As I listened to her speaking about her childhood and teen Korean and American experiences, I could relate to many of the things she spoke about in regards to Identity.
As a child I grew up in a small country community and did my Elementary schooling with only 15 other students in the school. So when I left to go to a boarding school (dorm) in the city at the age of 11, I experienced a culture shock similar to that of living in another country.
That was the great thing about the way Dr. Kim spoke today, she related her experiences to that of many people in many different situations.
Our students who are 'Third Culture Kids' (TCK) sometimes have a feeling that they don't fit in- I certainly felt like this as an 11 and 12 year old in the city and many of us have experienced this.
Dr Kim did a great job of explaining the benefits of having more than one cultural identity and empathized with our students through her own experiences as a student in an International School in Korea.
Her belief and faith in God was evident through her talk with our students. She modeled for them what it is to be a TCK with strong convictions, balance and a varied cultural identity.
Dr. Kim is proud to be Korean and American and many students commented that it was nice not to have to choose just one cultural identity but to accept both as part of who they are.
At the end of her presentation Dr. Kim took the time to meet and talk with many of our students who could relate to what she was saying- Korean, American, Canadian, African, Australian kids. They all expressed thanks to her for talking about what they often feel- this misplaced feeling of not belonging.
Dr. Kim certainly made a lasting impression on our MS students today!
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