Have you ever been challenging yourself? Put yourself in a tough environment, and try to deal with everything by yourself? Here is the story about a girl who did exactly same things to herself. Gathering of Pearls, written by Korean author Sook Nyul Choi, is the last part of the trilogy novel that is about a girl who came to America to study in America college. Her name is Sookan which is quite similar with author’s name, and it provides evidence that this book is probably based on its author’s experience, as both of them have similar background: both of them are girl, Korean, came to US to study.
On the cover of this book, a girl who is sitting on the ground seeming like a little bit uncomfortably is picking up some pearls. As soon as you start reading this book, you would easily figure out the girl was Sookan, so the only inquiry that is not yet solved is what are those pearls meaning. And the answer of that inquiry would be in your mind if you read through the whole book. Pearls, the valuable and admirable gem that Sookan tries to gather and not lose on the cover, represent her valuable achievements in America and her relationships with her family and friends after having some tough times just like a reward of a difficult mission. Also, the blossomed flower around the main picture of her means indirectly that Sookan would blossom like a flower.
In this book, Sookan struggles between being a follower of her sister which is going back to Korea as soon as possible and becoming nun to help her sister, and being Sookan herself which is to keep staying in America and studying. The main reason of her struggling is because she is the only international student as well as the only little sister. She can’t say "yes" because she has sort of responsibility of being the only Korean in her school, and she, as the only little sister of her older sister, she shouldn't disappoint her sister by not doing elder's favor, for in that time period, it was considered as disrespectful and impolite to do so, just like her line in the book “How could I be a good person when I had disappointed my own sister?” (Choi, 53). She eventually chooses to follow her own mind, yet the process is full of pain and hard times. Sometimes she is worried about it all by herself, and sometimes she relies on her friends with receiving some advice. Finally her effort to try not to lose a good relationship with her sister works and she gathers “pearls” as she handles it by herself.
After Sookan comes to US, she experiences a lot of new things which she seldom or never did in Korea. She goes to the party, drinks alcohol, faints, cooks Korean food all by herself, etc… However most of all, in perspective of scholar, she learns a lot such as knowledge, and about “herself”. She finds her identity. She likes to take a picture and draw, she also finds it is fun to teach children. According to Sookan's mother's line, "Tough times are the times when one gathers one’s pearls” (Choi, 163). Her school life is really challenging because not only she challengs herself by choosing intense courses but also it is her first time in America, so she has been struggling to adjust herself to the unfamiliar circumstances. However, she doesn’t give up and tolerates all the things. When she is tired, she finds someone else to help her, and when she gets stuck, she tries to find breakthrough. After she overcomes all the obstacles and hardships, she is changed completely; she becomes a new person. She is not conforming to others opinion anymore and being subjective to her life.
As Sookan got more pearls, the more she grew up in this book. She found her identity by experiencing and trying a lot. In addtion, she developed relationships between her and people around her after she came to America. All of those experiences made Sookan blossom like a flower in spring. Therefore, if you haven't been challenging yourself, or you think you are living in such boring life that is full of comfort, why don't you try gathering some pearls? That will motivate you to go forward. Don’t worry about the risk you will take and disadvantage you will get. Whatever the result is, and whatever you think, you will get much more valuable things.
Citation:
Choi, Sook Nyul., and Sook Nyul. Choi. Gathering of Pearls. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.
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Five years later, she is eventually dating with Tom. At first, Sookan was kinda feeling awkward that she is dating with western person, but Tom, who understands Sookan as not only a woman but also Korean, led her well not to be feeling in that way. Furthermore, because Princeton University acknowledged Sookan's academic potential and hard working personality, they accepted her as a honorable full tuition scholarship student. So she decided to go to the graduate school with Tom who also decided to study in Princeton University graduate school. As her mother's expectation, she accepted a new culture and her sister as a person. Her sister let her keep working on her academic achievements and supported life in United States. And her major is art education which is fully based on her interest and passion not the challenging thing that she had hard time to deal with when she was in undergraduate school. She is studying hard to be an elementary school teacher and work at Mr. Bennett's children's school. 
Gathering of Pearls is interesting book at least to me. It was written by Korean author Sook Nyul Choi who came to US to study in college and then immigrated to US. It talks about the story of a girl who decided to leave Korea and study in US. Her name is Sookan which is pretty similar with its author's name. I could reckon from it that this book was written based on the author herself's american life and experiences. And with it, she wanted to share what she thinks about it with her american friends or whoever interests in. According to the site that our instructor posted on her blog, this book Gathering of Pearls is the last novel in Sook Nyul Choi's trilogy of a Korean girl. I was surprised that there are two more books that are talking about earlier life of Sookan, so I thought if I have chance next time, I might try to read those books too. Even though we have done with half of this book, I can say this book was the only book that I was willing to read among the books that our class have read so far. 
