rest the next day. I didn’t just start learning Korean because of K-pop - it was more than that. I was intrigued by the culture, the language and the history of South Korea. Liking the music made by Korean artists, whether it was pop or hip-hop, was just an addition to my fascination of South Korea as a whole. Also, South Korea isn’t the only country that I have been fascinated with.
For many years, America has been labeled as a melting pot, a place full of many people from different countries and cultures. However, I believe that it is essential to such a country to have people who are not only understanding and considerate of these other cultures, but also people who go out of their comfort zones and experience something different than what they have lived with for all their lives. There are many Americans who have not attempted to learn and experience the many languages and cultures of the world.
So, my words to you are: be spontaneous and try something new. Regardless of whether or not people agree with your decision to learn Arabic, Chinese, !Xóõ, Tuvan or any other language of your choice, continue on with it because the new insight and cultural experience that you gain from it is amazing. And, in the long run, the decision to learn something new and maybe even unheard of benefits you.
