BY PAUL KIM
Staff BloggerMonday, October 21, 2013
When I was doing my research on what classes to take, I was so excited to come to Yale. It was a huge opportunity for me to learn whatever I wanted and go even more in depth in the subjects my high school vaguely covered. However, there was one aspect that I feared back then and still fear now. In fact, I have put off taking this class until my sophomore year. It’s the language requirement.
I know many of you are probably rolling your eyes. There are so many talented and versatile masters of languages, but I am far from a master. Though I did take Spanish in high school (an IB course no less), I found myself speaking more English in class by the end of my senior year than Spanish. But in place of potentially taking three semesters of Spanish (the placement test did not go as planned), I have also considered taking Korean.
Yes, I am Korean. No, I am not L5 worthy. I’m probably L1. I am L1. I know no Korean except the basic phrases one needs to survive: “Hello”, “I’m hungry”, and “Thanks”. As a result, I’ve always had doubts about my legitimacy as a Korean. Yeah, Korean blood runs through me. But it’s hard to remember you’re Korean when your friends’ moms would practice their English with you. My parents and friends have always pushed me to learn Korean, but I never really took it seriously because I’m horrible at languages (see Spanish mentioned above).
Of course there are some consequences of not speaking your native language. My conversations with my grandparents tend to be pretty awkward and require the aid of translators (a.k.a. the parents). I can’t understand any KPop, which has given me more headaches than I want to elaborate on this post. Worst of all, I can’t tell anybody what my favorite dishes are in Korean because I only know silly nicknames that let my mom know what I wanted (I used to call udon noodles “fat noodles”). It has definitely been inconvenient not knowing Korean.
But it’s not all that bad. It’s made me think of new ways to connect with my Korean culture. I’ve been an avid fan of Starcraft, a real time strategy game that is exceptionally popular in Korea, and I always find myself rooting for my favorite Korean players (I’m actually watching some games and procrastinating this post as I type). I have a lot of respect for the traditions and holidays my friends and family celebrate, even if I don’t always know what’s going on.
Whenever I visit Korea, I never really know where I’m going, which has led me to a variety of parks, historical sites, and malls that I probably would have avoided had I understood any signs.
So clearly, it's not all bad. I can be Korean without speaking it, surprise, surprise. But in all seriousness, I really miss my favorite dishes. Where can I get good Korean food?
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