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한국: Learning Korean III

Blogs > Elric_
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Elric
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United Kingdom1327 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-11-16 14:06:44
November 16 2008 14:01 GMT
#1
Part of a long (and everlasting!) series. Others here

Some initial musings...

I've been in Korea for 2 months now. Holy fuck that went fast . Sometimes I feel like there's a giant clock in the background ticking away. For any of you following this blog, you'll know that 6 months ago, I got my employer to defer my starting date to Feb 2010. At the time, I felt 2010 was maybe a little too late - it was pretty unheard of to get a 18months deferral, most, if at all, ask for 6. Now though, I feel the complete opposite. Korea, so far, has been pretty fucking amazing. 'Feb 2010' is the dark cloud looming in the horizon coming.. slowly and inevitably to end the dream here and take me back to the real world. I wish I had 2-3 years to spend here instead of 12-15 months. 2 months out of 15!.. I'm 14% done here already... :[

Enough of that bollocks please...

Okay! My Korean skills - how are they now? The answer.. well depends. Relative to probably 80% of foreigners (gyopo excluded ofc), it's fucking amazing. Relative to native speakers, really fucking horrible. I can hold a basic conversation in Korean if they speak clearly and a little slower. My biggest problem though is that my listening sucks. I thinkk I know the vocab to talk about some slightly more complex things but my listening is so bad that my speaking is actually better.........(Completely opposite to every single other foreigner learning Korean that I've met)

So, some of you may have followed my blogs when I learned Korean for 7 months before I came to Korea. Take it from me that it was definitely worth doing. I studied pretty hard.. maybe averaging almost 2 hours a day but it meant that I got all the fundamentals down by the time I got to Korea. Being the vain bastard I am, I'll happily tell you how impressed Koreans are if you can speak a little bit and say it's your first day/week/month/year in Korea. Back in London, I learnt a handful of Korean slang words from my language swap buddies.. it's always nice to see the combination of shock/hilarity on a Korean girl's face when you rip out some oh-so-trendy-slang midconversation. ^^

Taking a university language course

Two weeks after arriving here, I joined a language course at Ewha University. I wanted to choose Sogang University as they have the best reputation for teaching practical Korean but their classes were over-subscribed . A quick note for any of you choosing such courses in the future. Don't confuse the university's reputation with the reputation of the language school. Take Yonsei for example, it's easily one of the best universities in the whole of Korea but I have heard many first-hand complaints about the language school. (It isn't terrible of course, but others are better).

As I work during normal hours, I had to choose the evening course which runs Mon,Wed, Fri, 2 hours each day for 10 weeks. I will never forget the first time I went to class. In order to enjoy this small anecdote, it is probably worth mentioning that the full name of the uni is Ewha Women's University... + Show Spoiler +
But by the Great Hairy Mother of Moses, I swear to you when I applied for the course, I didn't give a damn about this fact.... In hindsight of course.. it wasnt too unfortunate a choice
It was on one particularly sweltering, bright day at 5pm that I walked through the main entrance of the uni. There is a ramp that leads down to the entrance from the uni campus and 5pm is finishing time for most of the students... So when I walked up the ramp that day, a mini-mob of stereotypically hot, mini-skirt-wearing Korean girls came descending down towards me. I couldn't help but laugh at how similar the situation looked to one of my wet dreams,....

Ewha has 7 levels of proficiency, Level 0-6 , and after a pretty crap placement test + interview, I was put straight into Level 3. This pretty much made my day as I was finally able to justify why I spent so long talking to myself in Korean back in London... I hasten to add that Level 3 out of 7 does not mean I am 43% fluent... (hah!). Even Level 6 in Ewha is far below full fluency.. I am probably about 10% fluent (and that's me being cocky).

The course is pretty cool. There are only 7 of us in the group which means we get some good quallllity time with the teacher. We're a diverse bunch too and it's nice to get to know people well from all over the place.

[image loading]

This is the main building. It's new and funky. (Sorry for bad pic, only one I could find on the phone)

[image loading]

This is a desperate attempt to force pictures into my blog. :D Top left is textbook, topright is homework. On top of that is my useless electronic dictionary. 'Useless' because my phone (which I bought subsequently and for a third of the price) has a dictionary in it already. Bottom left is the vocab book.. handy for those subway journeys when I get bored looking at the drunk Korean businessmen and the supermodel-look a likes.

