I know we have only been in country for two days. My initial thoughts on Korea is that, what I have seen, it is beautiful. Perhaps it is b/c I lived on the Islands for so long that it hasn’t really sunk in yet that we are in another country on an entirely different continent. We are still in lodging for the time being, so we are definitely sheltered right now. Things where we are staying are very Westernized, most likely for the comfort of families adjusting to life here. I would say that about 95% of the staff here are Korean, and everyone has been so polite. I am slowly learning little bits of Korean, and I am determined to be functional. I don’t want to rely on my husband to translate for me, and I sure don’t expect everyone to cater to my by speaking English (even though, admittedly, many people here do speak English and would gladly do so). While I stumble through it, the people here in the lodging are very happy to help me and encourage me. It is so weird, b/c it seems as if it would never occur to them that I would attempt to speak their own language to them.
And that kind of amazes me.
I gave that some thought while The Kid and I were having lunch today, as I looked around and noticed that not one single person I could see was making any attempt. I am completely dumbfounded that people would come here and not make any attempt whatsoever to try to pick up a little of the native tongue. There are ample opportunities for military families to take classes and learn basic functional Korean. Free classes, at a variety of times. It boggles my mind that no one would even try.
But I tell you the local people I have encountered are so happy that I am making any effort at all. I feel a little bad that I don’t know more yet, especially since The Guy had to step in yesterday when I greeted a woman at the store in Korean, and she was so excited that she launched off to me. He chuckled and politely explained to her that I was learning, but that I only knew a few phrases. She told him that I was doing well, and turned to me and encouraged me to keep going.
I just can’t imagine moving to a country far away and not trying to pick up a little.
I don’t however, think this is the same thing as someone who comes to the US. We are not here in Korea w/o a support system. We have a steady paycheck, and like I said, money is not an issue as there are many free classes available. I have a great deal of privilege here that someone moving to the US might not have. Race and class are certainly a factor when trying to learn a new language. We didn’t flee here to escape a life threatening situation, and we aren’t scraping by. As someone who works and studies linguistics, I can tell you that English is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn for a non-native speaker (Korean is considered the hardest to learn for an English or other non-romance language speaker, and possibly just for non-native speakers). If you were immigrating to the US and had to worry about a home and a job, learning English might not be the easiest thing ever, and I can not speak w/ authority about how easy it is to find free classes w/ flexible schedules. While some people moving to the US might have these things, not everyone will. I, and other military families moving here, have privilege and opportunity to try to assimilate. I am just boggled by the people who refuse to own their privilege and won’t even try to learn.
Just some initial thoughts, and an attempt at getting back to posting something of substance.
Any thoughts?
It reeks of Western privilege that someone would move to a country like Korea and not even attempt to learn the local language. There is something to be said for the comfort of knowing that I can communicate w/ the people around me, and ask for things like the bathroom, and thank them for doing something nice, like showing me where the laundry room is. I just don’t know any other country where the citizens travel to other countries and demand that people speak their Mother Tongue to them. I think it is also worth mentioning that unlike the US, Korea does in fact have an official language.
