Ruminations in Korea

This post was inspired by a post over at A Yank Abroad. In an homage to the Incestuous Amplification blog of days gone by, I decided to count the number of times I hear certain questions, hear certain statements, or experience certain events in a single day.

Here’s a fun game to play: Take the following numbers, multiply them by 365 days, then multiply the resulting number by 16.5 years and you will get some idea of how many times I have had certain experiences. It is hard for me to remain calm and keep in mind that it is probably the first time that the speaker has said or asked something even though it may literally be the 10,000th time i have heard something.

Number of times heard “You speak Korean well”: 28

Number of times heard “You speak Korean well” after only hearing me say “annyeong haseyo”: 17

Number of times heard “You sound just like a Korean”: 27

Number of times asked “Can you eat Kimchi?”: 15

Number of times asked “But isn’t it Kimchi too spicy?”: 15

Number of times was told directly or overheard someone say i am fat: 8

Number of times total strangers asked how much money I make: 3

Number of times someone giggled and/or laughed when I spoke Korean : 11

Number of times someone stared into my shopping basket: 5

Number of times someone yelled “Oh Yeah!” near me for no reason: 5