Fitting in as an international student can be challenging. In fact, the “international student” label has been fickle for me. I was born and raised in South Korea, came to Canada at the age of twelve, and spent my teenage years in New Brunswick. I then pursued my undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Ontario, took a year off to work in Saskatchewan, and am currently finishing my Master’s degree at the University of British Columbia. I was officially an “international student” with a study permit until the third year of my undergraduate studies, after which I became a permanent resident of Canada, and then a Canadian citizen as of November 2012.
When I was an international student by immigration status, some people didn’t believe that I was actually an ‘international student’ because I spoke the so-called “accent-less, local Canadian” English. In addition, my mannerisms and lifestyle are, and have been for a long time, ‘Canadian’; perhaps because when I first moved to the relatively ethnically- and culturally-homogeneous area in Canada in my early teens, I did many things to ‘fit in,’ such as dressing more like the locals, and trying to pick up as many idioms and slang words as possible. I wanted to cover up my ‘international student’ status as much as possible… it was exhausting. Yet, after I became a citizen, I was considered by some to be an international student – perhaps because I’m not Caucasian – until I started talking and ‘verified’ my Canadian status that way.
After I became a Canadian citizen, I reflected upon these experiences and wondered: “With the change of my immigration status, did anything in me change so inherently to make me ‘Canadian’? What does it mean to be ‘Canadian’ anyway? Would I still be considered Canadian if I had a noticeable accent? As long as I look like this, will I ever be considered truly ‘Canadian’? Can I be both Canadian and a Korean/international student at the same time?”
International students often face the dichotomy between “fitting in” and the need to preserve one’s cultural heritage. The temptation to “blend in” naturally arises from one’s wish to not be perceived as an outsider – although by doing so, it’s easy to reluctantly give up the cultural identity that shapes who you are. In addition, there are factors that further complicate these questions, such as speaking “accent-less” English, outer appearances, and being able to call oneself a PR/citizen. The interplay of these factors requires us to navigate various markers of difference and privilege – like accent, race, and paperwork – which complicates a genuine sense of belonging. Some of these factors could be considered as points of privilege; for example, those who speak “accent-less” English may be regarded less as ‘outsiders.’
If you’re an international student, you can probably relate to this parallel struggle. While there is no single or “correct” way to approach the situation, the best alternative I’ve found is not to embrace one extreme or the other, but to find a balance in between them. This is definitely easier said than done, I know. In my humble opinion, I think daily reminders to “embrace both spheres” of your identity could be a start. For example, I love to cook for people, which is an iconic Korean way of showing you care; I cook and bake both Korean and Canadian/western food, recognizing the privilege in my ability to understand and cater to different tastes. By embracing multiple cultural assets, our generation of mobile students – including yourself – could demonstrate the benefits of having multiple cultural identities, and the positive social implications to those around you.
I will continue to navigate through this issue as I am soon moving to the United States for an internship – thus, resuming my journey as an international student once again. I am excited and more confident than before to take on this journey, as I have come to accept that I do not necessarily have to pick one identity to embrace, and that being in the middle, ‘grey-area’ is in itself another privilege. You don’t have to be defined by either one or the other; it’s by embracing qualities of both identities that you become a true “international Canadian-[your heritage].”