How Knowing Japanese In Korea Saved Me From Total and Utter Confusion

Ahhh, Shinsege....bustling with Korean hipsters thousands and thousands of them. It is literally an army of bound and ready consumers that just flock to these places and shop. For a second I thought I was back in Okinawa participating in Tsunahiki (a giant Japanese tug-of-war event) except I was just crossing the traffic light. Armed with an arsenal of broken Korean and a little can do attitude, my mission was simple: to infiltrate Kyobo Bookstore and find me some JLPT prep books and some Korean books for foreigners.

While the book "Korean for Foreigners" was a good book, I could not help but notice the title. There was "Korean for Japanese", "Korean for Chinese", and then there was "Korean for Foreigners". I must say that this book is grammar heavy, yet effective. However, I am at odds with the title. Why are Japanese and Chinese people are being acknowledged in English "for Japanese and for Chinese" but English speaking people are known as "for Foreigners"? I think the Japanese company 3A had the right idea and gave themselves a place neutral title. "Minna no Nihongo" (Japanese for Everyone) because frankly even Japanese people can learn grammar from this book. I notice one thing about the book market in Korea. Cram books are popular. They had the HSK, TOPIK, Tofel, Toeic, JLPT, JPT, SAT, MCAT, and books on how to get into Ivy League schools. (No really! They did!)

So your probably wonder as to how Japanese got me out of a jam. Turns out, my Japanese is very useful in Korea. There are quite a few Japanese speaking Koreans over here in Korea with a even higher proficiency than me in Japanese. I had to say and they were the best thing since sliced Kimchi at the moment. I honest had a hard time finding a decent Korean learning textbook. There was one in my place that is ok. Complete Korean is reading heavy. I just wanted something a little more grammar heavy to get over the hurdle of difficulty I was having in learning by myself. Right now, I am not in a school, but I am learning Korean and more Japanese on my own. The hard thing with learning on your own is checking grammar. For me, it is basically trial and error. If my co-workers says my grammar stinks like moldy kimchi than it is back to the drawing board. Each day is getting a little easier on me and it has been a interesting learning experience studying a language without much help from an institution. I am thinking about taking classes due to grammar in Korean being a little harder than Japanese, but I will see how far I progress on my own first. I feel I am able to handle a basic 15 second conversation which is a start. I can say hello, say I like something, order food and apologize. I think those are fairly important skills. Slowly I think Korean will overtake my Spanish and Chinese. I am starting to feel like I know more Korean than Spanish, but I know right now that isn't true. It probably will not catch up to my English and Japanese, but there's no telling what the future holds. My Korean did not get me out of the Kyobo bookstore dilemma, my Japanese did! I was wondering around the Japanese sections and I struck a conversation up in Japanese because I was honestly lost and did not know where the foreigner's section was. I had some help choosing my book and then that person left. I was still looking for a certain Japanese book series, but I could not find it. While I was recommending books for this one person (because I was under the impression that person was just starting Japanese) it turns out she took the 1kyuu of the JLPT. So after shooting the breeze with her, I convinced her into helping me look for a Japanese book series known as Nihongosou-matome (日本語総まとめ）. I finally struck gold and find the books I wanted. They were in Japan and Kyobo had to special order them for me to be able to have them in Korea, but the delivery price was dirt cheap compared to America! I paid roughly $20 total for both books. Wow, I  thoroughly convinced that Korea has the one up on America when it comes to studying a foreign language. This person took the 1kyuu without ever having stepped foot in Japan. It was honestly super rare to come across such a phenomena! Then again I think Korea's JLPT passing rate was about 47% for the JLPT N1. I have to look at the new results. Tomorrow is a new day. I will hang out with my boss at 11am.

Wow, I have to say thanks to all the people that have put up with my absurd Japanese grammar over the years. Japanese really saved me.

Valentine's Day in Korea

Valentine's Day in Korea boasts of something special. It is the one day boys girls give chocolate to girls boys. That's right! Guys you do not have to worry about Valentine's day (there is another day you have to worry about).

Valentine's day in America works like this: guy buys chocolates and champagne for girl. They might go out to movie and enjoy a happy ending to their day. Girls in Japan and Korea use this day as a way to be frank and hit on guys. It is the one day where they do not have to be indirect with their feelings. And guys, it is the one day you don't have to worry about whether a girl likes you: the proof is in the chocolate.

I haven't really been out too much to really get to know anyone, but I wound up getting a few pieces of chocolate today. So I have to return the favor. If I have received any chocolate today, I have to buy candy for them on White Day. White Day (March 14th) is the one day when guys give candy to girls. This is usually a fairly inexpensive day for guys except if you are going to use this day to propose her hand in marriage. You are expected to take a girl out on a night of the town. And expect to pay about 3.0-4.0 million ($2,300- $3080) Won to use this day to propose to her. Just a reminder: do not forget this day! You will live to regret it! Another thing is this day is the day that guys have to give extra presents to all those ladies that gave you chocolate.

To those in America, Happy Valentine's Day! At least you won't go broke. For those guys in Japan and Korea, prepare to pony up! Just kidding; enjoy your chocolates! (You will have to pony up later though!)

Two Bros From Reno: United At Last

This whole Korean New Year thing was a bit of a let down for me. Koreans have a festival, but mainly they party, play cards, and hit the Sulchip (bars). It was not a total loss because now I scored this cool LED watch for 10000 won in a place near Itae-Won.

In other news I got the whole foreigner experience. Luckily I was not in the military or I could not use the global assault to my sinus canals known as a club restroom. I'll be frank for now: I am not much of a club person. I do not really care for them one bit. However, when 1.5 liters of soda starts pouring through my body, desperate times calls for desperate measures. Forget what you guys think you know about clubbing. There are no fire hazard laws in Korean clubs. So if places get packed; they really get packed. And no I would not be exaggerating when I say that they get packed. They get China's population density in Beijing packed. That is no joke. So if your claustrophobic, avoid the clubs at all costs. They are a smoke filled wasteland of honnies and hotties. While were at it, let's get back to the bathroom. I had to wait in line to take a leak in the most disgusting bathroom I have ever been in in my life. The smell was so rank that I thought my  all my nose hairs were going to be hinged. I only wish I was exaggerating.

If you want to find a place to score, Itae-won's for the win. Seriously, I did not believe my friend when he said there was a place called Hooker Hill. Here, you need to take caution because there are some prostitutes that bat for both genders. I was scared to even try anything with anyone there. It was either a tranny granny, or a "bar maiden". But for those that want to know more, I would say this much: go inside one of the bars and "order" a drink. I'll leave it at that. As I was leaving, I totally turned down a street walker for sex. I think she must of thought I could be easily convinced because as I was hailing a cab to flee the scene of crime I was being chased out of Itae won by an aggressive hooker. So in a nutshell: that is Hooker Hill. 

 So back to my friend Bruce who happened to land here before I did...He is a brave soul stepping into the heart of the jabberwocky trying to get a GF in Korea. Before we decided to do this long drawn out escapade, he went on this site called http://www.koreancupid.com. and looked for someone to go with us. Most of the normal people usually gave a prompt "no" to this persistent soul-searching paladin (he's a little obsessed with D and D), but lo: around 4ish, we finally got people to come hang out with us tomorrow! I will meet two people in Incheon and I will probably recover from my thrown off sleep schedule sometime next Korean New Year. Maybe I turned into a vampire after the cutie with the three inch needle happened to extract four pints of my blood. Yeah--I'm still a little bitter about that. Overall, this misadventure is one for the books. And imagine that I probably still have at least 30-40 years of living to do!