Korean-English Dictionary and Korean English Bible

Author: Unknown
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There were two items that were a frequent sighting in my house and probably in many Korean-Canadian homes: the weighty, red-rubber-covered Korean-English Dictionary and just as hefty, the Korean-English Bible. Just like these two books, my identity is long and complicated. However, with some patient reading, there’s probably a story or two relatable to many Korean-Canadians.

I was born in Seoul, South Korea and grew up in Vancouver, Canada from the age of 7. During my primary-school years in the early 90s, my classmates had not heard of or knew very little about South Korea. Unintentionally, I became an advocate to introduce and share with them about the country that I was from: "No we are not a part of Japan or China, I am not from the communist part of the country and yes, I had rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner." Korea has made a prominent mark on the global front since then and those friends now proudly remark that they had a Korean friend growing up and had tried japchae, kimbap and bulgogi before it became a thing.

Fast forward to 20 years later and I have landed back in South Korea, living and working as a Canadian citizen. People that I meet, whether Koreans or of other nationalities, make the effort to share what they know of Canada with me, from our long-blustery winters to the questionable Canadian bacon and as of late, the country with a good-looking Prime Minister. I call of duty to myself to broaden that knowledge: "Vancouver has a very short-winter, just a very long rainy-season. Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world. And have you heard of Ketchup Chips?"

Having lived and worked in both countries, I am privileged to say that I know what it's like to be seen as a foreigner, to fit in as a minority and try to embrace the unfamiliar place as home. Sometimes I play the role of a Korean and other times I am a Canadian. Flipping through the pages of my life story there's probably an experience that this global-generation can relate to or help define their own circumstances, much like a Korean-English Dictionary (which, by the way, was created first by a Canadian in 1897, Reverend James S. Gale).