These three weeks in South Korea was one of the best experience I have had in a long time. At first it was always about fearing North Korea and constantly comparing Korea to America, but after my time in South Korea, I realized that these ideas are stopping me from seeing the bigger picture. After the lectures, site visits, and people I have met on this journey, I now have so much respect for South Korea’s culture and their way of living. As I mentioned before, it was always about comparing how different America is to South Korea, but it did not occur to me how similar my Hmong culture is to South Korea’s culture. This feeling of constantly being attacked and having to rebuild a community allowed me to connect everything together. The way Hmong people grieve about not having a land to call our own or even documents to prove our historical existences is what pushes most of us to be educated. Like Korea, they have always been attacked and how they overcame this was through education, which is why they put in so much effort on being educated. The similarities between the Hmong and Korean people made me feel connected and not alone. Through this journey, I have learned to leave my judgements and values behind to fully understand South Korea’s education, culture, and people.
