“You speak Korean?!”

After lunch this young broad named Jang Ehjing comes to my table asking the usual questions:  What’s your name?  Where are you from?  What’s your major?  How long you stay in Korea?  Then after a while, she asked my age.  “I’d rather not say,” was my reply.  “Oh, it’s secret,” she said.  Then when she was talking with Mr. Park, who was also at the table, I heard her say to him “사십, 사십!”  When I asked her why she had told him that I was forty, she acted all surprised that I understood what she’d said.   “You speak Korean?!”  I do know how to count.  So this chick says “That’s your age?  I heard that you’re older than you look.” 

I wanted to say, “Listen here, trick, if I refused to tell you three minutes ago, why would I tell you now?  Besides, where do you get off telling Mr. Park info about me that you received from a third party?  And another thing, are your lives so boring that you just sit around discussing me??”  I didn’t, however, give her attitude, since I have to look at her for the next five months, but this is the second time in less than four weeks info about me has come back to me from someone I didn’t tell. Much as I hate it, I’ll have to be super-guarded with anything I say to this horde of busy bodies. Only share info I don’t mind all of them having. 

In retrospect, I should’ve let her have it, because she was nobody of consequence.  On top of everything else, it really pissed me off that she deigned to assume to know what I do and don’t know. 

While I was talking with the men from the choir, Amanda kept butting in like she always does, and repeating my questions.  It’s always annoying, but I was already peeved at Jang Ehjing, so today was not the day.  Had to tell her that I didn’t need a translator if we were speaking English.  No le gustó.  Don’t care.  I’ve been putting up with that for weeks now.  Should've said something already. 

August 25, 2012


*And yes, I know that Koreans ask each other's age upon meeting so that they know how to properly address each other.  That point, however, it moot when it comes to foreigners because they just use our names.  None of them are going to call me eonni or nuna.