My Language Year Journey
I know it's a cliche, but there's no better words to describe it- time just really flies quickly. Our one-year Korean language program has come to an end and it's now time to move on to the next chapter separately.
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| With our lovely Korean teachers whose patience and unconditional love helped learning the language much more bearable. These teachers truly inspired me to become a better teacher in the future. |
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| With the "dashing" KGSP guys. They were the most unique variety of men one could ever imagine. They usually drive me crazy with their jokes but I will surely miss these knights in shining armor and my soul brother. They always made fun of me but the good thing is, they always come through in the end. Sigmund: The always dependable guy. Thank you helping me out until the end. I'm so sorry for all the times I've always bothered you when I needed anything. It would definitely be hard without you around. I wish you all the best and you deserve all the good things you have right now. Marito: Thank you for always being there and doing everything for me. I will really miss you. You've been a really good friend to me and I know I cannot find another friend like you anywhere else. I will always remember you. Gonzalo: My soul sister. hahaha. Thank you for bullying me because it forced me to learn how to deal with crazier guys in the future. I will always be your chiquitita and I might not find another person with a sicker sense of humor than you so I'm gonna keep you around. See you in Seoul. Thai: Your "conventional wisdom" will serve you greatly in the future. Hope you find "the one" soon. :) |
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| With my KGSP mom. She's been with us from the beginning. She's been a reminder of how far moms can go for their children, I admire her strength and wisdom. Thanks mom for being with us through the end. |
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| The beauty and brains of KGSP. These are the most amazing women I have ever met. Regardless whether they are single, married or looking, they all have one thing in common:being independent. You don't wanna mess with these women because they know their worth and they give the word "strong" an entirely new meaning. |
We started our language program struggling with the basics- trying to pronounce 가, 나, 다, 라, but look at us now, we can read an entire book (although I cannot guarantee we can understand everything), unless of course it's a children's book; deliver an oral presentation in Korean and write a 600-character essay. I can still remember the time when we can only say three expressions- 안녕하세요, 감사합니다 , 얼마예요?, it was a struggle trying to get even the simplest things done like getting a handphone, ordering a meal at a restaurant or even just getting to your desired destination.
I guess that's the reason why we always went as a really big group during the first few weeks, I guess everyone was still trying to figure out his/ her own place to fit in during that time and it felt safer and convenient doing things together.
But eventually each of us found our own place where we think we belong. It has been a roller coaster ride that mostly went up, but of course, also had some downs.
My one-year was filled with memorable travels, crazy Friday night-outs, awesome food trips, hilarious classes, adorable crushES???, screaming sessions at noraebang, movie marathon at DVD bang, countless birthday celebrations, coffee shop rumors, cafeteria gossips, moments at the lake and of course, Orange town adventures.
Throughout my one-year language journey, I met a variety of colorful characters that added sugar, spice and everything nice to my otherwise boring existence. Without them, I bet my one-year wouldn't have been as exciting as it was. As I replay the past year, it was actually like I was watching a real-life TV show complete with all the intense drama, complicated plot, conflicting protagonists and antagonists, the right dosage of humor, and a cliff-hanger.
And to all of these people, I am forever thankful. I can confidently say that I had a good run. It will be quite a challenge to top the amazing year I had with all of you.
Now, let me introduce the five important things I learned in one year.
1. Just Keep Swimming!- Dory wasn't kidding when she realized how important it was to stay strong despite the strong currents at the ocean when they were trying to find Nemo. It's the same here in Korea, you may not be a big fan of kimchi, but trust me, there are other delicious meals you can actually enjoy here. I highly recommend samgyupsal, galbi and jjimdak. Next, yes, you might be annoyed at the ahjummas and ahjussis in the subway always trying to push their way against you, but come on, give the elders a break, they just have this really important concept of being on time so they're always in a hurry. Lastly, I understand that Korean can be very frustrating to learn especially when they have thousand different ways of saying something, but you'll get used to it, it's too late to blame King Sejong now.
