Getting by in Korea Without Knowing Korean
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- Опубліковано 27 жов 2024
- How easy is it to get by in Korea if you don't speak the language? Is it possible? What were our experiences of when we first came to Korea and didn't know any Korean?
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Your cheese lady story reminds me of my 7-11 lady story, except I didn't speak any Korean back then, so I just spoke to her in English and she spoke to me in Korean. The day before I left to go back home, I asked for a photo with her. She seemed confused, but happily posed for the photo. Early the next morning, I was standing out front with my luggage piled around me waiting for a taxi and she saw and hugged me, then told me to wait and ran off. She came back 5 minutes later with a big bag of 7-11 snacks for my journey.
That is too sweet. 😊😊
awwww...language is a man made barrier that love breaks down 😢
That's awesomeee :)
lol
Jaquelynn Gering aww thats so nice
At least on tumblr, Eat Your Kimchi takes a lot of shit from people. People that claim that Simon and Martina are lazy foreigners who didn't bother to learn the language, and don't respect Korean culture. I don't watch the k-pop videos or speak Korean, but from this video alone it sounds like Simon and Martina have worked very hard to create meaningful bonds with Korean natives and learn the language. In that regard, it's really not fair how people attack them when they don't even know their story! I'm sure they will take responsibility for any sexist or racist content they may have made in the past, and make amends in the future. They seem like really fun, and caring people!
when i first started watching them i knew they spoke Korean like how did they manage to know idols obviously they speak Korean also cause they are AWsOmE!!!
animecrazy102 People attack them? I can't imagine why any rational person would take offence at Simon and Martina because they're such lovely people.
This instantly made me look the post up, and it's EXACTLY what I imagined it would be. Tumblr is offended about absolutely everything. I mean, EVERYTHING. So I would really not even bother caring about what's posted on tumblr, because someone once legitimately got offended over a picture of me eating ice cream from a bowl that I posted on tumblr. There is literally not a single thing on this planet that tumblr will NOT find something bad about. This should be a new rule of the internet, like, rule #678900, IF IT EXISTS, THEN TUMBLR IS OFFENDED BY IT. No, scratch that. Tumblr is most likely offended by it even if it doesn't exist.
It's a shame you cannot be even slightly funny or make PARODIES of anything before people without any sense of humour rip you apart :') I love EYK and I've been a fan since 2009 and not once have I for a single second thought they were bad people. And I spent hours and hours watching their stuff. I think some people really just wanna put other people down and attack them because they have nothing to do in their lives, and I pity them, to be honest. Too bad EYK have to put up with that shit, though.
Ari Melbourne google 'eatyourkimchi tumblr' and you will find it, it's kind of funny, and very, very sad :')
There are always stupid idiots who just blame sb or sth without knowing the fact. This is the world-wide truth XD I think S&M don't take them serious, but if not, hope so. Wanna give a big hand since they try hard to learn a language! Still many people do not even try.
I want to meet Cheese Lady now
When I visited Korea, I stayed in a guesthouse near Yeoksam metro station and I made the horrible mistake of taking a taxi, while completely drunk out of my mind and told the driver to take me to Yeoksam STATION. As it turned out, the driver didnt understand the word "station" and just dropped me in some little streets in the middle of Yeoksam. Luckily, I never panic when I get lost(which is about never), so I just chose a road and walked forward and found my way home by some magical miracle. But then I decided to learn how to say Yeoksam station exit 1 in Korea.. Never failed me again!
lol. awesome story. I would have freaked out. I'm so worried about getting lost that I'll never travel alone.
You guys are my parents.
I am planning to study abroad in Korea 2015-2016. I am so excited!
Good luck! ^^
Thank you so much! ^-^
Same! Are you going with a program?
Oh, same here! Which school are you planning to attend, and what grade? I'm applying for an arts high school, but I don't know if I'm going to grade 8, 9, or 10 0-0
I really dont know yet 😮
Can you do an entire video in Korean with English subtitles? I know it's a lot of work, but it would be so cool!
