[INT] Hi, what’s your name?

[RES] My name is Rachel Kim!

[INT] And where are you from?

[RES] I was born in South Korea, I grew up in Missouri, but most

recently I moved from New York

[INT] How long have you lived in the Dallas area?

[RES] This is my second year, so one full year, yeah

[INT] What are some key differences that you have noticed living here
versus anywhere else

[RES] Well, some of my students in New York have warned me that

everybody’s gonna start saying “y’all” and that was definitely a
thing that was a little bit of a shock because people say “y’all” all
the time - because I still never really say it. I still translate to
myself “you guys” or “you all” in my head whenever I hear that. That
definitely... Another thing is students saying “ma’am” and “sir” -
it’s really polite and something that I couldn’t really get used to
last year, yea

[INT] Do you know what culture shock is?

[RES] I think so, because when I was 12 I also moved to the States
from Korea, and that was a huge shock. Also, moving from Missouri to
New York and New York to here, I feel like all the places I’ve lived
so far have been very different culturally. So initially sometimes
there’s a “whoa” kind of shock and there are some things that you
live through daily and you don’t even realize it is particular to
that area, but it does influence you on a daily basis

[INT] Would you say culture shock is a positive or negative thing?

[RES] I think it can be both... There are definitely positives to

coming to Texas and living in the Midwest; seeing how polite everyone
is and how pleasant everyone is. But there are still some things,
like for example when I moved to New York everybody’s just super busy
and everything is just so fast-paced and serious so I think there is
good and bad for both - pros and cons.
[INT]Would you say — oh wait you already answered that

[INT] How have you dealt with culture shock in your life?

[RES] I think I just try to take it slow... I like to observe a lot

more especially at the beginning stage; when I first came to the
States and I didn’t speak English it took me about a whole semester
before I said my first sentence just so I could get used to it. I am
kind of the same way nowadays - moving to Texas at first expecting it
to be similar to Missouri, but there are things very particular to
the South, I guess, and I just kind of observe and see how people
interact and how the culture is. I think that kinda helps me adjust.

[INT] Do you have any regrets about moving to the Dallas area?

[RES] I wouldn’t say regret, but there are definitely things that I
miss. In terms of the culture, I guess I miss the restaurants New
York... I mean I’m sure there are some and Mr. Kim and I are actually
on a mission to find some really nice or gourmet restaurants. Here
they have all the french fries you can think of, but I definitely
miss being able to just get on the train and go in a restaurant a
week. There’s that kind of adventure in the city but there’s not that
much - there’s a lot of concrete so I miss the scenery sometimes

[INT] If you could move back to any of the places you have been with
no consequences, would you?

[RES] I don’t think I would, because as much as I miss parts of New

York or even Korea, if I were to move again I think I would move to
somewhere different. I would wanna move to somewhere in Europe or
another state that I’ve never lived in. It’s just because I actually
enjoy the cultural differences and the different surroundings and
people. I think that’s more fun!

[INT] Do you live in Frisco?

[RES] I lived in Frisco last year, and now I’m in Carrollton where
all the Korean food is - near H-mart!

[INT] How would you define the Dallas area culture then?
[RES] I actually really like Dallas - it was easier for me to adjust
to Dallas coming from New York rather than going somewhere else in
Texas I think, because there are a lot of similarities as it is still
a very big city so there is still a lot of vibrant culture and
diversity. I really value that - growing up in a town that was all
white population (I was the only non-white person in my class). So
coming to somewhere like this is still the metroplex area band you
still have all the differences that you can experience.

[INT] How has the shift in culture affected you as a teacher?

[RES] I think I’m actually more comfortable here in Texas just

because here, you can walk into a Target or Walmart and strangers
will just talk to you and people are really smiley in general, so I
think this helped me relax. And I know, I’ve talked to Mr. Kim and he
said kind of the same thing where, you feel a lot more genuine
connection to your students and colleagues here, compared to how
fast-paced and serious people can be in New York. So, I mean they’re
wonderful in New York too, but it takes a little more time to really
get to know each other versus here it was - I came into the orchestra
program and it was like open arms and I was already part of the
family. That kind of transition made it easier I think

[INT] What are some of the struggles you have faced being a teacher
in a different place from where you grew up?

[RES] Hmmm, that’s a really good question... I guess, if you are to

think about where I grew up like partially, especially in my earlier
years I was in Korea, and education was really different there. It’s
a lot more test driven and it’s a lot more disciplined and strict in
terms of the relationship between the teacher and student. So for me
being a teacher here, I kind of have to think about me role a little
differently and I really actually enjoy it because I feel like
sometimes I’m their aunt or big sister, and we have a lot more closer
connections than so would with a teacher in Korea if that makes sense

[INT] Thank you so much!

[RES] Yeah! Thank you!