Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

Call me retarded or socially inept, but this is a very real observance time after time in my experiences. During my days in university and military, I always noticed how people would talk quietly in a short hand style where you can be only 3 feet from them and can't hear or understand what they are saying. I'm talking about young American adults socializing at a party, noshing at lunch, and chatting on a train or bus or outside of class on campus. I'll be sitting close to them and only hear small voices and see mouths moving, but for the life of me I could never make out what they are saying and often would have to ask them to clarify or speak louder when I was inclined to do so. I'm American too and I should understand what fellow Americans are talking about in an informal social setting, but I don't often times. This perplexes me. I know I'm not retarded or low IQ or crazy. OK, I'm a bit crazy for going to Asia to live and work, but that's actually quite a very smart thing for an American college grad in their 20's or 30's to do right now.

Last night, I was with 2 fellow Americans in their 20's, about 8 years younger than me, and seen they too were doing the same thing I observed all through my 20's. I never could pick on that informal talk and was always left to feel separated or excluded at the party, lunch cafeteria, and outside of class times.

Another example of this is I would be in a study group at a library and not understand what 2 people are saying sitting next to me that are supposed to be in my group communicating with the group, but are separating themselves like this or excluding me.

What's the deal??? Surely you know what I'm talking about as my brain doesn't fart and ears flap that many thousands of times for this to not be real. My hearing tests always checked out fine.

[yingwenlaoshi]

They're talking about you.

[sojourner1]