“Saa-gwa?” I thought, looking down the measly supermarket nestled in the bustling street adjacent to the grand gates of Yonsei University Sinchon Campus. I found myself craving apple compote for my morning oatmeal, and I ventured off to the No Brand (almost like Walmart meets 7-Eleven) to find some apples. We recently learned that apple was 사과 or “sagwa” in class, but I was a bit nervous to ask the lady behind the counter to give me the back of the apples. I knew what to say, “사과 주세요,” but couldn’t get myself past the fear of public embarrassment.
I had signed myself up for an introductory Korean class, and as someone who has never formally studied Korean, I was quite nervous. I’d mastered the Hangul writing system before arrival, but my lack of vocabulary knowledge made it difficult to understand what I was reading when bombarded with street signs and restaurant menus. However, our professor encouraged us to try and make mistakes when speaking Korean. I strongly remember going to a Dakgalbi restaurant and being asked about the country I was originally visiting from. Funnily enough, I misunderstood the man’s question and answered that I was a Yonsei University student. We all had a good laugh once I realized my mistake and the man seemed to think my error was endearing instead of offensive because I was taking time and effort to acclimate to their culture.Â
This was a turning point in my Korean language learning. Instead of feeling worried about coming across as crude or insensitive, I tried to approach every conversation with an open mind and the confidence to rely on my current knowledge, instead of an online translator like Papago. I can say that I understand a lot more Korean now and can connect the vocabulary we are learning in class to my real-life excursions. I still have a long way to go in understanding tenses, formality levels, and idioms in Korean, but at least I know that I’ll enjoy myself on the journey.
Learning a new language later has been branded as “inefficient” or “not as effective,” but I think intrinsic motivation and the intellectual stimulation from changing worldviews through language learning make the obstacles worth facing. Now, I try going into stores like No Brand with the strength and courage that I will learn something valuable out of this encounter and am more open to challenging myself with an open-minded perspective.