Conversing in Korean.
Ever since I found out how to shop online here in Korea I have to confess that I have bought many thing via this way. In addition to being cheaper on many occasions, the next day deliver (or thereabouts) is outstanding and really takes the effort out of having to walk around all day trying to find something that may not even be out there.
Of course the downside is when there is a problem with the item I want. Be it the wrong item is delivered, they are out of stock on something I have ordered, or the size is wrong, a
problem Em sometimes faces when ordering shoes. For any of these reasons, I’m usually greeted with a phone call from the supplier asking what they can do, how things can be delivered, or to double check on something.
This is where the language barrier sometimes plays a huge obstacle. For the most part I hand the phone over to Em who, while she won’t ever admit it, speaks pretty good Korean. While she may not always understand what the person is saying, she always ends up sorting out the problem.
When Em is away at work or university then I’m often left to defend by myself which is somewhat nerve wreaking for me. I’ve mentioned before that I used to study Korean in the first 3 years I was here, but somewhat slacked of in the last two. My basic Korean is good and can get around usually without any problems. While I wouldn’t go as far to say I can hold a conversation in Korea, I can often understand what is being said to me (although replying in a detailed way is usually beyond me).
As was the case today when I sent an exchange order through as the guy had sent me the wrong item. We chatted for about 5 minutes. Basically he understood he sent me the wrong item, asked me for the model number of my camera (I was ordering a second battery for it) and that he had stock of it, but the conversation died when he was trying to discuss the delivery/exchange method. I think he said he wanted me to arrange delivery back to him, and that he would pay upon receiving the battery, but I couldn’t be sure. He mentioned something about a post office, but I wasn’t too sure about that either seeing as I had already ordered a courier.
The person, a young guy, was extremely patient with me and even tried some of his English (which was even more limited than my Korean). In the end I told him I would get one of the Korean teachers at my academy to call him back after 2pm, which I think they’ll be happy to do.
I do sometimes get a little annoyed that I didn’t carry on my Korean language studies, but having basic Korean under my belt, the fact that Korea was never going to be a long term place of residency, and that Beijing was my next port of call, I rapidly lost interest in advancing to a more intermediate level.
After 5 years in Beijing, I hope my Chinese will be significantly better than what my Korean is now. That said, I will be taking Mandarin lesson, so I expect it should be.
아이고…
Tags: Em, Korean, Life in Korea
18/11/2009 - Wednesday 11:17 am 
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