Facing poverty with a Rich girl's habits

Suki Kim, the writer of “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits,” attempts to narrate the struggles of switching from a lavish upbringing to a poverty stricken lifestyle. She tells the story of how her family was forced to move to the slums of Queens from South Korea after her father’s businesses plummeted financially. She was forced to learn many skills that would help her survive in this foreign place she had just entered. Things like learning to relate to other people her age, going to the Laundromat, and riding public transportation were all things she had to get used to.
Also, she describes how school life was so different from back home. Kids were infinitely divided by social class and sometimes even ethnicity. She states how teachers weren’t as respected in America as they were in South Korea. She felt like the only place where she could truly express herself were her E.S.L classes. Small remarks of racism from her classmates such as FOB (fresh off the boat) didn’t seem to unnerve her probably because she didn’t know what these words meant at the time.
Another problem was learning to do tasks on her own. Things like doing homework without help from someone and cleaning without maids were not things she was accustomed to. She battled an inner conflict with race. When she came to America not only did she become “Asian”, but also a minority. Since everyone in South Korea was the same skin tone or race it wasn’t very easy to discriminate. However in the Unites States, it’s usual for one person or even a few people to be singled out.