Korean Job Discussion Forums

[taobenli]

This post has two parts (forgive me if I ramble even more than usual, as I've been drinking with the halmoni I live with)...

1. I was thinking of how I get "ambushed" in English at least once a day, either by kids screaming "hello" or an adjosshi (usually, but not always, drunk) waving his arms ridiculously and yelling "how are you" at the sight of a white female. Some days I'm in a good mood and it doesn't bother me (especially if it's cute kids) and some days it annoys me. BUT, I was just thinking of a time on the subway that a young man started enthusiastically gesturing and yelling in broken English, and I was at first annoyed at being singled out, but then noticed that he was harrassing other passengers equally in Korea...just an odd guy. I then thought: how many of the unsavory characters that we run into are not just annoying, but actually mentally ill/unbalanced?

This is not a Korea-bashing thread, merely a speculation: I doubt that Korea has more mentally ill people than other places, but given the high population density it would make sense that we encounter them more often here.

2. Given the seemingly unsettled mental state of some of our daily irritants, what are some good responses to these routine irritations?

- A Korean (friend or aquaintance) makes an uncomfortable racist comment about Black/Hispanic, etc. people. Translating literally to say "You're a racist" has nothing like the effect it would have in the U.S. What's a way to say (not word for word, but in real natural Korean) something along the lines of "Go back to your cave" or "that's a really backward way to think"?

-Clerks in stores take forever to give you the total in English when they don't really know English: what has worked for me is saying "영어 잘하시네요!" even when they don't. Most clerks have gotten flustered by this and responded in Korean.

-Crazy/drunk/unmannered ajosshi yells "hello" and gestures on the street: just once, I have turned around and done a little bow while saying "Konnichi wa" (Ni hao would probably work just as well), and the response was surprise and then annoyance.

So what are your strategies? Let's make this a useful survival Korean for witty comebacks thread!

[chasmmi]

say

미안하지만, 내가 영어 못하는때 한국어 할 수 있어요?

[RJjr]

A guy in Cheonho who walked beside of me on my way home one day going WHOOAAA busy busy (or maybe it was WHOOAAA Mississippi) over and over and over again with slobber flying out of his mouth took me by surprise and left me speechless. I didn't know what to say.

[Bibbitybop]

walk on, say nothing. this usual works best with earphones on, but makes a stronger statement with earphones off.

[RACETRAITOR]

I was walking down a narrow alley on Tuesday with my wife and an ajosshi accosted us. He was obviously drunk, covered in sweat, and surprisingly spoke English. The conversation went as follows:

HIM: Where are you from?
ME: Uh, Canada.
HIM: How long have you been in Korea?
ME: A few years.
HIM: Can you speak Korean?
ME: Only a little bit. (looking over his shoulder, and seeing a box of flaming garbage he had obviously set fire to) Uh, should we do something about that fire?
HIM: Is this your wife?
ME: (standing in front of her) Yes.
HIM: She is very beautiful.
ME: Anyway, nice meeting you. We have to go have supper.
HIM: Nice meeting you.
ME: (whispering to wife) Okay, let's get out of here.

So anyway, I caught an arsonist in the act. As far as I can tell he was trying to be nice so I wouldn't be suspicious of the flaming pile of garbage on the doorstep behind him.

Here's a picture of him in the act, taken a moment before the encounter. You can see the start of the flame on the white box on the step.
http://www.daehanmindecline.com/digital/20070717constitutionday/86.JPG

[just another day]

[just another day]

[toddswift]

just teach them something terrible......



korean: How are you today
me: How is your yeast infection

korean: Huh

ME: YEAST INFECTION

YEEE SSSSSSSSSST INNNNNNNN FECCCTIOOOON.

YEAST INFECTION.

koran: yeEEEEEssinfection


ME: VERY GOOD!

[just another day]

[toddswift]

[just another day]

[swetepete]

No, no, that clogged sewer smell is a clogged sewer. The yeast infection is the one that smells like piss and aged gouda.

[oskinny1]

[just another day]

[oskinny1]

If you were intelligent you would know that there is formal and informal English. "Hi" is informal, banmal. If one were to say "good morning" or the like, I would be happy to respond.

And stop trying to pick up girls on Dave's, it's tacky.