Wednesday 7 November 2012

Oh The Things They Say

Hey everyone! It's Ami again! This is my second week posting and hopefully my blogging skills have improved, yay!
Okay, so I don't think I'll be posting any pictures because my laptop is dysfunctional since I only touch it like once a month and I don't know it's acting up boo. So yeah there won't be any pictures this time around but I swear I will make it entertaining!

I think I'll start with some updates first!

We had our Halloween party last weekend and it was so much fun! I'm kind of disappointed in myself because I didn't use much Korean... It's my goal for our next monthly meeting to use as much Korean as I possibly can! It's just so easy to use English when you're surrounded by fluent and native English speakers!
This week at school my class (1-4) is practicing the Gangnam Style dance! We'll be doing it next week for the school festival. Me and Ash are the centers for the dance (holla) so we've been practicing hard haha.
Speaking of school, school is getting better. Things were extremely tough in the beginning because of reasons but I think all three of us in Iksan are having a better time adjusting lately. Especially with the dance practices for the festival, Ash and I have definitely been spending more time with our classmates, and getting to know them better. It's really nice. :)
Korean is... It's going. These past two months I've been studying, but I know I can do better. I talk like a baby but for the most part I can spit out in broken, ugly fragments most of what I want to say in Korean but now I want it to become more fluid and beautiful-sounding. Also I have the vocabulary of a three year old child so I should probably study some more vocab. However, I think I'm progressing at a pretty good pace. Hopefully the rest of the kids are, too!

Moving on, so today I thought I'd take the time to write out a few memorable quotes that people have said to me while I've been here. I'm gonna write them out in English because my Korean spelling stinks and if you can't understand Korean well then it's not very funny.

My all time favorite:
Korean person: "Where are you from?"
Ami: "America"
KP: "No. Where are you from?"
Ami: "America..?"
KP: "No, no... Where are you from?"
And it just goes on and on until finally they either a) ask me where my parents are from or b) give up and walk away. Yeah, the people of Iksan don't really see me as American first, but Japanese. So a lot of awkward and funny moments stem from that. :P

Next,
"Hey! Have you gained weight?"
"Your eyes are really small"
"You're only pretty when you wear makeup"
They're just normal statements here but it's just so absolutely wonderful when people point out you're flaws!!!! JK, it doesn't bother me anymore but it was a bit embarrassing at first.

"You're Japanese so you must be really good at math."
Love, the math teacher. Clearly Asian stereotypes still exist...In Asia.

"Wow! You're English pronunciation is really good!"
I'd hope since you know, I'm American and all.

"Ami can't get a boyfriend because she's too passionate and loud."
Love, my homeroom teacher.

"Do American boys like Asian girls?"
Love, the Korean teacher (Not my Korean teacher but at my school's)

"You're so pretty! Why don't you have a boyfriend? Do you want a Korean boyfriend?"
Because every pretty girl needs a boy by her side.


Yeah, I'm really not used to hearing any of the above quotes (except maybe the math one...) so it was a bit startling at first. It just goes to show that you really have to keep an open mind and not let things like this get to you when you live in a foreign country. Just laugh it off and move on with your life!

To end, I will share a quote that I stumbled upon on twitter that should give every foreign exchange student the strength to get through life: "If Britney Spears can get through 2007, you can get through today."
Amen to that.


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