LOVE OF HANNAH

    My mom and I were in the plane with my son. My son was sleeping deeply. At the age of eight my son was excited to travel to a strange world. My mom and I didn’t say anything to each other because we were very scared and nervous about leaving home. There is a thirteen hour difference in time between Seoul and New York.

    I   divorced my husband and I had to raise my son from a little boy. Most Asian people have a conservative view of the divorce. My X-husband didn't want to pay alimony. Therefore, I had to make money to support my son. There were not many jobs after divorced. I worked several kinds of jobs but, the wage was hardly sufficient for me to support my son. And the most important thing, I desired to have a more different education from Korea for my son. In Korea, we are taught to be robots. They had to only memorize without thinking.

When I arrived in, I was amazed that there were vast cities, huge buildings, and big people. We rented a small studio, and we established a new life. My son was admitted to elementary school. However, it was not easy to go to school for him because, he couldn't understand the teacher's explanation during the class. He cried about going to school every morning. Also, I had to get a job to make a living. I started to work in a nail salon as a technician. A lot of Korean people have the same job in New York. I didn't have a choice for a job, because I couldn't speak English and didn't have any skills. It was very hard to work with people with different personalities, appearances, and cultures.
Sometimes, I recollect those first days in the USA. It had very gloomy future, and a desolate life. I held up through all sorts of hardship with a love for my son. I have wanted a good environment for my son and I have made it my goal in life. It is my way to say to my son, "I love you."