10 Months

For those of you who do not know, I've spent the last 10 months in South Korea as an exchange student. I'm returning home next week and I've discovered that over those months I've learned a lot, not only about the Korean language, but about human beings. 

Just because you're in college it doesn't mean you're mature. Just because you're studying abroad it doesn't mean you're wise, you have an open view on the world, you want to experience a different culture or that you're even interested in that culture. Most people come to Korea just for bragging rights. When my Korean language teacher asked each student individually why they came to Korea the answers were as follows:

'just because'

'just because'

'i have korean friends back home that i want to talk to in korean'

'i like dramas'

'the girls are pretty'

'just because'

'i really like dramas'

'kim suhyeon is beautiful' etc.

if K-dramas and K-pop is what got you interested in Korean music there's nothing wrong with that. I'm happy that you're open minded enough to be interested in them. The problem, I have found, lies in the fact that watching k-dramas without subs is their only reason for wanting to learn Korean. Why is this a problem you ask? From what I've seen that's not real motivation. It's enough to make people want to learn how to read hangeul and learn small words and phrases like '오빠~'

'왜 이렇게?'

'너 죽을래?'

'오빠 사랑해~' and other ish like that. The moment the teacher begins to teach real Korean like how to ask directions, making plans, canceling plans or even how to say 'he said / she said / they asked' every single k-drama fan begins to complain that it's too hard and that the Korean language is stupid. Then they stop coming to class all together. When they do show they have no clue what's going on or even how to string together simple sentences to show the teacher they know how to at least work the conjugation pattern she has on the board.

Now not everyone who studies abroad is like this, but you'll discover that the vast majority are. I personally want to learn the Korean language because it applies to what I want to do. I want to become a translator so it only makes sense for me to come to Korea and soak up as much as possible. You would think more people would learn Korean to apply it to their lives too? I mean, it /is/ an entire year of college they're spending abroad.

Nope.

The Korean language has nothing to do with their lives. They're all business majors, math majors or English lit majors. 

I think another reason I get so aggrivated with a lot of my classmates is because they're parents funded their trip and are still funding them, but instead of them working their asses off so their parents aren't out of thousands of dollars they skip class and spend all of their time in Hongdae getting drunk. I, on the otherhand, had to work two jobs and apply for several scholarships to raise the money to come here.

It just pisses me off that while I had to struggle and make sacrifices to make my dream come true they just get money tossed at them to do what they want and they show zero appreciation for it.

At age 19, I've realized that I have more appreciation for a dollar than most 25 year olds. Yes, they are 25. I'm the youngest in all of my classes and yet I feel like I'm the only adult there. It's frustrating.

They come to class late, talk when the teacher's talking, complain that they don't understand the material then because when the teacher quizzes us over it they fail. 

*sighs* I'll stop ranting now I just...over my 10 months here I've discovered I just really hate people. I mean, I already knew that I hated people but this just confirms it.