MY ETHNICITYBY

PEANUT HONG-MAHAR

My momma is Canadian and my daddy is Korean, so I am half-Canadian and half-Korean. My ethnicity is Korean-Canadian. I

was born in Korea in 2003, then I moved to Canada in the winter of 2006. By the way,

ethnicity means family history.

Canada is a young country. It was founded in 1867.

Except for the natives, all the people in Canada came

from other countries. My momma’s family from long

ago came from Ireland. Many people from Saint

John are ethnic Irish.

Korea is a very old country. It is over 5000

years old. In 2010, I went to Korea for three

months. I will share some pictures of Korea

with you. I hope you like them!

RED PEPPERSKorean food is sometimes spicy. Many foods have red peppers in them. This man at an outdoor market is selling red peppers.

TaekwondoTaekwondo is the national sport of Korea. It has been

around for thousands of years.

The Great King Sejong

The Great King Sejong invented the Korean alphabet. It is called Hanguel. He invented it in 1447 so Korean people could learn to read easier. Before that they had to use difficult Chinese symbols. Many people couldn’t read.

BUDDHIST TEMPLEMany people in Korea are Buddhist. They believe in Buddha. There are temples everywhere. They have churches like us, too. Many nice temples can be found in the mountains.

BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAYOn Buddha’s birthday, the people write a prayer on a flower lantern and hang them from the ceiling. Isn’t it beautiful?

PUSAN/BUSANThis is a picture of my hometown. It used to be spelled Pusan with a ‘P’ but now it is spelled with a ‘B’ in English. It is on the Pacific Ocean. It is a harbour town like Saint John. There are many mountains, high rise apartments, and smaller older houses.

PUSAN/BUSANPusan (Busan) is the second largest city in Korea. There are over 5 million people in the city. There are many universities, beaches, stores and fun things to do.

Water Parks and Aquariums

Playing on the Beach and Walking Along the Stream

Korean TraditionsBecause Korea is an old country, it has many traditions. Finding snacks and food sold in carts and on the side of the road happens often. Here a woman is making ‘bokki’. It’s a candy. You can put a pattern in it before it cools.

Pusan Station

UN CemeteryThe big problem in Korea now, is that there was a big war in Korea. The war ended almost 60 years ago, but it’s not really over. They just stopped fighting. When the war was happening, many soldiers from all over the world came to help Korea. Some of the soldiers that were killed in the war are buried here. It is a very peaceful place in the middle of a busy city. I am very thankful to all the soldiers, because if they didn’t help Korea, I could never be born.

The Ending

I am sorry but here comes the ending. I am proud to be Korean-

Canadian. We all know what is like to be Canadian. I hope you learned something about my Korean side.

Do you have any questions?