[제 2회 드림에세이 수상작] Sally Kim -'Living in America'

Grade: 11 / High School: Troy High School

Living in America is a paradox. America is the land of many nations, and at the same time its very own. A typical day at school is like a microcosm of the entire nation. Standing at the center of the quad, I can see a group of Asians by the trees on the left, a group of white cheerleaders and jocks sitting on the benches on the right, a group of black teens playing music behind me, and a group of Hispanic kids playing with a hacky-sack in front of me. Here is the diversity. Now where’s the soup from the so-called melting pot?

It is true that people from different backgrounds and customs tend to stay away from each other. The Asians like to be with the other Asians, the whites like to be with other whites, and so on. If America is truly a melting pot of all nations, then where is the soup? I can only see the solid chunks of different nationalities, not one.

But as I look closer at the group of Asians by the trees, I am surprised to see several non-Asians in their midst chatting with one another. With disbelief, I look around and find the same results. Something begins to dawn on me. When I first looked at these groups, I saw separate congregations of blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians. But looking more closely, there is more. Though not thoroughly mixed, the groups are not as concentrated as I thought. That’s when I experience an epiphany.

Of course! That is just like our nation. There is more to us than meets the eye. The terrorist attacks on 9/11 show us this. The attacks were not targeted at one specific group in America, but rather Americans as a whole. And as a whole, we responded. The firefighters who bravely went into the Twin Towers to save those who were trapped were from different families, races, and backgrounds. Yet none of that mattered. All that mattered was that fellow Americans were trapped inside the collapsing building structures. And for those far away, we stayed home and prayed for their safety, reaching out to strangers in need.

Also, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was met with national concern as well. How would the inhabitants of New Orleans and other affected areas deal with reconstruction alone? That is when the power of a united people shines through. We had gathered together to provide aid for our fellow American citizens. Never mind the fact that many of us do not personally know anyone directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. Instead, we all pitched in to donate cans of food, water bottles, clothing, and other essentials to those in need. When the truck came to collect all the items that we had gathered, we had formed lines, handing each item from one person to the next towards the truck. At one point in the line, a Hispanic man grabbed a box of baby diapers and handed it to an African-American woman, who handed it to the Asian woman, who then handed it to the Caucasian man. And it went on and on.

The saying goes that a person’s true nature shows in desperate times. After seeing all those people working together to rescue as many people trapped in the Twin Towers as possible and all those people gathering the bare essentials for the unfortunate citizens of New Orleans, maybe we are not so different from one another. If we can rise above our differences and be united during times of need, then perhaps we are not a nation of many nationalities. Instead, are we not a nation of one people? Are we not all Americans, living in one nation?

Suddenly the bell rings, and with a jerk I am brought back from my musings. That is when I realize that I am not alone in the quad. Recollecting my bearings, I find myself in the midst of a huge swarm of students with one goal: to get to class. Looking around, I see my friends and wave to them. Even among my friends, I notice, we have different skin colors and come from different families and cultures. But that doesn’t matter amongst us. After all, what are we if not friends? What are we if not comrades? What are we, if not Americans? And on this land we live our lives. This is the land that people all around the world call: the United States of America.