When I start to write this reflection, I think of the site
of “from Korea with love”. So I search it in the internet. http://chrissantosra.wordpress.com/
I love her stories, they gave me lots of
emotions: fun, adorable, touched, funny,
sad, angry, furious, sad, frustrated, sorry and embarrassed. When I read her
stories, I usually looked back on myself as a Korean and as a human. She is
from the Philippines and lives in Korea with her parents-in-laws. If you read her stories, you can feel what her
feeling’s is living in Korea as a foreigner especially as a South East Asian.
Recently the population of foreigners is increasing because
of marriage, laborers from outside of Korea however Korean society is not ready
for welcoming them as a part of us not for them but for mixed blood Korean as
well. Actually I thought we Korean were moving forward as a member of international
society so our attitude toward foreigners was changing gradually. However when
I heard of little Psy’s new, I was disappointed. Homogeneity society
is a kind of a hindrance to accept multiculturalism.
I know some multicultural families in Gimhae, when I had met
them; most of their children were infants, or no children so most of their
concerns about Korean language or how to adapt Korean life with their in-laws
or their husbands. Now their children go to elementary schools or kindergartens
so their concerns’ are changing to raise their children properly however it
seems difficult for them. As a Korean parent I am having a difficult time to
raise my own kids properly, I am not sure what I do for my kids, then as
foreigners how difficult they are. Mothers’ Korean seem good as foreigners, however
that is not enough as mothers. Mother has to deal with her children and their
homeroom teachers and it is not easy for them. If their children speak English or tagalog well they could communicate well, in the reality they cannot speak well none of them. I guess that when their children
go to middle school or high school, it can be social issues.
I heard about an international marriage policy which foreign
spouse has to pass Korean proficiency test to get married to Korean to prevent language barrier
between Korean and foreign spouses. If someone who cannot speak Korean is not
allowed to get married to Korean, the idea is funny.
Early this year I met two factory workers who wanted to
change their companies because the company did not pay regularly. Because of
that they were suffering for a few months so they needed to help. It worked
well so they could release from the company and try to find new company. That
time I realized that the policy for foreign laborers’ finding job was changed,
before they could pick companies which they want to work. Now they do not have
a choice they just register their name on the finding job list then companies
which need to hire workers choose workers and call them. They have to wait for call from companies, it
moved back.
I know Korean government make some policy for multi-cultural
families and there are few Korean spouses who are suffering from their foreign wives.
However it is time to move forward together so government has to figure out how
we can change our view of multiculturalism including immigrant workers and
foreign wives and so on. I have to go to bed, it means I have to review it
tomorrow.
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