| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:08 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Grotto wrote: |
With you 100% on rant 1 periwinkle
Rant 2...not so much....you asked how much...she showed you the price tag.....numbers are pretty universal.
We are in their country...if you are going to go shopping you should at least learn the basic number system. If she was working at walmart in anywhere USA and couldnt speak English then okay..babo ya.
However when you are in her country and cant even speak a little Korean then babo you! |
I do know the # system (most important thing to learn, IMO). Been here 4 years, and I speak more Korean than the average K person speaks English. Anyway, when people show me a price tag or the calculator (Christ, I hate that), I say the # in Korean just to show them. Case in point (sorry, this computer won't let me type in Hangul).
Me: Annyong haseyo. Seregi pontu issoyo?
Clerk: Ne.
Me: Yi ship liter juseyo.
Clerk: Ne.
Me: Allmieyo? (sorry for the mangled romanizations!  )
Clerk: (silently inputs #'s into calculator and then shows me the amt.)
Me: Ok (thinking- GD expensive trash bags- I miss Hefty bags...). Pal chun sam pek won. Araseyo. Kamsahamneeda. Annyongi keseyo.
Anyway, say you are back home, and some foreigner comes into your store speaking English just fine, would you input the #'s into a calculator if they asked how much? I mean, I learned Korean to communicate. When they do the calculator/price tag bull, it insults my intelligence, plain and simple. That's why I'm irritated.
Edit-I guess I should read through all the posts before I begin responding. Also, I guess I should have phrased my topic a lttle differently, such as "Lack of Communication Skills". The thing that really nags at me, though: we are teaching English in this country, and it doesn't seem to be doing a bit of difference. People here seem to have 0% retention levels. I don't understand this. The only way that I can somewhat reconcile this is to think that some people simply cannot behave properly, get flustered, etc. when dealing with foreigners. It's pretty disheartening sometimes. I mean, I just want to be treated as a normal human being- not an anomaly that has to be "handled" differently, you know?
Side note: I didn't storm away from the clerk. I'm not like that. I'm Peri the poker face. Cool Hand Luke (the female version). Saves me from lots of sticky situations.
Last edited by periwinkle on Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:36 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| captain kirk wrote: |
In a topnotch organic health food store I was drawing a wheat plant and repeating the word for wheat in Korean. And going through grass growing and juicing motions  |
Ewww- wheat grass juice is NARSTY!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I don't know, I don't get it. First your mad because she won't speak English and then your mad because she won't speak Korean? What do you want? Should she magically speak both languages at the same time while simultaneously transmitting the price of the dress telepathically to you in that language that only Anne Heche speaks? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 5:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Dude: she wouldn't spek to me AT ALL! In English OR Korean!! WTF is that? But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. Um-maybe the same way she would deal with a Korean? Interaction with people is her f-ing job. If you can't work with people, go work on an assembly line or something. Look, people get upset and flustered when a foreigner walks into their shop, which makes me upset and flustered (I don't want to bother people, and obviously I am bothering people with my mere presence. This is very saddening to me). I just want to be treated normally, and I'm not. Makes life difficult sometimes, so sometimes I feel the need to rant. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 5:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| the rant was over the fact that the op was capable of speaking korean, and the salesperson refused to accept that, and gestured toward the price tag rather than saying the price in korean. |
The title of the thread is slightly misleading then,
| Quote: |
| Lack of English: A Rant |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 6:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The magic words to use when you get the calculator treatment:
���⸦ �����������?
(are you giving this calculator to me?) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 6:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Gwangjuboy wrote: |
The title of the thread is slightly misleading then,
| Quote: |
| Lack of English: A Rant |
|
How about: "I'm PMSing: A Rant"?
Thanks Mithridates- I wrote that in my little notebook of useful phrases.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| periwinkle wrote: |
| Dude: she wouldn't spek to me AT ALL! In English OR Korean!! WTF is that? But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. |
Then there's the nurses who argue over who's going to give the foreigner the needle... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Corporal wrote: |
| periwinkle wrote: |
| Dude: she wouldn't spek to me AT ALL! In English OR Korean!! WTF is that? But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. |
Then there's the nurses who argue over who's going to give the foreigner the needle... |
There are also nurses who will pretend to give you a needle in the backside, as happened to me last winter. No lie.
