SOURCE: 웬디, 인종차별 당한 뒤 폭식으로 15kg 증량…"母도 못 알아봐" (고은언니)
On the 26th, a video titled 'Shocking things Wendy faced while studying abroad in the U.S: from being bullied to becoming the top student,' was posted to Youtube. Wendy appeared as a guest and talked about various topics.
On this day, Wendy revealed that she went to study in Canada when she was in 5th grade. She recalled, "I saw how much brighter my older sister became after coming back from studying in Canada, so I told my parents I wanted to go too."
However, reality was not easy. She shared, "I went as soon as I started 5th grade, but I couldn't speak English at all. I wast staying at a foreigner's homestay and I couldn't understand a single word when someone spoke to me. On the very first day, I said I wanted to go back to South Korea." She added, "In 2005, there were no Asians at all, so it was hard. But after a month, I started to speak and understand English little by little. Even when I couldn't fully communicate, school became fun."
Two or three years later, she had another difficult time after transferring from Brockville to Toronto. She said, "The English level there was different, the kids were very chic and acted like snobs. I went to a Catholic school and the students there were very arrogant. There were many different kinds of friends from different races, so I couldn't fit in. That's when the racism started. I ended up eating my lunch in the bathroom because no one would include me."
The discrimination was very blatant. She shared, "When I asked them, 'Can I play with you? Can I play soccer with you all?' they would say, 'No! You're Korean.' I went to the teacher and said, 'They were being racist to me,' but the teacher just said, 'You two go out and talk it out.' Even when the teacher gave us time to talk, they never apologized. I spent a lot of time alone, cried in the lockers room everyday, and ate alone in the bathroom. I felt like school life was going to be really hard."
Eventually, she changed her direction, saying, "So, instead of focusing on studying, I became busy trying to make friends. I hung out with the kids who played the most and naturally, my style changed. In seventh grade, I bleached half of my hair, wore skull tie and suits. It was kind of strange. At that time, I did nothing but eat. I gained over 10 kg in one year."
Eventually, she gained 15kg. She said, "I went to the airport to meet my mom and sister after gaining 15kg. When I got off the plane, they didn't recognize me. They were like, 'What happened to you?' 'Why did you become like this?'"
