I was incredibly nervous to conduct this interview with Sarah and complete the oral history project as a whole. Before taking this class, I had close to zero prior knowledge of Korean history and Asian history as a whole. Being white and American, I was very worried that I would either come off as a dumb American in my interview or ask Sarah something inappropriate. For example, a topic I wanted to discuss in my interview with Sarah was “Koreanness” and the generational differences between her and her parents. I was curious how growing up in Korea vs. being raised outside of the country affected Sarah’s perception of herself as Korean. It took a lot of preparation for me to ask Sarah about this, because I was so determined to present the question in a respectful and open-minded manner. In the end, Sarah answered my question honestly and without pause, which brought me a huge sense of relief. I also had trouble formulating questions that focused on Sarah rather than her parents. Sarah’s parents immigrated from South Korea to New Zealand, where Sarah was born. Because we are in a Korean history class, I convinced myself that Sarah’s parents’ experiences had more to offer to this oral history project. I was incredibly narrow-minded about what Korean history and culture actually was. I eventually began to understand that Sarah’s perspective was immensely valuable, as she had access to her parent’s culture as well as her own unique experiences as a Korean and an immigrant. I also put extra pressure on myself knowing that Sarah is my peer. The first person I approached for this project was a faculty member here at Colby, and I knew that he would have been understanding of my lack of Korean knowledge. For some reason I thought that Sarah, or any of my peers, might be more judgmental given that we were in the same Korean history class. Of course Sarah was extremely respectful and patient with me, but it did add some anxiety for me. Overall, I am very happy with how this project turned out and I learned so much from Sarah’s story.
— Anna Staton on her interview with Sarah Kim