Seoh

=Munsup Seoh=

Podcast
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BIOGRAPHICAL/GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Munsup Seoh is an immigrant from South Korea. He has live in the U.S. for over thirty-five years, and is now a Professor teaching statistics at Wright State University. Munsup lives with his wife Lee Seoh, and his two daughters Hannah and Minnah Seoh. Living in America as a Korean immigrant Munsup and his wife tend to only speak Korean at home with their kids which helps keep some part of their culture.

When Munsup first moved to America in August 1976 he had just graduated from a local university in Seoul, South Korea. He wanted to be a teacher but had learned that he had to have a government degree first, so he decided to come to America to earn it. At first he struggled, living off his scholarship money, which wasn’t much and eating only basic foods such as Ramen Noodles. Since he wasn’t much of a cook he had to wait until his wife-fiancé at that time, immigrated. When they both were settled in America they soon got married and later Mrs. Seoh had two daughtersHannah and Minnah.

Eventually after their first five years living in America they grew very homesick and he and his family decided to move back to South Korea, which they did and stayed a year before returning to the U.S. There, he and his wife were able to spend more time with their family. They came back to America and he got returned to his teaching job and has been living happily in America ever since.

=Creative Writing Title=

By: Makayla Day
I remember when I use to live in South Korea. My family and I lived in the capital of South Korea, Seoul. All I wanted was to become a teacher, but in order to archive that I had to move to America. I had to leave behind my family and most of my belongings. I had little money, only enough to bring clothes and other necessitates. This consisted of clothes and treasures and a small blanket.

 I did not know anything about America only that people went there for opportunities. When they wanted a better life people would reply “Why not go to America?” To get a better education I traveled to the forbidden land, flying into battle without a clue of what’s going on. All I knew is that I and my wife were starting our own life.

 When I first arrived and was attending school I had lived at the dorms. I was living off of my scholarship money, which was not much. I did not know how to cook very well and spent most of the six months before my Fiancée (at that time) immigrated; eating “American Ramen Noodles.” I was so glad when she came because I was ready to eat some real food.

 So when I moved to America I had been enrolled in multiple colleges, learning more each day towards my government degree. I was wrapped so tightly in my schooling that it became a cover over me, blocking out all distractions besides my work and family making it easier to study. Eventually all the hard work had paid off. When I graduated I was also able to get a job at Wright State as a Professor and taught statistics. Now that I was done with school my cover was folded up and stared away, it was time to bring out the blanket for work so I can do the best I can.

 After five years in America I just couldn’t take it. My blanket was slowly being pulled off by the invisible hands of memories. After a while the blanket resembled no more than a shredded piece of cloth that could have been dragged across a paved road, filled with holes and rips everywhere. When I started looking through the patches I finally realized how much I missed my family. I talked to wife, Lee Seoh about it and she felt the same way she talked me into taking a leave of absents instead of turning in my resignation. We sold our house and moved back to Seoul, the capital in South Korea.

 When my family which consisted of my wife Lee and my two daughters Hannah and Minnah and I arrived we were happy to be back with our family. For me it was as if all my memories had been stored away in an attic and were now flowing free inside my head. It was nice being able to see my brother Minsup, and sisters Youngae, Jungae, and Kyungae Seoh. Also being able to show my daughters where I live or what schools I went to.

 We had ended up living in Seoul for a year and the entire time I had unconsequently been wearing a ragged piece of cloth, barely hanging from my shoulder. I was told I had change, but I could not begin to realize how. That’s when it hit me no matter how much I tried focusing just on my past life in South Korea, on memories of my late mother Dooryun Doh Seoh, and my father Soonho Seoh. Or if I just concentrate on America and my family’s future here I could not pick one or the other.

 I was still the same youthful adult who traveled to America in search of a better education, but now that I have that I realize that it’s not the only thing I wanted. I wanted to live my new life with my family in the United States but I did not want to lose the one I already had. I didn’t want to focus too much on my job and the rest of the world that I forgot about my family. I did not want to be too American and not enough Korean.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Day: You emigrated from Korea, correct?

Seoh: Yes, I’m from Korea.

Day: You came what, six months earlier than your wife?

Seoh: Yes, I came in August 1976; my fiancée came December…the same year.

Day: Your decision to come to America, was it job wise?

Seoh: Yes, I graduated from {not sure if it’s correct} Sangmyung University Seol in 1970. That I ….yes a step from Korea was not a delicacy unless I had my governor degree because I didn’t have any hopes against a job, a teaching job at the university so I decided to earn my degree on my own here {America}.

Day: Were you ever treated badly or unfairly because you were Korean?