Everytime I feel down I ALWAYS look for this video just to hear the Cheese Lady story. It just makes me feel so happy because it's so sweet!! I would be over joyed if you found her again and took a video with her!!!
You are asking people who dont speak english to comment in english
Valid argument
erm,some comments have this google translate thing?
or there are people that speak English from a non English speaking countries that watch.
I hope you guys realize that reading and writing korean is very easy. It's often called the morning alphabet because it can literally be learned within the morning. Now an alphabet being easy doesn't make the language easy but if you're not willing to learn the language, at least learn the alphabet which is a day's work.
I think most people from Europe can speak english as their second language.
Aye, especially Nordic Europeans.
Why Nordic Europeans?
Education quality.
Lilly OfTheValley I am swiss and most people I know can speak english pretty well, they even prefer watching movies in english rather than hear the german synchronization. In my company, a swiss bank of 60'000 employees, it is even MANDATORY to be able to speak english. Oh and children start learning english at first grade here so... yeah I think your statement about europeans not being able to speak english is complete and utter bullshit.
Lilly OfTheValley in germany everyone that goes to school here can speak english, it depends on which catagory you go, but the one i am in - best catogery, they can all speak english, we start to learn english from 3th grade on here, and have to study it for like 10 years, atleast i have to study it for 10 years, some of them dont.
Hai, can you do a TL;DR or segment on like, a mini Korean lesson or "Korean Language Basics" or whatever? Pretty please? I'm trying to learn Korean....
Thank you :3
All people in Sweden speaks English. In fact we are the best English speaking country in the world who has English as a second language. So, bad example :P
Really? I didn't know that! :P
Ninjapants237 yes, www.thelocal.se/20121026/44062
Mikael Murstam That's really cool! Learn something new everyday.
Mikael Murstam Finland is fourth, and Denmark is second or third. Go Nordic countries!
Mikael Murstam Not only Nordic countries, although there must be something in the water there... The Netherlands is also not doing so bad. See the full list here: www.ef.nl/epi/
What are the things you like or enjoy the most about living in Korea? What are the best moments you have had living there?
Omgg that cheese lady story is so sweet ;-;
We actually are considering it, and showing the progress of how we're learning Korean. We even have a chalkboard in our studio just in case we want to film something there!
I think it's cute how they call her "the cheese lady". Like, she doesn't have a real name. Or she does, and he real name is "the cheese lady" which is on her id and everything. i don't know, it just makes me smile.
I believe that if you live in a country you should learn the fucking language. I know that it's hard to learn Asian writing but still.
I agree. At least make an effort to learn a little. I guess unless you're only living there for work because you have to and you don't have any passion for the culture, but if you choose to live there then you should. Also learning Hangul is easy. It took me about 1-2 weeks but I know of people who have learnt it in less than a day.
You are absolutely right.
+Azaria Sheppard lmfao I learned hangul in 20 minutes
***** Good for you
Woah calm down there. if you watched it video, you should know that they did learn the language but had a lot of barriers with learning it like bot being allowed to speak it when they were in school. Not only that, but Korea was never an option at first. The girl, Martina, wanted to go to Japan to teach English, and knew a bit of the language already, but couldn't find one and it was hard to find a job in Canada, then they saw a presentation about teaching in Korea then moved there not too long after. So it wasn't like they planned this for years and just never learned.
Oh thank you guys!!! :) i will be there in january, and this video is really funny and useful, i really love your style guys :)
Here's part of the link: watch?v=1EeZIU_zZzo
There's another video in the side suggestions about their marriage once you get their.
Giving surprise hugs at our grocery stores gets you arrested.
+simonandmartinabonus do you guys have any tips for learning languages? you know English, Polish, Korean, Japanese do you have tips for learning the languages? I am trying to learn Japanese myself (planning a trip out there for next summer) but it is a tough language for sure!
