My second home

Marinda Hsu

English IS ll

Mrs. Guarino 

2015.11.05

                                                         Sookan's second home 

    I think Sookan had adapted really well into the American lifestyle and the new environment she is living in. She have friends and is accepting openly to a whole different culture comparing to Korean culture, therefore this might made Sookan surprised but gradually likes the American ideas better since it is more open and equal between men and women. But Sookan's agreement and support on American culture might make her sister Theresa angry since Theresa already warned Sookan not be influenced by a foreign culture and forgotten her original Korean culture and rules. Over all, I think Sookan will eventually become a Korean girl with an American girl's heart inside but at the same time struggling between her own ideas and her family's feeling and expectation on her. 

     Her sister Theresa wishes Sookan to go back to Korea in the future and become a nun just like her and participate in charity. Sookan will definitely have a disagreement and divergent ideas towards her sister in the future, maybe for not going back to Korea and becoming a nun or even maybe decided to marry someone in the U.S.! Many things that might happen in the U.S. and many ideas Sookan liked were not ideas Theresa accepts and agrees to, so Sookan's future decision might cause a big conflict between her relationship between Theresa. Sookan might find herself enjoying writing a lot since she became a great writer today. Also, I think that Sookan might find out latter on in the book that she should not stressed herself out so much and work so hard so hard to meet others' expectation, she should not give herself so much pressure and carry so many responsibilities on herself for being the only Korean student in the school. 

     Sookan will definitely experience more homesick since she has been crying already for a few times because of it, but I think she will not want to go back to Korea for a few reasons. First of all, she will not want to go back to Korea because she might feel guilty for not working hard enough and not being tough, mature enough as she had first promised for coming to the U.S.. She might feel sorry for going back without any big success to pay back for her mother's hard work and her family's expectation on her. Another reason is her sister and Korean's traditional might be something that became uncomfortable and not as acceptable for her anymore since she understood the open-minded American culture and likes it better to have the freedom on relationships between people and also freedom to choose who she is and prove what she can do on her own as a girl, a female. Sookan might be more aggressive and open comparing to the start of the story after the influence from her roommate Ellen's personality. Sookan might be more brave and confident to tell her ideas and dreams instead of being humbled as taught in Korea. There might be change of her personality as the story go on I think. 

   In conclusion, I thinks that Sookan will be facing more challenges and struggles between cultural difference, relationship between friends, family and also on her own thoughts for doing the right thing. Even if her sister is angry at her, she might still follows her heart and dream with Ellen and Marci's support. I think her biggest struggle will be her mother, she might feel guilty and sorry for not supporting her mother back in Korea and feel that she herself is a selfish daughter considering to traditional Korean thinking. Therefore, Sookan might also feel that America is her second home since she likes the American lifestyle and fits really well into the environment. She felt warmth from her friends' family and professor Bennett's family that she felt like home in a foreign country.