language

I have also begun to learn some Korean, like kamsahamnida (thank you) and igo ulmayayo (how much is this?). And...annyo-haseyo (hello) and mul chuseyo (please bring water) and yogeeo (to get someone's attention -- taxi, waiter, person, dog that you want to eat, etc.) I was taught "bathroom," but then realized it's easier to learn to just hold it than it is to learn the word. So while I don't know 'bathroom' anymore, one can easily see that my vocabulary has increased significantly since I first arrived. My vocab may even be as vast as Uncle Tom's by now.

Also, it is true that Koreans go way out of their way to help a foreigner. Today in Seoul, after leaving the subway and trying to find the bus back to Daejeon, three different people came up to me and Amber and said "excuse me, can I help you?" without us even looking around for help. One of them could not figure out how to explain the directions in English, so she just walked us to where we needed to go, even though it seemed to be totally out of her way. When we thanked her she said "well when I have traveled, it is always nice to get the help." Ahh, a lesson. And, I've heard that they all really want to practice their English.