Korean culture
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The ordeal of young Koreans
Whenever I tell people here in Korea how I got my job at Sogang, most people have a hard time believing my story. I sent an unsolicited application with all my information, my diplomas and certificates, and my reason for wanting to work temporarily in Korea. I pretty much got accepted with the first email…
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Work hard!
I just went to the faculty lounge to get a cup of coffee, when I ran into the cleaning lady who was sweeping the floor. While waiting for my coffee to finish, I was chit chatting with her about the cold weather this morning. When I left, she smiling told me to “work hard”. To most…
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Why KakaoTalk will eventually drive you mad
Warning: May contain large doses of sarcasm. Not to be taken 100% literally 🙂 I consider myself a pretty modern, high-tech, new-world-embracing kinda gal. I’m all for new technology that now connects us to anyone anywhere at any time, and I have several apps installed on my phone for that exact purpose. Skype, Whatsapp, Line,…
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August 15th, Korean liberation day
Today is the Korean liberation day, a national holiday in Korea. I’m still so super excited about my new office that even though it’s raining cats and dogs, and I technically could stay home, I still went to work anyway. What can I say, my new office is just that nice! But back to the…
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A gendered language: boy Korean or girl Korean?
Even though I’m currently in Denmark on a long vacation, I’ve brought quite a few Korean books with me. I make sure to dedicate at least an hour per day to studying Korean, and this does not include watching dramas, texting, speaking on the phone, browsing news sites and other activities that I will naturally…
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Korea: A year in the life
“525,600 minutes, 525,600 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year in the life?” Well, the cast from the musical “Rent” didn’t…
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The art of mildang
If you don’t live in Korea or at least do so vicariously through Korean dramas and movies, chances are that you have not heard the term “mildang”, or 밀당 in Korean, before. Mildang is an abbreviation of milgodanggigi (밀고당기기), literally meaning push and pull, and refers to the constant power struggle between two people of…
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Korea’s sampo generation
When living in Korea, you often hear particularly younger people talk about Korea as Hell Joseon, (Joseon being the old name for Korea). Hell Joseon symbolizes the inhumane competition and pressure that many young people are facing during their school years and when searching for a job. Aside from describing the difficulties in getting employment…
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My Korean class photo ordeal or a childhood trauma relived
Do you remember when you were in middle school and it was class picture day? For many students, and certainly also in my case, picture day was an annual event that should be dreaded a least a week in advance. What to wear, how to look, how to make sure that one’s eyes stayed open during the…
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My first Korean wedding
Yesterday was my debut as a wedding guest here in Korea. Carefully avoiding the word “culture shock” I’ll just say that it was slightly different from the type of weddings that I’m used to. The happy couple was an American guy and a Korean girl that we’ve gotten to know while we’ve been living in…
Sofie to Korea 