多様性
The other stories in this book are fiction, written to illustrate a certain point about intercultural communication. The following, however, is based on the experience of a real person. Only the names have been changed. Kiyomi grew up like many other girls in Japan. She had her favorite foods, her favorite friends and her favorite subjects in school. She also had her dream for the future: she wanted to be a teacher. As a child, though, she couldn’t have understood the frustrations and fear she would face because of a secret-something that her parents knew but hadn’t told her. It would change her life forever. One day in junior high school a friend approached her and said, “I heard you are Korean. Is that true?” Kiyomi was confused. When she went home that day she asked her parents and they told her that, yes, she was in fact Korean. From then on Kiyomi began o live in fear. She was afraid of being left out, and so she hid her back ground. She knew little about the circumstances under which many thousands of Koreans came to Japan during the time of her grandparents. She wasn’t interested in history, war or politics, but she couldn’t escape them. Another shock came when parents told her to give up her dream of becoming a teacher. She learned that because she wasn’t a Japanese citizen, she couldn’t hold a government job, including being a public school teacher. It seemed incredible to her, and she continued to believe that one day she would become a teacher. Kiyomi was bright and entered a well-known private university in Tokyo. She continued to hide her Korean identity, and although she knew her Korean name- Sanmi-she wouldn’t have thought of using it. Then, however, her life changed again. At university she met members of a student association for Korean students. She met others in her own situation and found friends who understood the hidden fear she had lived with for so many years. For the first time, she began o feel pride in her identity. She came to the decision to tell her other friends about her identity. As she gained confidence she became more comfortable. Being Korean, and the understanding she found from her Korean friends, became more important to her. She een decided to use her Korean name, in spite of the trouble it caused her. Once, applying for a part-time job using her Korean name, she was rejected. A few weeks later she applied at the same place using her Japanese name, and was accepted. Kiyomi/Sanmi is now in her twenties, and her personality, value and interests are the same as many Japanese women her age. Perhaps for that reason, the question of her Korean identity has been especially difficult for her. She never felt different, but was made to feel different, and had to discover a deeper sense of self 8211; one that didn’t depend on choosing between saying “I am Japanese and “I am Korean