Kang Soon-ja's story.

Life in Korea

As a child, Soon-ja Kang was nothing special. She was a good daughter that caused no trouble. The youngest child of her family, Soon-ja was spoiled by her father. In her free time, she would play traditional games and jump rope for fun.

She had just started seventh grade when the Korean War began. Soon-ja took pride in her academics, surpassing her peers in learning mathematics and the English alphabet. After she graduated college, she worked with her brother in his friend’s paper company, and due to the paper shortage in Korea, the business was good. The president of the company was her brother-in-law’s friend, so Soon-ja was treated well by the company.

During the Korean War, the people in Soon-ja’s town steadily evacuated the area, but she and her family could not leave because her brother and sister were still in Seoul. She felt that they were waiting until the last minute.

Immigration to the United States

Soon-ja immigrated to the United States when she was 26. Her husband, who she was then engaged to, immigrated in 1960. Too scared to live in an apartment on her own until her husband finished his studies, Soon-ja soon followed him to the States. However, it took three years for Soon-ja to get her VISA.

In 1963, Soon-ja packed up her belongings and moved to Wisconsin, where her husband attended school. Soon-ja was confident she could bear leaving her home and the journey to a completely new country where she would have to restart her life.

Back in Korea, Soon-ja had many friends. But living in Wisconsin, Soon-ja had none. She could not speak English, which frustrated her greatly. In the first few weeks she lived in the States, Soon-ja would cry every day. Troubled by her grief, Soon-ja’s husband told her to go back to Korea and wait for him to finish his education. This opened her eyes. If she went back, people would think that she was dropped by her husband. The fear of shame overwhelmed her homesickness, and Soon-ja resolved to remain with her husband in the US.

Settling into her new home

When Soon-ja first arrived in the US, she wanted to live a good life. The ordinary, war-free life that nearly every immigrant from South Korea sought at that time.

In her hometown, everything American-made was celebrated as the most luxurious items that could be found in the country, so Soon-ja was excited to discover more American goods in the US. She was soon disillusioned. Soon-ja realized that the clothes were not as high-quality as she expected.

Everywhere, people would ask if she was Chinese or Japanese. Ashamed of her identity as a South Korean immigrant, Soon-ja kept to herself and felt socially ostracized. She felt that no one knew of Korea or its culture.

The money her husband received as a student was enough for them both. Additionally, since Soon-ja’s husband was a citizen, her new life was much easier to get settled into than she had assumed.

Soon-ja became pregnant right after she arrived in the US and wanted to learn English to help her child excel in American schools. But learning English terrified Soon-ja. She was afraid that people would talk to her on the streets and she wouldn’t be able to answer back. She also feared the immense diversity in the US, a stark contrast to the minimal diversity in her home country. It took a very long time to get adjusted.

Life as an elderly immigrant

Reflecting back on her life when she initially immigrated to the United states, Soon-ja is the most proud of her children. Though she was once afraid that her children may not have anyone to take care of them if Soon-ja had to work, her kids grew to be well-behaved. Soon-ja recalls that even as teenagers, they did not cause her any trouble.

Though Soon-ja was miserable in the first 20 years of her life in America, she didn’t realize how lucky she was to even be able to immigrate to the United States in the first place. Eventually, she overcame the language barriers and no longer felt that she was treated differently from the typical American citizen.

Indeed, there were many difficulties throughout her journey as an immigrant, but Soon-ja emerged a stronger, more independent woman in the end. She remembers her spoiled childhood and knows that she wouldn’t be as she is now if not for her immigration to the United States.

Content with her life as a senior citizen, Soon-ja does not experience many problems as a senior citizen. Luckier than most immigrants to the States, Soon-ja is grateful that she is treated well by her community and surrounded by her loved ones.

Thoughts on immigration to the United States

When Soon-ja immigrated to the United States, there were no language schools. She believes that having a support system back then would have been extremely helpful for immigrants who could not speak English. She is thankful that the government helped her and her family and believes that her life now is infinitely better than before. She has everything she could want now.