Hi Simon & Martina ! as an Indonesian (since you mentioned it), who speaks conversational English, and who once went to Korea (visited Seol and Gyeongju for a week), and if your question is still valid (since i'm watching this video two years after it's posted), well, I think Korean letters and language is probably one of the easiest to learn for tourism purpose. You can ask for direction easily, you can read the letters easily (Sejong the Great was awesome to promote the modern day Hangul!), maps are available in most of tourism area, and if you want to ask for more rice, you just say 'bap toajuseyo' ! :D
yeah right, I'm a Filipino and now I can read and write hangul (tho i'm bad at spelling) and speak some basic korean phrases or words after 1 year of being into kpop and kvariety shows, :D
Shaira Tolentino
how did you learn??? I wanna learnn!!
nilsy rosario
my suggestion is for you to google something like 'Hangul Table Pdf' , because Hangul (korean letters) are basically korean version of latin alphabet that is used as how we use Latin. for example, in English using latin, if you combine letter B and U and S, you read it as 'bus' and it will be written as 'bus'. Same like Hangul, if you combine the letter B and A and P , you will read it as BAP (bup) and it will be written as 'bap'. The King ask his scientist to design simple letters to help everyone (including peasants) able to read and write instead of just nobles and scholars, that is why Hangul exist. Memorizing Hangul is one step to avoid yourself being lost in Korea XD, the rest is like what Shaira Tolentino said, kpop, kdrama and kvariety will help you improve your pronunciations and expand your vocabulary and phrases. :D
nilsy rosario i agree with widya laksmi larasati Sunarto memorize the korean letters, which is not that many, and practice reading words even if you can't understand it yet, that way you'll be able to familiarize yourself with the letters easier. but i'm not that pro yet with hangul coz it's kinda hard to know the spelling and grammar.
i actually got to memo the korean letters when I was trying to write the stage and real names of exo members in hangul, hahaha ^_^V
My personal feeling is that if you're just touring a country short-term, then it's fine to live in a bubble; but if you're going to live in another country, it's only polite to try and learn the local language as best you can.
That said, I'd want to not live in the bubble even as a tourist myself :)
***** It's harder than you might think. As a student here, nearly all my friends were Korean and I learned quite a lot in a very short time. After that, I graduated and got a teaching job out in the middle of nowhere. My Korean hasn't really progressed, partly because everyone assumes I can't understand anything, and so life just ends up being a giant game of charades. Not to mention, people in the country are often intimidated by foreigners even when we try to speak Korean, so if I asked, in Korean, where something was, they would often just get really embarrassed and only point. Sometimes they even say "No English" when I'm trying to speak to them in Korean. In the two years since I came here to teach, my reading has improved, my pronunciation has improved, and I've picked up a lot of random words. I can also instantly recognize basic service questions like "Do you have a point card?" and "Do you need a bag?"I cannot have a conversation in Korean though. I would not describe that as "living in a bubble". So many people speak English, and WANT to speak English. I chat with my coworkers, with random people who introduce themselves on the street, with my students. What is important to keep in mind, in Korea is that foreigners will ALWAYS be outsiders. Speaking the language fluently doesn't actually change that. While I agree that it is polite to try and learn the langauge while you're living here (I get annoyed with people who refuse to even try to learn Hangul), there's a lot of reasons why foreigners here rarely become fluent or even conversant in Korean.
Living in korea sounds fun.. I wish someday i would live there
It is :D
I'm from Canada and I don't have a story about being a foreigner in Korea but I'm from Québec where the official language is French (which I speak and is my first language) every time I went outside of Québec I had to speak the little English I knew so I learned English VERY quickly (I learned it quickly because I'm right next to Ontario...)
+Marika DiMeglio I must agree about that too. Being immersed is really helping out when one's learning a language. I went abroad for about 13 months (China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea), and my English skills did improved because more than 75% of the students at my university in Japan were Americans (as well as my Chinese and Japanese). One girl even thought I was American which I'm not (I guess having Amrican friends had an influence on me XD). I'm also from Quebec by the way though I look Chinese. ;)
Coming from Wisconsin, the story of Cheese lady warms my heart. Enjoy your weekend.
