x Acknowl edgments
experience (and post- Soviet Korean life in Rus sia and Central Asia) and the
experiences that I encountered among Asians in Latin Amer i ca, specifically
in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I drew from my experiences in the barrio chino
on Arribeños street and the vari ous barrios coreanos in Flores, el Once and
another Korean district west of la Boca to help me write this study. All of
them helped me to write about identity, culture(s), and fi nally, the most
impor tant, a sense of agency allowing one to change and overcome any bar-
riers. Fi nally, I would like to thank my editors Masako Ikeda (University of
Hawai‘i Press) and Carolyn Ferrick (Westchester Publishing Ser vices) for the
attention, care, and diligence in helping me to correct and prepare this book.
There are many other people that I should also thank. However, for the sake
of brevity, those persons and their acts of kindness will always evoke a smile
and an attitude of gratefulness from me.