Friends in Korea

I have started meeting with some Koreans who want to practice their English, in return for teaching them more about grammar and such they also coach me in my Korean. Message boards on university websites and physical bulletin boards are covered with requests from students and locals to meet with foreign students and practice English. While every Korean student studies the language starting at age 8, conversation practice is not emphasized, so there is always high demand for someone who knows colloquial English.

I also met with a friend of mine who I met while she was an exchange student at George Washington University. So Yoon was actually my Korean tutor, she has helped me settling into the city and finding my way around, (I would have had a very hard time buying a cell phone without her). Here I am with So Yoon and her boyfriend in COEX, a massive underground mall in southeastern Seoul.

So Yoon, Goofy Looking American, Han Yeong

If you look carefully, you can see that So Yoon and her boyfriend are wearing matching shirts, this is a trend that is extremely popular in Korea. Some couples are more subtle about matching, some go all out and wear shirts saying (in English) "This is my Romeo -->" and "<-- this is my Juliet." Funny stuff