Seoh: Well that is kind of a long story. I moved to start Sangmyung when I was a student at Sangmyung I didn’t experience I may not have {been} aware of that type of situation. I was so busy with starting a Sangmyung I didn’t even have time to think about it.

Day: So you were so busy with trying to keep up with your education that if you were to experience that way you wouldn’t know?

Seoh: I was not jealous; {pause} I did not think about that, it’s just that I did not think about anything at that time.

Day: When you first came to the United States were you either happy or more towards disappointed from your expectations?

Seoh: Well before I came here I didn’t have any expectation, because I did not know anything about America.

Day: So you were just like starting on a new slate?

Seoh: Yes, and then when I arrived here {America} at that time I was very poor to the people, to the {from the point of view from others} actually there was plenty of dorms which I ended up living on so in that I was so happy. In Korea even I was worried about what I would live on in the last years of college. But here with {unidentified words} the scholarship and the best scholarship money, it’s not sufficient but we can survive then I can get worry about what to eat in that case, I was so happy in that place.

Day: Since living in the United States was there any time you wanted to move back to Korea?

Seoh: Well that has a very big story. After graduation somehow I stayed here [pause] actually; I got the job to Wright State University 1983, then after five years of my job at Wright State University I was so {he drags out the word} eager to see my own countries students in Seol and my own country in Seol. So I sold my house and then I suddenly got my resignation but as Cheer forsaken me {I think his wife’s name} I took a leave {drags out word} of absents instead of resignation. Because I went in Korea 1987, then came back again in 1988, then at that time there was the Olympic Games and such.

Day: Did your wife come with you?

Seoh: {takes a pause to think about the question} my wife and two children came with me when I was in Korea and that was that.

Day: Have you ever felt that you have changed since coming to the U.S.?

Seoh: {he did not understand what I was saying} What change?

Day: {have you} had to adapt to American culture to fit in, in a way?

Seoh: On that one as I mentioned I was so happy to get in this country and being in the city Cleveland, Cuyahoga {may be another city not sure} and being in college life. I didn’t think about any… about (he was thinking carefully how to word the sentence) just except that I a little speak English but when I go back to my family in 1987 and then I was so told I had experienced culture shock in my own country so that was the weird thing, experience. {That was another thing} in one since I changed, adjusted in this new country {U.S.} than in my own country. Is that what you’re saying, am I correct?

Day: Has your religious views changed from when you were in Korea, changed since coming to the U.S.?

Seoh: You mean the living standard in Korea?

Day: No your religion views.

Seoh: Religion?

Day: mm meaning yes

Seoh: Religion I did not have a religion until I came to the United States but Korea had long history since my parents always put in Buddhism when school ask paper work. Then at the college I was to educate I was taking bible study for after a year {he mutters to himself}. By the way I attended {college}, because of that there are several {parts of it} for education so I had taken a bible study for half a year, but at the last moment I said no, still I cannot believe in god. So that was before I came to the United States and then I was also busy in between starting {school} also stuff with my own family financial foundation. I didn’t think about it {his religion views} this seriously until about 1995. In 1995 I was baptized at in a Christian church at 219 Christian Church, Sabian.

Day: You stayed since? You stayed ever since then?

Seoh: Yes, I stayed ever since.

Makayla: Back in Korea did you have any certain rituals or traditions that you stopped doing in the U.S.?

Seoh: As far as I can {tell} I don’t have any special things. One of the reasons is that Korea has sad story. Before I was born many many years before I was {born} Korea was immense by {the} Japanese.

Makayla: The what?

Seoh: Japan. So Korea was governed by Japan for thirty-six years, and the end of world war two 1945. Once we {Korea} were {pauses trying to use the right word} independent from the Japanese rolle. Five years later when war {World War II} was in conflicted between Soviet Union soviet black and {another enemy} black…..So because of that Korean war happened in 1950 and lasted three years. And then we, for those three years of ghetto {poverty from the war} almost all Korean housing and steps were destroyed we were devastated by it clearly so. About thirty-six years or Japanese rule then about ten years ago after the war and then that destroyed almost all of our traditions, culture, activities and such. And because of that we didn’t have much annual ambitions, activities that is part of the reason now, is a Korean governs normal so they try to govern our own old traditions, beauty and activities so now I hope I can learn them before it’s too late since the traditions are not abundant here. So that’s what I do things I miss.

Day: Did you find any American customs a change or difficult?

Seoh: Well one of the most challenges about that is the concept of “I” and the concept of “we.” It took me a really long time to understand that. So one example I Korea, we do not emphasize “I” language starts always we skip “I”. Even one of the few things around them always “we” and still “we” never “I”. We use to say my wife no that’s not the our way it’s our wife. When you think about ‘our wife’ that sounds very strange {he’s laughing} but that’s just our language.

ANALYSIS
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