Funny that you said Sweden as an example xD Swedes are the best english speakers among people who don't have english as their first language
wow really
Ikr, most Europeans are really fluent in English 😂 they could have made other countries like spain or something 😀
Is Spain no longer part part of Europe?
+Ario Budiarto English speaking Spaniards have horrible pronunciation
***** oops...
I am so thankful you guys make these videos am 17 and want to go to university over there and you guys give so much useful information
You guys should go meet the Cheese Lady and make a video about it !!!! :)
Martina the glow in your hair is magical.
I couldn't stop looking at it...
martin and simon, how long did you learn how to speak and/or read korean?
Im planning to move to Korea after I graduate college and now im trying to learn korean at an early age (high school wise) but the thing is I wear a hijab and im afraid people will be more prejudice or racist against me since im muslim. So really it would a great thing to move there, but also it would scary to because i've known a few Koreans in my life and they weren't prejudice against me or anything but it was a very small amount.And like because of this stupid terrorist stuff going around, people will think im a terrorist or something. And im really into Korea as much as Japan and stuff. I guess it's because i've only been outside the states into Canada or Morocco. And like I LOVE KPOP, KDRAMAS, and Korean food to. So can anyone please tell me if it would be a good idea to move Korea if I wear a hijab. PLEASE!!!
Im planning to go to korea too and im wearin a hijab.
I have a korean friend and,she said that in korea she never saw someone. Against muslim. She even said that some koreans are into our religion.
Hope that helped u ≧﹏≦
U_Cant_See_Me thanks.
Nina24330 Watch Hijabi in Seoul city's youtube videos :) she wears hijab and lives in Korea her videos will answer all your questions
zahra basharati AHH!! Thank you!!!
Nina24330 you're welcome :)
I was just thinking... How would a non-English foreigner understand what Martina and Simon asked about how non-English foreigners get by in Korea, if they don't understand English... Does that make any sense? >
I was thinking the same thing.
youtube subtitles
mihan1106 youtube subtitles don't help nothing at all ^^"
Viv C woah..
Aww The cheese lady story :)
It truly is rewarding to make an effort and forge relationships.
My parents lived in Korea for 3 years without knowing any Korean at all and idk how they did it, I asked and they didn't know either xD
What got you guys into K-pop. Did you like it before you actually got to Korea or where you already interested in it and what made you guys start to do K-pop Mondays?
were you guys able to say goodbye to the Cheese Lady before you moved to Japan?
was standing in line at a little market and this lady came in with her little boy. He decided that I was in need of a hug. all of a sudden he wrapped himself around my legs and hugging me as tight as he could and told me his name was Michael. His mom tried to apologize but I was okay with it. I thanked him for the hug. It was so sweet.
I can't imagine moving to another country and not trying to learn at least some of the language before you get there if you have the time.
I'm not really a fan of Korea, but you guys are sooo funny hahahaha can't help but watch a bunch of videos!
I smiled like an idiot throughout the whole cheese lady story xD
From California and my first language is English. This video is informative. You two are awesome.
Martina, if you read this message: What did you do to your hair? IT LOOKS AMAZING!
The bangs thou lol
As an Indonesian who live in China, its quite impossible to live in here without learning mandarin at all. Just like korea, the menu in the restaurants,the public transportation instruction/explanation are in mandarin & english. Butttt mandarin/chinese is harder to learn than korean/hangul. examples: when we want to say 是 in chinese sometimes means yes or is/am/are, but there are other words with shi, like 石shi here means rock. also some of the words have the same pronunciation but with a totally different meanings that will possibly insult people :/ yeah... so heres my story. Btw I live in Shanghai, which supposedly one of the most european influenced city in Shanghai. Come to here sometimes! xD x
Martina did u cry remember cheese lady back hug? ahhh so cute
I do not speak korean at all, well I can mumble something "nananana seo" and then randomly bow to people. However, I am not in Korea right now nor do I plan to move there.
