Learning the Language

이백원 있어요.  ~  "I have two hundred won."

워, 한국어 말도 수있어요.  ~  "Wow, you can speak Korean."

아니요, 한국어 잘 못해요.  ~  "No, I can't speak well."

Such a simple exchange of words at the grocery store, an impetus encouraging me to continue studying the Korean language.

One of the most obvious difficulties of moving to South Korea is that I do not speak their language. Of course there are lots of English words and letters used in Korea, and the average person knows many basic English words. But there is still the humbling realization that as far as communication goes, you are like a baby, totally relying on those around you for help.

Ever since Isaac and I began dating, I have tried in some capacity to learn Korean. Depending on what was going on with work or school, I devoted more or less time to this endeavor. I began listening to Korean music and watching Korean soap operas to help pick up phrases. Although these efforts over the past five years laid a foundation of understanding, it did little to prepare me for living here and actually speaking the language.

This past year within my elementary education program, I had the opportunity to help teach and learn from second and fifth grade students. Reading with children, and trying to suggest tips to help them read and understand words and sentences better, was one of the hardest things I encountered. Now I find myself in their shoes. I look at a sentence in Korean and scan it for familiar words. I look at images that may give me a clue towards meaning. If I hear a sentence spoken, I consider the tone used. It feels like slowly chipping away at a chunk of marble trying to uncover the statue beneath. I think I see an ear, maybe a cheek, but there is still so much I don't recognize or understand.

Another take-away from my education program is the importance of learning through experience. Passively listening to K-pop (Korean pop music) was fun and helpful to learn Korean phrases. But I still had no hands-on experience with the Korean language, speaking it, looking someone in the eyes and trying to decode the words they are speaking.

So back to the grocery store. Most cashiers avoid speaking to me when I shop alone, assuming I do not speak or understand Korean (which isn't far from the truth). The cashier rang up my groceries - eggs, tofu, green onions - then pointed to the total on the screen. I pulled the correct bills out of my wallet and handed them to her. "I have two hundred won" I said in Korean, trying to be polite, knowing that I was holding up the check-out line with my wallet fumbling.

"Wow, you can speak Korean." Her reply, although simple and only expressing her surprise, encouraged me. It means I spoke a Korean sentence well enough to be understood. It means a native speaker thought I spoke Korean well. A trip to the grocery store, to a cafe, to visit Isaac's dad, one experience at a time I will continue learning Korean.

Just like learning a language the first time around, or picking up most anything for that matter, learning Korean comes piece by piece, one experience after another.

Learning the Korean language is a big part of my thoughts and a large source of discomfort right now, so it seemed natural to share my excitement about this brief conversation with y'all. It's a good reminder that there are always things you can learn and improve through diligent practice - whether it's relationships, a hobby or a new language.

A Favorite Place

When I first visited Isaac in South Korea this past December, we stumbled upon a lovely little mountain park squished in beside the shopping stores about fifteen minutes from our place. I say "little mountain" because it is just that. As you climb the steps that lead to the top, you can look to the right and see that you are rising just above the Lotte Department Store one block over, which is 7 or 8 floors high.

I loved the feel of this park in December - a forest hideout in the middle of the city. Climbing to the top of the mountain, I found a round clearing with workout equipment, benches and a traditional-style painted pagoda.

Wearing my headphones and listening to music, it felt like I was in the woods back home. Taking the headphones off, I heard the sounds of the city.

So it's no surprise that since returning here in July, we have revisited this park many times. This time though, we found some unexpected companions which made the park even more inviting.

Three park bunnies come out in the mornings to relax, waiting for someone to feed them some tasty leaves (which look like kudzu?). We brought along some carrot scraps, feeding them and petting them, and loving the unexpected delight of friendly park bunnies.

Maybe they were someone's pet who escaped or got released after chewing up one too many household items. Wherever they came from, they seem comfortable living in our little mountain park.

Trash Talk

Taking out the trash is a bit more complex here than walking out the back door to the dumpster. It makes sense, living in an apartment tower is different - many families means lots of trash - and so more organization is required.

Most of the trash we make can be recycled. Recycling is encouraged by the fact that you have to pay to dispose of other kinds of trash - by weight for food waste, and by purchasing city-issued trash bags for anything else. And so we set aside our recyclables, usually having about two cardboard boxes full each week when recycling day comes. Water from the tap is not safe, so we buy bottles of water and these usually comprise a large portion of our recycling blob.

