Growing Up Between Cultures

As I grew older, I started to understand how different my upbringing was compared to the kids around me. I was Korean by birth. I was raised by a Japanese mother. And I was living in an American community. Each culture had its own expectations, and I had to learn how to navigate all three at the same time.

My mother grew up in a strict, traditional household in Okinawa. She was the youngest of fifteen siblings, and she learned early in life that hard work and discipline were necessary just to get by. Because of her upbringing, she parented in the way she knew. She kept a very structured household. She believed in doing things the right way, not the easy way.

She showed love through routine and responsibility. She cooked homemade meals, cleaned constantly, tended the garden, and made sure we always had what we needed. She wasn’t someone who naturally expressed affection through words, but her actions were consistent. In her mind, that was how you cared for a family.

Living between cultures sometimes made life confusing. At home, I followed the rules and expectations my mother set. At school, I was surrounded by kids who lived completely different lives. I did not always fit perfectly into either world. It took time to understand that this was not a flaw. It was part of my story.

Over the years, I learned to appreciate all the cultures that shaped me. They gave me strength, resilience, appreciation for different ways of living, and a deeper sense of identity.