Diversity 1

As I read the stories, I felt as if I was reading my own story (except I was Hispanic). As "On Being Canela" focused more on gender, I couldn't relate as much as I could with the other two stories.

I share similar experiences with the three Dartmouth graduates. Just like Miguel, I never quite fit in. In Allen, I was the Asian kid in ESL. When I moved to Plano, where Asian population is larger, I hung out with the Asians. Even then, I was the Korean F.O.B. At St. Mark's School of Texas, a predominantly white private school, I was again one of the few Asians. I am still trying to find a place I fit in. I've been away from the Korean crowd that I feel awkward around them, but I still don't quite fit in with the white students. Even though I am not yet an American citizen, I consider myself to be a pseudo Korean American. I am at an awkward stage where I am neither one nor the other. Miguel agrees, "being Mexican American meant I wasn't really either one" (838).

Korean American

I share many of Miguel's dilemma. One that really struck me is his unwillingness to speak in public. Sometimes, I dislike answering the phone or presenting in front of people because I am conscious of my everlasting accent. My accent diminishes as time goes on, but it'll--in my opinion--never DISAPPEAR. I can understand Miguel's feeling when he says, "I didn't like to speak in public because people occasionally teased me for my accent" (839). Sad thing is that my Korean accent is getting worse. My friends in Korea pointed out that my accent is getting Americanized. Sharing a common language is a big factor in making someone feel like he belongs there, and I'm slowly losing that.

I don't know why she's so happy to be labeled FOB

Since I brought it up already, I want to talk about language. Just like Norma and her brother, my brother and I always talk in English. It's not that we don't feel comfortable speaking in Korean--although my brother is not as good as I--but it's just that we feel more natural speaking in English. However, we've been good about speaking to our parents in Korean because my parents insisted on speaking in Korean. I can understand why Norma "felt more comfortable speaking with [her parents] in English" (844) because I too feel that way and sometimes speak to them in English. I never understood why my parents were so adamant about speaking in Korean, but I understand that it was so that we don't forget our own language. My parents were afraid that living in America and speaking only English will make us forget Korean. Thanks to their effort, I preserved my Korean language.

Korean Language

Many things Alessandro said really touched me on a personal level. After reading his story, I felt bad for the things I did. When Alessandro got accepted to Lewisburg, he was very excited knowing that "[he] would be the one handling all the financial, academic, and commuting arrangements" (853) because his parents were not fluent in English. On the other hand, I was irritated and annoyed whenever my mom asked me for help while working on such matter. I knew she wasn't fluent in English, but it never occurred to me that it should be my responsibility. I guess I'm just not as grateful person as Alessandro.

I hated helping my mom feel this out

I can also relate to Alessandro's high school experiences as I too went to a similar high school as Lewisburg. I share all the feelings of not belonging. Unlucky for me, I never found a "Ben" in my life. Closest person to "Ben" I had was Thomas. I never got to get close to my high school friends because my parents were too strict and would not let me go and hang out with my friends. Maybe that's why I'm so bitter about my high school life and do not appreciate what my parents have done for me as much as I should.

I only wish I could have made more friends there

Alessandro's life parallels mine in many ways, such as pledging (and excluding girl part). He makes me look bad as a person. His story tells me that I should be more appreciative of what I have.