In the afternoon on recycling day, one portion of the parking lot begins to fill with several small mounds. Each pile is for a different material - plastic, styrofoam, glass and so on. Into the evening, the piles grow ever larger as more residents bring their offerings. We take our recyclables down and toss each piece into its appropriate pile. The next morning, the collection is gone, off to find a new life and new purpose (or so I hope).

Maybe learning about taking out the trash is not so interesting. But to me it's a little different, so I thought I'd share. Isaac laughed as I took several photos of the trash piles, and I'll admit I was a bit embarrassed myself so we waited until night to take the pictures.

Creepily standing amidst the recyclables. Isaac is a good sport for helping out.

Exploring and Eating

Weekends are a chance for us to enjoy exploring and eating. And we are not alone in savoring such hobbies. If you glance around at any restaurant, the young people are usually taking photos of food, themselves and the restaurant to post onto dining blogs. Such websites are used to help others decide where to eat in areas with overwhelming options. No sales tax, no tipping and lots of competition is a winning formula to make eating out not only affordable but sometimes even cheaper than cooking at home.

This past weekend we took the hour-ish bus ride to Shinnonhyun Station, a lively area within the Gangnam district. On either side of a wide city street, there are endless shops and restaurants to discover with narrow roads winding in between.

WARNING: the following is basically just pictures of what and where we ate.

First stop was Chloris tea shop, a surprisingly spacious European oasis tucked within this busy section of town. We split an Earl Grey parfait which was all kinds of tasty, I can't remember the fancy description but every part of it was freshly made and delicious. We were their first customers of the day and had the five-story place to ourselves.

 After walking around and hopping in and out of a few stores, it was time to eat again.

Isaac treated me to something I have been craving, one of my favorite foods - margherita pizza. Again we were the first customers to arrive for the day at our lunch destination, Dochi pizza.

I may be fake-smiling in this picture, but I was actually super excited to be sitting beside this adorable wall painting. The moustached-man's face better expresses my feelings than my own.

Their menu is that huge book sitting on the table, and the pizza warmer is an old mug covered in wax. Such quirky details like these are what makes the independent food venues here so amazing and fun. Below you might also see a man-shaped hole in the brick wall behind Isaac's indulgent smile.

The margherita - a classic beauty in her modest, simple attire. Or just the picky grown-up's pizza?

Our last taste of the day was the perhaps ill-named Browntown Coffee Roasters. Isaac saw a sign outside boasting about their nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Served fresh from a tap, looking alarmingly like a glass of beer with foamy baby bubbles, we were intrigued.

Taking a sip was like some velvety citrus fruit hugging your tongue and there was not the slightest bitterness.

Naturally, the coffeeshop was cute and well-decorated.

So that's what we ate on Saturday. There are just so many unique food places in South Korea. As a whole, it seems that customer service, attention to detail and (what I would call) the cuteness-factor are way higher than back in America. More reasons why exploring and eating here are super fun.

Here is a place to easily share sights, experiences and thoughts.

I guess I can set the stage a bit. Just married. Just moved to South Korea. Still adjusting to both of these lifestyle changes and enjoying the adventure.

Home is a nice-sized apartment on the 12th floor of a 20 story building. Our front door has a numberpad instead of a lock and key. When you first walk into the apartment, the floor is lower, providing a nice square to kick your shoes off before stepping up a few inches and into the rest of our place. These two features make me smile, because they are oddly the same as my family home. Our cedar, one-story house had a keypad before it was cool, so we never had house keys. Because of the red mud around our house, and then out of habit (and some might say my laxity), I always kicked my shoes off immediately after coming in, leaving them on the hardwood floor rectangle in the entryway. So some things are the same, I still don't need a house key, and now I get to share my "shoe blob" with Isaac.
Our place is roughly aligned with the cardinal directions, so we get cool Northern and strong Southern light throughout the day thanks to the large windows which run the length of both ends of our apartment. Looking out the windows to the north, there are countless apartment buildings just like ours with nice green trails, parks and schools tucked in between. Towards the south, there are city streets and myriad businesses stacked on top of each other like restaurants, coffee shops and karaoke rooms.
So this is our little newlywed nest. Traffic sounds join the cicada songs, a mix of the familiar and new.