Mr. Kim came to Canada; he had dreams; did he realize them?

 Joseph H Chung (정희수), Ph.D.

Professor of economics Quebec State University in Montreal (UQAM)

(지난 호에 이어)

Kim mind was crowded with these difficult questions. Kim could not see clearly the answers to these questions. What he needed most were some criteria, if there are any, which will guide his answers. Is the criterion altruism? Is it patriotism? Is it charity? Is it the feeling of having done something good? Is it the feeling of accomplishment?  It may be that all of these are true and relevant criteria.

But, all looked superficial; none of these seems to provide what Kim was seeking. He thought, as a Christian, that only the prayer will tell him what it is. But, Kim was certain that God’s answer would be the love of God and the love of neighbors, that is, the commandment of love taught by Jesus Christ.

The voice of the captain was heard:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will land in Montreal in twenty minutes. We thank you for having chosen Air Canada. We wish you happy stay in Montreal!” He repeated in French, which Kim did not understand.

Twenty minutes later, the plane was touching gently on the Dorval soil. Yes, they made it! Here they were! 

They arrived at the starting line of their new life. It was mixed feeling. It was a feeling of joy, anxiety, expectation and doubts. It was a complex feeling, but beneath all these feelings was the feeling of pride, the feeling of “We have made it!”

Kim left the plane with his family and thanked the crew for having brought them safely to Montreal. He was following the long line of passengers toward the luggage room. Kim was wondering if Mr. Lee from the Korean church in Montreal would be there; he was supposed to meet them.

.

Mr. Kim arrived in Montreal

Lee was one of the elders of a Korean church in Montreal and the pastor of his church was a friend of the minister of a church in Seoul of which Kim was a member. The luggage room was on the first floor of the airport which was a small but well kept. They were coming down the escalator to pick up their luggage. There, somebody was waving to them.

It must be Mr. Lee, Kim thought. He was.

“Are you Mr. Kim?” asked the man.

“Yes, are you Mr. Lee sent by the church?” said Kim.

“This is my wife, Paul, my son and Nancy, my daughter.” said proudly Kim.

They shook hand and bowed in Korean way.

 Kim and his family felt quite relieved. They were so glad that they now know somebody in Montreal.

“By the way, Minister Park of our church sends you his welcome greetings. He is sorry not to be here to greet you.” added Lee.

“No! No! He is too kind, we are just grateful that the church sent you here” replied Kim.

Lee and Kim’s family went to Lee’s car, which was a large GM wagon. It was large enough to accommodate five people including Mr. Lee and many suitcases, boxes and other things belonging to the Kims.

It was a black color car; it reminded Kim of big black cars ridden by VIPs in Korea.

He took the Kims to his home located in St. Lambert area. It was late afternoon. He took Highway 20. There were many cars. Most of the cars were middle-priced cars; there were few luxury cars.

This was a surprise to Kim; since Canada was one of the richest countries in the world, he was expecting full of expensive cars on the highway, which was not the case.

It was a rush hour, but the traffic congestion was a very mild one compare to Seoul streets. Another thing which surprised Kim was that almost no one tried to cut in; every driver was waiting with patience. Kim thought that the citizens of a culturally developed country should behave like these Montreal residents.

On the way, Mr. Lee asked about Kim’s background including his home town, his plan for settlement and future expectation. Lee told the Kims a little about Quebec.

He insisted that they must learn French, which worried Kim. He told the Kims that there were, in Montreal area, more than five hundred Koreans. He said that many Koreans were having hard time in adjusting to immigrant life.

Mr. Lee’s house was a large bungalow. Lee’s house should be more 50 Pyong (1,650 SF) of living space, which would be a big house even in Gangnam Area.

The house had two garages and it was surrounded by beautiful lawns. The house was a two story high split-level type house with three rooms and two more in the basement. The house was located in the middle of agreeable middle-class neighborhood, which showed that Mr. Lee had a high income job.

Mr. Lee has two children, two girls of school age. His wife was a charming lady considerate and eager to help the Kims. She cooked Korean meal in the evening and they had very productive conversation before going to bed.

Mr. Lee gave them the entire basement area equipped with separate bathroom. Kim’s family could sleep comfortably. When they woke up next morning, they could recover much from the fatigue of the long voyage.

It was Sunday. Mr. Lee prepared full course of Canadian breakfast consisting of toasts, jams, two fried eggs and bacons. Kim was a little accustomed to western breakfast but his wife and kid were not very familiar. But they loved what Mrs. Lee prepared.

Mr. Kim found the Church

Kim’s family and Lee’s family, eight in all went to the Korean church in the NDG area. They crossed the famous Champlain Bridge which was, at least, three times longer than the Hangang Bridge in Seoul. Minister Park was a tall man of about 60 years, carefully dressed and talked softly but with authority. Kim was impressed with the dignity of the minister. He was waiting for Kim’s family at the church door and greeted them warmly.

The church was located right at the middle of the residential area. Kim could see that the church was an old building, given the height of trees surrounding it.

It was a red-brick building with humble look; it was a good contrast to the big pretentious building of the church Kim used to go before immigration.

“Welcome to Montreal, Mr. Kim and your charming family. My friend in Seoul told me about your coming to Montreal. My church is glad to welcome you and help you. Please feel comfortable,” said the minister. (다음 호에 계속)

<저작권자(c) Budongsancanada.com 부동산캐나다 한인뉴스, 무단 전재-재배포 금지 >