In Conversation with Nelson Cho

Meet Nelson Cho: A Korean Brazilian on a mission to bridge the cultural divide & create a more understanding world. He hopes that through engaging with people, creating reels and a “bit of comedy” he can show the nuances of life and Culture but also create a safe place where people can disagree but still engage with each other.

You may already be familiar with Nelson through Instagram, where (as mentioned above), he creates and shares entertaining content that explores his perspective as a third culture kid (“TCK”) living in Korea. I first discovered his account about six months ago, and instantly liked the way he engages with the world: some of his videos are funny, others are more serious, but whatever he puts out there is genuine, relatable and shows off his personality. Nelson also has a positive mindset and outlook on the world that is as admirable as it is an aspiration.

The content Nelson creates is something he does on the side to his main job, and not something he “thought would get as big as it has. It actually came about as a result of work. I was looking for influencers to market our app, and upon seeing the rates, I wondered if I could do it myself.” Nelson works in product management for an app called Teuida. If you’re not familiar with this app, its aim is to get users to learn Korean and Japanese through speaking. Its interactive lessons are based on real-life scenarios. It uses a voice recognition system that gives instant feedback on your pronunciation, which is really cool from a technology point of view, but also does great things for the user’s confidence when it comes to speaking a new language.

Nelson was born in Brazil to Korean parents who had moved there before he was born. We spoke a bit about his young life in Brazil and what it was like for him to grow up as a TCK. If you are not familiar with this term, Nelson shared with me that it “describes someone who grew up in a culture that is neither their parents’ culture nor the culture of the place they are living in. I felt like an outcast growing up as a foreigner in Brazil, not quite between the two cultures but a weird mix of culture. More like something new altogether.” This is something that Nelson says he has struggled with throughout his life, adding, “although I’m not really sure that struggle is the right word. It’s just something that has become a big part of who I am.”

After graduating from High School in Brazil, Nelson attended an international school before going on to university in the US. He continued his studies in Wisconsin, a place which was “really cold but the people I met there were really warm.” Talking of this period of life, Nelson shared that he lived in a half-basement with thirteen other men. He joked about a “self-cleaning carpet” (the ants would take away crumbs). You might read that and think he continued to share how he struggled, but he didn’t at all. I mentioned that and he replied: “It was such a positive experience. Not just with hindsight. I really loved that time of my life. It was positive for me because of the people I had around me at the time. A big takeaway for me from that season of my life was how it really comes down to the community you build for yourself. Even in difficult conditions, if you surround yourself with the right people, life becomes an adventure.”

University was a period of self-discovery for Nelson and during these years he acknowledges having faced something of an identity crisis, which is a “tricky thing to talk about because it’s still an ongoing thing for me. When I was younger I didn’t know who I was, where I fit in, and more importantly, where I should try to belong. I didn’t really feel like I belonged anywhere which was unfortunate, but eventually, I realised that the sense of not belonging was actually a blessing in disguise. Not belonging caused me to develop the sense of wanting to be a kind of bridge to connect people, and I took that on as part of my identity.”

After finishing his studies in the US, Nelson shared with me that he “felt like I was set up for a good life and very happy” with a job he loved, a community that supported him. He had good friends around him and was working as a youth pastor for a local Church, which was meaningful to him, and is something he continues doing, but he still felt a “calling back to Korea. My family had moved back while I was studying in the US, and my dad developed Parkinson’s (find out more about this neurological condition here), so I moved here for a few different reasons, but I really felt like my future was in Korea.”

Nelson paused for a moment or two here, allowing me to get a glimpse of the mediator aspect of his character, and the side to him that’s thoughtful and careful with his words. “Can I share with you a saying that has stayed with me? It’s ‘Those who work in the Ministry of Reconciliation serve as bridges.” Expanding on this a little bit, and how it impacts him, Nelson shared that he feels it is “the role of a bridge to connect people who don’t understand each other, or see eye to eye on a certain issue. I see and understand both sides, and it’s important to facilitate a conversation or process which allows them to overcome the problem they are facing. Of course, this involves honest self-reflection, and the willingness to understand even if you can’t agree.”

I asked if Nelson had a particular issue in mind, and he replied, “there are a few that I can think of, but the main thing that comes to mind is cultural misunderstandings. A good example is the divide between Korean Americans and Korean Internationals, which I realised existed while I was at university. People often think that because people share their heritage from Korea, they will automatically get along, but there’s actually a big divide culturally. Whilst in that sense they are the same, they’re also quite different. This is because of the environment they grew up in. It’s a unique kind of difference, and the distinction is quite sensitive. It’s interesting. This is just one example, but it’s a good example of where I can see and understand both sides. I’m a Korean Citizen. I speak fluent Korean, my parents are Korean, and I served my country in the military. On paper, I’m fully Korean, but I’m foreign too.”

We spoke a bit about the misunderstandings that can arise and some of the exchanges that Nelson has observed, especially during his university years. “Misunderstanding really bothers me,” Nelson shared, “perhaps more than it might bother people. I think one of the biggest problems our society faces at the moment is polarisation. Not just political views, but also issues such as gender, economy, and even isolation. When people are isolated, all those things just seem to get louder and louder and become more extreme. It’s really important to me to do something to assist people with finding common ground and bridging the gap.”

Nelson shared that the main way he observes this polarisation in Korea is through the interactions between foreigners and Koreans. This is a topical issue at the moment, with the Korean birth rate being at the lowest rate ever and a big priority for the Korean Government. “One of the ways our government is seeking to solve this,” Nelson added, “is by encouraging foreigners to settle in Korea. The Republic of Korea, being a homogeneous country with the history it has, means that our country may not always be the best equipped to welcome foreigners (which should be taken as an observation, not a criticism) so assisting where I can in that area is important. I can see both sides when people misunderstand each other. It’s a burden sometimes, but it’s a good one. I think I’m really well-placed to help people.”

Finally, we spoke about some of the ways in which Nelson is trying to achieve his goal of creating a more understanding world. He shared with me that whilst “I appreciate is a vague concept but my view of the world is that, at least in my experience, most people don’t mean harm and are well-meaning. But, sometimes the things they say come from a place of not knowing which another person or group might take as offensive or insensitive. This leads to misunderstanding, which is unfortunate. Misunderstanding is something I dislike because it’s a lose/lose situation for both parties. Neither gains anything. My hope is that people will understand each other better and I hope to create a safe place where people can disagree but still engage with each other, find understanding. I don’t exactly know what that looks like.

I’m still figuring it out.”

 

Nelson is currently taking a break from social media, but I’m sure he will be back soon. In the meantime, here is a link to a podcast featuring Nelson. It’s two hours long, but the three men all engage with each other in a really nice way, and there are a lot of interesting things discussed / shared that are worth hearing.