Sparkles*_* |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
| Corporal wrote: |
| periwinkle wrote: |
| Dude: she wouldn't spek to me AT ALL! In English OR Korean!! WTF is that? But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. |
Then there's the nurses who argue over who's going to give the foreigner the needle... |
There are also nurses who will pretend to give you a needle in the backside, as happened to me last winter. No lie.
Sparkles*_* |
So how does that work? You drop the pants and she pokes you in the ass with her finger?
I got an injection last year in a Bundang skin clinic from a really attractive nurse. She couldn't stoop giggling. I don't know what she could have been laughing at???? I mean, I've never had a complaint! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
"The Yobosayo Game" thread:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=36152&highlight=
I say have fun with it. When Koreans repeatedly say 'yobosayo?' on the phone, just say 'Hello?' and keep going as long as you can. I've gotten 8 or 9 'yobosayo's' in a single phone call several times, I'm trying to beat my record.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| eamo wrote: |
| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
| Corporal wrote: |
| periwinkle wrote: |
| Dude: she wouldn't spek to me AT ALL! In English OR Korean!! WTF is that? But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. |
Then there's the nurses who argue over who's going to give the foreigner the needle... |
There are also nurses who will pretend to give you a needle in the backside, as happened to me last winter. No lie.
Sparkles*_* |
So how does that work? You drop the pants and she pokes you in the ass with her finger? |
She told me to turn around, then, hiding "the needle," asked me if I was ready. She rubbed some rubbing alcohol on my butt, and then after a few seconds said "that's it." I never felt a thing. Then when I got home I checked to see if there was a needle mark. Nothing.
The reason I was there in the first place was because a mosquito bit my hand when I was sleeping and my hand swelled up so much that I couldn't close it. When the swelling didn't go down after three days, the wife insisted I see a dermatologist (maybe it was the same place where you had the giggling nurse, eamo). I think the dermatologist was thinking, "this is nothing," but felt he had to give me something, so he gave me a placebo, if you can call it that.
Sparkles*_* |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| But she did say to her co-worker (amidst nervous giggles) that she didn't know how to "deal" with a foreigner. |
That is funny...quick run get the stick....its a foriegner...do we poke it with the stick? Show it some numbers?
I think I understand better now...rereading the OP and taking my time with it.
It is similar to the thoughts and feelings I have towards cab drivers.
Get in a taxi
Youngtong dong Kachusayo.
Eh?
Youngtong...youngtong dong 
Eh? Molayo!
Youngtong dong..YOUNGTONG DONG YOUNGTONG DONG
Ahhh youngtong dong......ne ne ne.
I think it has something to do with the way the Korean brain is hard wired. Foreigners dont speak Korean.
Foreigner speaks Korean.
Korean cab driver/salesclerk is stunned...brain is tuned in to listen for English...what you said didnt sound like English
Second time..  That wasn't English
Third time... Oh My God!! That sounded like Korean!
Fourth time... Oh my god it was Korean
Fifth time.....ahhh I understand now...you speak Korean....Hey everybody look at this..... I found a waygookin that speaks Korean. Oh what did you want?  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Korean cab driver/salesclerk is stunned...brain is tuned in to listen for English...what you said didnt sound like English
Second time.. That wasn't English
Third time... Oh My God!! That sounded like Korean!
Fourth time... Oh my god it was Korean
Fifth time.....ahhh I understand now...you speak Korean....Hey everybody look at this..... I found a waygookin that speaks Korean. Oh what did you want? |
I'd say this is exactly what happens. Good one. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'd guess that just about any foreigner who's been here for a month or more knows the money thing by now- at least for numbers under say 1,000,000 ( I still take a sec to process all the zeros when it's above that number) It would be really nice if Koreans gave us the benefit of the doubt on that, but I'd prefer the calculator treatment to having them try in English if they're unsure.
Last night at the nail salon, I was chatting with the girl a little in Korean, a little in English, and then I asked about some new treatment they had. She looked a little unsure then said 55,000W( in English). When I repeated that number in Korean, she gasped because she'd meant 15,000W. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
