Amy’s Reviews > Finding Junie Kim > Status Update

“I’ve won. At least that’s how I feel. I don’t think I’ve changed him, but I can feel the change in myself. My back is straighter. I am standing taller. I’ve definitely won.”

“I wanted a fresh start. Back then, America represented hope for a better future.”

“‘You are a big dreamer, Jinjoo.’

Jinjoo looked up at the bright blue sky above them. ‘If you don’t dream, it can never come true.’”

“‘But Grandma, I want to hear your war story also!’

‘Ah, that story?’ She nods. ‘One day I’ll tell you. But not now. I am too tired.’

And then she goes and cooks. Which some people might think is weird, but I understand. Sometimes I find talking much more exhausting than actual work.”

“She asks me how I feel during the discussions with my friends. I tell her honestly that when I start to feel negative, anxious, or overwhelmed, I focus on how much I like just being with my friends.”

“I can see where they painted over the walls and equipment. A part of me wishes I had seen the graffiti. Sometimes seeing something makes it more real than just hearing about it. But why do I need to see what I’ve actually experienced?”

“‘Junie, you’ve never been one to complain or talk about your problems. We’ve always had to force it out of you,’ she says. ‘We should’ve known something was up and pushed you to tell us. So that’s why we’re here. We want to know everything. Talk.’”

“Sometimes to Chama is a good thing. It is about inner strength and resilience. To endure. But if I always endure everything on my own, how can anyone know what I’m going through? My friends aren’t mind readers, but I expected them to know how I felt. I shut them out and then was disappointed by their actions.”

“Amy nods emphatically. ‘We’re here for you. Don’t shut us out.’

Had I done that? Shut them out? […] All the things I’d been dealing with. They were bubbling inside me. But I didn’t share any of my feelings. I did what I always do. Chama. I suffered by myself. I made it my problem alone.“

“Amy throws her arms around both of us.

‘I love you two jerks!’

Which makes us both laugh. It is the best feeling in the world to know that your best friends still love you, no matter what.”