“Sujan. Dangsin-eun nae gajang chinhan chinguwa hamkke domang chyeossda.”
“Susan. Que se escapó con mi mejor amigo.”
“Susan. You ran away with my best friend.”
Ever since I was a kid, I have taken acting lessons, have been in school plays, and have binge-watched soap operas. I’m not ashamed to admit that these types of TV shows are part of my guilty pleasure and that my four years of high school Spanish have not only made me tri-lingual, but also has given me an opportunity to act in English, Korean, and Spanish plays. What I mean to say is, I want to be a trail blazer as one of the first Korean actors who one day appears in a Spanish play or TV series.
My Spanish teacher, Senora Pico, who is seventy-five years old and still teaching, always instilled in us a passion for the Spanish language, not in the two dimensional textbook, but in the third dimension — telenovelas, skits, and class plays. I have written and starred in countless plays where I realized that I had been limiting myself to just Korean and English dialogue. Even though I am not Spanish or Latin, Senora Pico instilled something in me that has forever changed my perceptions of cultures, nations, borders, and the arts.
Most readers would think that seeing a Korean American starring in a Spanish play would seem out of place and off key. However, especially in the current socio- political climate, I think it’s important for Asian Americans and latin/South Americans to find common ground. Both of our cultures have a rabid fan base who loved their dramas. I think it’s high time for some cross cultural cameo appearances.
As I look to the future, I know that the acting profession is probably a long shot. But because of Senora Pico and my Spanish class, I will not be limiting myself to a Korean screenplay, an American/English piece of writing; rather, you will definitely find me nervously waiting in line to audition for a role in a Spanish piece. I’m not trying to rock the boat and take parts away from my Latin friends and peers. However, my proficiency in Spanish has created a passion for this culture that no longer seems foreign. Instead, I see myself as a chameleon who can play a Korean soldier in a war drama, an American antagonist in a comedy piece, and certainly a love interest in a Spanish telenovela.