You Need To Know, Man!

I still haven't purchased a replacement charger for my computer. I am debating whether I should buy a new charger and battery, or just wait until my trip home where I would buy a new computer. At home, I also have an external hard drive. As much of a pain as it is to not have a computer at home, parts are expensive here and it's not like I really need my computer. Although, I can't study my Korean software... But that's a bit of a different topic.

So, after taking a while to get to the point, this is my first blog in a bit. Quite a bit has gone on and passed, like our trip to Sokcho/Seoraksan, which is located on the East Sea in Gangwon Province and is where we climbed Ulsanbawi and slack lined (thank you, Kyle!), and rested out on the beach, my Grandparents' Anniversary (CONGRATULATIONS!!!!), a pride festival in Seoul, and my third graders screaming upon seeing me after not having done so for a while. Everything feels monumental here. I guess it's because I'm on a contract, and my time in this country depends on how long I decide to stay. But I never knew a year could feel so short. I really don't think I'll be ready to leave at the end of this contract. There's still so much more in Korea that I need to see, learn, and understand. Not to mention the places outside of Korea that I'm dying to travel to. We'll just have to see :)

One thing, though, that does get old is writing in retrospect. Therefore, I've decided that I'm not going to write about what's happened in between my blog posts. I know that for those of you who read this and aren't friends with me on facebook, it's a bit that you're missing out on- mostly pictures. But while hiking in Seoraksan, I realized this push and pull between what I see and experience, and what I capture and share. There were some scenes that were so beautiful, I just had to take a picture. But, in that same breath, there were some things that were too beautiful, too real, to ruin with a camera. And so I'm going to keep these past experiences in the photographs I took and in the memories of those who were there.

Haha, this is turning into some heartfelt blog when all I wanted to do was give a list of words that I felt like people coming to Korea should actually learn. A lot of phrase books are still pretty thick, and I have come to realize a few key expressions that come in handy during the first chunk of time here. Even though it's going to make this post longer than I intended, I'm still going to give the list. Beneath the Hangul is how to phonetically say it, and my opinion- that is all. So here we gooo:

When in a restaurant or a store:
How much (is this)?

(이것은) 얼마예요?

(ee-geos-eun) eol-ma-ye-yo?

Do you have ____ ?
____ 있으세요?
____  iss-euh-seyo?

Do you need a bag?
봉투 필요하세요?
bohng-too pil-yo-ha-seyo?

May I have a bag?
봉투 주세요.
bohng-too joo-seyo.

Give me one.
하나 주세요. or 한개 주세요.
ha-nah joo-seyo. han-gae joo-seyo.

Give me two.
두개 주세요.
doo-gae joo-seyo.
 *different objects have different "counters" sometimes, but "gae" goes for a lot of them.


When travelling:
This stop is ____ .

이 정류장은 ____ . (followed by "입니다" or "이다" = is, but just listen for this stop and next stop)

ee jeong-ryu-jang-eun ____ . 

Next stop is ____ .

다음 정류장은 ____ .

dah-eum jeong-ryu-jang-eun ____ .

Do you go to ____ ?
____ 가고?
____ gah-go?

Where is ____ ?
____ 어디 있어요?
____ eodi isseoyo?

Station
역
yeok


Random, but helpful:
Hello
안녕하세요
ahn-yeong-ha-say-o, ( but say it all at once- not spaced out)

Thank you
감사합니다
kahm-sahm-nee-dah

Good-bye (to person staying)
안녕히가세요
ahn-yeonghi-gah-say-o

Good-bye (to person leaving)
안녕히계세요
ahn-yeonghi-gye-say-o

With
하고
hago, (like "Ha! Go.")

Time
시간
shigan

Hour(s) (uses hana, tul, set, net, ta-sot...)
시 (4시)
shi (neh-shi)

Minute(s) (uses il, i, sam, sa, o...)
분 (8분)
boon (pal-boon)

Foreigner

외국인

waygookin

Floor (as in, "What floor is the library on?") (uses il, i, sam, sa, o...)
층 (3층)
cheung (sam-cheung)


Money (uses il, i, sam, sa, o...):
Money
돈
tohn, (typically this would be romanized as "ton", but it uses the long "o" sound, so I used "tohn")

Won
원
weon, (short "o", like in "come")

100 won
백원
baek-weon

1000 won
천원
cheon-eon (the "w" sound is usually dropped or mumbled when spoken)

10000 won
만원
mahn-eon (again, "w" dropped)


Advice- learn how to read Hangul. You'll be able to read signs, and you'll know how to pronounce words. I hate being given romanized Korean because the sounds I associate with the Western alphabet are often not consistent with how the word is really supposed to be pronounced. And sometimes the romanization isn't even correct.

There are a lot of useful books, sites, videos, and programs out there for learning Korean. Rosetta Stone is good if you actually want to learn the language, but not if you're looking for a crash course in how to get around and survive in the country for a little bit. And even if you do want to learn the language, I would still use Rosetta in conjunction with a book that gives you phrases you are likely to need and to use more quickly and more frequently. Talk To Me In Korean does podcasts and videos that are really great. And if you look at the YouTube user sweetandtasty's videos, she also has really helpful skits for learning Korean.