Kevin's Uncomprehensive Guide to Life in Korea part One!

In less than a week, I will leave South Korea where I’ve spent the last two years teaching English, exploring the countryside and trying to comprehend the locals as best I can.

So, before I say 안녕 to Korea forever, I thought I’d make a list of the most important things I think a foreigner ought to do while here. To all those considering teaching here, or to those just starting their contracts, or even to those who think they’ve got this place pegged, have a listen.

Learn the Language

You’re right, learning Korean is not necessary to living in Seoul. Korean grammar is very difficult and enough locals speak rudimentary English or better that one can go a whole year without so much as an 안녕하세요. Even though you’ll likely never use it again outside of Korea, learning the language can be very rewarding.

First, it’s valuable for its own sake. Learning any foreign language allows you to better understand your own, and this has practical implications for teachers. You can compare English to Korean, pinpointing mispronunciation and grammar mistakes, and most importantly, sympathize with your young pupils for studying a language that is so vastly different from what they’re used to.

I don’t see how anyone can say they understand a culture without attempting to speak its words. Language is a vehicle for customs, for social hierarchy, for attitudes, and well, everything. Unlike western languages, Korean expressions change form depending on the age, status, and gender of the listener. When you study, you get a glimpse of how and why Koreans act the ways they do.

If that’s not enough, there are social benefits. As any foreigner who knows at least five Korean words could attest, locals (well, not old people but I’ll get to that) are easily impressed with any attempts to speak their words. It’s indispensable to making friends, particularly girly-friends (I’ll get to that too). With smiles and modesty, your butchering of Korean will go over well.

Last of all, there are the obvious practical uses. English becomes far less common when you leave Seoul (and for the love of ham, do leave Seoul as often as you can). Getting directions, hitchhiking, arranging accommodation and meals all demand a dash of Korean, and you’ll feel proud of yourself when you are at least partially understood.

Now that I’ve proved to you why you must study Korean, the question is, how? There is a slue of Korean books available; I hear Yonsei’s is the best, but I’m partial to my Lonely Planet phrasebook. For me, the best way to learn has been to simply listen to everything people say. Korean is a hopelessly repetitive language. If it’s cold, you say “choo-ah,” if it’s hot you say “tuh-ah,” and for pretty much every other emotion from surprise, anger to constipation, you say “jinn-jah.” As a homogeneous country, Koreans tend to use the same expressions with less creativity than we’d expect back home. It gets annoying, but simply listening to locals allows you to learn quickly. For a deeper understanding, I’d recommend a language exchange or even enrolling in an academy to study. Just so long as you’re learning.

Up next…hiking!