My KOREAnization

Twitter War #cancelkorea #sorrytofilipinos

It's 2AM and I cannot sleep. I need to write down my thoughts or else I will be up all night. I got into a lot of trouble on Facebook before for being tactless and inconsiderate. I learned my lessons and I consciously try not to voice out my opinions regarding politics, religion and racism but...

I have been watching YouTube videos about the whole #cancelkorea Twitter movement. My husband came home from work and told me about this whole Twitter war between Filipinos and Koreans. My husband said it was on the news so I got really curious.

It is so sad that the mistakes of a few ignorant and racist Koreans made so many Filipinos angry. I am a Filipino with a Korean citizenship. Whose side should I be on?

I endured years of discrimination and racism in Korea. I had been underpaid as an English teacher because I am not a native English speaker. Caucasian teachers got double of my salary but I was the one asked by the English school owner to edit and proofread their student evaluation reports. I had a Caucasian co-teacher who has terrible grammar and spelling. I was so surprised when he wrote the spelling of surprise as SURPRICE. I had another Caucasian co-teacher who thought that the past tense of THINK is THINKED. I don't have perfect grammar and I misspell a lot of words too but i definitely know the spelling of SURPRISE and the past tense of THINK.

When the English school owner asked me
to check out resumes of native English teachers, she asked me to choose only Caucasian applicants. I complained a lot about how underpaid I was but my Korean co-teacher studied English in Australia but her salary was lower than mine. Life is unfair. I am trying every day to accept that life in unfair. I keep telling myself to stop playing the victim.

I had a love and hate relationship with Korea because of the few bad Koreans I met. I believe that most of us are good people. If we are not basically good, all of us will be criminals. Most Koreans are good just like most Filipinos are good. I love Philippines despite of all the corrupt government officials, the horrible traffic in Metro Manila, the snatchers in MRT, the horrible traffic enforcers and so many shameful things. I love Korea despite of the discrimination, racism and ageism. I have been married to my husband for almost 21 years but still his siblings hate me and I hate them. The feeling is mutual.

I have been trying to find work as an English  teacher but many schools don't want to hire anyone older than 35. Even factories don't want to hire anyone older than 40. I am 44 now so I better come
up with something smart to make a living.

Despite of all the bad stuff, I believe I owe my life to Korea. I owe my life to the Korean paramedics, nurses and doctors who saved my life. When I had an aneurysm attack last November, my husband called 119 (South Korea's 911) and the paramedics arrived so fast I was in surgery in an hour. I am grateful for how fast and efficient Koreans are. I come to love Korea more because of the fast paramedics, my superb doctors and patient nurses.

I checked Twitter and #sorrytofilipinos was trending two days ago. A lot of Koreans have apologized to Filipinos in behalf of the racist Koreans who posted hate comments on Bella Poarch's TIKTOK. I am so relieved to see many forgiving Filipinos on Twitter. I am proud to say that most Filipinos are forgiving. We forgave Spain, US and Japan for invading our country. I feel no grudge toward our colonizers.

Many Koreans still cannot move on from the abuse and pain Japan has caused their country and ancestors. That's a very sensitive issue to Koreans. I had a student before who told me he hates Japan so much for what they did to Koreans during the war. I told my student if you hate Japan so much you should stop reading Japanese comic books and stop playing Nintendo. My student realized that he could not give up his love for Japanese comic books and Nintendo so he decided he would hate only those bad Japanese during the war and not all Japanese.

It is so hard to NOT GENERALIZE. One bad Korean does not make all Koreans bad. One experience should not change our perception of a country. Ignorance is not an excuse but when someone apologizes, maybe we can forgive but not forget. I know. I know. Easy to say but so hard to do.