Today was the 2nd time for my Korean lesson. I realized although it’s a bit far, I actually look forward to the class every Saturdays to learn more of the Korean language. Korean is truly a hard language (in my opinion) especially its pronunciations; some sounds that neither English nor Chinese possess. Even my Korean teacher said that Korean is getting more difficult the more she learns/studies. For example, last week we learned about different endings/forms of a sentence, and there are at least 5-7 (maybe even more) different ending forms to express the same things depending on the person (age, status) you’re speaking to and the situation you’re speaking in.
Another reason I enjoy the class is because I can once again be a student. Being a teacher from Monday through Friday, it is good to be on the other side. It is a big responsibility as a teacher because you are responsible for all the students in the class; however, being a student, you just need to be responsible for yourself. Also, it puts me in a different shoe to feel some of the feelings that my students have and also gives me some ideas of teaching my own class. In a way, I’m just like those students of mine who have just started learning an entirely foreign/new language (it’s English for them, and Korean for me), despite of the age differences, some of the struggles are very similar. I also found myself start identifying myself with some of my kids depending on what type of student I am in class. For example, when I’m being more active in class as a student, it would remind me of the kids who are being active learners in class as well.
Kangnam station is one of the bigger subway stations. There are a lot of stores and vendors in the station and they sale almost EVERYTHING. In fact, most of the stations I’ve been to in Korea all have stores/vendors but depending on the area, the stations further from Seoul are usually not as crowded and busy. Another reason Kangnam is a busy area is because there are colleges nearby so a lot of students. One thing worth mentioning, not only the station has stores/vendors, even on the subway, you can see couple sales men go from compartment to compartment selling their products right there on the spot. I’ve seen people selling umbrellas, shirts, and cleaning products. People actually purchase items from them as well. I thought that was interesting, not sure if they need a license or permit to do that though.
[There’s a sandwich shop at Kangnam station worth mentioning. I was surprised to see there are still people who are so trusting of others in this day and age. The way to pay for your order is simple, there are couple bins in front of the counter with the change (coins and bills) and customers would put down the $$ and get their own change. They probably think they can save time this way by just concentrating on preparing the orders; however, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that payment method before if ever, totally self-service!]
I would normally shop at the Kangnam station after my Korean class because they actually have some really cheap stuff around 4,000 to 10,000 Won (which is about $4-10 U.S. dollars). The only thing is it’s non-returnable for cheap items like that. Since those are little shops, I don’t see dressing rooms anywhere and people don’t seem to be trying on clothes anyways. One of my friends told me some of them are hidden and you have to ask to see if there’s a dressing room. Of course, with my Korean language ability, I don’t ever ask. It’s not a big deal to by tops (especially loose, big t-shirt) without trying on, but I’ve learned not to buy bottoms without trying it on first. I once bought a pair of skinny jeans and didn’t fit and could not return. I actually don’t really know my size in Korea, because they have different system for tops/bottoms and shoes, and Asian girls are normally petite, so their sizes might run even smaller. I found this online size chart (link), but since every shop might be a little different; it’s still wise to try on first before purchasing. In Korea, the trend/fashion is to wear big, long shirts and a lot of jumper style of shorts, pants, and skirts. I also confirmed what one of the Korean girls in the states told me: It is ok to show your legs but make sure the top (especially the breasts area and midriff are covered fully). Therefore, you see a lot of very short, tiny shorts and skirts, but long T-shirts. They also wear the tight leggings a lot as pants/shorts. Korean guys tend to wear stuff with bright colors and sometimes with floral patterns or some complex patterns. It is very different than the simple styles/colors in the U.S.
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