I thought
I was okay..

Esther Lee,  Korean living in Canada

I thought I was okay.
Right after moving from Korea to Canada, everything seemed fine, and it seemed like I was doing well. I made some new friends, studied hard, got good grades, and spent joyful time with my family. But one night, I found myself crying. I cried and cried, until I found out that I was not okay. Everyone thought I was okay. My friends, my parents, my sister, and even I, myself, thought I was okay. But I wasn't. I was hiding my stress -the stress from school, different cultures, and the fact that I have to study much harder than others who used to live here-inside myself. That night was the first night I finally truly found myself and comforted myself that it's okay to be not okay.