Anecdotes

I think I've mentioned this before.. but because I'm Asian, Koreans automatically speak Korean at me and without exception, they all presume I am fluent. I'm still not sure whether this is because I look a little Korean or whether most recognise I'm a foreigner but decided to play it safe anyway. Anyhow, it has led to some pretty interesting situations. Please don't take the below as bitching. I actually really like it when people use Korean at me. At the very least I feel little bit more included, and I get to practice my listening ^^

E.g.1 when I go to the coffee/bakery shop with my foreign (white) friends. My friends get served first and the waitress looks pretty uncomfortable and embarassed whilst trying to speak English. Her co-workers joke behind her. I'm next and when she sees me (a fellow yellow), a visible wave of relief passes across her face as she returns to normality with a blitz of Korean words. But.. sorry... I'm a fucking foreigner too!!!!!!!!! Your English ordeal isn't over yet! Her expression drops once again and there are giggles from the other staff...

E.g.2 when I'm standing on the subway platform and a middle-aged/elderly lady asks me for directions. She gives me an incredulous look as I explain I'm a foreigner and I have next to no clue what the fuck you just said. In fact, I feel a little sorry for her. Out of the 593 other people on the platform around us, she had to choose the one person who couldn't speak Korean. That's pretty unlucky.

E.g.3 when I'm in the supermarket trying to find washing powder for my clothes. I'm in the aisle with a billion washing products slowly trying to decipher which one won't corrode my clothes away mid-wash. A shop assistant with a golden smile comes and starts suggesting a few products. Despite blatantly not even knowing the word for washing powder and telling her I don't understand five times, the woman doesn't stop talking! After a 5 minute lecture on the incredible array of products they have in front of me, she finally realises what it's like to be talking to a brick wall.

Oh yeah.. this works the other way round too. Foreigners being foreigners think I'm Korean too. So I've heard many a American casually bitch about something thinking they are immune from eavesdropping. One time in Sinchon, an American was loudly complaining to his friend about the lack of signs directing them to the subway station. I turned around and told him not to worry too much, it was just coming up on his left. He looked pretty damn shocked.

K.. I really got to go ... These blogs take f-ing ageeeeeeeeesssss

Comments <3'ed as always.

****
29 fps
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States5724 Posts
November 16 2008 14:13 GMT
#2
i totally understand you. being asian in an asian country means they think you are a native. they cant really distinguish between korean, chinese, japanese, or what not. asian is asian. tough for asians who want to travel but dont know the language.

if you are asian and dont know the local language, people might think you're retarded or might treat you like that. of course, if it's friends (not some people you meet one time and never see again) they'll eventually understand and treat you like a foreigner (if that has any good connotation to it).
4v4 is a battle of who has the better computer.
clazziquai
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
6685 Posts
November 16 2008 14:21 GMT
#3
nice
good luck ~
#1 Sea.Really Fan / #1 Nesh Fan / Terran Forever~
alffla
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Hong Kong20321 Posts
November 16 2008 15:13 GMT
#4
rofl cooool stories i love it !! :D:D
Graphicssavior[gm] : What is a “yawn” rape ;; Masumune - It was the year of the pig for those fucking defilers. Chill - A clinic you say? okum: SC without Korean yelling is like porn without sex. konamix: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
Xeofreestyler
Profile Blog Joined June 2005
Belgium6771 Posts
November 16 2008 15:26 GMT
#5
hahah great stuff keep m coming
Graphics
mel_ee
Profile Blog Joined August 2003
2448 Posts
November 16 2008 15:39 GMT
#6
hahaha i love when they turn to the asian in a white group thinking they'll know korean. I'll miss that face when I leave this country.
Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly proceeds to blow swingin swords like Shinobi
RaGe
Profile Blog Joined July 2004
Belgium9947 Posts
November 16 2008 15:49 GMT
#7
ive been following your shit since the beginning. Really cool of you to take the time and do this. I doubt you'll regret going on an adventure like this, wish I had the time for it too.
Moderatorsometimes I get intimidated by the size of my right testicle
jello_biafra
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
United Kingdom6635 Posts
November 16 2008 16:18 GMT
#8
lol "fellow yellow"
Good stuff, you're making me want to visit korea even more!
The road to hell is paved with good intentions | aka Probert[PaiN] @ iccup / godlikeparagon @ twitch | my BW stream: http://www.teamliquid.net/video/streams/jello_biafra
Ack1027
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
United States7873 Posts
November 16 2008 16:50 GMT
#9
Hey Elric, been following your korean adventures for a bit now too, glad you're staying humble and things are working out well.

