Today, my mother taught me how to make doenjang jjigae. I had asked her to show me, since I’m moving into an apartment-style at school in August and I won’t have a meal plan. Besides, I’m not sure if a life without jjigae is a life at all. I sat at the wooden island in our little kitchen as she boiled the broth, added the meat, the vegetables. The doenjang paste.
I have monolids. Mono as in “one”. One-lid. No crease.
Eye-shape seems to be a resurrectable conversation topic with my Asian friends. Which of us have been “blessed by the heavens above” with that little fold in their eyelid– which of us “unfortunate souls” have been cursed to bear the weight of hooded eyes.
I had never really attempted to express what it means to be Korean American in words until this internship. I feel like I’ve always taken my Korean American identity for granted. It has always been this intangible idea floating in the back of my mind, a mingle of different moments– the sensation of tasting my grandmother’s fresh kimchi, writing my Korean name, Korean words woven into English sentences.
This morning at work, I was contemplating what I should write about for my second blog, something I actually have passion for, something I genuinely want to share with this community.
My Korean name is Park Ji-Eun, 박지은. My grandparents picked it out when I was born: Ji for “wisdom”, Eun for “grace of God”. It is a name chosen with love, with purpose.
When I was applying to colleges, I had a lot of adults heaping advice on me–how to find the best study abroad programs, the best campus life, the best professors, the best undergrad programs. Also– to find Koreans.
Hi! I’m Cara, a Production and Social Media college intern. Welcome to my first official blog! This is my Korean American Story. I am 19 years old, immensely proud to be Korean American, and incredibly passionate about sharing our experiences and stories.
Hi, I’m Emma and I am a rising sophomore at SUNY Binghamton. I’m undeclared, but I want to double major in Art History and English.
Hello! My name is Cara! I am a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University studying Human and Organizational Development and Economics.
