How to Live in a Country Without Knowing the Language

Should I have learned Korean?

Today is Friday the 13th. Spooky!

Having recently arrived in South Korea, I found myself in a new and challenging environment. My previous experience traveling around the country with a group of American students had been a vastly different experience to being here on my own. As someone who didn't speak the language fluently, I found it difficult to connect with people and was struggling to adjust to my new housing situation. In the first few months I didn't do well coping with the stress of living in a foreign country. My grades began to suffer, and I was feeling less and less excited about the prospect of learning about a new culture.

I think learning Korean swear words should have been my first priority. That's often the first step towards learning a new language. But, even if I learned the language I stood out like a sore thumb.

I mean, I probably stood out a little as a 6-foot, bald, white guy wearing traditional Korean garb, but this is beside the point. I was acculturating!

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