A 1.5 generation immigrant’s experience
Poetic Ethnographer: Kyung
Min Kim
Participant: a
Korean-American who immigrated to the US with her family when she was eight
years old
Project: Bilingual Speaker’s Experience
Source: Kim,
K., &
Park, G. (2020). “It Is More Expressive for Me”: A Translingual Approach to
Meaningful Literacy Instruction Through Sijo. TESOL Quarterly, 54(2), 281-309.
미국은 머리에만 있었고 볼 수 없었다.
A
glimpse of my grandmother at the landing gate brought tears of joy
미국이 이제 와서야 나한테는 현실이라. (Poem 1)
America was only in my head. I
couldn’t see it.
A glimpse of my grandmother at the
landing gate brought tears of joy
Finally, I came to know America as a
reality. (Poem1: translated
by the
participant)
할머니 외삼촌 손을 잡고, 반갑고 기쁜 만남
공항 수화물 쪽으로 향하면서 가벼운 마음
뜨거운 그들의 손,
마음도 뜨거워라 (poem 2)
It was a pleasant and happy meeting
clinging onto my grandmother and uncle.
Heading toward the Baggage Claim at
the Airport, I felt relieved.
Their warmheartedness was
transferred to me when I held onto their hands. (poem 2: translated by the
participant)
온 가족이 재회하면서, 기쁨을 얻었지만
하루하루 걸어가는 비좁은 삶의 길
평탄치 않은 삶의 길, 그것도 삶이라 (poem 3)
As the family reunited, we were
blessed and happy again.
We wrestled with the challenging
day-to-day path.
Even the uneven path of our lives is
life itself. (Poem 3: translated by the participant)
