I have a friend name Brittney at my work. She told me that she studied Korean
history at her school. She said she is really interested in going to Korea for
a year, so she wanted to learn more about Korean culture and the language. She
started asking me about my homeland, Korea.
My family and I immigrated to U.S. when I was in 3rd grade. Ever since
then, I visited Korea now and then. Moreover, because my parents don’t know how
to speak the English language, I speak Korean at home. This is why I know so
much about Korean culture and the language. Anyway, I started teaching her
basic Korean vocabulary words and talked little bit about Korean history. I still remember her face, the way she looked at me; she was amazed. She said, “Wow, Laura, you’re so smart, how can you be fluently in speaking Korean and English.” To tell the truth, I was little embarrassed.
This is what I told her. “Brittney, of course I know how to speak Korean
because I am Korean.” She said, “I know, but it seems like you really know what you’re talking about”. She also said, “I have a friend who immigrated from Korean, but knows nothing about Korea”.
I think that everyone's initial response to somebody who knows more about a certain subject that they do is to say "oh you're so smart". It is true, that you are smart when it comes to Korean knowledge and culture, however, it sounds like you hadn't thought of it like that before. I believe that anyone can be "smart" at pretty much anything. Your friend could learn more about Korean culture too and become just as smart at it. I believe we overgeneralize the work smart for knowledge and just because somebody doesn't know something doesn't mean they are dumb in that subject.
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