I think it is usually more difficult more "english as mother tongue" people to immerse themselves because they need to break their own assumption that humanity and englishness both come from the same root. I am not trying to generalize or patronize btw.
I can't really remember what was the point of my comment so I think I will leave it there. Hum... yeah, sorry.
It is really hard for native English speakers to learn non-Latin based languages. Especially languages that don't have the "abc" alphabet, like Arabic or Russian Cyrillic. I study French and, for me, French is easy because a majority of the letters are pronounced the same and the ones that aren't are easy enough learned. I have a friend that teaches me Chinese, and it is just so difficult to get my mouth around the sounds and form them correctly. Usually it turns out hilariously and we lol. It's the same when I try Korean and Japanese. I had a friend from Thailand and she would teach me phrases and that would be easier. But my friend that speaks Chinese had an easier time. But yeah... anyway... It sucks to love Asian cultures when you have an English base.
Andrea Frantz I totally agree. I think the main reason native English speakers have a hard time learning new languages is the lack of advocacy for foreign languages in schools. I can't speak for other countries, but I know American schools rarely push students to seriously study a language. I lived in Russia until I was eight and I remember beginning to study English right off the bat in first grade, which is practically unheard of here. Also the common languages taught in schools here use the Latin/Roman alphabet, so learning a new writing system is just extra bizarre and foreign. When I started learning Japanese, it took a while to just get used to how it looked because kana/kanji were so intimidating and unfamiliar to me. Funnily enough, I study French too but I don't find it easy _at all_, all the grammar exceptions and the pronunciations are too much for me, haha.
I lived in Thailand last year and currently live in Taiwan. Thailand I was in a rural village where I was literally the only non-Thai person and where I live in Taiwan there's me and my co-worker from the US and that's it. I've had to immerse myself so quickly in both Thai and Mandarin that I didn't think it was quick as it is to actually learn it. In stores here in Taiwan they completely speak to me in Mandarin and they don't know how to converse in English. Excluding my students and Teaching Assistants, I've had less that 5 Taiwanese natives speak to me in English. I study about 10 hours a week outside of work for learning Mandarin whilst maintaining Thai because I don't want to lose what I learnt last year. Plus in Thailand I had to completely take on the teacher role with complete cultural change and the rule is in Thailand that you greet all fellow co-workers with Wai (the Thai greet with hands) every morning, you give wai back to students who greet you and once a week you must stand at the school gate and greet all students and co-workers formally. You also have to sing the Thai National Anthem every morning. So it takes quite a lot for native English speakers to adapt, but it can be done! :)
Anna K I can remember in junior high we had mandatory French and Spanish. One whole semester of each back to back. Then you could choose if you wanted to continue with it or not. I did have the opportunity to take Japanese my senior year of high school but then my mother retired and we moved the summer before. Wah!!!! Spanish though I am finding more and more lately although that could be because we have a 'medium/largish' Hispanic population out here in the middle of nowhere where I live.
I can't speak for all Swedish ppl but in Sweden we start to learn English in school from 6-7 years of age so I'm pretty sure most Swedish ppl would manage fine with the English they know ^^
love the cheese lady! so friendly...people like her makes foreigners feel right at home...even for Asians who dunno korean...
The cheese lady story is so cute. :')
Omg, the cheese lady story makes this one of my favorite videos!!
taxi drivers don't speak english in the us either
I'm from Sweden, and I live in Seoul! Fortunately for us from Sweden, we do speak English, but I'm trying my best to learn Korean. I even got my Korean midterms coming up this week... And I'd say, your life in Korea will be much happier if you learn Korean, because Koreans are so nice to you if you try and speak their language and learn their culture! I've only met people encouraging me to learn more and helping need with my studies (and everything else for that matter). I love living here!
