Mike Lee
Mike Lee: Strong Sense of Community
My first encounter with Canada was after I finished my mandatory military service. With two large suitcases, I never dreamt my connection with Canada would be life-long. Up to that point, all I knew about Canada was that they had recently changed their national flag to something with a big red Maple leaf on it. During my military service, I used to pass by a display of an iconic military airplane, “Korean Air Force Number 1”, which was manufactured in the 1940’s in Winnipeg. My choosing Canada to study was also serendipitous. While I was filling out applications for American universities, I just added two Canadian schools, thinking, why not.
In those days people in Korea were slowly getting out of a dark tunnel of poverty but were still oppressed in many ways under a military regime. Under a strict censorship, going abroad to study was not at one’s will. After being accepted by a university with funding, there were additional exams imposed by the Korean government in order to be able to leave the country. In addition, we were required to complete background checks as well as attend mandatory education seminars in order to obtain a passport. After all these hurdles, I was finally authorized to leave the county and was given a passport. Finally I had an interview with the Canadian Embassy to obtain a 54 week-long study visa.
Leaving my friends and family behind at the airport, I took a red-eye flight to Toronto. Mixed thoughts were racing in my mind – uncertainties about a new place and excitement for a new beginning. Because there was no direct flight back then, I had to transfer in Seattle. But like a Murphy’s Law, Air Canada happened to be on strike. How the workers protested seemed so interesting to me, coming from Korea at a time when any kind of strike or protests against authority were strictly and severely censored.
My first culture shock was rather greater than I had imagined. In front of my residence, I ran into my supervising professor. He introduced himself with a handshake. I was taken aback by his casual attire (T-shirt and shorts in his sandals). I had thought he was housing staff! To make this rendezvous more comical, I was in a full suit with a neck tie that my friend picked out for me. Once I unpacked my luggage, my professor took me to his house. He kindly offered me an orange-looking fruit (later I learned that it was a grapefruit). I was trying so hard to peel it with my bare hand, and he showed me how to peel it properly with a knife. Almost everything was new to me.
Every day at 2 o’clock, I was called into my professor’s office. He copiously went over every detail ranging from my basic knowledge, classes I wanted to enrol in, and my thesis ideas. In order to stay awake, I remember drinking a large amount of coffee every day. My “military stand” posture became a funny story for my colleagues, because I would address my colleagues and my professor as if I were dealing with military supervisors. Because I often participated in protests against the military regime while attending college in Korea, as was very common in those years, I felt that I did not absorb as much knowledge as I could have. So for me, the time in Canada allowed me to focus on study. I was in heaven. I soaked in all knowledge and read anything that came my way. My English was still limited, so I sometimes just resorted to memorizing a whole table or summary. With only three to four hours of sleep every night, I survived it with a strong will to finish. I confess that what I feared the most was going back to Korea without completing my program, like a failure.
Participating in discussions was daunting at first. Unlike my colleagues who were able to articulate themselves eloquently, I could not even verbalize the answer that I knew. My speed of reading was much slower than my colleagues, but eventually I came to my professor’s assertion that the results are not that much different whether I read slowly but accurately and my colleagues read fast but not as accurately. As my English slowly improved, I was able to converse with my colleagues. This was the time I also learned to appreciate that cooperation is better than competition.
Overall my graduate study was an amazing experience. Whenever I had trouble in my later research, I regularly referred to the knowledge I had gained during these first years of learning in Canada.
I have deep gratitude in Canadian values. So many acts of little kindnesses and generosity were found everywhere. One year after I started my study in Canada, I got married, and my son was born the following year. I was always preoccupied about my research, and what I helped my wife with was usually grocery shopping on Saturdays every two or three weeks. One day, after standing in a long line up, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet. Feeling embarrassed, I asked the cashier if I could leave my cart and come back and pay for it within half an hour. The casher called down the manager, a big guy with a beard. I was worried that I would get into trouble. But the manager, with a big smile, told me to just take the groceries and bring the money next time. I was smitten by this generosity and trust of the manager and staff! I insisted that I would bring back the cash and paid later that day.
For another example, an owner of a coffee shop in front of my school was very sympathetic to hungry students from third world countries and would allow them to put their bills on a tab if they forgot to bring cash to pay. This collective sense of community and trusting one another left a strong impression on me as Canada being an ideal society.
Further, when I was a teaching assistant, one of my classmates would come help me in the lab when I missed any assignments. She had a child with her husband and was not necessarily wealthy to my recollection. One day she gave me an envelope. There were five $1,000 bills in it. Her story was that she told her mother about me, a struggling Asian student trying to finish his education, and her mother wanted to support me so I could finish my study! I was so moved by their thoughtfulness and generosity. I did not accept their gift, but their thoughtful and kind action moves me to this day 30 years later. Previously I had thought that Canadian parents were “cold” because they let their children find work to earn money to pay for their own education. The Korean custom would be always for the parents to pay for their children’s education if they can afford it. When I received the envelope, I could not fathom this generosity of how these Canadian parents were willing to help a foreign student (me) who was struggling to make ends meet. From this experience, I know that Canada has a strong sense of community to lift each other up and help one another.
Next, I feel deeply indebted to the remarkable public funding and public system in Canada. Because financial support from Korea was so scarce back then, I instead received research funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). I am eternally grateful to have been supported by public funding. I supported my family and educated my children through public systems built from Canadian taxpayers in this adopted country of mine.
After completing my study in Canada, I came back to Korea. Although I could have applied for a permanent resident status, my strong desire to serve future generations in Korea ultimately brought me back to Korea. All of my accomplishment in Canada was accepted and considered competitive in Korea, so I was able to easily find employment and continue my research. From time to time I fondly remembered the Korean community in Canada who supported me when I was studying and working in Canada. Reminding myself of my indebtedness to Canada, I tried to stay connected with the Canadian community in Korea.
Coming back to Korea was another culture shock. Korea being unlike the casual and relaxed Canadian culture, it took me a while to get used to more hierarchy and seniority again. During my first sabbatical year I visited Canada with my family. My previous professor suggested that I apply for permanent residency in Canada. However, due to the economic recession in Korea and the struggling Korean currency at that time, we could not possibly take up the permanent residency that was approved.
However, like a salmon swimming back to their birthplace against the stream, our love for Canada was resolute. My first child missed Canada so much and wanted to return to Canada for schooling, which he ambitiously embarked on by himself when he turned 12. Soon followed my younger child to Canada. As a parent, I supported their wishes so that they can have more opportunities in the future. Despite my nights of worries about their well-being across the Pacific, my children grew up to be successful and contributing members of society.
Twenty years have passed since I came back to Korea. Recently I received permanent residency again. Just like the first time thirty years ago, I am embarking on another move to Canada. It was not an easy decision to pack up and permanently move again, but I wish to enjoy the beautiful and pristine nature Canada affords, spend quality time with my children and family, and finally wish to contribute to the community that Canada showed me thirty years ago.