Sue Park, 12 (South Korea) How Nationality Affects the Eyes Sue Park, 12 I still remember the day my teacher introduced me to the project. It was a cloudy day in April 2019, and the whiteboard had consisted of three bloody-red words that frightened most of the children: North-Korean Interview. I did love projects and adventurous trips at that time, but I knew this trip would be different, and somewhat spectacular. I had planned the new unit, different countries and cultures, to be about the ‘normal’ countries, not the countries that were known for their militaries and strict dictatorships, like North Korea. To make matters worse, I had always thought negatively about North Korea and its citizens. From school and TV shows, I naturally had a lot of prejudice about the place as it was planted in my mind as a brutal and unstable country with violent people. Additionally, I grew up watching the immense tension between the two countries in practically every political or social issue. It was incredibly easy to find news articles about the unbelievable actions of the North-Korean government officials, primarily Kim Jong-Un. … I stood in the middle of the hallway, frightened. I took a deep, slow breath as I took a giant step through the whooshing crowd of children. I quickly scanned the group of kids next to me; they looked like 3rd-graders that were enjoying the trip. I was blankly staring at them for a while when I heard someone calling me. My homeroom teacher motioned me to come, then smiled at me. At first, I thought she was waving at the playful boy behind me, but as I stuttered, she came up to me and told me that it was my turn for the interview. At that moment, I screamed, inwardly, “I don’t want to do this!” As my teacher carefully held my wrist and took me to the man from North Korea, I did not practice my script but rather practiced the karate skills that I had learned in kindergarten, fearing sudden violence. When I finally reached the door to the interview room, which looked like a torture chamber, my teacher nudged me calmly. At that moment, my teacher appeared to be a frightful green monster pushing me to the town of hell. Recognizing my fate, I trudged to the chair and quietly sat on the corner of it, ready to leave at any moment. Surprisingly, the man didn’t look any different from a normal South Korean man. He had a warm smile and he did not wear the military clothes that I had pictured in my head. As I quickly scanned him and looked into his plain black eyes, there was an awkward silence. And it felt like a millennium. When I couldn’t stand the silence much longer, I blurted out my first question: “What is the main obstacle you have faced in South Korea?” and as he answered accordingly, my stomach rumbled with guilt and fear. The man calmly listed out the prejudices and perceptions South Koreans had of him, and how difficult it was for him to find a job due to the people neglecting him after listening to his North Korean accent. As he listed out these examples, my guilt increased more and more due to the fact that I could relate to all of them. As if he noticed my pain, he asked, “Is something wrong?” and I replied, “No, I’m fine!” But, I knew this was a lie. As the interview went on, and I watched others interact with him, it became clear that this North Korean man was a complete contradiction from the picture I had drawn in my head. He was completely different from the military that was portrayed on the news. He was amiable, friendly, and loved making new friends. He was not violent nor rude, but was careful with his actions and was very gentle toward all the students. He bowed respectively to any newcomer that agreed to take the interview and was more than welcoming to anyone that came across his way. I slowly started to realize that it might be an unkind mistake to overgeneralize North Koreans as the “antagonists.” I learned that without meeting them, we should not criticize a certain group of people just because of their nationality. This is because even though their nationality might have a rough background, their citizens might be different as they might not be influenced by these experiences. This is why the interview provided me with the lesson that we should not judge a person by their nationality. This experience definitely encouraged me to recognize problems related to prejudice in society that still exist today.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Weekly Creativity #169: Write a Story or Poem Using Two Senses—Smell & Hearing
Go to a safe place outdoors, sit somewhere, and close your eyes. Spend several minutes listening for all the sounds you can hear, and pay close attention to what you can smell in the air. When you open your eyes again, write some notes. Later, use those notes to write a poem or a personal narrative about your experience of the place through those two senses (smell and hearing).
Tiny Pretty Things, Reviewed by April, 13
From the outside, Manhattan’s most elite ballet academy is the epitome of perfection. Hundreds of girls masquerade in pink skirts and tight buns, their makeup heavy and smiles bright as they maneuver the many classrooms—arms graceful, legs light. People flock from far and wide to watch their esteemed seasonal productions. But, underneath the facade of beauty lies the dark side of ballet: the tear-soaked pillows, the bleeding feet, the spoons over eyes that have received barely an hour of sleep. For a few minutes under the spotlight, these young adults will do just about anything. But how far is too far? In Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, three students from the ballet academy alternatively narrate a haunting tale of the things ballerinas do after dark. Bette is the first narrator. It’s fitting, really, since she’s been first her entire life—lead roles in all the ballets, a handsome boyfriend, a face that can charm, and a mouth that can manipulate. But then comes Gigi, the new girl at the academy. Optimistic and bubbly, Gigi brings Bette’s life crashing down when she lands the role of Odette in the fall production of Swan Lake. Suddenly, Bette’s pushed into the background along with June, the third narrator. Unlike Bette, June has always been the understudy, never good enough to land the best roles. But like Bette, she suddenly has reason to sabotage Gigi. If Gigi is taken down, Bette can gain back her pride, and June will gain the lead role she has always vied for. It’s time to sabotage their way to the top… As Bette, June, and a handful of other students scheme against Gigi, Gigi’s paranoia whirls out of control. She tries to maintain her composure, but when is it her turn to strike back? Swan Lake is drawing ever closer, and one ballerina must dance the part of Odette. Ballet isn’t just pointe shoes and pink lipstick—it’s about fighting your way to the top, no matter how many people you push aside on the way. Tiny Pretty Things was a truly addictive novel. From the lyrical writing style to the fantastic world-building, I couldn’t detach myself from the chaotic beauty of it all. What I loved most was that none of the characters were perfect—far from it—but the authors still managed to make me like them, despite their flaws. Especially Bette. She was vindictive, backstabbing, clingy, et cetera, et cetera, but heaven knows she was the most interesting character in the book. I also appreciated the heavier themes discussed in this novel. Situations involving racism and eating disorders, among others, were handled with care and awareness. Even just the competitiveness was admirable to me. It’s rare for a book to be so unfiltered and raw about negative human inclinations, yet this one depicted them perfectly. It’s certainly not pretty, but it’s real, which makes the book all the more fascinating to read. The one thing I would say is that, due to all the drama, the book moved at breakneck speed. There wasn’t much time for me to comprehend and react to the many sabotages, surprises, and romances. While it did amp up the intensity, it mostly had me scrambling to keep up with the events. Overall, however, this was an absolutely gorgeous novel brimming with action and emotion. If the premise of smiling, lipsticked ballerinas stabbing each other in the back (figuratively, of course!) isn’t enough to entice you, I hope the mention of multifaceted characters and moving writing will convince you to give this a try. Just make sure to brace yourself—especially for the cliffhanger at the end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. Halperteen, 2016. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