Keep it coming!
SingletonWilliam
Profile Joined April 2008
United States664 Posts
November 16 2008 17:27 GMT
#10
Great blog, what is your job that got pushed back? It sounds like something military.
Aegraen #1 Fan!
masami.sc
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United States445 Posts
November 16 2008 17:29 GMT
#11
great blog... man, i really miss korea! =*(
oh, and i just read all your other blogs about the live sc matches. i agree - some of the venues are just bitches to find, ESPECIALLY loox. isn't the loox mall really creepy? it was a saturday afternoon and it was EMPTY!! and you take language classes at ehwa? lucky...
and what happened to the gomtv girl?? pic?? haha.
mmmmm...
Equinox_kr
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States7395 Posts
November 16 2008 17:29 GMT
#12
AHAHAHAHA your coffeeshop example is hilarious LAWL
^-^
gg_hertzz
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
2152 Posts
November 16 2008 17:53 GMT
#13
i know you probably explained this somewhere in one of your other many blogs, but what are you doing in Korea?
ish0wstopper
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
Korea (South)342 Posts
November 16 2008 18:14 GMT
#14
but...
isnt ewha a girls school?
ish0wstopper effect
ish0wstopper
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
Korea (South)342 Posts
November 16 2008 18:14 GMT
#15
and isnt it ehwa?
ish0wstopper effect
artofmagic
Profile Blog Joined March 2005
United States1951 Posts
November 16 2008 18:45 GMT
#16
take pics of the cute girls.... I mean the students... you know the students makes the school not the books/buildings. :D
evolve or die
Xusneb
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
Canada612 Posts
November 16 2008 19:19 GMT
#17
Hey, I just stumbled on your blog and I have to say this is a great read! You have a refreshing style, filled with happiness and wonder as opposed to the usual blog trying too hard for attention, and it draws the reader in. Haha to be honest, I see part of myself in this blog - young, asian, enjoying life Plenty of times I wonder what it'd be like to just leave it all and have an 'adventure'. This is pretty good in helping us wannabes see the life in action!
If you want to be happy, be. - Leo Tolstoy
shavingcream66
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1219 Posts
November 16 2008 22:41 GMT
#18
5/5 I approve
koreakool
Profile Joined January 2008
United States334 Posts
November 17 2008 02:26 GMT
#19
I love your examples xD
Since you're a "fellow yellow" , you should answer their korean in chinese =D (...that is, if you're chinese)
please keep us updated
Elric
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United Kingdom1327 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-11-18 03:30:51
November 18 2008 02:37 GMT
#20
Thanks for all the comments and kind words guys.. I will try my best not to be a lazy sob and update this regularly. Next blog posts should have better pics/videos as my parents visited last week and dropped off a shiny new camera.

29fps. I definitely get the look of 'what the fuck you retard, why can't you understand me' from some bitchy shop assistants. Speaking loud and fast English at them quickly puts them in their place though lol.

singletonwilliam, hahah not military, my employer is a law firm. I guess the two are pretty similar in terms of mortality rates though (gun shot wounds vs. stress-related suicide :D)

masami.sc. the gomtv girl (tasteless and susie know her well) finished her schedule at the gomtv studio. Apparently it was only a temporary thing, don't think i'll see her again. She was fun to talk to.

ish0wstopper, yeah, it's a girl's school. But the language school is basically a separate entity and allows all types of perverted scum like me in. Oh btw, I'm typing this from their comps just before class now and homepage definitely says 'ewha' (correction, I started typing this response yesterday and finished it this morning in case any of you were wondering about the time irregularity.. :S). The romanization does seem strange.. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a typo that got stuck :D


I just joined the gym at Ewha too... best gym I ever joined lol. So cheap (one off $40 payment), modern and clean facilities.. and its only for members of the uni so I'm pretty much the only guy there.............. ..............
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