A Year in Seoul - video by Maddy

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A Musing


  • Squat toilets: the Asian toilet of choice. Being on the fourth floor of my school means using the kiddy toilets or walking up and down three flights of stairs every time I have to pee. They are tiny - either my aim is going to be legendary or one day I am going to pee all over my pants.


  • I'm convinced that the Beatles were ESL teachers in another life.


  • Statement I really hate: "You don't have to help him, he's slow."


  • I get paid overtime for work done during my normal school hours.

  • Yes. The answer is yes, they definitely eat dog in Korea.


  • I'm really glad my co-teacher isn't into hitting students with sticks... although sometimes I would like to.


  • Turns out drinking bottles of whiskey and eating dried fish with Korean business men is a really fun way to pass the time.


  • While passing the time in the manner listed above I found an in with Korean Air... in the cargo department. So what if I can't get free tickets? I have been assured that if I ever need to ship my body home I can get a discount. Sweet.


  • In Korea I am actually 24 years old. Here you are born one year old and everyone turns another year old at the new year. Therefore, on the new year in 1987 I turned two. I don't like this.


  • It's been a month and I still only know about three Korean words. It's a bit pathetic but I swear I'd do better if Korean words weren't each one hundred syllables long! Case in point: hello - annyeonghaseyo thank you - kamsahamnida Ooo and here's a new favorite! excuse me - shillehagessumnida (I have NOT learned this one yet)

  • I really love how you say hello on the phone in Korea - it sounds like YO-BO-SAY-O but you have to say it with the right tone. I wish people called me more just so I could say it...

  • I really enjoy writing random lists, although figuring out how to end them is hard.

7 comments:

  1. I really need to eat dried fish and drink whiskey with Korean business men ASAP.

    And what made the Beatles/ESL connection, out of curiosity?

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  2. It looks like the toilet is a hole in the floor...I don't get it!

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  3. The toilet IS a hole in the floor. Squat toilets... get it? ha ha

    As far as the Beatles, I have started using their songs in English club... Hello, Goodbye... Yellow Submarine. I found videos with pictures and the lyrics on youtube and I swear they are perfect ESL words.

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  4. I found your blog through one of the expat blog aggregators. Congrats on making it through your first month!

    Also, I've added you to my blogroll: http://www.driftingfocus.com/blogs

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  5. I'm having a lot of flashbacks from my years in Seoul (94-98)as I read your blog. The yo-bo-say-o killed me. I loved getting phone calls (wrong numbers). They'd go like this:
    Me:hello
    Korean Guy:yobosayo?
    Me:hello?
    Korean Guy:yobosayo?
    Me:I don't speak Korean
    Korean Guy:yobosayo? ( a little louder this time)
    Me: You've got the wrong number...I only speak English
    Korean Guy:YOBOSAYO??!!

    And on and on.
    This could go on anywhere from 30seconds to 2-3 minutes.

    Keep writing, Brittany. I'm having some good laughs!

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