Coming "home"?! Busan July 2007

I went back to Busan on the 9th of July. When I saw the ship. it felt weird. I was just home for a week and now I am back to another "home". Honestly, I slept better here in my own cabin!

Anyways, on the coming Sunday. We got an invitation to go to a Chinese church. The church was actually founded by Pastor Jiang, my Mum's mentor since she was in high school. My mum's story is rather different then most of the people in Taiwan. She was an oversea Chinese. She was born and grew up here in Busan. I am now actually tracing my hiden history back. The Church is not in a good shape. Only about 25 people attending the Sunday service. We shared our stories and testimonies. And we had lunch together.

They explained about their lives in Korea as oversea "Taiwanese". It has never been easy for them. Taiwan government sees them as "Chinese" or "Korean". Korean government won't even give them passports or IDs... 'cuz they ARE Chinese. However, they don't want to be monitored under China embassy. This is a group of people who got trapped in the waves of history. We felt them very well. Basically, we all have some identity cirsis, like us.
The Chinese churches were literally dying by the fact that elder people were conservative. They didn't want to have too many main-land China workers (many illegal, black market workers) be in the "holy temple". And the congregation got older and older. The new generation left the church for good... Anyone can see it will come to a dead end sometime soon.

Standing in front of the mid school we walked a bit. The building was old and the office still had Jiang's picture and statue. They told me they still sang the National anthem every morning. I even felt funny... when was slast time I sang?

Another thing is the China town "ShangHai street" was actually a joke. Why? Well, there were more Russians (they all looked like mafia and hookers to me) than Chinese. And the only few shops opened that day were full of Phillipinos.A few Chinese restaurants around, as decorations. That was an eye-opener. It actually reflected the wander of globalisation in some ways.
I wrote my mum an email and said that I had been to her school and all that. She replied to me in ENglish:
"Ray RAY,
I'm very glad to know that you have been visited my home town and the childhood high
school.
That means a lot to me.
So many memories come upon. Not only the memories form my childhood. But also my double recognisions as a person. When I was a child ,I,as many Chinese there , have no good impression for Korean people.
However, as time passed, I'm growing up and being a global Christian, I understand what the original identity means to me...."


Unfortunately, this is a real story that not many people really care about. Nevertheless, that matters to me and many who didn;t have a choice 50 years ago. I am a Taiwanese who inherited my mother's legacy from Korea. When I traveled around the world with DOULOS, many Koreans talked to me in Korean. I don't really hate Korean Basketball, baseball, soccer teams that much like most of my pals. I respected and defended my Korean director on board DOULOS. And on top of that, I like spicy food and hot soup. There must be a reason. However, that Sunday I traced back to her school. I felt there was a chapter closed in my life.
And I have no regrets. Been there. Done that.