Korean Job Discussion Forums

Wombat · Joined: 28 May 2003 Location: slutville

The following is a frequent occurence in my household:

Me: "Hello?"

Caller: "Yabaseo?"

Me: (in pidgin Korean) "Wrong Number."

Caller: (determinedly) "Yabaseo??"

Me: Umm...(more broken Korean) "English teacher's house!"

Caller: (silence, then "Aishhhhhhhhhh").

Me: Ok? Goodbye!

Caller: (more determined than EVER) "YABASEO??!"

Me: (hanging up).

What's more - the phone will ring again 1 minute later and the whole charade will be repeated. The same caller has been known to ring up to 5 times - I hate to be negative, but this really is stupid! It should be obviously within 5 seconds that they've reached a non-Korean household - a non-Korean household without very good language abilities. Repeating "Yabaseo??!" again and again isn't going to magically unlock some linguistic gate!

Also, I seem to get a lot of wrong numbers here - anyone else?

Wombat

Dazed and Confused · Joined: 10 Jan 2003

here are a few phrases I've used and they usually work in detering the repeat phone calls....

Tangshin eun chon-wha hagima!-- Don't call me again! Usually I yell this one. It works.

or I try...
Han-guk saram opsoy-yo.-- There isn't a Korean person here. They get the picture.

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

HardyandTiny · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

I get what seems like a lot of tele-marketing solicitations. I've found that blurting out random phrases, "hwa-jang shil odee a yo" or "say wa chu say yo" has them hanging up fast and they usually don't call back. In the past I got really annoyed at the way many people would call, hear a foreign voice and then just slam the phone on my ear so now I always answer "Yo-bu-say-yo?"...and always say "yea" a lot,,,"yea yea yea, neh yeah neh neh, ajoshee, neh neh neh" it relaxes me.

Sometimes I get a machine version-pre-recorded. Wow is that annoying. Solicitation seems a little out of control and people don't seem to mind it much. I come home to a door full of pizza and chicken magnets a few days a week. I like the magnets and the stickies. I'm sure most of you have your fridges covered with them.

whatthefunk · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Location: Dont have a clue

I don't answer my phone if Im sleeping, and so when people call at 8:00am, I refuse to answer (anybody i know would not be awake at 8:00am.) Koreans refuse to accept the fact that nobody is home. Ive actually timed it...it rang for about 2minutes one morning.

Same with the door. I won't answer the door if im in bed because I know it will be a church lady trying to recruit me, but they still insist on ringing the door bell fourteen million times.

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 2:21 am Post subject: When I answer...

Wombat,

Ahhhh, things that make my day better.

A: Pay back
B: Wrong numbers

Wrong numbers make my day 'cause I get to take the piss outta a total stranger. Luckily, they'll call my cell where I have caller ID and get to ring them back at 5 am every day asking for Mi Suk-ho.

Alas, they sometimes ring my flat, where caller ID doth not exist! So, off to funville I's go. I, unfortunately, answer in Korean anyways, so I can't just switch into English. I, instead, keep asking "Why?" Even if "why" doesn't fit for an answer....gobsmacks them, it does. (No, I am not Yoda's relative)

I also make comments like 'I have 7 toes' or 'Blue strawberries grow on my baby's left arm.' Oh gawd, I burst out in laughter sometimes. Oh, if I answer in the right voice, I pretend to be some yongam (really old grandpa) who is deaf. One time, I answered and told them to hold on, then answered in a different voice, then said 'hold on', then answered in a different voice....by the time I got to my 6th voice (long live teaching stories, pre-made character voices are grand!) I had to pause, 'cause I was outta idears...

Ahh, the fun of ad-lib jerking!

Shoosh,

Ryst

Cedar · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 3:10 am Post subject:

I've had numbers where I got a lot more wrong numbers than others- home numbers I mean. And sometimes if someone knows you are a foreigner they will save your number to call and bother you again. I have a guy who still calls my cell phone at least once a month who hit me as a wrong number about 2 years ago. He's actually kind of nice, a bar owner in Gangwondo. He doesn't call up and practice his English or ask rude questions- I think he's lonely.

In general if your accent is good, and you say it's a wrong number, they'll only call back once (and that, only if they really did have it written down wrong). If your Korean is bad, without being able to see your face, they'll try back again and again, hoping it's a cruel joke. I know, because my Korean was once bad and now it's good.

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

Now what about when YOU call a wrong number and say "so sorry, wrong number"... so many times I've had them me call back repeatedly. Caller ID is a poo. I still don't know the Korean phrase for "Sorry, I'm a moron, I called the wrong number". Aish!

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 5:40 am Post subject: Phone Quiz Show

Wasserbebe,

Grand! Thanks to you, I've a new way to deal with wrong numbers. I am gonna ask them trivial questions, such as: "How many wives did King Se-jong have?" Better yet, "Are you married?" Have you had an affair? Ohhh, the righteous fun I shall have!!!!!

Ok, I've no life....

Shoosh,

Ryst

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

OMG!!! What a great thread!!! Now I have a whole bunch of things to say when I get wrong numbers!

What the heck is wrong with those folks who hit "redial" and expect a different number???? A Korean/American friend of mine has admitted that he has done the same thing! Duh!!!

My usual line has been "Do you speak English?" I had one woman who called and said "Oh, I'm sorry, I have the wrong number!" and hung up quickly. I wanted to say "Hey, wait...will you be my friend???"

I love the "Hey, are you married? Do you fool around?" And talking about your daily life! Sounds great...I'm gonna try it!

gang ah jee · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: city of paper

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:07 pm Post subject:

Get some highly obnoxious song that nobody else in the world would have on their phone(small charge for the service), and you'll rarely, if ever, find need to answer the phone again. Your friends might hate you, but who needs friends.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

GREAT WALL OF WHINER'S PERFECT SOLUTION:

English Version:

Korean: Yabosayo?

GWoW: Yabosayo?

Korean: Anyonghasayo. Jeo neun..

GWoW: Jamgaman. Nan byeontae ya! Manyak neon nae jib gatda amado neon joha gibun itseo! Keun yukkwae ya!

Korean: --;;;;;; (dam) *click*

Korean Version:

Korean: Hello?

GWoW: Hello.

Korean: Greetings. I am...

GWoW: Hang on. I am a pervert. If you come to my house, maybe you will feel good. Big pleasure!

Korean: --;;;;; (sweat) *click*

WORKS EVERY TIME MY FRIENDS!