What It's Like To Teach In North Korea

Never Hate On People, But On Their Government
I once worked with Joe. Joe grew up in Slovakia. He told me they looked forward to the Russians driving out the Nazis. Unfortunately he said the Russians were far more worse then what they experienced under German occupation during the war. He also said they knew what was going on outside of their country, but were very careful who they could trust sharing that information with others in the city where he lived. My hope is some of the North Korean people are feeling somewhat like he.

Joe was locked up a couple of times by the communist Russians at the time, but was able later on to come to this country although his elders still remain there to this day. He first arrived in NYC where custom officials made it miserable for unending weeks when he attempted to apply for citizenship upon his arrival. They stalled and sent him from floor to floor and desk to desk endlessly day after day. Of course the English language was his first obstacle since none could or would communicate in Slovakian thus they put him through the wringer.

Joe first located himself and his family into a Slovakian neighborhood in Brooklyn. Others from his home country thought he was crazy to leave and move to Pennsylvania where he was doomed to work in the coal mines. You see, they too labored under misapprehensions.

The point is (to make a long story short)...
All too often we tend to think Cubans, Asians, Middle Easterners and others arriving here don't have the same hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations for their families we do. We are taught to fear other people because of the governments from which they came. Let us all consider individuals seldom agree with the governments they are stuck with. More often then not most are just trying to keep themselves and their families safe to survive by whatever means they can.

This doesn't mean everyone who comes here are pure in intent, but neither should we be too quick to prejudge them before we get to know them individually.



At one time we slandered and hated a whole races of 'Jerry's, 'Japs' and 'gooks'. It was wrong to do so then and it's wrong to do so now with these other races of peoples. For God's sake do not judge other peoples because of the rulers who rule over them. Nor paint broadly with a brush whole groups of peoples judging the Hispanic, blacks and other individuals who live among our communities. There's plenty of assholes both black, brown, red, yellow and white to go around who were born here and just that. But NOT ALL!