Immigration to America can be seen as a choice made by those who seek for a beneficial change in their lives. My family made that choice in 2009. Unlike most of the people in the freshman class, I am an immigrant. An immigrant is a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents, and so on, as far as I know, have been born and spent their entire lives in South Korea. Then, in April of 2002, my parents got married. They were both devout Christians, and had met at church. Before the marriage, my father had decided to pursue an education in theology, and he became a pastor in 2007. My family moved to California in 2009, so my father could receive better education, and so that my parents could provide a better living environment for my brother and me.

Before moving to America, my father was always very busy. In most houses, when the father works a full time job, the father and the children tend to drift apart. That was the case for our family. Especially once my brother and I started going to school, we were barely able to see my father anymore. During the day, my brother and I would be at school, and in the evening, my father would be out past our bedtime preparing for sermons and doing church work. I was still pretty close with my father, but because I did not spend a lot of time with him, I was always more comfortable and reliant on my mother, grandmother, or friends. I was more self centered and only cared for my grades, my friends, and my social life. When my family moved to California, it was during summer break, and neither my father nor I had started school yet, so our family was home together most of the time. The time spent together helped me realize the importance of the presence of my father.  When school started, my father’s absence became apparent once again. This time, however, was different from when we were still living in Korea. At this point in our lives, my father was the most educated in English within our family. My mother could help me with basic homework assignments such as copying the letters of the alphabet or solving math problems, but there was one thing that only my father could assist me with. Every time there was a school project, my father would stay up with me even past midnight and my father and I would work on it together. He would help me prepare for presentations and with his creativity, helped me to think of unique ideas. Especially during the first grade, I felt that I could not work on a project unless my father was home. That is when I first started to understand the importance of my father’s presence.

Besides the school assignments, there were other events that led to my realization of the importance of my family. For the past ten years, my mother has woken up one hour before me to make me breakfast and pack me a lunch for school. She also would come thirty minutes before school ended so that my brother and I would not have to wait to be picked up. My father was diligent in his work and supported our family. As the years went by, I felt the urge and the need to express Hyodo to my parents, which is the korean way of saying filial piety. It is honoring one’s parents and expressing brotherly love toward one’s siblings in order to maintain peace and harmony within family. Immigration to America also has led me to prioritize Hyodo towards my parents.

Although the move to America was predominantly beneficial, there were some obstacles that were a hindrance to my family’s new life in California. When we first moved, there was an invisible language barrier. We had to rely on my aunt’s family to get most things--  such as getting an apartment or renting a car-- done. Also, our family came to America holding a visa, which granted us the rights to live in America while my father was receiving education. Since my father is no longer a student, my parents had to apply for a green card, which allows immigrants to live and work in America permanently. This process however, is not an easy one, and can take up to several years. Despite all of this, moving to America has not only given an opportunity for better education, but it has also strengthened my values toward the idea of filial piety.

Although immigrating from South Korea to America was a hard factor to adapt to, the change has allowed my family to start to value each other rather than our own works. While immigration to America has brought some discomfort, it has also given my family an opportunity to acquire knowledge and understand the value and importance of family. In the process of adapting to a foreign place, my family not only obtained better education, but we also learned to appreciate one another.