Jane
Jane is a mother of two children. She currently runs a clothing business in Koreatown. She was born in South Korea and moved to the United States with her brothers when she was 20. She studied biochemistry at San Francisco State University. After graduating from college, she decided to dwell in the States. She moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles’ Koreatown due to her marriage in 2001.
Interview by Yushin Kim
Where is your hometown?
I was born in Yeosu, Korea. Yeosu is a city where I grew up until I went to the United States for college. Yeosu is known for fishing. People often [go there] just to fish. My family also fished a lot on the weekends. Yeosu was considered the countryside when I was growing up, but now it has become a city known for its luxury hotels and beautiful ocean.
What are your thoughts on Koreatown?
I think it is a small version of Korea placed in a foreign country. I don’t like Koreatown because it doesn’t give me the feeling of America. I really liked the feeling America gave me when I lived in San Francisco. When my children graduate from high school, I am planning to leave Koreatown.
What were the hardships that you went through as an immigrant?
I would say language was the major hardship that I went through. Since I came here to study abroad, I am not as fluent as people who were born here. So I had some trouble speaking English. Culture and racism were other barriers for me as an immigrant.
Why did you come to the U.S.?
I was working in Singapore while my two kids were living in the Philippines. I didn’t want to miss their lives. I had to make sure the family was together, and the only way to do that was to come here. I first came here as a tourist, and then checked with my friends’ employers and applied. From there, KGD, my employer, petitioned for my H-1B visa.
Do you live or work in Koreatown?
I currently run a clothing business in K-Town. I started this job because I got motivated when I was working part-time at a small clothing shop in San Francisco. These days, running the clothing business [has gotten harder] due to the current situation, like COVID and protests. I am worried my shop will be looted.
Is your clothing business affected by COVID-19?
Yes, it is affecting me massively. The first month of the quarantine was the worst. In general, my monthly salary had decreased by 90%. I had to put my products online so people could buy it easily.
My salary now is not as bad as [it was in] the first month of the quarantine, but it’s still worse than my salary before the quarantine. I wish I could go back before COVID-19 happened.
Could you tell me about your favorite memories?
Years at the university are my favorite memories. Today, I am just a normal worker and a mother, but back then, when I was in university, it was the most impressive period of my life. Working and studying in another country was impressive, and learning about another culture was interesting as well. Additionally, getting along with friends from other countries and backgrounds was extremely good. [I had] friends from Vietnam, Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, China, and Indonesia.
One time, I went to Mystery Spot in San Jose with my friends. It was a spot where gravity was working very weirdly. There was a flat wooden table, and one of the workers measured its surface with a tool to show us that it was a flat table. Everyone thought it was a flat and horizontal table. But as soon as the worker put a ball on the surface, it started to go to one corner of the table. It eventually fell off. It was so shocking to my friends and me. The measuring tool indicated that the table was flat and horizontal! Also, there was another flat wooden table that was low. The height of the table was about 10 inches. The worker told my friends and me to go up there. So all seven of us did. Suddenly, the smallest guy in our group became the tallest, and I, the tallest, became the shortest person on the table. As soon as we got off the table, everything became normal. The worker explained that some of the Native American chiefs used this place to display their power to the people. I was confused at first, but then I thought the science we know these days might not be true.
Was it hard for you to move around as an international student?
Yes, it was really hard to go around different places in the United States. I even had to care for two younger brothers, who were attending university in the States with me. It was literally hard work for me to adventure in a foreign country. I think the adventures that I went through were worth my energy and time. I really am grateful for those experiences and memories that I will never be able to experience again.
Where is your favorite place in Koreatown?
My favorite place is the Griffith Observatory. I like that place because I get to know about the stars and run on the nice track course. Also, it feels great to go up there and look down on [the whole of] L.A. It makes me feel that I am really in America.