KoreanClass101.com Blog

Christmas is not quite the same in Korea. Christmas Day is a recognized holiday, but many schools aren't closed during the week that follows. Gifts are exchanged, but not to the degree that some of you might be familiar with in Western, Judeo-Christian environments. Christmas at the orphanage is somewhat special though. Several different organizations and companies donate gifts to the kids. My church arranges funds to buy some new clothes for the pre-schoolers. Today was the shopping day. Each volunteer was given an envelope with 100,000원 (roughly $100) to spend on the kids. $100 goes a long way, and if you go shopping at the right places, like 동대문 (where 현우 and I went a couple weeks ago), you can REALLY stretch it. In 동대문... Show more

This is a photo I took in 광주(Gwangju), the city I was born in, when I visited my parents the other day. I always love the humor found in these kinds of signboards and store names because they make it so much easier to remember the names and also show the effort that the store owner(or someone else) must have made to come up with such phrases or names. What you see is , which means nothing in English. But if you pronounce it, it's a different story :D The mathematical sign " =(equal) " is read as "는" in Korean, as in "저는 ㅇㅇㅇ입니다" So if you read it in Korean, it's "티(t)는 아이(i)". And as you can see in the bottom part of the signboard, the name is supposed to mean '튀는 아이'. Of course there's a clear distinction between 티 and 튀... Show more

Most of my family was in Korea for three weeks prior to my arrival. I travelled with my parents and my oldest daughter. My younger children attended elementary school while in Korea and generally were treated very well. Since we were travelling with my parents and only in Korea for a short period of time, we wanted to do as much sightseeing as possible. We started our tour from 여수 and worked our way back up to 서울. While in 여수 my parents did a separate tour while I took care of some dental work. I am not that fond of dentists and generally have pretty good teeth but I did have to get a crown two years ago. It cost a small fortune and didn't last all that long. I fell out two days before I left for Korea. I did not have time to get it... Show more

여러분 짜장면을 먹은 적이 있나요? 없으면 바로 먹어 봐야해요! 고아원에 매월 마지막 수요일에 어린이들이 저녁으로 짜장면을 먹어요. 까가운 중화요리집이 짜장면고 탕수육을 만들러 와요. Have you ever eaten jjajangmyeon? If you haven't you really should try it! At the orphanage, the children eat jjajangmyeon on the last Wednesday of every month. A Chinese food shop from nearby comes to make jjajangmyeon and sweet & sour pork. 짜장명 is sort of like the macaroni & cheese of Korea. It is dirt cheap, and an absolute favorite of kids everywhere. Of course, adults like it too! It can be found just about everywhere, but unless you live in LA or NY, I wonder if you can find it at a restaurant in the States. ㅠ.ㅠ Basically it is a noodle dish with a black bean sauce, onions, and pork bits. I know, I know, that... Show more

The OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE's franchise restaurants are also found in Korea, and they are spelled "아웃백 스테이크 하우스" and it's very popular here, especially among young women (or maybe ONLY among young women and some young men who want to impress them.) :-) Having a meal at 아웃백 스테이크 하우스 is quite expensive compared to cheaper and more regular meals, because an average lunch or dinner in Korea would cost about 3,000 won ~ 6,000 won (US$4~7) but a meal at 아웃백 스테이크 하우스 starts from 20,000 won (US$ 23). But the food is good, and the service is excellent, so the high price doesn't stop people from going there. And I saw this funny signboard of a steakhouse near my campus, called 아웃뷁 하우스. 뷁 is not just a funny and wrong spelling of the word 백... Show more