Fleeing the country...

[Technocrat]

Well, as of this time next week, I'm off to Asia - I'm going to be teaching English to the natives in Korea for a whole year, and actually doing something fairly useful for the first time within this gap year (though at this rate, gap two-years). I'm no stranger to moving, my parents worked all over the world, but this is the first time I'm doing it by myself.

So, I thought it'd be an interesting thing to examine. How many people on here have moved out, not just from their home, but their home country? What did you find you missed once you got to wherever? And is anyone on here from Korea and/or able to warn me about things to look out for once I'm there?

An nyoung!

[DoorKnobHandle]

How well do you speak Korean? Where have you learned it?

You should be fine, from all I know Korea is a very friendly place. Wish I could go there.

You need to watch professional StarCraft! You can see it for free in Seoul.

[Stupot]

Sweet! I love Korea.  And Korean food is my favourite cuisine.
Are you going to Seoul?

I'm off to Japan in August to study for a year.  Mainly Japanese modules, as that's the reason I'm there, but I'll get to take some other classes, and Korean is on the list.  Their writing system is something else.  I've taught myself to read Hangul, but don't understand a single word of it, haha.

The longest I've been away for is 5 months and the thing I missed the most was Marmite!  Seriously, my mum sent me a dozen or so little single-use pots of the stuff and it was possibly the best day of my life

Be prepeare to hear the same five K-pop songs over and over and over and over and over again...  I was only there for two weeks, but got brainwashed by 2NE1.

Best of luck man.  Are you planning to keep a blog?

[SSH]

Pfff, you're just plaigarising Dave Gilbert...

[Questionable]

I once spent a day in Mexico. Does that count?

[Technocrat]

My knowledge of Korean doesn't span much farther than saying "An nyoung", so my main method of communication in public will be limited to pointing at things and shouting "Hello". Cramming on Korean is something I'm going to have to do when I'm there, which should apparently be alright since the teaching is apparently not too intensive. And keeping a blog strikes me as an inordinately good idea, I wonder why I didn't think of that...oh yes, because I'm lazy.

I suppose while I'm there, I *do* have to go and see some Starcraft matches. Or play it, I've not been able to have a go since the nineties!

When trying to get some currency from the Post Office, the woman behind the counter kept insisting that the "Republic of Korea Won" was a forbidden currency. I had to persuade her that there was a difference between "Republic" and "Democratic Republic", and she only relented when I managed to get her colleague to agree with me. 

[Questionable]

LOL!

Some people think it is still "Korea." Not sure where they've been the last fifty or so years...

[DoorKnobHandle]

Here's how to get to a top-notch Starcraft match in Seoul: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=80483

"Annyeong" means "bye" and "annyeonghaseyo" is "hello", right?

"Ye" is "yes" and "anio" is "no"?

Ok, ok, I'll stop.

[Stupot]

Is that the good Korea or the Bad Korea?

Annyonghaseyo means 'hello'
Annyonghikyeseyo means 'goodbye' if you are the one leaving.
Annyonghikaseyo means 'goodbye' if someone else is leaving.
(I think there's another one if both parties are leaving and going their separate ways.)

Annyong on its own is just the informal, abbreviated version of all of the above, and therefore can mean 'hi' or 'bye' depending on the situation.

And actually, 'yes' is né, which sounds like it should be 'no' to the vast majority of westerners...  

[Technocrat]

Right, I've a flight to catch. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, I shan't have crashed somewhere in Eurasia!

[Questionable]

Good luck and be safe!

[Dualnames]

Is that the good Korea or the Bad Korea?

Annyonghaseyo means 'hello'
Annyonghikyeseyo means 'goodbye' if you are the one leaving.
Annyonghikaseyo means 'goodbye' if someone else is leaving.
(I think there's another one if both parties are leaving and going their separate ways.)

Annyong on its own is just the informal, abbreviated version of all of the above, and therefore can mean 'hi' or 'bye' depending on the situation.

And actually, 'yes' is né, which sounds like it should be 'no' to the vast majority of westerners...  

Use  global word.
Example:

Fuck You means the same thing in every country. I'm not gratuitously swearing here, I'm just making a valid point.