One Summer’s Transformation

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One Summer’s Transformation

Never in my life before have I been so proud to say that I am Korean. I call myself Korean-American, but before I used to consider myself to be more American than Korean. I live in this country, speak English, and am fully immersed in American culture. America is my home, and I am proud of that. However, the same could not be said of my Korean heritage. I was never ashamed, but neither did I feel any particular pride in it. That was the case until this summer’s World Cup 2002, co-hosted by Japan and Korea. Though not an extremely passionate soccer fan before, I started to watch the world cup with increasing interest.

The first day when the USA beat "unstoppable" Portugal, whose team consisted of Luis Figo, one of the world's best soccer players, Rui Costa, Sergio Conçeicao, and a pool of the best European talent, I was happy. However, then something remarkable happened to me. The next day, I woke up at seven o'clock in the morning to watch the South Korea vs. Poland match. I had never seen an Asian team play with so much class against a tough European team. I was really excited to see Korea win the match 2-0. During those final extra minutes of the match when I knew Korea was going to win, a seed of pride was planted in me. From then on, I was nothing but an avid "Dae Han Min Guk" (South Korea) fan. The ESPN sportscasters said that they had never heard so much cheering in their lives before, and I felt the same exactly the same as the fans in the stands. It was the first Korean win in five world cup appearance.

The next match was played between Korea and the USA. I woke at two o’clock in the morning to watch with some of my friends. This time I wished for a tie because I loved both the USA and Korea. To my surprise, the game actually did end in a tie. Both my favorite teams were most likely on their way to the second round. During the final game of group play, Korea beat Portugal in dramatic fashion. The winning goal by Park Ji Sung, an upcoming star, was polled by the FIFA website, the official website of the tournament, to be one of best of the World Cup.

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