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Stepping into shoes of Second Wave




 Inspired by a friend’s father from the 1980s/1990s

1) Were you sponsored by family, work, or here as a result of war/US government sponsorship? When did you come and under which category did you fall under? (Professional, family reunification, or refugee).

I was a lawyer in Korea. I came to try giving my children a better future, assuming that I would be able to maintain my professional standing here.  

2) What is your current occupation, and what was your occupation in your home country? (professional, student, unskilled worker, housewife, shop owner, waiter, grocery store clerk, etc). What socioeconomic class do you fall into?

However, I had to open a small Korean restaurant in order to support my family in the US. I became the working class.  

3) What was your experience like in the US in your first six months here? (Difficulties, immediate needs etc).

I tried to get a job as a lawyer, but I was told that I did not have the papers and degrees. I went to a top university in Korea, but the US firms did not recognize my prior work. The firm I was in in the old country did not have any connections in the US, and their letters of recommendations were not taken here. I saved quite enough from my old profession, but there were immigration and naturalization fees that still remain. Realizing the abundance of Koreans in suburbia, I realized I could make ends meet by opening a Korean restaurant — there were many Chinese restaurants, though I would be one of the first Korean restaurants to open.

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