So you know many American restaurant chains are present in Korea and you whip out your smartphone to see what's around. You search "McDonald's" and nothing comes up...you search "Starbucks" and again...nothing. WHY!? A lot of times these names have been adapted to the Korean alphabet (한글). I have started to compile a list of the English names of restaurants and their 한글 equivalent. Let me know if you see any errors!
Coffee Shops/Cafes
Dunkin Donuts: 던킨 도너츠
Starbucks: 스타벅스
Caribou Coffee: 카리부 커피
Krispy Kreme Donuts: 크리스피 크림 도넛
Pizza
Pizza Hut: 피자헛
Domino's Pizza: 도미노 피자
Papa John's: 파파존스
Fast Food
McDonald's: 맥도날드
Taco Bell: 타코벨
KFC: KFC [Usually not written in 한글]
Burger King: 버거 킹
Subway: 서부웨이
Quiznos: 퀴즈노스
Casual Dining
Outback Steakhouse: 아웃백스테이크하우스
TGI Fridays (Fridays in the USA): TGI 프라이데이스
On The Border: 오더보더
~
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
My Korean Life #10: Summer Break
During the summer term Sogang University builds in a week long summer break (여름 방학). As far as I know, not all language programs schedule such a break for their Korean language students. Sogang's program also starts a little earlier than other schools and this may be the reason why. So you may be asking, "Nathan, you have a week off from class, what are your plans?" Frankly I don't have any major plans during my summer break. I'd like to spend time with friends and do some general review of my class materials.
While I haven't always been into computer based learning tools my classmate referred me to Quizlet. I've been making vocabulary sets using this tool to easily review on the go. I am on public transportation for sometimes several hours of the day so this gives me something constructive to do during that time. I already made analogue flashcards (pen-and-paper) for all the vocabulary for level two but I figure making them in digital form will also help me with the spelling and memorization.
In terms of meeting with friends, I'm still fleshing that out at the moment. Since I do have quite a lot of time on my hands I'd like to meet up with as many friends as possible. It seems many of my expat and Korean friends keep quite busy in general though. I would like to say that meeting with friends in Seoul has been easier to arrange than probably any place I have lived in the USA (save for when I lived on campus during university).
You don't have to worry about driving somewhere or parking. Actually getting to your destination is for the most part passive. In Seoul, you can get to almost anywhere by bus or subway very reasonably. This is in contrast to a lot of places in the USA where you have to actively drive, spend money on fuel, find parking, etc. Here in Seoul, I don't really worry about traffic anymore...unless it's raining and have to take a bus (traffic then gets very bad). In the USA I would always check traffic before leaving my house and would be frustrated if Google Maps ever showed a sliver of red on my route. Also, at least two popular mapping services in Korea offer live timing for public transportation routing (at least I think it is live, correct me if I'm wrong).
If I get up to anything new/fun/exciting I'll let you know!
~
While I haven't always been into computer based learning tools my classmate referred me to Quizlet. I've been making vocabulary sets using this tool to easily review on the go. I am on public transportation for sometimes several hours of the day so this gives me something constructive to do during that time. I already made analogue flashcards (pen-and-paper) for all the vocabulary for level two but I figure making them in digital form will also help me with the spelling and memorization.
In terms of meeting with friends, I'm still fleshing that out at the moment. Since I do have quite a lot of time on my hands I'd like to meet up with as many friends as possible. It seems many of my expat and Korean friends keep quite busy in general though. I would like to say that meeting with friends in Seoul has been easier to arrange than probably any place I have lived in the USA (save for when I lived on campus during university).
You don't have to worry about driving somewhere or parking. Actually getting to your destination is for the most part passive. In Seoul, you can get to almost anywhere by bus or subway very reasonably. This is in contrast to a lot of places in the USA where you have to actively drive, spend money on fuel, find parking, etc. Here in Seoul, I don't really worry about traffic anymore...unless it's raining and have to take a bus (traffic then gets very bad). In the USA I would always check traffic before leaving my house and would be frustrated if Google Maps ever showed a sliver of red on my route. Also, at least two popular mapping services in Korea offer live timing for public transportation routing (at least I think it is live, correct me if I'm wrong).
If I get up to anything new/fun/exciting I'll let you know!
~
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
My Korean Life #8: Two months in...
Greetings everyone,
I am two months into my life here in Korea and thought I'd give you an update. It has been awhile due to written midterms and preparing for my midterm interview. These exams were quite challenging and I have received 3 out of 4 grades. Could I have prepared and studied even more? Perhaps.
This style of language education relies on a lot of application of what you learn. We have to create dialogues or tell stories, analyze sentences for grammar or vocabulary mistakes, and be able to identify antonyms/synonyms. The expectation is very high and the pace is fast and intensive. I believe most language programs here expect you to spend considerable amounts of time outside the classroom practicing writing, applying grammar, and speaking. While I'm at a university that emphasizes speaking over all other skills, the writing/reading/listening expectations are just as high. Besides the demands of school, there is my blooming social life (ㅋㅋㅋ).
The summer brings many visitors to Korea and a lot of my friends are stopping by this year. Unfortunately, the constant tug of my social life here in Korea may be somewhat impacting my studies. That and having been away from a classroom setting for a year (and a true academic setting for almost 5 years). I think I have to re-tune my brain to study and making that studying worthwhile...not just completing assignments for the sake of completing them but really making sure I understand concepts. Many times just rote repetition and exposure helps memorization...but I want to do more than just memorize vocabulary. I want to say I learned these grammar concepts and can use the vocabulary in everyday life.
If you have any tips for learning a language let me know! I'd like to say I'm already immersed in the language and culture but maybe I can put even more effort into that department.
Until next time~!
P.S. I should have more time to blog after this week as my midterm interview will be complete!
~
I am two months into my life here in Korea and thought I'd give you an update. It has been awhile due to written midterms and preparing for my midterm interview. These exams were quite challenging and I have received 3 out of 4 grades. Could I have prepared and studied even more? Perhaps.
This style of language education relies on a lot of application of what you learn. We have to create dialogues or tell stories, analyze sentences for grammar or vocabulary mistakes, and be able to identify antonyms/synonyms. The expectation is very high and the pace is fast and intensive. I believe most language programs here expect you to spend considerable amounts of time outside the classroom practicing writing, applying grammar, and speaking. While I'm at a university that emphasizes speaking over all other skills, the writing/reading/listening expectations are just as high. Besides the demands of school, there is my blooming social life (ㅋㅋㅋ).
The summer brings many visitors to Korea and a lot of my friends are stopping by this year. Unfortunately, the constant tug of my social life here in Korea may be somewhat impacting my studies. That and having been away from a classroom setting for a year (and a true academic setting for almost 5 years). I think I have to re-tune my brain to study and making that studying worthwhile...not just completing assignments for the sake of completing them but really making sure I understand concepts. Many times just rote repetition and exposure helps memorization...but I want to do more than just memorize vocabulary. I want to say I learned these grammar concepts and can use the vocabulary in everyday life.
If you have any tips for learning a language let me know! I'd like to say I'm already immersed in the language and culture but maybe I can put even more effort into that department.
Until next time~!
P.S. I should have more time to blog after this week as my midterm interview will be complete!
~
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