Hi! Just to be helpful, I think if you spoke Korean occasionally during your videos, it would immediately dispel the notion that you don't speak it... I've watched a dozen of your videos and have yet to hear you say more than a word or two in korean.
Tom Hannah Watch their FAPFAPs
"IT'S CLEARLY GOING DIES" 😂 Simon and Martina.. i know this video is 2 years old, but you guys are hilarious.
I've had that lip thing that Simon talked about in the beginning of the video happen to me before.
THE ENDING OMGG YOU GUYS REALLY MADE MY DAY
I cried at the cheese lady story :')
OMGGG,u guys make me wanna get that plane ticket booked right away and just go to Korea!! I've been learning the language by myself for a some time but I really wanna practise it!!U 2 r lucky I swear!!keep up the work and soon u'll be fluent!!!=))
i loved the cheese lady story lol
Hi. I'm Indonesian. I'm living in Busan, studying as an exchange student. My Korean friend said most of people (there, at least) believe Indonesian speak English, and they don't seem to have much confidence in speaking English. So I started speaking Korean whenever I go anywhere around my place, and wow! They're surprised n it made me got much closer to the people around. Even free oranges at just a random occasion! I think they are just happy to meet foreigners speaking their language. :)
Cheeselady is adorable~
lol de cheeeseee lady is awesome
I come from Norway, have been 3 times in Seoul, and managed just fine with only english. I mostly had to downgrade my english skills because many i talked to seemed to have problems understand full sentences. So i made them shorter and some times only used a basic word for the spesific situation, and adding bodylanguage/hand gestures. But that also worked fine. I felt so welcomed. So many tried help me everytime i looked lost. And i can read hangul, thats helpful, i just have a smal vocabulary.
I'd be in Korea like "Yo soy baka"
I thank basic Duolingo lessons and anime for understanding that.
I work in an office and it is generally quiet.. except when you hear me laughing because I am watching your videos. I fully expect to have my manager walk over one of these days. XD Keep up the awesome videos!
But did you know how to speak/read Korean before you moved?
They said they didn't, they had to point at stuff that they wanted like at restaurants and had to write down translators
love your ode to the cheese lady - the story was adorable x
Do you guys have a video where you speak korean?
+Sophia Z They have a few. "How to speak Korean like a Pro," I believe they're called.
I remember going to Seoul with friends during summer for two weeks. The subway system is not complicated, if you have the hotel business card you can practically give it to the taxi and they can GPS it for you. Bargaining on the streets is fun, if you know just a little korean it really helps. I remember visiting a korean family, even though I didn't know a lick of korean, they really tried to there best to get to know me and what my interests were. So yeah Korea was totally fun!
Surviving in Korea with only Englsh will give you guys lots of troubles and problems if you don't have a helper who speaks English.
I love the color contrast between Martina's pink hair and her green sweater!
I want to meet the cheese lady now :)
the cheese lady story made me cry. That's so cute!
She lady sounds great! I want to meet a sweet little cheese lady! :(
I really enjoyed this video! After being here for 6 months I can definitely recommend people LEARN KOREAN! It is very rewarding, and it does make you more able to be part of the community here. I speak Korean as often and as much as possible even if it is broken and slow, practice makes perfect and most people will be kind enough to help you with pronunciation. The only drawback for me is that I live in Gyeongsan province and they have a very different dialect and a lot of like "slang." All good
likes for surprise hugs!
You guys are totally true! I'm Indonesian & last semester I went to Korea as an Exchange student. I think it's easier to learn Korean from Indonesian because we can pronounce it easily & perfectly, even though Korean is super complicated. and your story about cheese lady made me remember the security 아저씨들 who are seriously sad & wishing us to stay longer when I'd to go back to my country, because we (me & my friend) are maybe the only foreigners who greet them in Korean. I miss them~ :"(
#4 Who wants to die!?!? hahahhaha
This video really helped me when I went to Korea...I'm planning to live there after college and so this was my go-to guide
LMFAO *Thinks about that infamous Tumblr post that claims that Simon and Martina cannot speak or write a lick of Korean*
was it "thisisnotkorea"? Those guys are so mean
I have no idea. I don't remember and I have no desire to go find the post again. But I do remember one of the points they used was "If they were black and doing this, would they be as successful?" And like yeah, its a good point. But it shouldn't be held against them.
