First…YES I am very bad at “blogging” and it’s been about a month and a half since my last post …hehe. I’m going to try and gradually complete some very belated posts  in the coming weeks. In the meantime…

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How to express agreement in Korean:

»»Standard “yes” =  [neh] Nationally-accepted; you’ll never fail with this one.

Do you want to try 번데기 [beon-dae-gi]? 네! (2.18.2012)

What’s that? It’s boiled silkworm pupae and they sell it on the streets of Seoul? Yes, a large steaming cauldron is periodically stirred amidst other street-food regulars such as skewered fish-cake and boiled hot-dog-wieners-on-a-stick. 2,000 won gets you a small one-time use water cup full of very hot 번데기. Good luck finishing the whole thing.

It smells like a heavy-set park ranger’s foot after a day of mucking around in the woods on a rainy day. IMHO food tends to taste like it smells, and this was no exception. 

»» The slightly more formal version of 네 = 예 [yeh]. Also a fail-safe.

We have a 회식 [hwe-sheek] (communal dinner) tonight with the entire school staff. Are you going? 예! (3.5.2012)

Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of my very first 회식, but I do have a picture of a much mellower dinner a few days later:

However, the picture above doesn’t give the first one justice at all. I will dedicate a separate post to the initial dinner. In any case, they’re an awesome time, and a definite pro of Korean culture.

»»An informal variation of “OK” or “alright” or maybe even “sounds good” = 좋아 [joh-ah]

You down for traveling three hours to Geumsan for your friend’s 22nd birthday, and then spontaneously spending the night in a motel in Daejeon with her? 좋아! (3.11.2012)

I’ll dedicate a separate post to this event as well.

{excuse the The Ring-esque blurring}

We had “Chicken and Yogurt” in Daejeon: roasted chicken glazed in a classic Korean fried chicken sauce alongside cabbage topped with generous scoops of frozen yogurt. Pickled sweet radish on the side of course. The chicken was awesome: perfectly cooked, tender, just enough sauce.

»»Informal 어 [eo] or 응 [eung]. Great among friends or to one’s junior peers. Should be avoided towards most other groups.

Do you want to go to a kimchi factory with the owner of a delivery company on a Monday night? 어! (3.19.2012)

Loads of kimchi with 택배 오빠 [taek-bae oh-bba] (literally translated: delivery older brother)

Same loads of kimchi with Fernando! Also referred to as Nando and Fergie.

Afterwards, we went to an allegedly “authentically classic American style fried chicken place” called Mexican Chicken all decked out in nursery pink and purple private booths with swinging, stereotypical Texas saloon style doors. I’m not too into fried food, but Korean style fried chicken is booommmb.

»»According to my cousin, OK is commonly used in Korea: 오케이 [oh-kae-ee].

Would you like to go teach English in a rural elementary school in Korea for a year? 오케이! (2.3.2012-1.31.2013)

Two of my 1st graders. Seo Hyun and Eun Ji. Absolutely adorable.


**My advice: exercise these words as frequently as possible. With discretion of course ;-)

  1. chasingcorea posted this