韓国人の友達と出会う方法
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast!
Alright. Last episode, I was discovering some of the ways I could make Korean friends so that I could put myself in the environment of speaking Korean.
Thus making my Korean level explode. Yes, explode.
Because in theory, I've had enough inputs, now it's time for the output. Yeah.
Right? Yeah, I mean you still need some inputs too, but... Okay, okay.
Never could get enough of that input. Yeah, yeah. Can't have enough input.
But now you can kind of start, you know, right, right, right.
Like, up my game. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, how do you make Korean friends?
So last time we talked about walking into a Korean shop, a Korean restaurant.
Drunker the better. Yeah.
You slide next to them and start a conversation. Yeah. But how the fuck do you do that, right?
Like, even if they are drunk.
Okay, first of all, when I'm drunk, I don't get so high.
Yeah, you don't need to be drunk. Okay, so I'll just be sober. Yeah.
I'm sober, they're drunk. They need to be drunk. They need to be drunk. Yeah, yeah.
They have to put their walls down. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Then what happens?
I mean, say something to them.
In Korean, right? Like, which is... That's where the hurdle is.
Like, if it was English or Japanese, that I know how to handle.
I know what's not awkward. Yeah, but it doesn't have to be Korean.
But I want it to be Korean. Yeah, but it's just...
Now it's not like learning process yet. It's just getting friends with them, right?
Yeah, it's just a step. So start any language.
Okay, I think. So Japanese makes sense. Yeah, makes sense.
But if you're alone, and they are like in a group of like seven or eight.
That could be really easy, or basically that's difficult.
That I understand. Yeah. Like it's a group thing, right? Yeah.
They got their own vibe. Yeah, yeah. They want to do their own thing. Yeah.
Making Korean friends in a group
Sometimes it got like really easy. Like they kind of make fun of me.
And like they start to like talking to me sometimes.
But that doesn't happen that much.
So I think like you should be like two or three on your side.
Oh man, how the fuck do you find two or three not equal to come with me for me to find a Korean friend?
What am I going to tell my friends?
Can you come with me to find me a Korean friend?
Like what about like going to Korean shop and digging some Korean culture?
Well anyways, so two or three.
And then the group would be like two or three.
And that's the best, like, you know, easiest way.
If it's like you guys are three and they're just like 10, you know, that's difficult.
The closer the number, the better. Yeah. Right? I think. Yeah.
That's kind of like the, you know. Yeah, like two, two.
Kind of the rule. Yeah.
It's a good rule to follow. Yeah, yeah.
So like, or like you guys are three and they are one.
Challenges of making Korean friends alone
Okay. And then kind of he or she kind of want to have conversation, but she or he is alone.
And that's like a biggest challenge, you know?
I mean, I guess that's like, like mentally easier when you have three on your side.
No, I mean.
How do you?
There's several things that goes through my mind.
Like, is that person even wanting to have conversation?
Yeah, we don't know. Yeah.
So try it.
We're not sure. So.
Okay. Yeah, that's true. But like, that's.
I guess you just have to step out of your comfort zone.
Making friends with store clerks in Shin-Okubo
Okay. Oh, like, wait, what about store clerk?
Yes. See, that's another thing, right? Like store clerk.
How do you do that?
Well, give me your strategy on how to become friends with a store clerk in a Shin-Okubo restaurant.
Oh, yeah. I've never been to those Shin-Okubo restaurants.
So I don't know what is like going on inside.
Oh, like what's the vibe and everything.
And it's true. Like there are two types of restaurants or like cafes.
One is like completely like chain restaurants, like they're not open for those making friends or like close conversations.
It's just like they just pay and eat and gone.
Yeah.
It's just like a service providers.
Yeah.
And the other one is like friendly for like making friends, making friends friendly, like closest conversation friendly cafes or like restaurants.
And that's easy to like start conversation with.
Yeah, of course.
Yeah.
With like anybody like in the store like chefs or like various styles maybe.
Have you ever seen a Korean shop with a friendly service environment?
No.
I've never been to one.
Oh.
All of the restaurants, maybe it's just me, but like all the restaurants that I've been to.
Yeah.
The employees are all very highly non-communicative.
Oh, really?
Yeah. They don't even look at you.
Really?
They didn't look at you at least.
Wow, really?
Yeah.
It's very, I don't know, systematic, highly non-conversational.
Oh, then that's a difficult.
Yeah.
Like I thought it's just more like friendly vibe in like Korean dining, like, you know, those Korean nobachans or like Korean ojiichans are making things and nobachan was like, "What do you want?" kind of friendly.
You know, every vlog that I watch, like some Korean vlog, right?
Like a Japanese goes to Korea films of vlog.
Yeah.
I've never seen a store clerk.
They're so friendly.
Oh, yeah, that's what I'm.
Me too.
That's my image of the Korean people.
Yeah, yeah.
In restaurants, right?
But like Shin-Okubo, it's just so, I don't know, I guess it's different.
I don't know.
It's just.
Really?
The stores that I go to, I don't know, but like, it's just so, you know.
It's like a.
Just.
Systematic.
Do your shit as a customer and let me do my job.
韓国人の友達の作り方
Wow.
As a store employee.
And that's where we'll draw the line.
So are they like the chain restaurants or something?
Maybe.
Oh, yeah, maybe.
