After working for 2 years in Korea, my older sister got married to her American husband, bought a house in New Hampshire, and invited me over.

I was planning to go after a few months, but after a year, I got a job at a company in New York that I had researched, and things went well at work, so I got my visa and now I have my green card.

Like everyone else, when you first come to America, everything feels awkward. I found many things difficult at first when I came to America.

First of all, there is the big barrier of the English language. I studied hard for 10 years during school, but since I have to use English every day with Americans, I get stuck every time I speak and feel anxious about making mistakes. Even if I can speak a bit of English, the locals talk so fast that I can't understand, and I get confused because of their pronunciation. When I keep repeating simple words that I can't understand, I feel discouraged, and at those times, I think, "Ah, I want to go back to Korea." But as time passes, it does get a little better. I never knew it would be this hard to learn a foreign language as I get older.

Next, when I live alone, I really miss Korean food. In Korea, I could eat kimchi stew or jjambbong anytime, but here, it's so hard to find such food. Especially living in a small town makes it even harder, and if the Korean restaurant is far away, it's difficult to eat what I want. On the other hand, there are foods that can only be eaten here in America, which is also fun. Still, in the end, I miss home-cooked meals. Even when I try Korean food when eating out, "my mom's taste" is always different.

Also, America has such a diverse population that I really feel the cultural differences. People here greet passersby with a smile and try to engage in friendly conversation. In Korea, we don't really do small talk, except for suggestions to join something. So at first, I found that a bit uncomfortable. But as time passed, I realized that it can actually be a good thing. Sometimes, being treated too friendly can feel overwhelming.

The sense of autonomy is also something I feel strongly in America. In Korea, I relied on my parents, but here, I have to make all the decisions myself, which was really hard at first. I have to do all the housework, and as the tasks increase, it is autonomous, but the responsibility also grows. Still, I think the freedom to do what I want is a really good point.

Moreover, I felt a lot of loneliness. Since I have no one around except my sister, at first, I felt like I was alone and was very lonely. In Korea, it was so natural to contact friends every day and eat together. But here, it took time to build such close relationships. However, as I gradually meet new people, that loneliness has started to fade away.

America really feels like a land of opportunity. There is a lot of freedom to do what I want, and there are many opportunities to move in the direction I desire. In Korea, it seemed like there were many restrictions to achieving dreams, but here, it feels like possibilities are more open. It's true that my income has increased compared to Korea.

With a large population and vast land, America values diversity, and people have different thoughts. In Korea, social discussions like this don't come up much, but here, I often see efforts to respect differing opinions. At first, that felt a bit strange and unfamiliar, but later I realized that it helps me grow as well.

In the end, coming to America has been a mix of unfamiliarity and challenges, but I feel like I've gained a lot of experience and learned a lot. I think the reason I ended up living in America is ultimately because I wanted to. There have been many times when I almost went back to Korea if I wanted to.

Next year will mark 15 years since I came to America... Even though I haven't accomplished much, I feel proud that I've just adapted well, and it makes me smile.