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korea.teacher
Joined: 04 Feb 2009
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 Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:50 am Post subject: Sometimes it Pays to be a "Waygook" |
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Recently I was a bit miffed when I was refused service at a small side-street restaurant (I'm guessing that they don't feel comfortable waiting on foreigners).
Well, today I was coming back from Japan to Busan by ferry. As it turns out, I was the only foreigner on the boat, but of course dozens of people deep in the immigration line for foreigners.
But, a really nice employee spotted me and did something unexpected, brought me to the front of the line!
The adjuma's grumbled but the employee stood her ground, politely, (even so, I ducked out licketysplit rather than risk the wrath of dozens of angry adjuma's).
So, sometimes it does pay to be a "waygook" in South Korea.
Last edited by korea.teacher on Tue Oct 01, 2013 3:52 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:42 am Post subject: |
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I enjoy being "different" here.
This occurred to me yesterday when I was phoning for oil delivery & trying to explain my address & the guy remembers me & my place from 6 months ago because I'm the only foreigner they've ever dealt with. Same with my water delivery company, they likely know me as "the foreigner" too. To which I certainly dont take offense, its simply true & not meant in any unfriendly way.
Like in the dry cleaning shop where the tag on my clothes has "waegugin" written on it. Should I post this on reddit & cry foul? The proprietor is nice to me.
I like how people remember me easily.
I like how walking down the street in my town any time I hear "Hello!" from any direction or from across the street, its aimed at me. Its always a current or former student or colleague, & the intention is always pleasant.
I'm a little uneasy with "foreigner only" shortcut access to events. I know my town is trying to encourage international visitors, but it creeps me out a bit being able to jump lines. But I do it!
All in all, I take a bit of pride & comfort in being a generally liked & accepted part of the social fabric in my town despite my waegookness. |
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Bondrock
Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Location: ^_^
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| schwa wrote: |
I enjoy being "different" here.
This occurred to me yesterday when I was phoning for oil delivery & trying to explain my address & the guy remembers me & my place from 6 months ago because I'm the only foreigner they've ever dealt with. Same with my water delivery company, they likely know me as "the foreigner" too. To which I certainly dont take offense, its simply true & not meant in any unfriendly way.
Like in the dry cleaning shop where the tag on my clothes has "waegugin" written on it. Should I post this on reddit & cry foul? The proprietor is nice to me.
I like how people remember me easily.
I like how walking down the street in my town any time I hear "Hello!" from any direction or from across the street, its aimed at me. Its always a current or former student or colleague, & the intention is always pleasant.
I'm a little uneasy with "foreigner only" shortcut access to events. I know my town is trying to encourage international visitors, but it creeps me out a bit being able to jump lines. But I do it!
All in all, I take a bit of pride & comfort in being a generally liked & accepted part of the social fabric in my town despite my waegookness. |
You are the foreigner, certainly that means something, and probably good in your case.
Much better than being a foreigner. |
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Jake_Kim
Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:35 am Post subject: |
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| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
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saram_
Joined: 13 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:41 am Post subject: |
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| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
Right on- It's become a little pet peeve of mine too that some waygookin here refer to ourselves as "waygook" or "waygooks"
Once you become used to saying waygookin you ll realise that too..
Its not a secret and certainly not karma that being a (or the) foreigner here has positive as well as negative connotations.. That is all!
Last edited by saram_ on Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:44 am; edited 2 times in total |
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transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
And when Koreans say glamorous, autobye, meeting, scenario etc they don't use the original English meanings because they are using them in the context of their own language, and so who cares as long as they understand each other. It's called a loan word.
