Growing Up Korean in Russia: My Story | VLOG 

I am a Korean-Argentine-Canadian. I know, it sounds crazy but true. Your experience really resonates with me. :)

I clicked just because I love hearing about people's life experiences growing up in different countries and multi-culturalism. I'm american with euro-chinese background and also lived abroad in asian countries for several of my primary-school years. I also greatly appreciate your stories and narrative on racism and that you're sharing your thoughts/experience on it! It's very similar to my own--that sure, some things may have happened or things were said, but I've never felt like a victim, oppressed or at a disadvantage in my country. I feel like there's so much toxic polarity on the topic, particularly in America, where all Asians in non-asian countries are lumped together as a monolithic experience of suffering and disadvantage, which just isn't an accurate experience for a lot of people. I feel like this assumption of "sensitivity" to being "different" actually gets in the way of us being seen as individuals, and not just a member of a race. How ironic, right?

I still think Russia is the best example of a Multicultural society it has its ups and downs but it has been traditionally this way since the Imperial Era. I remember a quote from a Japanese Diplomate in the 17th century to Europe. "From all the countries i have been in Europe,Only in Russia i was asked if i want to stay"

Thank you for sharing. My parents are soviet koreans but they dont talk about their upbringings, this helps understanding

I was born in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and lived there till I was 15. For 2 years, I studied in a Korean school, and the children were pretty racist. I would bet that anywhere you go (whether it's Russia or whatever), minorities are often singled out and can be subjected to cruel treatment, especially by children.

19:08 I can relate to that!! Maybe not being formal with your elders is a recent or big city thing ? My parents immigrated to Germany from Kirgistan and I'm just used to talking more formal to my grandmother

I’m glad that I stumbled upon your video and hearing about your family’s history. I’m half Chinese half European ethnically, but I’m Hawaiian Chinese culturally. I’m always interested hearing about other people who’s ethnicity and culture are mixed.

Same. For me your experience is partly same but I am living in Kazakhstan and I'm kazakh. May be it's little bit strange to hear that, but in Kazakhstan people are mostly russianized. It's because we speak in russian, reading russian classic in school parallel with kazakh, also we are looking for russian content in internet and use russian in everyday life. Aaaand depending on where r u living u would have absolutely another exp from childhood, school life and etc. North cities of our country populated mostly by russians, ukrainians, germans - it is about 60-90% depending on the specific city. In my class I was only kazakh and my skin is like chocolate(yeah we have a very different skin color palette) because I was born in south Kazakhstan(Taraz city), and when I was about 4, my parents moved for more career perspectives.

It was very interesting, thanks for sharing your story. Your experience is actually sounds very similar to mine. I was born and raised in the eastern Ukraine, where everyone speaks Russian and has very Russian mentality, so basically you could say, that I was born in Russia. Being one quarter Armenian and having Armenian last name, I also experienced some racism at school, mainly from guys. But my teachers never treated me unfairly. Because I was very diligent student, they actually helped and encouraged me a lot, and always send me to olympiads and competitions. I think, that some kids would always try to find a way to bully someone, so race or ethnicity for them can be just easy thing to make fun of, but most adults don't treat kids differently, based on it.

I just love your English so much^^

Nice video,I just made a video as an african in Russian.Would fancy a chat with you on your experiences 👍

Для меня было немного непривычно видеть темнокожих людей в Тюмени, в Сибири. Я был такой ВАУ. Потом привык, да и людям в городе стало тоже как-то параллельно на цвет кожи. Ну, могут пару секунд поразглядывать, потом отвернуться и все.

I don't know what your hometown means but I like the way it sounds

Great vid Zoya

It was very interesting to hear about your multicultural background :) I'm just curious, what language do you think in? Your first language is Russian but you also seem to be very fluent in English. At first I mistook you for Korean American. I'm wondering if that often happens to you when you're speaking English.

Wow so fascinating - ironically, the earliest use of forks were found in the far East Asian cultures/ dynasties. I really love your storytelling skills - incredibly interesting to listen to you!