2. Dating is Out, Sogaeting/ Meeting is In.- Sogaeting is a very important aspect of Korean dating culture. It is accomplished through an introduction made by common friends and works like a referral system. Basically, it's just simply a blind date but with the involvement of your trusted friends. I've heard a lot of first-hand stories about this experience from my "expert friends" and I can say that they have mixed feelings about it. For foreign guys, it's actually a real challenge to date a Korean girl because they apparently have high standards and a checklist of criteria that includes salary, job type, assets (car) and etc. And splitting the bill is apparently a rare concept for these girls. As for foreign girls, it's easier as long as you act "cute" enough and be willing to call the Korean guys the all-powerful term of endearment "어빠". Guys go crazy when a girl calls them 어빠 and they will be willing to serve the girl as much as they could. So ladies, take note!
Disclaimer: I only have one direct experience with sogaeting and it went pretty well than expected. However, I only did it for the purpose of social experiment so I couldn't say much about the topic. ;)
3. Socializing= Drinking.- But if you don't like to drink, don't panic!!! It's totally okay. Although drinking has been an integral part of Korean Social culture, you would still survive without having to take a shot of soju or makgeolli. But if you want an easier route to socializing with your Korean friends, then there's no denying that drinking would play a huge role in it. With half of my group of friends categorized as heavy drinkers, I could say that I learned well enough about alcohol for the past year. I got to know about alcohol percentages, makgeolli flavors, cocktail variety, the best food combination for maekju and the most important of which, how much alcohol can I actually drink. :) This is very important since you don't actually wanna be throwing up in the toilet of a fancy pub and later on realizing how scandalous that act could be. :)
4. A Guy and a Girl Can Never Be Bestfriends.-Just watch the movie "When Harry Met Sally", and you'll get my point. Yeah, you just have to learn this one the hard way to understand it. It's inevitable that one or the other would develop feelings and then boom- friendship over. But not every time, there are those who were able to bravely cross the line and take it to the next level.
Unfortunately, the statistics lean more towards the casualties. It's such a waste of a really good friendship when things didn't go as expected. So be careful who you choose to invest your time with, because before you know it, both of you have already fallen into the trap and it's too late to go back.
5. Take risks.- Living abroad is not for the faint-hearted. You will surely experience culture-shock but you can easily overcome it with an open mind and the right amount of patience and understanding. You have to accept the fact that things will be very different from the way you were used to. But this shouldn't hinder you from trying out unfamiliar things- food, places, people and even feelings.
So, those are the summary of the most important things I learned for the year that made a huge impact on me. Now that I'm only days away from my next journey, I can't help but feel terrified. This entire year has become my safety net, I've been really blessed to have a second family, KGSP friends I could rely on, and a close Filipino community of scholars who supported me through thick and thin. But I know that there's no other way now but to move on to the next chapter. I won't be closing my book for these people, I know some of them will still appear on the next pages of my adventures but I do look forward to some new characters and the roles they will play in my story.
I guess that's the reason why we always went as a really big group during the first few weeks, I guess everyone was still trying to figure out his/ her own place to fit in during that time and it felt safer and convenient doing things together.
But eventually each of us found our own place where we think we belong. It has been a roller coaster ride that mostly went up, but of course, also had some downs.
My one-year was filled with memorable travels, crazy Friday night-outs, awesome food trips, hilarious classes, adorable crushES???, screaming sessions at noraebang, movie marathon at DVD bang, countless birthday celebrations, coffee shop rumors, cafeteria gossips, moments at the lake and of course, Orange town adventures.
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| With my KGSP Dad. I truly appreciate all your words of wisdom. Thank you for being my guiding light every time I needed an advice. No goodbyes, because we will surely see each other in Seoul. :) |
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| With my one and only twin! The guy against which I measure all other men. Thank you for taking care of me for the entire year. I will miss eating ice cream with you. :( Stay perfect as you are and keep in touch! |
And to all of these people, I am forever thankful. I can confidently say that I had a good run. It will be quite a challenge to top the amazing year I had with all of you.
