I’ve met quite a few people who aren’t familiar with Asians. I know it’s not just me…the Husband once told me about how he had visited Korea about 15 years ago and he brought back Korean cigarettes. He was smoking them at a bar and a woman noticed they didn’t look like the ones she usually saw around New York City, so she asked where he got them. When he told her Korea, she had no idea what he was talking about. He tried to explain Korea is a country in Asia near China and Japan, but she still didn’t get it.

I live in an area where there aren’t many Asians, much less Koreans, but a few weeks ago I went to a local nail salon that are run by Koreans. I know the employees were pretty surprised to find out that I was Korean, but I think they were pretty excited because they kept asking me questions in Korean, like how long I’ve been living in the US and if I live nearby. Since my Korean isn’t that great, I answered in English. One of them commented that I spoke English well and asked, “Are you adopted?”

So just because I’m not bilingual, they assumed I must have been raised by non-Koreans.

When he heard this story, my white brother-in-law asked, “So Koreans are ignorant about each other too?”

Yes…yes we are.