I came to New York City from South Korea about 11 years ago.

Korea was a difficult place for me to live socially and culturally. In Korea, I found myself constantly concerned about how others viewed me and was always worried about not fitting in. I yearned to be free from such worries so I decided that I would make a fresh start in New York.

I have been living in the U.S. for more than 11 years. For several years, I enjoyed the open minded society that I had always wanted to be a part of, and was happy to live without being so self conscious.

However, after living here for a long time, I started to miss Korea more and more. Because it is hard to live in this country as a foreigner due to identity issues, racism, and many other issues I never really understood until I moved here.

I realize now that every culture has positives and negatives, and sometimes we do not see the beauty of our own culture until we see it from afar.