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| The best roommate ever! I couldn't ask for a better one. Words are not enough to show you how much I appreciate that one year with you. I will miss our late-night talks, your teasing, and our bubble-blowing session. You already know how much I love you and as much as I don't want to be to clingy to you, I WILL MISS YOU TERRIBLY! |
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| With my crazy Filipina BFF. We've been together since day 1, and nothing will ever change the love I have for you. We grew up and matured side by side throughout the entire year. We shared and did almost everything together. We saw each other through the ups and downs and we survived. This picture perfectly sums up our relationship, with you always trying to nag and bully me, and me, just laughing it all off. Hahahahah. I love you to the moon and back. Thank you for everything and cheers to more good times ahead! |
Now, let me introduce the five important things I learned in one year.
1. Just Keep Swimming!- Dory wasn't kidding when she realized how important it was to stay strong despite the strong currents at the ocean when they were trying to find Nemo. It's the same here in Korea, you may not be a big fan of kimchi, but trust me, there are other delicious meals you can actually enjoy here. I highly recommend samgyupsal, galbi and jjimdak. Next, yes, you might be annoyed at the ahjummas and ahjussis in the subway always trying to push their way against you, but come on, give the elders a break, they just have this really important concept of being on time so they're always in a hurry. Lastly, I understand that Korean can be very frustrating to learn especially when they have thousand different ways of saying something, but you'll get used to it, it's too late to blame King Sejong now.
2. Dating is Out, Sogaeting/ Meeting is In.- Sogaeting is a very important aspect of Korean dating culture. It is accomplished through an introduction made by common friends and works like a referral system. Basically, it's just simply a blind date but with the involvement of your trusted friends. I've heard a lot of first-hand stories about this experience from my "expert friends" and I can say that they have mixed feelings about it. For foreign guys, it's actually a real challenge to date a Korean girl because they apparently have high standards and a checklist of criteria that includes salary, job type, assets (car) and etc. And splitting the bill is apparently a rare concept for these girls. As for foreign girls, it's easier as long as you act "cute" enough and be willing to call the Korean guys the all-powerful term of endearment "어빠". Guys go crazy when a girl calls them 어빠 and they will be willing to serve the girl as much as they could. So ladies, take note!
Disclaimer: I only have one direct experience with sogaeting and it went pretty well than expected. However, I only did it for the purpose of social experiment so I couldn't say much about the topic. ;)
3. Socializing= Drinking.- But if you don't like to drink, don't panic!!! It's totally okay. Although drinking has been an integral part of Korean Social culture, you would still survive without having to take a shot of soju or makgeolli. But if you want an easier route to socializing with your Korean friends, then there's no denying that drinking would play a huge role in it. With half of my group of friends categorized as heavy drinkers, I could say that I learned well enough about alcohol for the past year. I got to know about alcohol percentages, makgeolli flavors, cocktail variety, the best food combination for maekju and the most important of which, how much alcohol can I actually drink. :) This is very important since you don't actually wanna be throwing up in the toilet of a fancy pub and later on realizing how scandalous that act could be. :)
4. A Guy and a Girl Can Never Be Bestfriends.-Just watch the movie "When Harry Met Sally", and you'll get my point. Yeah, you just have to learn this one the hard way to understand it. It's inevitable that one or the other would develop feelings and then boom- friendship over. But not every time, there are those who were able to bravely cross the line and take it to the next level.
Unfortunately, the statistics lean more towards the casualties. It's such a waste of a really good friendship when things didn't go as expected. So be careful who you choose to invest your time with, because before you know it, both of you have already fallen into the trap and it's too late to go back.
5. Take risks.- Living abroad is not for the faint-hearted. You will surely experience culture-shock but you can easily overcome it with an open mind and the right amount of patience and understanding. You have to accept the fact that things will be very different from the way you were used to. But this shouldn't hinder you from trying out unfamiliar things- food, places, people and even feelings.
So, those are the summary of the most important things I learned for the year that made a huge impact on me. Now that I'm only days away from my next journey, I can't help but feel terrified. This entire year has become my safety net, I've been really blessed to have a second family, KGSP friends I could rely on, and a close Filipino community of scholars who supported me through thick and thin. But I know that there's no other way now but to move on to the next chapter. I won't be closing my book for these people, I know some of them will still appear on the next pages of my adventures but I do look forward to some new characters and the roles they will play in my story.
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