Maybe.
And they all maybe Japanese?
No, they're Korean?
I don't know.
They look Korean.
They're, they're, they, they're fashion cities.
Yeah.
To be Korean-ish.
Yeah, because that's.
I see.
Like city, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, but that's important.
You should choose the store.
That's true.
Yeah, if you find a good store, then like, you know, you know, they're Korean, like some
bachans are doing or like, you know, the friendly stores.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
But I still, my, my, my questions are not nearly as close to being fulfilled.
Like I still have so many questions to ask.
Okay.
Like, okay, let's say that you're, you're, you, you made friends, right?
Like you.
Okay.
Then what's after that?
When do you get to the part where you get to practice your Korean?
I mean, you can say it to your friend.
What am I going to say?
I want to practice my Korean.
Yeah.
So I want you to talk to me in Korean and then.
Yeah.
Then this is what's going to happen.
This is what's going to happen when I do that.
Okay.
Okay.
Do you try to do a Korean for me?
Okay.
Like be my Korean friend for like three minutes.
And I'll show you how, what's going to happen.
Okay.
Can you be my Korean friend?
And I just want to learn Korean, you know, so like, can you talk to me in Korean?
Like have a Korean conversation.
Oh, of course.
Yeah.
Uh, 안녕하세요?
Ah, 안녕하세요.
Yeah.
Oh, I see.
The conversation is going to be difficult, right?
Like I, I barely knew.
Like I, yeah.
So, all right, sorry.
It got cut off.
Um, memory card went full.
Making Friends with Language Barriers
So I changed the memory card.
So like, I'm, I'm sure it was a little bit sloppy at the, uh, the gap there, but, uh,
yeah.
Well, Wally, what, where were we?
We were at like talking about on the recording.
Yeah.
I remember.
Yeah.
We were at, I remember when it started.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Um, so yeah, but yeah.
When you start the conversation in Korean, like when you said, I know, like it was like,
okay, I knew that went high.
So like, okay, I can go for that.
But like when you get into like, Hey, what are you going to do this afternoon?
Like, yeah.
Okay.
Oh,
awkward.
And like, yeah, but, um,
yeah, still,
that's
yeah.
Should I use that awkwardness as a spring for me to, you know, elevate my level?
Yeah.
Like I will work hard on my career and so that I don't have to feel so,
I don't have to feel like I'm a loser.
I don't have to feel like I'm a loser.
I don't have to feel so, yeah.
That'd be my mentality.
That's one.
Yeah.
Like if you don't speak anything, you can be like close friends with, with her, with him.
That's one.
Yeah.
But beginning is difficult.
Right.
That.
Yeah.
Speaking.
Yeah.
I remember when I was in, like when I arrived to France and I didn't speak, I couldn't speak
any of French and they talked to me in French and I was like,
that's the exact same situation.
Yeah.
How'd you overcome that?
Like when was your,
I just repeated,
repeat the phrase that he or she told me, like spoke to me.
Oh, and then you,
like, for example, what are you going to do this afternoon?
And what are you going to do afternoon?
It's what I do, what I did.
And then they'll understand that you're not understanding.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then still rephrase it.
Language Exchange Challenges
Yeah.
They break it down.
And to the point that you understand.
Speak slowly or like,
Oh God.
What's that?
It's just my SMS.
Oh.
I don't usually get a lot of SMS.
All right.
What was it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They kind of try to explain slowly and like using easy phrase or sometimes like, okay,
just, you know it.
Yeah.
See, that's when you need the tolerance,
when the other person needs to have the patience and the kind of like readiness to be,
be in that same level.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's where I'm struggling to find that person.
Like sure.
If I pay a service.
Yeah.
For example, like, you know, they're ready for that.
Yeah.
Lesson fee, right?
If, if, if, if I find somebody on the street to be my friend to practice Korean.
Yeah.
I feel like I'm kind of guilted into like, like you're making that person go through
the awkward, like awkward back and forth shit.
It's not that awkward actually.
It's like a quiz game kind of try to, well, I mean, to me it's like a, so for example,
like if you having a guy or like a lady who doesn't speak that much Japanese and she tries
to speak Japanese and we kind of try to explain her in like simple ways and it's like, it's
a kind of game.
It's like a fun thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's, that's such a good vibe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, if the other person had that vibe, that would be so fun.
Yeah.
That'd be such a good, you know, mentality.
Yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
But yeah, I know sometimes, yeah.
Some people doesn't just, they're not patient enough.
Yeah.
And they just, Oh God, what are you getting to SMS?
Yeah.
What's that?
I usually only get spams.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There are so many people that they just didn't patient enough.
Making Korean Friends
Yeah.
And then just say, okay, you don't speak French then.
Okay.
Those people.
Right.
Yeah.
Right, right, right.
That's true.
Right.
But I still do believe in the conversation thing.
I do believe that having a conversation and then excelling your language level that I
completely am with, like I support.
Yeah.
It's harder for me personally to find that great person to like, to vibe.
Sure.
Sure.
Well, from the beginning, you don't need to fully in Korean maybe you can just half
use English and so that having fun part.
Right.
Right.
And also like in Korea and like different fun quiz kind of.
Right.
Yeah.
That's true.
Yeah.
So find a friendly Korean.
Let me go to Shin-Okubo.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Thanks for sending guys.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
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