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One of the recent episodes of what I would consider my favorite TV Sci-Fi series, Lost, incited me to write this composition. I have been following this series since its first episode but the episode 10 of this final season entitled “The Package” was the first one I actually understood some Korean terms from the Korean couple Jin and Sun which were played by Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim, respectively. In one scene, Jin and Sun was confronted by LAX airport security because Jin didn’t declare a huge amount of money which is then confiscated. This enraged Jin and a flurry of Korean lines blew out from him from that point as he didn’t know how to speak in English. He was trying to ask the officer to give him back the money. Words like opseoyo, don, sikdang, molayo, among other Korean terms and lines, ringed through my ear, which I would have no idea of if I heard them last year. Of course, the American security officer cannot understand what he was talking about and Jin failed to retrieve the money back. This scene caught my attention since it epitomizes my basic level of knowledge of the Korean language and at the same time my current frustrations in communication here in Korea.

Before I moved to Korea, I have had the opportunity to meet some Koreans in my country. I even had some Korean classmates in one of my undergraduate class. Actually, there are an increasing number of Koreans and Korean establishments in the Philippines. K-pop songs are now very popular and much so are Korean dramas which invaded the country earlier. These provided my first experiences with the Korean language. My early impression of the language was that it was complicated much like Japanese and Chinese languages. But as soon as I started to learn Hanguel two weeks before I left for Korea, I was amazed at how easy the Korean alphabet actually is, despite some minor pronunciation difficulties. From then on, I was increasingly determined to learn the language.

I have been in KAIST for more than two months now. During that span of time, I have had the great opportunity to meet and work with many wonderful people inside campus especially in my laboratory. These various interactions with people have generally enriched my studying and research experience so far here in Korea. Along with my normal coursework classes, I took up the Basic Korean class even though it is not required for foreigners, because I know a better knowledge of the language would serve me well in my stay here. So far, the class has been a very enriching experience. From the ever popular anneoyeong haseyo, the il i sam sa’s, the eolmayeyo and oedi gayo, and other basic lines and terms I’ve learned from that class, I can say that I am enjoying my language learning experience. Having other Filipino friends as my classmates in that class is also helpful.

However, what most foreigners staying in foreign countries speaking a different language would eventually have come across with is this thing called language barrier. As a beginner in the Korean language, my skills are not sufficient to talk and understand daily Korean conversations. This has been the reason for some the problems I’ve encountered thus far in my stay here. I’ve been very satisfied with how English lectures are held in classrooms but almost everywhere else, Korean is used which is not really surprising. That some meetings, announcements, lab equipment manuals and even lab demonstrations are in Korean is unfortunate and limiting for my part, but I have learned to accept the situation. Outside of the campus, I have had some miscommunication dilemmas especially in restaurants and in the shopping market.

Despite these difficulties, I am not deterred to pursue my main goal of getting a higher level of learning and research experience and to meet friends along the way. These drives me more to learn Korean even harder, to know more and appreciate Korea and the Korean people better. Learning the Korean language is a challenge I am very willing to take and overcome. It is not difficult to realize that in order for one to have a rewarding studying experience in a foreign land, one must embrace their culture including their language.