How long do you have to live in a city before you can say you’re “from” there?
How many people do you have to know?
How many restaurants do you have to eat at before you can say the words, “I’m from this city,” and not feel like a phony?
The question, “Where are you from?” is a hard one to answer.
My name is Liza Hwang. My parents are both from South Korea, from the cities Seoul and Busan, and identify themselves as Korean-Americans. I was born in Los Angeles and I identify as American- Korean. While that might be politically incorrect I choose to identify as an American- Korean because I’ve always identified myself in that order. I am first an American, and second a Korean. That sounds very patriotic and as if I’m stroking America’s ego but it has more to do with my personal connection to a place or the lack of it.
I’ve lived most of my life in Southern California and have only been to South Korea twice. I can identify with Korean culture, but not the place. I’ve lived in the cities Burbank, Northridge, and La Crescenta growing up. I go to college in Portland, OR, have spent summers in San Diego attending Surf Camp, lived in Seoul for a study abroad program, lived in Vietnam for months teaching English, and now find myself living in South Kensington, London. Out of these many locations I can only say I’m a local at a very few, despite how long I’ve lived there or how many people I know.
I don’t really think it is a question of, “Where are you from?” but more, “Where are you a local?”
There is the bakery around the corner that I always buy brioche bread from and order entirely in French. There is a beloved pub called Hereford Arms where my friends and I relax after a long day at our respective internships Monday evenings. And I have an internship here that I really love.
Oddly enough, after three short months, I feel like I’m becoming a local.