Study study study

I'm really working hard these days to improve my Korean. It struck me recently that I will soon have spent a year here, without being able to do much more than introduce myself and give directions to a cab driver in the native language. And that is just sad.

Fortunately, I have an uncle (actually a cousin of my mother's) who agrees with me that this is a major FAIL and has graciously taken it upon himself to tutor me. In exchange for two hours of English "lessons" with me-- he's a movie director, so basically we just read articles about movies and chat about them-- he helps me slowly and awkwardly make my way through a conversational Korean book. He's very patient with me, which I really appreciate, and I'm really grateful to have had this excuse to hang out with him so often in the past couple months-- he's pretty awesome.

Of course, while I'm definitely excited that my Korean is improving, on the flip side, there ARE some perks to NOT knowing the language well. Example: it gives you a great way to keep yourself entertained during those seemingly endless subway rides to and from Seoul...

(posted at eatyourkimchi.com-- if you're living in Korea, a great site to check out)

In addition to studying Korean, I am also trying to brush up on my French and pick up a few phrases in Creole in preparation for my trip to Haiti. My brain is sort of on language overload right now, but I am kind of liking it-- makes me feel a bit more like a world citizen, and a bit less like just another jerky American who expects others to bend to her language needs.

Let's Free Hugs!

Here in Korea, it is quite common to see women walking around holding hands and men with their arms around one another's waists. Even friends who have met for the first time may be spotted walking arm in arm down the street. (Having always been a kind of touchy-feely person, this is one of the aspects of Korean culture that I loved right away.)

However, in spite of the widespread display of intimate physical affection among friends here, hugs are not especially common. In fact, even within tight-knit Korean families, hugs have generally always been reserved for life's most special and emotionally charged moments.

This is perhaps changing among younger generations of Koreans, though. Interestingly, I have noticed that giving free hugs seems to be a fairly popular phenomenon around Seoul. I've gotten free hugs twice since being here, and both times brightened my day and put a big smile on my face. I LOVE to hug!

Below is a video made by a Korean in Seoul, who was inspired after watching Juan Mann's free hug video.



And here, some foreigners from Canada, Scotland, and Japan joined in on spreading the love in Korea. I adore the songs on both videos.



The simple honesty of one comment from a viewer of the video above especially touched my heart... "So nice! For Japanese, free hug in korea seems hard but I wish I could do!"

Hugs can change hearts, and changed hearts change the world. Let's free hugs! :)

I ♥ 콩글리시

콩글리시 or Konglish (Korean+English) is a well worn term within Korean and expatriate communities alike that refers to a phenomenon that anyone who has ever traveled to Korea-- or to any number of other countries throughout Asia-- is certainly familiar with. Everywhere you turn here in the ROK you can see English words used in entertainment and advertising, on clothing, and in everyday conversation. Sometimes these words are actual English words, other times they are "Korean-ized" versions of English words, and still other times they are English words creatively melded together with Korean words. Often the words mean something different to Koreans than they would to a native English speaker. And in sentences that employ Konglish, I would say that, more often than not, there are what would generally be considered by native speakers to be significant mistakes in sentence structure and usage.

Click on the video below to listen to an older but still classic K-pop song that beautifully demonstrates Konglish in action...



Just google "konglish" and click on images to see plenty more examples-- Konglish can be found on everything from billboards, to street signs, to clothing and other goods.

Usually when I have heard the term Konglish used by Koreans here in Korea, I have sensed an undercurrent of self-criticism and bitterness in their generally light and teasing tone. Whether or not this is usually the case when Koreans mention Konglish, though, I really can't say. I am a foreigner, and it is therefore assumed that I will in some way think less of them for "misusing" the English language-- an assumption which undoubtedly colors the way Koreans express themselves around me. After all, one of the major motivating factors for bringing native English speaking teachers into public schools in the first place is to try to halt the transfer of commonly made mistakes in usage and grammar from the Korean teacher to student. There seems to be a big fear here that the use of Konglish in foreign environments will bring shame on both the individual who uses it and on Korea in general.

Without weighing into the debate on whether or not Konglish is a good or bad thing for Korean culture, whether it's use is beneficial or whether it's purpose is valid, I am simply going to say that I personally love Konglish. I think it's often creative, inventive, clever and charming. I mean, "if you wanna pretty, every wanna pretty"? How cute is that?

Now, I am certain that there are varieties of Konglish that do much more harm than good, and I want to be clear that I am not attempting to dismiss the fact that there may be real problems that both undergird and arise from the widespread use of incorrect and sometimes nonsensical English. Neither do I want to minimize the counter arguments that insist on the meaningfulness and value of what might seem to be gibberish to the native speaker in the Korean context. All I mean to state here is simply that, even after being in Korea for nearly three and a half months, hearing Konglish still warms my heart and makes me want to smile.

I suspect that my soft spot for Konglish is mainly due to the fact that hearing it makes me feel at home here in Korea. While I may not be able to understand much actual Korean, I have no problem at all with understanding Konglish. My own mother and grandmother are, after all, expert users of the sub-language, and that has made me, in turn, an expert interpreter.

Of course, Konglish is nothing if not constantly evolving, and being in Korea has given me a Konglish education that I never could have gotten at home. Two of my newest personal favorite terms are "paiting," aka fighting-- a word to be yelled at sporting events in a similar way that some might yell "Victory!"; and "grlamor," aka glamour-- used to mean something like sexy and curvy, as in "Beyonce is so grlamor."

For now, suffice it to say, I think you can expect many more posts devoted to celebrating the joy that is Konglish coming from me in the future...