Soohee Oh / CH5.Final Draft / Tues 11-1

CH5. Oral History - FINAL DRAFT   Interview with my mom In Korea, those who are in their 50's would probably went through a drastic change in the way of living. In their childhood, a rapid economic growth occurred in Korea which was one of the poor, recipient country, struggling to escape from poverty. It caused a substantial impact on the society and economy and on the people's lives. And my mother was one of the people who experienced the dramatic changes socially and economically. My mom was born and raised in the poorest town called Bansong. Among the poor, her family was one of the poorest as well. Before she went to schools, she said, "I was like a young mother." It was because both of her parents had to work to make money and support the family. Therefore, she had to take care of the two young brothers. She said she prepared meals for them and herself, adding "I knew the best recipe to cook rice at the age of 6." In terms of meals, there were only a few kinds of food such as Kimchi that her relatives shared for her family. "Even Ramen was expensive for my family. I did not get to have meat until I made money by myself." Every time she talked about her malnutritious life, she joked, "If I ate well in the past, I would have been much taller and you too." She said, "I moved 11 times because we could not afford the increasing rent fee." And when her family faced a serious financial problem, the family had to live separately due to the unaffordable price for a big house that could accommodate 5 people in the family. Then, I asked where they moved after then. "Well, one of my brother and I lived in my aunt's houses while my youngest brother lived with my mom." Then, she said she and her brother became used to living with their relatives. Also, even though she had two younger brothers, they saw each other once or twice a month. She said, "Since then, for my entire life, I wished I could have my own house," so that she would settle down in one place where she could live together with her family. But going through hard times did not make her depressed or weak but only strong and resilient. "Everyone around her liked me for being very social, nice to many." When she visited her friends' houses, all the parents of her friends welcomed her with a big meal. She also said when her teachers first met her, "they said they never imagined that I was living extremely poor." They were unaware of it until they found out that my mom had problems paying schooling fees on time. She and her brother went to the same elementary school in which the students had to pay a certain amount of schooling fees every quarter. However, they were so poor that they were always late for the payment. "I was so embarrassed at first. My teacher called my name and brought me to his office." At that time, bringing students to a teacher's office meant the student was in trouble. She added, "I felt guilty and shame for being poor and behind everyone, so I always wanted to be the same as others." Resting her chin on the left hand, she was gazing outside the window. Under the green Starbucks logo on the window, raindrops gently fell down on the streets. The rains seemed to represent her sadness during the childhood - being the poorest among the poor. Before this interview, whenever she talked about her poor life back in the past, she never forgot to mention, "Be thankful for your life!" When she said the exact same phrase this time, she looked like a strong soldier who had been in a bloody battle. "What happened in your high school years then?" I moved onto the next question. She answered, "I never thought about going to university. It was expensive and time-consuming for me, so I went to a commercial high school." The commercial high school helped her acquire important practical skills and prepare for getting a job right after the graduation. She said that there was no choice but to make money and financially support her brothers so that they could go to universities instead of her. At that time, it seemed natural for men to receive a higher education and a higher-paying job than women. "I never questioned why I had to sacrifice my 20's and I never pressed my parents for college." Only then did I realize why she was emphasizing the importance of education to me all the time; it was to make me the same as others. Making money, working in a company were not the easy jobs for her. She said the hierarchical structure strictly controlled by male bosses seemed to make it a lot harder for young female workers like her. And some of them abused their superior status and power. "My boss bullied and abused me verbally very often", adding that the most frequently-heard phrase from her boss was "Do you want to quit the job?" Raising her eyebrows, she added that when the boss got very angry, "he would throw any objects like papers onto my face." Moreover, she said because she was a female worker, she had to make coffee for all the team members. "I was best at making coffee at that time," she said. At that time, there was a lack of awareness of human rights protection, particularly for the women in the society. Since the 1990's, however, the society started to change. Those who used to abuse their power and sexually harassed female workers were punished in the workplace. "From the way they called me and to the way I worked, there were many noticeable changes at the work." I  could quite making coffee and buying cigarettes for her boss from that time. Also, while companies paid male workers a higher amount for the same work hours, employees began to receive a bonus based on their performances. Overall, female workers including my mom started to have a fairer treatment from the society. Despite the better, improved conditions for her, she stopped working for the company soon. In the end of working for 9 years, she quit the job because she was getting married. "That's such an absurdity!" I said. Then I asked what made her quit the job. "Was it your boss? I asked with such a frowned face, feeling like I could punch him in the face. But she said, "No! Female workers just quit their job if they got married. It was like some social custom." She added that even if they had no plans for babies, it would have been the same. Now, my mom is living much wealthier than I imagined after she met her husband or my father. In spite of some crisis in his business, she supported my father: "I helped him running his business, especially in terms of finance." She emphasized, "It was me who paid out all his debt. It was me who saved his business." Sometimes, she had too much confidence, but it just made me smile. I asked her for the last comment. Then, she explained that the society has changed and it is getting better even until now. Lastly, she added, "So, be thankful for your life!"