Sofie to Korea

My world economic conference is over and I’ve had the opportunity to speak to a bunch of interesting people. Yesterday I was late for the official luncheon so I just sat down at the nearest empty seat and politely introduced myself to the gentleman next to me. “Hello, I’m Sofie an assistant prof from Denmark, pleased to meet you.” I then learned that the gentleman in question used to be economic adviser to former president Bush. (Insert sound of jaw dropping and hitting table.) I didn’t dare saying much after that as I always get super self conscious around people so much  higher up the hierarchy. What if I say something stupid? Anyway, he was nice and I survived lunch without leaving a horrible first impression.

Today I had then made plans to have lunch with a girl from a university in Seoul to talk a bit about working in Korea. After being super professional we soon progressed to talking about Korean dramas. She first seemed shy to admit that she liked watching them but then started to relax a bit more when she found out that she was more than equally matched in terms of K-drama fangirling. I told her that I really liked actress Kim Tae Hee to which she responded: “Really? We were in the same college group at Seoul National, so I know her quite well. I don’t like her dramas though.”

Wow! I probably shouldn’t say this but her knowing Kim Tae Hee personally strangely impressed me more than meeting the White House guy. I guess that proves that I’m a Hallyu fan and Korean learner before I’m an economist. But I’m not putting that on my professional resume 😉