Camilla Onvik Pedersen

• Master's Degree in Comparative Literature,
  University of Bergen,Norway (2000)
• Bachelor's Degree in Comparative Literature,
  University of Bergen, Norway (1996)
• State University of New York at Stony Brook,
  (SUNY) New York (1998)
• Philosophy, Cultural University,
  Copenhagen University, (1996)
• Writer's Academy,
  Bergen [Skrivekunstakademiet i Hordaland] (1991-1992)
  




 

This is also Me:

I was born in Taegu, South-Korea, even though my passport says Seoul. A small misunderstanding at the policestation. These are the minor details we foreign adoptees are used to. It has become part of my life so to speak. In my adoption file it says that I'm from Taegu, a southern coastal city in South-Korea. But this is practically all the information I have about my previous life in my birth country. No parents, no family, no address. On the thin paper sheets in my adoption file, it says "unknown". This has also become part of my life as a Korean adoptee. As a writer it has become important for me to explore different views, different perspectives, a different way of looking at things. I think this is how close I get that unknown place.

Me in Norway

I grew up in Norway, in a rural village outside the capital Oslo. I have four other siblings, one other adopted sister from Korea, two Norwegian sisters and one brother. In Norwegian terms, we're a big family. An average family in Norway consists of 1.7 child. So we're way beyond that. In the early 1970's and 1980's when I grew up, foreign adoption was not that common. But in my home town, a small village surrounded by high peaks of mountains and woods, people got used to me and my sister. Living in the States for the past three years and looking back upon my childhood, I don't think I can say that I have experienced racism. There have been small misunderstandings, small details and even questions. But Norway was a good country to grow up in. After all, I learned how to ski, skate and wear thermal clothes in the winter. When you've known your neighbors for 20 years, you say "hello" when you meet. Otherwise, you nod carefully. You eat cabbage, potatoes and cooked pork. That is me in Norway, being Norwegian.

Me in the United States

Life isn't easy. Especially life in the United States where people sometimes honk at you even before the traffic sign has turned green, and when you order a tall, skimmed cafe latte with double espresso, you'll problably end up getting a grande mochacino with extra cream, and a single epresso. Yes, life can be really difficult sometimes. But at the same time there are other times when you realize that life in United States can bring people together in a way that I don't think is possible anywhere else.

In february this year I met with two other Korean adoptees in New York City. We discussed identity, adoption, cultural heritage and international gatherings for adult adoptees. Suddenly our conversation was about Norway, Oslo. One of the girls told me about her trip to Norway, being a Korean-American. But because her name is similar to other Norwegian names, she was recognized as a Norwegian. We laughed at it at while sharing our experiences from Norway. When I went home that evening, I thought about Norway, Oslo and small misunderstandings. And sometimes it is those small details that makes a story, a story of our lives, as we are.