История в столовке и компотом легендарна)

Hard work and no victim mentality. Love it

finaly

These vlogs are very interesting and so elaborate, the number of views you have are criminally unjustified!! I've always been interested in Korean and Russian culture. You have gained yourself a new subscriber even though I don't really watch gaming content. But anyway, just so you know (if you haven't already since then), forks were in fact a Chinese invention as well (LOL!) The oldest fork was excavated from the Bronze age Qijia Culture in China dating back to 2400 BC - 1900 BC and there is also archaeological evidence to suggest that the Chinese Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1050 BC) used forks as well as in later dynasties, whereas the use of forks as eating utensils only began in the west much later. So East Asians are clearly not "intellectually inferior" because we still use chopsticks to eat. I am a 4th generation Singaporean Chinese (great grandparents immigrated from China to Singapore), but well since Singapore is a majority ethnic Chinese country I didn't experience any sort of racism here, and neither do I feel out of place

First had to say it

Can you talk about the 90's in Russia- the post Soviet transition economy? I remember growing up in Korea in 1991, a soviet navy vessel came to Busan and we handed out soap and toothpaste to the sailors. One of the officers gave me his cap in return. Still have it to this day. Just always wondered what life for russians was like in those times. Heard it was tough.

❤️ love your country always. 🇷🇺💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️

Did you know about Ainu

I dont know, i was born in St Petersburg but went to my 1st grade in Kazakhstan due to my parent's work and i felt completely normal although like 80% in my class were Asian looking... And then for the 2nd grade i was back to Russia and they lined me up with an Asian guy and we have been friends ever since... Honestly I didnt even know the difference between a Slavic and an Asian till i was 14 or so. In my time you had a huge change of getting killed for disrespecting Viktor Tsoi lol. Now that i watched more of the video.. This is very funny... Back in the days before Soviet revolution everyone had to address to their elders in the plural form too. The soviets killed it.. But you still cant address a stranger in singular form.. unless you are some sort of street gopnik... and you are gong too far... i was stabbed by a couple of Dominicans in NY subway.. And i stabbed a few people as a Russian myself... It doesnt mean anything the 90s in New York were wild. And everywhere else im sure.

*And then they clapped meme*

Interesting video! Do you also use вы when talking to your parents?

while watching you speaking, I've come to be curious about if you can speak Korean. you sound you can speak Korean, can you?

I'm curious to see how a Russian-Korean goes wild shen you're angry (just kidding hehe). You have an interesting mindset because you're proud of your roots, no matter if how long time you have been living in Russia and you were born in this country as well. You got a Colombian/Spanish subscriber :)

Textbook Koryo-saram experience. Well, without the deportation.

I am not trying to flatter you but I thought you were a 2nd gen. Korean American or moved to the US before you were 10 because there is no noticeable accent.

We as americans are still believing in delusions in maybe either worshipping or blindly hating russians or russian americans. I Think we need to be both critical of and actually love russians. That is going to be my hypocrisy in the neartime future. Sorry about that.

How did you learn English so well?

То есть,если я со своим Папой и Мамой на ты - это проявление неуважения(для корейской культуры),я вас правильно понял? Я обращаюсь на вы,только к посторонним людям! Обращение на "ВЫ" в русскоговорящей среде,способ указать собеседнику что бы он от вас дистанцировался! Если кто-то из близких мне людей,обратится ко мне на ВЫ,это будет принято мной негативно!)))

Zoya, what would be interesting would be your experience on racism in Russia compared to the US and compared to the sometimes nativism in South Korea.

You are amazing and so beautiful.

Is timo is a cat or a bear?? Thanks for share ur exp..

Having to stay home on Adolf's birthday is a night-day difference from the West. It's difficult to comprehend that. You wouldn't see that even in Germany. This says a lot about Russia.

Fun fact: Russia shipped many of the Koreans to the “stans” in the late ‘30s.

Zoya is beautiful My God she gonna heart my comment

❤🇳🇵

Have you ever had a russian slavic boyfriend (or gilfriend) ? And by the way your experiences are cool and peoples have to think that in Russia there is more asian ethnicities than savic ethnicities included the Koryo Saram or Koreans like you :)

Здарова народ

Re: the ignorant comment about Asians not being smart enough to "invent" forks - I had a similar experience while growing up in the US. I've had African Americans make racist comments about chopsticks directed at me. I learned in college that during the Dark Ages, the Europeans, such as the Rus, did not use utensils other than their knives. They ate with their hands and that was unsanitary since people didn't wash their hands as often as they do now. Asians (the Chinese) figured out that eating with your hands is not sanitary so we used chopsticks at the same time that the ancestors of your Russian classmate were eating with their hands. It's a Korean thing but Koreans of my parents generation are generally leery of eating food with hands because touching food with your hands is considered to be something to be avoided.

Kamsumida yyayraykere Ainu

im an alien

The American English accent is throwing me off.

14:30, Ah such a common thing nowadays. People trying to show how non racist they are, by saying tying everything to race and actually sounding more racist than not. Hilarious.

Teach me basic Russian words :v pls!

28:07, Those minor examples of racism can earn you millions in the US :). Sue, write a book, play a victim = profit