Taylor Oh
Taylor Oh: Korean before Canadian?
I was born in Canada. I was raised in Canada. I love a good medium rare steak and I know that math was invented as the cruelest form of torture. I am a competent reader with a vast vocabulary that exceeds my age and the closest I have ever been to Asia was at the Kinjo Sushi restaurant a few blocks away. All of these characteristics would lead you to believe that I am Canadian, or at the very least, Western in nature. A Canadian kid through and through. So why is it then, that I’m called Korean far before I am ever called Canadian?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not actually wondering this. I understand that my facial shape and skin tone instantly draws people’s imaginations to far away rice fields and straw hats. I’m not even upset that I am referred to as Korean instead of Canadian. It’s a natural response for anyone and I am very proud of my mother country. After all I grew up hearing from my parents that I was Korean-Canadian which made complete sense to me. If my parents were born in Korea and I was born in Canada it made me a combination of the two. However growing up, it intrigued me how my peers assumed that because I looked the part, I identified more as a Korean than a Canadian. For myself, I was a combination of the two worlds, not an Asian with a sprinkling of Canada on top. Just because I am Korean doesn’t mean I only eat kimchi. Being Korean doesn’t mean my English grates along with the speed of a rusty wheel. And most importantly, being Korean does not mean I am related to Kim Jeong-Un, thank you very much.
Being Korean-Canadian means that I proudly carry the traditions and customs of my mother country such as bowing before elders, whilst embracing the customs of the Western world around me. I believe that the mixing of these two worlds has created a new philosophy for traditional Koreans and contemporary Canadians. The strict walls that restrict open affection and joking mannerisms in a Korean household have been slowly eroded by the wave of intimacy and freedom that is ever so evident in a Western household. This has resulted in a unique mixture between unshakable respect and open, free love between parent and child in my household and the households of many others.
So in the end, I guess the reason why I feel no offence towards those who consider me Korean before Canadian is because I am so grateful for being both. I was born with the Korean pride and resilience that flows in the veins of the natives and descendants of Korea. However I have been molded and shaped in the “potter’s wheel” that is the Western world around us. I love my home and I love my country of heritage and I wouldn’t want a world where either were more important.