Things that I don't want Japanese people to misunderstand about Cambodia people


Why did you run away from your country?

Why am I in Japan? It's because of the civil war? I didn't come to Japan to earn money! Cambodian people who have settled down in Japan DID come here by PLANE. We are not "Boat People!" Don't misunderstand us!

Are you Chinese?

I think it's wrong to ask somebody a judgmental question.... It's not easy to tell which country a person is from only by the way he/she looks. "Where are you from? Which country are you from?" is a better way to ask a person's origin.

When I introduce myself "My name is Im Kimsuor", most of them call me Kim.

Sorry, but I'm not Korean!

I'm Cambodian.

Right! You live in Yamato? Everyone thinks all Cambodian live in Yamato.

No, Omotesando!

"Omotesando! I bet she must live with a rich old man!" I heard someone spread this rumor...

When I say, "I worked until 2 a.m.",

they always ask me, "Which bar? How much do you get paid?" Geez, watch your mouth!!

At a department store

When they see me come into the building, they politely bow to me and say, "Welcome to our department store." BUT, when they hear me speak Japanese in a different accent, they change their attitude toward me.
They say "This is 500$!" to me and just keep their eyes on me. I wonder what they think of Asian people... Not all of them are thieves! Why don't they treat every customer equally? I have enough money!

You say, "I don't discriminate against Asian people." But don't you have something in your mind? Am I wrong?

Wait a minute. I'm not saying that all Japanese people are unkind and everyone discriminate against foreigners. Please don't misunderstand. Every single country has this sort of problem. There are many Japanese people who are kind to me. I want to be free! I want to be treated equally! I want to be able to speak the language well! But I can't! You know how I feel? I had to go from country to country because of the war and now I am here. If I was a child, there would be no problem because kids can easily adjust themselves to new cultures, but once you're a grownup, it's not easy at all. The climate is different! The language is different! When you don't understand the language perfectly, you get stressed more and more.... I don't want my life to be like that.... And I don't like people just to feel sympathetic with me. I am not educated, I can't speak one language perfectly. But I hate to lose, and I have a lot of grudge against people... That's why I'm determined to make a lot of efforts and show people! Please remember!

Bad image on Asian people

It is true that many Asian people did bad things. Yes, it's true. However, not all of them are bad! It's sad that they look down on me solely because I'm Asian. Please reconsider.... Please!