OMG my daughter and I want to move to Korea sooooooo bad and after watching y'all I wanna go that much more but we would learn the language before we move though make it easier on ourselves I'm slowly learning to speak Korean but not read and write yet though. Y'all r awesome and luv the pink in ur hair :)
well everyone in sweden speaks english so not a great example lol
Yes! I have a have a friend who is a swedish foreign exchange student and can speak english fluently.
Omg you guys make Korea sound like a beautiful country and it makes me wanna teleport and move there like right this instant.
My sister went to one small Chinese restaurant and there's only one worker who's Chinese, so he only speak Chinese, a little bit of Russian and can say only a few words in Lithuanian and it's in Lithuania! haha She said he was really a nice man and food was delicious so I'm going there tomorrow, I can't speak Russian but might say some words in Chinese to surprise him! hehe
loved your story about cheese lady, so precious :3
I am going to Korea this summer. I can read and write, which is definitely a good skill. I am not fluent, but understand broken Korean, and can speak minimal conversational Korean. I am going with friends who know nothing about Korea, and I keep trying to tell them, I'm sure they will be fine. Thanks for all of the great videos :-)
That was a nice story with Cheese lady 😃
I like that you guys call living in bubble for those who don't speak Korean even though they live in Korea.
I totally agree with Simon and Martina, it's much more interesting to live in a place where you feel like you're part of the comunity. I don't live in Korea nor haven't been to Korea ever, but I've lived in China for over a year in a city named Tianjin and at the beginning I'd feel kinda lost and lonely, but once you start getting to know you surroundings and the people arround you everything get's so much more awesome. I miss all the sweet Ayi's (aunts) and Shushu's (uncles). :'D
As a korean american, its fun to watch these :D thank you
Dear Simon and Martina,
What were the impressions you've gotten from each other's parents? Did Simon's parents hate/dislike Martina at first and the same in reverse? Can you please tell us some of your past experiences about this?
Thanks!
I totally agree. If you truly are a fan then why not try to learn their language? Ive been studying korean for awhile and get very happy when i can understand interviews and songs. It can be a hassle to always look up translations.
Hi people! I did use the interpretation call service in Korea back in 2011. Always friendly and helpful. Not just for taxis by the way. If I was lost, I'd call anytime. I even called them once when a beautician refused to help me with my hair because she couldn't speak English. Miss you Korea! ! :)
I especially liked the special story time where Martina got her surprise hug, and how both of you progressed so far in understanding the Korean language. :)
Btw what is that ending music in the TDLR vids?
i went to korea two years ago and i'm from switzerland so i know how to speak english.
my experience wasn't that bad at all with the fact that i didn't even know a word in korean. i went to seoul and busan and i agree that seoul is a lot more foreigner friendly with english signs and menus in restaurants.
Hi Simon and Martina,
Can you do a video on the friends that you guys usually hang out with? Like other "foreigners" or even the locals? And like do it in a very quirky way or something? Or even perhaps a housewarming party?
that gives me some relief ... but i still want to learn all that i need to know in order to live there ..
I would agree with you both. I have been here a year in Uijeongbu and the buses didn't have English yet. Now they do but I was here for about 4 months before they did. When I first came I hardly knew anything in Korean, but my Korean has progressed and I can get by. I am not great, but I can hold a simple conversation. I do know people who don't speak or read at all and are just fine. I like knowing Korean though. It is helpful! :)
Its cool how you upload this when i just arrived in korea
Martina I love the pink in your hair it looks especially bright today!!! ♥
I used to live in Uijongbu!!!!! Miss Korea!