Korean Job Discussion Forums

[deadhead]

Hello everyone!
I was just surfing the internet for Korea information when I came across this board. All the information on here is great! I just had a couple questions to ask all the pros out there.

I am a 22 year old American male who will be visiting South Korea for 2 weeks at the end of August. However, I speak or read no Korean. I have an audio cd I have been listening to try to at least say basic words. Will I have trouble getting around? I have read that many signs are in English as well as Korean, but since I plan on doing a backpacking trip all around South Korea, I assume that the smaller cities/towns don't have as much English?

Also, since I plan on traveling all around South Korea, any specific towns/cities/temples/anything else I MUST see? So far I have Seoul, Busan, Jeju Island (all the obvious ones ).

Thanks in advance for any help!

[VirginIslander]

Check at Beomasa temple in the PNU (you can also have a few or many beers there at the several Western bars, you can get good tips there) area of Pusan. Begin your hike in the PNU area and then hiike for several hours to the temple. Or you can take the ski lift up from Ochendong, which is two subway stops away.

There are also two popular beaches in Busan, Haeundae and Gwagali. You have to experience the madness and stupidity of it all.

I would say check out the book a "1,000 places to see before you die"

http://www.amazon.com/000-Places-See-Before-You/dp/0761104844

but Korea is not mentioned in it all!

Iraq is, however.

Good Luck. And remember that you can't do stupid things in Korea (smoke pot) like you would in other countries. Or you'll end up like this guy:

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-One-Cell-American-Prisons/dp/067003827X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3918851-6996752?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185714090&sr=1-1

[Ya-ta Boy]

I suggest sitting down and learning the alphabet. You can do it in a couple of days or so. One quick way is to write the names of cities and foods...Busan, Ulsan, Daejon, Daegu/kim chi, kim bap... (Be aware there are several transliteration systems, none of them agreeing with each other and all suck.)

I think even the smaller cities will have enough English for you to get around. A lot of restaurants also have menus in English.

When you need help, scout out younger people. Almost anyone will be willing to help (Koreans are 99% friendly and eager to help out), but the older generation is less likely to speak any English. On the other hand, every once in a while you run into an old geezer who speaks great English and has terrific stories to tell.

For my money, the coast road from Ulsan up to Pohang (east coast) is the prettiest part of the country.

NOTE: Delay your trip to mid September if at all possible. August here is nasty. High heat and high humidity. Not fun. AND it's vacation time, so most places will be crowded. By mid Sept. it will have cooled down to great weather and everyone is back at work/school. Much better for being out and about.

[icicle]

I would second the suggestion about the alphabet ... Learning it will be probably the single most useful thing to do ... Korean is a very phonetic language ... and knowing the alphabet and what each letter sounds like ... will help you greatly in being able to pronounce the names of where you want to go ... and in fact in many cases identifying the English words which have transfered across into Korean ...

I would suggest having the names of places you want to go to ... or the addresses of where you are staying written into Korean ... so if you get lost ... or someone can't understand where you want to go ... what you are looking for ... can read it ... And be able to help you ... Most people are happy to help ... and having a backup written option can sometimes be a very great help ... if they have trouble understanding your pronunciation ...

And use the Korean that you do learn ... Often showing a willingness to use the language ... even imperfectly is a great ice breaker ...

Icicle