[singlepic=698,right]I wanted to post the whole article in English but I find it difficult to find time to translate (or to even read the whole thing) because of its length. I’ve been busy the past weeks and will even be busier the coming days until the end of the year! My husband told me about this article three weeks ago, it was about an immigrant named Anabelle Castro who is the first Filipina to become a police officer in South Korea. Thank goodness there are English articles or else I wouldn’t be able to post this until next year!
Anabelle was born in the Philippines in 1968 in San Carlos, Pangasinan. She married her Korean husband in 1997 and has three kids with him, two sons and a daughter. She entered National Central Police Academy and graduated on July 25, 2008.
Anabelle made me realize two things: that it’s possible for a non-Korean born Korean to work for the government and that her age didn’t matter when she entered the police force. I could still realize my dream of becoming a Clarice Starling. You see, I took up Accountancy so I can go to law school and enter the NBI. Things didn’t turn out the way I planned and I’m now here training to become a teacher 😀 No regrets, I’m happy here!
Congratulations Officer Castro!
Read more about her here:
the long article in Korean about Anabelle Castro that my husband showed me!
Naturalized Koreans join police
Korea’s naturalized citizens assume larger roles in governmental affairs
South Korean policewoman is from Pangasinan
The Korea Times article is pretty interesting. It mentions another naturalized Korean who also became a police officer – an Indonesian married to a Korean woman!
hmmmm……so I can still pursue becoming a lawyer or a diplomat in Korea?…kkkkk,that’s a long shot but I would love to give it a try someday, maybe after the baby comes out….kkkkk.
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she was in love in asia’s episode no. 1 😀
met her once, when she csme to become a panel for a day.
met people she knew when i went to naju last week. her main tasks are concentrated on being an interpreter for te force.
😀
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mali!
….when she came to be one of panel’s for the day.
jazs last blog post..Sayonara Itsuka
OMO O_O
Grabe ang galing…
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard of. I was once being teased by my high school friends of becoming the president of Korea. I knew that doves would be turning black before that happens. But I always had a vision of myself working for the Korean government. I never knew it was possible… O_O until now.
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Ahh very inspiring. Sana po marami pang news na ganito lumabas. I mean, the more we hear these kind of stories, the more we feel close to the country we serve (wherever we are, that is).
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astig.. hangang hanga sa kanya yung oppa ko. Sya pala yung sinasabi niya.. Bibihira lang daw yun mangyari dyan sa Korea.. Galing talaga!
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I wish her well.
When it comes to recognition, we still have a long way to go.
Koreans, in general, just couldn’t help but look down on South and Southeast Asians.
I had to deal with this ê³µë¬´ì› in a government agency. In the course of our telephone conversation he asked me about my nationality. When I answered him, he said, “Ah, so you’re Filipino. Do you have residency or citizenship?” (read: 너 ë¶ˆë²•ì²´ë¥˜ìž ì•ˆì•¼??). I retorted, why, of course, I’m legal, my visa is E blah blah blah.
When we met (I made it a point to wear the Korean salaryman summer uniform -> short sleeved shirt, tie, and coat), he really had to ask my Korean colleague who was with me about my legal status in Korea and how come I get to do the things that I am doing!
During the meeting, when I was explaining the American regulations (Korea has this bilateral agreement with the US and Korea has to follow the implementation procedures), he asked me “HOW did you get to know all of these??” (read: Aren’t Filipinos supposed to be doing 3D work in the shitholes of Ansan??). I politely answered, why, it is very easy, for the regulations, the federal register could be downloaded from the gpo access website and the standards and circulars could be downloaded from the website of the concerned US federal agency. I downloaded all relevant documents and read them all. That was when he toned down and said that he did not really know the subject well and he has to ask his American counterpart.
I also deal a lot with US federal regulators but I don’t get this sort of thing from the Americans. They’re quite good at projecting non-discrimination (It also helps that the guy on the other end is foreign-born)
Korea’s just not worth it for Southeast Asians. You work like a slave, get paid like a slave, you never get recognition and Koreans just look down their noses at you.
I’m in the wrong place. It’s time to GO WEST across the yellow sea.
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There are some very hilarious posts here but seriously, congratulations for her. It’s interesting what her job duties will be. I wonder if they will let her work in the same role as other police officers, instead of an administrative job working out on the streets, you know, in a police car, making arrests, bothering people and such 🙂
Congratulations for her!
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