Something surprising I enjoy is my trips to the market around the corner. I enjoy my interactions with the man and woman who own the store (not sure if they are married or not but it appears so--and I think their son works there too). A couple months ago my birthmother walked me to this market and bought me cookies and beer. There, she engaged in a brief conversation with the woman and, while I'm not sure what she said to her, I imagine she mentioned at least that I am her daughter and that I am from America. Ever since then, their kindness has increased and they even seem genuinely happy to see me each time.
I get the feeling that both are waiting for the day when I will be able to walk in there a Korean-speaking girl able to converse with them. They speak to me in Korean and I never understand any of it unless their gestures are clear, but yet we seem to find humor in the situation. The other day I was browsing the ice cream and she snuck up behind me and grabbed my shoulder and made the Korean equivalent of a "Boo!" noise with a mischeivous smile.
Today when I went there and she again was speaking Korean. At the end of whatever she was saying, she said, "Do you understand?" I can't remember exactly the word in Korean, but I knew I understood it and, though I was nodding the entire time she was speaking, I confidently replied, "Aniyo* or no. At that we both laughed and she said, in English, "bye." I was surprised how rewarding I found this exchange.
Also as a side note, I read two words in Korean the other day. I can read some Korean and normally it doesn't thrill me because even when I read the word, I don't know what it means. But I was in the bathroom and read the words "Big Bang," which is a pop music boy band group. Korean teens go crazy for them. Then I was looking at my cereal box and I read the world "Almond." The Korean spelling is more like "Ahmund-uh," but it was almost just the same, even if it was "Konglish."
Yes, this is a somewhat uneventful entry. But it's just interesting to me how these tiny triumphs can feel so good.
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I actually really liked this blog. It's like -- you're growing, learning, changing...
ReplyDeleteSmall vignettes to represent a larger picture.
Laura, I remember when you first came to American at 14 months, you would hand me your drinking cup at the end of a meal and say something that ended in "n-yo". I would always fill the cup again and give it back to you. When we asked a Korean woman we met what it meant, she said, "no thank you, I don't want anymore." It must have been "aniyo" or no that you were saying. You were so patient with us! I know you have heard this story MANY times, but thought maybe someone else might enjoy it too. I will start studying my "Korean for Dummies" book today so that when we visit, I can at least look like I am trying :)
ReplyDeleteHungry for more pics :)
ReplyDeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteMy sister has lived in Korea for four years and I'm going to join her for a few months so I have been drinking information about the place from the internet to try and get a better idea. Your blog is by far the most insightful and I'm really enjoying hearing all about your adventure so thank you for sharing it! I believe it was Budda's birthday yesterday so maybe there will be some interesting posts about that??