야 정현아! (Hey JungHyun!) - my teacher called out, as I was slowly peeling my tangerine today. I was startled. Why? Because I hadn't heard anyone call me JungHyun (except for faint raspy whispers from my grandma in Korea, heard over the phone) so directly and confidently in years. I did go by Jung in some classes in college but I felt that I had no ownership of the name, as it felt distant and strange, with few exceptions. Most people around now call me Joyce. Or Joycie in Portuguese. I was tickled to find out that my parents thought that Korean-Brazilians were just pronouncing my name wrong - 조이씨. How nice it is to hear one's own name, to be known. It's an affirmation of sorts.
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J Kwon
Student of the Kayagŭm, Archives
December 2018
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