Body Language and Random News Post

I'm usually very good at reading body language (when I'm looking for it). Its actually something that I pride myself on. Ne-hyung even thought that I seceretly understood Korean because I would always know what my Apricot class was saying. This is no great feat, however: the thoughts and ramblings of four year old boys are not exactly complex.

Never the less, this is a very useful skill to have when you live in a country whose language you can't even read.

But I got over confident in my success with dealing with Korean people and thought that I could get a cell phone by myself. This wasn't my best decision.

I managed to find the store that spoke no English. Usually when Korean people don't speak English its because they are insecure about their pronounciation or their limited vocabulary. But most Korean people HAVE some sort of English vocabulary. Not so in this case. Between the three people who were on duty at the time, they had not one word of English between them.

Now I realize this is not something very fair to criticize when I, myself, don't speak another language. But it didn't stop me from being severly frustrated.

The man would say something in Korean and, when I would indicate that I didn't speak Korean, he would repeat it again, but slowly. Because, clearly, if I didn't speak Korean, maybe I spoke slow Korean.

Eventually I managed to get a phone, I have no idea what my plan involves or if they charged me a 300,000 won underwater basket weaving charge. I just know that I now have a phone and have been annoying my friends by texting them all day. And, let me just say, that that is a feat seeing as I had a phone with a full keyboard and practically have forgotten how to text with a normal phone.

In other news:

I made my first Korean dish tonight, Kimbop, which is not exactly complex but I was proud none the less. Its like sushi minus the fish.

Debbie asked if I was liking my school and told me I was doing a good job (yay!).

We have been having a twilight marathon because Leslie hasn't seen any of them. Ryan refuses to watch with us silly girls.

Went to the sauna again, this time brought the co-workers. Watched North Korea loose to Ivory coast in a pine wood sauna.

South Korea lost to Uruguay but only because the Uruguayan players were playing dirty. Seriously, the ref was either blind of in the employ of the Uruguayans.