My Dad’s last name, Lim originated from a noble family. In Korean, the name Lim is pronounced ěž„(Im). Because the Korean language was created based off the Chinese language, caricatures from the last name “Im” affiliates with the Chinese language. My name isn’t necessarily named after someone but how some Korean names work are that they are named from a system of Chinese caricatures based on the cycle of life. So my name means “forest” in Chinese and my children’s names are supposed to be the next phase after “forest”.
My Dad originally lived in Seoul, which is the capital of South Korea. Because the name Lim is from a noble family, my dad and his family were fairly wealthy in Korea. They owned many small businesses like convenience stores and laundromats that brought in a lot of money. But my grandparents wanted my Dad and my Aunts and Uncles to have a better education and opportunities in America so around the late 70s, my Dad, his 5 other siblings, and my grandparents flew to America for a better life. There they landed in Chicago and became lower middle class in the south side of Chicago.
My dad identifies as Korean/American. My dad came to America early when he was 9, so he has been surrounded by American culture for a long time now. My dad loves a lot of things about America ranging from movies, sports, or food. But my dad believes the most important thing we should preserve is our past. Even though we live in America we shouldn’t forget who we are. So our family still follow a lot of Korean traditions, we eat Korean food for dinner, and we acknowledge some Korean holidays.
My dad moved to the south side of Chicago where there weren’t a lot of Asians around. When him and his brothers went to elementary school for the first time, there weren’t any translators for them so they struggled to learn in class and has to learn English themselves. My dad was the only Asian at his school so he was called a lot of racist names throughout elementary school and middle school. In high school, my dad started to start wearing clothes and accessories that were popular in America in order to fit in. There he was called a Twinkie because of his attempts to fit in.
My grandfather tells me all the time how the Lim family is supposed to be tough. The oldest ancestor that is known amongst our family is Im Gyeong Eop. He was a prominent Korean General during the 17th century. Therefore my dad and my grandfather believe we are supposed to be tough.
