1 Chronomobilities: 21st-Century Migration and Lived Time
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Shanthi Robertson
Abstract
Hyon-Woo grew up in a small town in the southern region of Korea. Her parents had always expected their two daughters would go to university. When Hyon-Woo secured a place for an engineering degree in Seoul, they were thrilled. “They were so proud of having a daughter, going to capital city, getting into [a] good university, [a] good major,” Hyon-Woo told me. “They thought that my future is guaranteed.” Hyon-Woo, however, was miserable after she moved to Seoul. She didn’t enjoy her course and she felt out of place, like an “awkward country-girl”. The other students were obsessed, she said, with make-up, high heels and dating the “right” boys. Her classmates’ desires and imaginations of their future mirrored the expectations of Hyon-Woo’s family: “Follow the mainstream … you have to go to university and then you have to get a job, married before 30, kids before 30 and all that.” Hyon-Woo ached for something different, but she wasn’t yet sure what that was. She left her engineering course without graduating. Her mother and father were shocked and angry. Hyon-Woo thought to herself, “In that case, I’m going to go as far as possible so you can’t say anything to me.” Australia as a destination was simply a pragmatic decision. A working holiday visa was relatively easy to get. The Korean won was, at the time, quite strong against the Australian dollar, so Hyon-Woo thought she could survive in Australia for some time on her savings, and more importantly, “It was really far away from Korea and totally different.” Hyon-Woo arrived in Melbourne with only basic competency in English in 2006. She checked into a backpacker hostel and started to explore the city. She thought she would give it at least six months and try to think about what she wanted to do next.
Abstract
Hyon-Woo grew up in a small town in the southern region of Korea. Her parents had always expected their two daughters would go to university. When Hyon-Woo secured a place for an engineering degree in Seoul, they were thrilled. “They were so proud of having a daughter, going to capital city, getting into [a] good university, [a] good major,” Hyon-Woo told me. “They thought that my future is guaranteed.” Hyon-Woo, however, was miserable after she moved to Seoul. She didn’t enjoy her course and she felt out of place, like an “awkward country-girl”. The other students were obsessed, she said, with make-up, high heels and dating the “right” boys. Her classmates’ desires and imaginations of their future mirrored the expectations of Hyon-Woo’s family: “Follow the mainstream … you have to go to university and then you have to get a job, married before 30, kids before 30 and all that.” Hyon-Woo ached for something different, but she wasn’t yet sure what that was. She left her engineering course without graduating. Her mother and father were shocked and angry. Hyon-Woo thought to herself, “In that case, I’m going to go as far as possible so you can’t say anything to me.” Australia as a destination was simply a pragmatic decision. A working holiday visa was relatively easy to get. The Korean won was, at the time, quite strong against the Australian dollar, so Hyon-Woo thought she could survive in Australia for some time on her savings, and more importantly, “It was really far away from Korea and totally different.” Hyon-Woo arrived in Melbourne with only basic competency in English in 2006. She checked into a backpacker hostel and started to explore the city. She thought she would give it at least six months and try to think about what she wanted to do next.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of Figures vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Series Preface ix
- Introduction 1
- Chronomobilities: 21st-Century Migration and Lived Time 15
- Asian Migrants of the Middle in Local and Global Context 49
- Times of Work: Transified Workers and Contingent Careers 77
- Times in Place: Moving, Dwelling, Belonging 113
- Times of the Heart: Reconfiguring Intimacy 143
- Conclusion 179
- Notes 187
- References 189
- Index 209
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of Figures vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Series Preface ix
- Introduction 1
- Chronomobilities: 21st-Century Migration and Lived Time 15
- Asian Migrants of the Middle in Local and Global Context 49
- Times of Work: Transified Workers and Contingent Careers 77
- Times in Place: Moving, Dwelling, Belonging 113
- Times of the Heart: Reconfiguring Intimacy 143
- Conclusion 179
- Notes 187
- References 189
- Index 209
