A Korean in El Salvador

I asked Sang Uk (known around school as Saggy) to write about what it was like to be a Korean in El Salvador. Saggy has traveled extensively and has a global view of his future in this world. Here is his perspective.

El Salvador is a small country that is nestled in Central America. Civil strife ravaged the country only a small number of years ago. Its political state is constantly landlocked in an indirect battle between left wing and right wing supporters. However, these small setbacks are not preventing the country from quickly raising its once damaged economy.

The above summarized historical definition also applies similarly to another country. All one needs to do is to replace the world ‘El Salvador’ with ‘Korean Peninsula’. Korea shares some historical pains with El Salvador. Korea also takes pride in its rising economy. Korea is as much the small jewel of East Asia as El Salvador is the pearl of Central America. I am a Korean.

Unfortunately, Koreans in El Salvador do not generally fit in. Due to our history, we’re fiercely independent and it doesn't help that Salvadorians are independent, too. El Salvador has a large gap between the upper class and the lower class. Most Korean families set up large factories for cheap quantitative production of materials and, as such, appeal to the lower class, while making enough cash to be considered upper class. This ‘breach’ alienates Koreans in a way comparable to bats. We don't really belong on land, but are not totally comfortable in the air either.

That’s not to say that Koreans totally exclude themselves from Salvadorian life. Spanish is learned rapidly by Koreans in order to communicate with the indigenous people. Communication, however, is limited to necessary talking. Styles of humor and topics of interest are much different between the two peoples. As such, Koreans tend to hang around one another rather than socialize around with Salvadorians.

The world we live in is not a flat one. We live in a spherical world where every inch of the globe is different from any other. It is hardly surprising that Korea, which is thousands of miles away from El Salvador, should have different customs. Koreans in El Salvador, unable to fit in properly, have set up independent churches, restaurants and schools here. I myself have many Salvadorian friends, and I've learned to properly communicate with them. I've lived in El Salvador for two years and have grown accustomed to the Salvadoran cultural heritage. However, I still marvel at how different I act when I’m around Koreans than when I’m around Salvadorians.