Waygook is a loan word back the other way. You should be happy. |
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Ginormousaurus
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit
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| Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| My friend and I were ushered to the front of a very long for Marilyn Manson's first concert in Korea for no other reason than we were foreigners. We were literally the first people allowed on the floor. |
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mayorhaggar
Joined: 01 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
I am America and so can you! |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:38 am Post subject: |
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I'd parked my car on the street in front of a supermarket (legal spot). When I came out carrying 2 heavy bags, there was a police officer in front of the building. I had to jaywalk to get to my car as the crosswalks were pretty far from the store. I looked at him...gave him a half-smile...and crossed the street to my car. I don't think he wanted to have to speak English to me!  |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:05 am Post subject: |
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Being a gyopo, I have an uncanny way to convince people to feel bad about their backward culture. And the best thing of all, I convince a handful of my students to act like educated white people. It's nice, actually.  |
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EZE
Joined: 05 May 2012
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:53 am Post subject: |
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Just since Saturday, the following things have happened:
On Saturday, a old guy invited me to eat soup and fried cuttlefish, and drink makkoli with him at a new restaurant in the same building of a grocery store where he often hangs out. A lady who works there brought complementary fries over.
On the walk home from the grocery store late last night, a middle aged man asked me to go into the GS25, where he bought me a carton of milk.
I went to the local KB bank to withdraw some money this morning and was chilling, watching the TV there and drinking some coffee from the automatic machine. The branch manager came over and asked me to go behind the counter with him, where he processed my withdrawal personally. He does this whenever he's there when I'm there.
I'm not friends with these guys. They're men who just go out of their way to treat me with acts of random kindness and undeserved generosity. Stuff like this happens all the time where I live (Opo). It's the reason why I vehemently defend ajosshis in various threads. They're the kindest demographic of people I've ever met in any country. Even my ex-girlfriend's dad. Especially him. |
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transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:02 am Post subject: |
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Some older Korean guys are friendly, some are definitely not. Many won't think twice about you and will go about their lives.
Like every other country on Earth. |
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Waygeek
Joined: 27 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
No.
Waygook='foreign'
Waygookin= 'foreigner'
'I am foreign'.
Works fine. |
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Jake_Kim
Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:23 am Post subject: |
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| Waygeek wrote: |
| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
No.
Waygook='foreign'
Waygookin= 'foreigner'
'I am foreign'.
Works fine. |
Its original form is 外國. It's first and foremost 'foreign country/land'. When there's a 'thing' placed afterward, the word may appear to be an adjective, but in fact it isn't since a postposition is customarily omitted. You're either '외국인' or '외국사람', never '외국'. You're a person, not a country.
I'm willing to go extra miles and buy the 'reverse loan word within the circle of non-Koreans' argument by transmogrifier above, regardless of whether it was a mockery or not. But if you were thinking by any chance that you were using a correct form of Korean, then you're plainly wrong. The sentence 'I'm foreign' working fine with English speakers is irrelevant, unless you limit the whole thing to a case of broken or 'loaned' Korean expression among non-Koreans. |
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javis
Joined: 28 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Waygeek wrote: |
| Jake_Kim wrote: |
| Claiming that you're 'waygook' is equivalent to a Korean visiting your country saying 'I AM KOREA' or 'I AM ASIA'. |
No.
Waygook='foreign'
Waygookin= 'foreigner'
'I am foreign'.
Works fine. |
Its original form is 外國. It's first and foremost 'foreign country/land'. When there's a 'thing' placed afterward, the word may appear to be an adjective, but in fact it isn't since a postposition is customarily omitted. You're either '외국인' or '외국사람', never '외국'. You're a person, not a country.
I'm willing to go extra miles and buy the 'reverse loan word within the circle of non-Koreans' argument by transmogrifier above, regardless of whether it was a mockery or not. But if you were thinking by any chance that you were using a correct form of Korean, then you're plainly wrong. The sentence 'I'm foreign' working fine with English speakers is irrelevant, unless you limit the whole thing to a case of broken or 'loaned' Korean expression among non-Koreans. |
is it really a stretch to suppose that English speakers are using a word borrowed from a foreign language according to English grammar? The phrase a la carte is an adverbial phrase in French, but that's irrelevant to the fact that it's an adjectival phrase as used here:
| Quote: |
| Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has jump-started a new national conversation with a bill he introduced in Congress this month that would use regulatory incentives to encourage programmers and distributors to unbundle their channels and offer a la carte programming. |
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