Do you miss Korea?

It's been a year since my mother returned from her trip to South Korea. My younger sibling also visited South Korea briefly last autumn and brought back many memories, including the above photo. As for me, although I have the means, my current situation prevents me from traveling abroad, so I just look at the photos and say, "Is this really the neighborhood I used to live in?" "It's changed a lot."

To be honest, I only have negative and bad memories of South Korea. Because of my congenital disability, I spent most of my time in the hospital instead of kindergarten, and I never really experienced making friends with my peers. Instead, I was often the target of ridicule from boys my age. Every new school year, I always failed to make friends.

The discrimination continued on the streets. When I walked around, I would get glares and judgmental looks from people, and I even had a few experiences where people openly spoke badly about me or said hurtful things. So, looking back, although safety wasn't guaranteed, quieter places were where I could at least relax a bit.

Things were a little better at university, where I had shared interests and a major with others, but I still often ate lunch or other meals alone. Moreover, I didn't realize it at the time, but I received almost no benefits as a person with a disability. This is what led me to choose to go to America.

When I came to America, it was truly a paradise for people with disabilities. At first, I suffered from homesickness and cried every day, missing my friends, but as I gradually adapted to life here and my English improved, my bad memories and positive memories of Korea faded. Here, I've never been discriminated against for being an Asian person with a disability to my face.

Regardless of travel plans or my current situation, South Korea is a country I never want to go back to, though that might sound harsh. Of course, nowadays, social awareness and systems related to people with disabilities have improved compared to twenty years ago, but watching WonShotHanSol's videos makes me feel that South Korea still has a long way to go to join the ranks of developed countries. So, if I had the chance to live in a third country, I'd rather choose to go to Japan.

Of course, immigrating to Japan is extremely difficult, complicated, and I've heard that they are restrictive in accepting foreigners. But I'm studying German these days, so I'm also leaning towards Germany. I know that many of America's systems originated in Germany, and above all, I've heard that if you want to study, you can attend university almost for free or very cheaply.

I don't know where I'll live in the future, whether I'll continue to live in America or go abroad again, but wherever I am, I want to always be confident and create many happy and joyful memories with the people I live with. And, instead of dreaming of a Cinderella-like fantasy, I want to study foreign languages diligently every day so that the day when I can truly shine will come.

Of course, as I keep emphasizing, even if I don't go to Germany or Japan, I still want to be able to hear someone say, "Wow, you speak Japanese and German!" in America. As a multicultural country with diverse cultures, there's really no reason for me to go abroad. Although, Japanese people are indeed quite rare.