Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

It is almost 5 months now that I am domiciled in an apartment in the country, a mile or so from Tae-Pyong Ri. I cannot speak the language; I am too old now to learn how, also too busy when I am busy, and too indolent when I am not; wherefore some will imagine that I am having a dull time of it. But it is not so. The locals are all natives; they talk Korean to me, I answer in English; I do not understand them, they do not understand me, consequently no harm is done, and everybody is satisfied. In order to be just and fair, I throw in a Korean word when I have one, and this has a good influence. I get the word out of the morning paper (or off the internet). I have to use it while it is fresh, for I find that Korean words do not keep in this climate. They fade toward night, and next morning they are gone. But it is no matter; I get a new one out of the paper before breakfast, and thrill the natives with it while it lasts. I have no dictionary, and I do not want one; I can select my words by the sound, or by orthographic aspect. If I find a learnable phrase that has an imposing look and warbles musically along I do not care to know the meaning of it; I pay it out to the first applicant, knowing that if I pronounce it carefully he will understand it, and that�s enough. Today I have a whole phrase; I do not know what it means, but it seems to fit in everywhere and give satisfaction. Although as a rule my words and phrases are good for one day and train only, I have several that stay by me all the time, for some unknown reason, and these come very handy when I get into a long conversation and need things to fire up with in monotonous stretches.

During my first week in the deep and dreamy stillness of this woodsy and flowery place I was without news of the outside world, and was well content without it. It had been four weeks since I had seen a newspaper, and this lack seemed to give life a new charm and grace, and to saturate it with a feeling verging upon actual delight. Then came a change that was to be expected; the appetite for news began to rise again, after this invigorating rest. I had to feed it, but I was not willing to let it make me its helpless slave again; I determined to put it on a diet, and a strict and limited one. So I examined a Korean paper, with the idea of feeding it on that, and on that exclusively. On that exclusively, and without help of a dictionary. In this way I should surely be well protected against overloading and indigestion.

That is the charm of the thing, that is the delight of it. This is where you begin, this is where you revel. You can guess and guess, and have all the fun you like; you need not be afraid there will be an end to it; none is possible, for no amount of guessing will ever furnish you a meaning for that word that you can be sure is the right one. All the other words give you hints, by their form, their sound, or their spelling�this one doesn�t, this one throws out no hints, this one keeps its secret. The uncertainty remains, the mystery abides, and with it the charm. Guess again.

If I had a phrase-book of a really satisfactory sort I would study it, and not give all my free time to undictionarial readings, but there is no such work on the market. The existing phrase-books are inadequate. They are well enough as far as they go, but when you fall down and skin your leg they don�t tell you what to say.

[Neil]

You're never too old, back home I taught this guy from Argentina who started studying English in his late 50s, sure he might have found it tougher than younger types but he still managed to get up to scratch quickly.

Motivation is what it's about 100%.

[SPINOZA]

[oneofthesarahs]

I have to admit, I find it quite peaceful not knowing what people are saying around me.

In America, I'd always end up sitting next to the table of people at a restaurant who talked about the most ignorant shit for the entire meal. Or I'd overhear ridiculous snippets of conversation on the street.

Here, I have no idea what 99% of people are saying in Korean, and I like it that way. I can pretend that they are saying whatever I want, which is vastly more entertaining than what they are really talking about, I'm sure.

[Rteacher]

I was advised by an English-speaking Korean woman (who dislikes most Korean men because of their authoritarianism...) that I'm better off not knowing too much Korean. She said that they cut me a lot of slack now regarding cultural etiquette, but they'll expect a lot more if I learn to speak fluent Hanguk...(or Hangul, whatever...)

[princess]

I love languages, so I want to learn Korean. If I had time, I'd study Korean for about 5-7 hours a day, and put together with what I already know, I'd probably be near fluent in a year. But alas, I must teach ENGLISH most of the time I am here. If I marry a Korean man, I plan to not work and go study Korean all day long. When I am near fluent, back to work I will go.

[Corporal]

Okay, Walt Whitman.

[SPINOZA]

[blynch]

[crazylemongirl]

I like it and wish I could do it full time.

[Ginormousaurus]

[princess]

[JZer]

[ella]

I love the class I took in the U.S. and I look forward to learning more here in Korea once I'm settled somewhere.

Btw, knowing a language, and letting on that you know a language - especially one you don't look like you should know - are two entirely different things...

[Dev]

I find it hard to motivate myself to studying it because I have already decided that I have no future in this country.

I would only study it to kill time. I actualy like studying it, but often find I have more important things to do.