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Alumni's letters from the US
WRITER Department of External Cooperation WRITE DAY 2018-09-19
COUNT 213
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Alumni's letters from the US
Department of External Cooperation 2018-09-19 213

“Come out to the world. Do not be afraid, come out breaking eggs.”
Studying in the U.S.A. according to the professor's instruction, the 'challenge and passion' of alumni Choi Soon-keum's settlement period.

Pukyong National University's alumni, Choi keum-soon (50years old, ido6249138@gmail.com), who lives in the U.S.A., has recently sent a letter to school's public relations team.

She graduated from the Division of English Language and Literature at Pukyong National University in 1997 and said she has been living in Utah currently for 10 years.

She said, "I was hurt by the news that Korean college students were having difficulties (because of the job hunting)." she said, "I want to share my experience with my juniors."

The following is the full text of her letter.

 

To my beloved PKNU juniors.

Thank you so much for having opportunity to send this good news to you.
Now I work for a big company called General Dynamic Information Technology (GDIT).

What we do here is U.S. Census, which is responsible for the US census.

It is the work of the US government, and I only can explain this much.

The biggest reward for me is the fact that I am a Korean. Actually for 40 years in Korea, I did not have a feeling of awe for the fact that I am Korean. Because everybody speaks Korean.

However, since I have been working here, I felt that Korean is such a thankful language.

As a bilingual CSR, I am receiving a lot of salary because of Korean Language. All my colleagues here are from all over the world (Korea, China, Vietnam, Arabs, Iraq, Russia, Philippines ...) all are bilingual speakers.
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I hope that if we feel proud of our Korean language through this work, our alumni and juniors will study accurate Korean language and get more bilingual positions in the US. If you are constantly preparing for Korean and English, there are many such jobs. There are not so many bilinguals in the United States.

The motivation that brings me to America is this reason.

I have two daughters. The first was a healthy, intelligent baby. She is now studying medicine at a prestigious school in America. Most American students are not smarter than Korean students in many ways from my perspective. So I hope that our younger students will have confidence in the fact you are Korean and advance to the American stage.

My second daughter, Park Ji-soo Techla, this kid has changed my life. I thought my older daughter grew without problems, so my second daughter would do so. But there was a little weird moment during my pregnancy.

One day, skin diseases spread throughout my body and could not even sit down. And the baby who stood for 10 months was born safely. However, after a day or two, the baby seems to feel powerless, and there was a doctor's order to go to a big hospital and receive a thorough physical examination. We went through several hospitals and got to know the problem of the baby. The baby had two big problems. She had a heart attack and brain damage, and it was totally hopeless. Even one can hardly cure, but how can I cure both. And brain damage is a difficult disease to treat, and almost everything was impossible.

At that time, I came up with an idea that English literature professor, Son Dal-rye used to tell me. Do not struggle in this narrow Korea, go to wide America. The professor always reminded us like this during class. And I studied about disability education in America. Fortunately, the government policy of the United States was very generous to people with disabilities, and the disabled population was much larger than Korea, so the disabled people were not treated specially, and that were able to study freely with normal people rather than the cold and apathetic confrontation of society. I was convinced. For this kid, I think America is better than Korea ... I studied how I could go there.

The proper visa for me was a student visa. It is also a language training visa. Getting approved for a visa was an easy task. By the time the Obama government began in 2008, I settled in Utah with my two daughters. When I was in school, the hardest thing was the financial distress. My husband was afraid of everything and could not come for a variety of reasons. Suddenly, I became a poor international student and single Mom, a poor Korean woman with a sick daughter.

Now, looking back, I wonder how I spent the last ten years. It's not that rich now, but it's much better than that. I am not that rich now, but it is much better than before. I lived with $ 200.00 living expenses per month and saved my money again and again. I went to school to maintain my student position, and my eldest daughter and little daughter had a lot of time waiting for me playing at home. One day my eldest daughter said. "Mom, I'm glad I came here when I was 10 years old, you never know how long and lonely times me and my sister spent together."

When we made decision to come here, our eldest daughter was 10 and our little daughter was 8 years old. Everyone was told that my children are at a good age to come. Fortunately, my daughters adapted well to school. The US teachers also praised our children, saying that the DNA of Korean students is something special. I believe our school juniors will do better than this old lady when you come to the US stage. After finishing my language training, I studied Accounting at a formal school and got a degree and got a job.

I graduated from Pukyong National University and studied college in the US again. I do not have a doctorate degree, but most of my life was a series of learning.

After my parents died in my childhood, I was able to enroll in Pukyong National University in 1998 after 9 times applications. I went to the classroom during the day and worked as a lecturer at night, and I barely managed to graduate with low grades.

The College life in America was hard either. To save my living expenses, I had to go to a free lunch area with my daughters every day, but I was not ashamed. There, I was able to meet many poor, homeless people. I told my daughter. Look, these people are Americans with citizenship, but they're homeless, and now they know where to have meals, do you know why? More important than identity is the ability what you got, a real ability. When you become an adult, help these poor people with not coming here again, and donate for them.. I advised to my little kids.

Time has passed and our children have grown. My older daughter became a medical college student and my second daughter, Down Syndrome, became a senior in a high school.

In fact, nothing is done. Still, whenever I go to my workplace, I face a new challenge every day, making mistakes by misunderstanding English, but it is okay.

Do you know that? What is more important than my English language ability is my enthusiasm and endurance that day. I have been working for six months now, listening to the American Supervisor that I am who has not been dismissed and a har- working Korean.

When I first started working with American customers, I was afraid first. What if I do not catch what my customers say, or what if they tell me a strange word I do not know, so I tried to finish my work quickly. I did not listen well, so I made more mistakes.

I realized at some point. If I do not understand what customers say, I ask them to slow down and tell them I am not a native and asked them to speak slowly. It got a little better and better. Now, there is no such fear.

I believe my school juniors are smart.

As well known, PKNU is a famous school in Busan. However, smart brain is not enough. Nothing is more important than anything attitude that moderately and solves problems one by one. If you live like this every day, I guess your life is worth a try.

Though we will be still disappointed with momentary pain and hardships, it is also an evidence that we become more mature everyday.

Thank you for reading my no theme, random letter.

I love my school.

Although I was not good at grades, I saw the future here.

Gloomy news hearing from Korea currently, I had to grab my pen.

'Youth Unemployment', how horrible it is, and at the point when you have to start your life for a long time, I know that it would be despairing feeling that there is no stage at the time.

Get out into the world. There are lots of people who are not better than you. Do not be afraid, come out breaking eggs. You can get your job.

Also, your children will have chance to grow into global children because of you.
Regards, Soon Keum Choi.