Hello! 안녕하세요

It's okay.. it's really easy to get lost in New Zealand's amazing scenery...

Unfortunately, she was too busy enjoying her stay in New Zealang to secure enough time for learning English, hehe. Thanks.

Changye

It's really nice to hear that your wife enjoyed her time in New Zealand.

I think 'cosmopolitan' is a very good way to describe me, which is why I chose "modernnomad" as my nickname. I've only been to Japan once to sort out my visa , and I really loved it. Japan is so clean and the people are so polite, helpful and friendly! I haven't decided yet but I'm really tempted to relocate to China in order to improve my Mandarin. BTW, a lot of my friends who happen to be non-Japanese only have good things to say about their stay in Japan :-)

I didn't know you were from New Zealand, ethnically Chinese, fluent both in English and in Tagalog, and you've lived in five different regions so far. How cosmopolitan you are! Do you have any plan to live in Japan sometime in the future? I don't think Japan is a very comfortable country for non-Japanese people to live in, but at least, Japanese people are generally nonchalant (and less nationalistic) compared to Chinese and Korean, although I don't know if it's a good thing, hehe.

PS My wife studied in New Zealand when she was a college student, and she says that was one of her best experiences in her life.

Changye,

You're right Changye! I would strongly advice foreigners not to say anything bad about Korea or Koreans.

I'm ethnically Chinese so I can easily pass as a local here in Korea.

Patty is so cute! You must take very good care of her...

Thanks, judging from your comment, my observation of south Korean society seems to be relatively precise. Looks like my efforts for Korea watching have not been wasted! Incidentally, I recommend you western guys also "keep alert" in Korea. Please be careful not to hurt so-called "자존심" (自尊心, pride) of Korean people, hehe.

PS My chubby dog is female and eight years old. Her name is "Patty" (not Fatty).

Hi Changye

You're right."Dynamic" is a very good way to describe Korean society. I agree that Korea is not an ideal place for Japanese to live in. (:-P) BTW, I love the picture of your dog. He/She is very 可爱！

Modernnomad

HI moderannomad

Looks like I somehow missed the news. I knew the slogan would be changed due to its connotation, as you said, but I didn't know it has already been changed. Personally I think the word "dynamic" well represents the real Korean society in some ways. I've never lived in South Korea. I've been to Seoul once about ten years ago. Honestly, I don't think Korea is an ideal place for Japanese to live in, hehe. I think you know what I mean.

Changye,

The Korean tourism slogan has been changed from "Dynamic Korea" to something like "Sparkling Korea" or "Korea, be inspired."

I think they changed the " Dynamic Korea" slogan because being "dynamic" can have very negative connotations as well.

BTW, have u ever lived in Korea?

Modernnomad

changye真的不简单。在语言方面，我要向你学习！

I think I understand why you have mixed feelings about south Korea, judging from my eight-year observation of south Korean society mainly through Korean newspapers. I imagine that so-called “foreigners” might feel, in a sense, more comfortable in China than in Korea (and perhaps in Japan). Incidentally, did you know that the official slogan for the national "promote Korea image" campaign is "Dynamic Korea"? Yeah, I think Korean people are really "dynamic" in some ways.

They also offer Korean classes in YBM. If you want I can forward you their details.....

Hi again,

Thanks for letting me know. I'm too busy with work now to attend any classes but maybe in the summer I will try and find something. My Korean might be good enough for the lower level classes - it would be fun to get some regular practice in!

Cheers! And oh yeah, mixed feelings about Korea? That doesn't surprise me...even Koreans have mixed feelings about Korea!

Hi stevejustice

I believe that the advanced classes will be taught entirely in Chinese. I am guessing that the lower level classes will be taught in Korean. I asked the teacher if she can speak English over the phone and she said that her English level is very basic.

Send me a message if you are still interested and i can give you YBM's contact details.

Cheers,

Modernnomad

I don't know anyone who is doing that course, no, but I've heard of YBM, of course. Don't know if that would be taught in Korean or entirely in Chinese, though...

Hi Stevejustice

An american guy who used to study in China for 9 months told me that you can study Chinese at YBM Seoul (Jongno Branch). Do you know anyone who might be doing the course?

Cheers,

Modernnomad

Hi stevejustice

I have mixed feelings about Korea...send me a private message if you are keen to meet somewhere in Seoul.

Cheers,

Modernnomad

Heya,

I sometimes head over to that side of Seoul and I regularly pass through Jamsil on the weekends when meeting friends. It is a bit far from here...about an hour to an hour and a half on the subway.

I've been in Korea for almost four years now. Lived in Incheon for two years and now been in Bucheon for two years. I'm thinking maybe one more year in Korea then it might be time to move on...on to what, I'm not sure yet! How about you?

Hi Stevejustice

Unfortunately I have never been to Bucheon and it appears that you live on the other side of Gyeonggi-do. Hanam-sil is close to Gangnam and Jamsil. I do online chinese lessons with a tutor based in Beijing. Send me a private message if you are interested and I can forward you her contact details.

How long have u been in Korea?

Heya. I live in Bucheon just outside Seoul - do you know it? I've been busy these days so haven't been keeping up with my Chinese studies online recently but I want to keep going with it.

Do you take classes after work? Or just study alone? I thought about taking a Chinese class sometime but might have to wait until the summer vacation because of other commitments while working.

안녕하세요! 전 한국사람아니지만 한국어질문있으면 물어보세요 ^^

Hi Stevejustice

I am currently based in South Korea and studying Chinese after work.

Chinese pod is one of the websites that I am currently using to improve my Chinese proficiency. Whereabouts in Korea are you based?

但愿这次我的头像没有吓到你的 chubby dog 。

我想它会喜欢我的.O(∩_∩)O~

안 녕 하 십 니 까 ?

저 는 중 국 사 람 입 니 다 . 한 국 말 을 열 심 히 공부 합 니 다 .

Thanks for the reply Changye!

Yeah, 한자 is used often in Korea, though they use the traditional characters when writing here rather than the simplified. Nonetheless, there are a lot of similarities as the majority of words in Korean come from Chinese. There have been quite a few Chinese words I've been able to remember because of their similarity to the Korean words I already know.

I actually hope to learn Japanese later too, so that's another reason I started learning Chinese. The influence on Chinese on both Korean and Japanese is so profound I thought it would be useful.

Also, considering the Korean you wrote above (which I can, thankfully, understand) I would definitely say you're not an elementary learner! I know many foreigners here who have been here for years and can't string a few sentences together.

haha. After reading many of your posts over the years, I would never associate the word lazy with you. Many years ago, I was on a plane and heard some people speaking (at the time I had never heard Korean being spoken). The language sounded like Japanese but it turned out they were Korean. Good luck with Korean!

Hi hkboy

I've been an elementary (and very lazy) learner of Korean for many years, without much success, hehe. It seems that the Korean language is NOT for me..... That said, a little knowledge about Korean goes a long way when you look into the history of languages in East Asia, and this is the reason why I don't give up learning Korean completely.

changye,

I didn't know you knew Korean. Are you studying now or already know it?