Koreans in Beijing « Cloudy in Beijing

29Oct/09Off

Koreans in Beijing

kor A few weeks ago I went to a local get-together in the hopes I might meet some Chinese students. Instead, I found myself surrounded by a group of Korean people, wanting to practice their English.

Since I live on a college campus, the atmosphere of things can be quite cosmopolitan, with students coming from places all over the world. But of us foreigners at the school, Koreans clearly dominate.

As I type, I hear the murmurings of Hangul, the Korean language, just outside my door. My roommate is also Korean. And I laugh when I hear him say the word “Shiba”, which means “fuck.”

Not far from my dorm is a shopping area that features several Korean restaurants and other Korean stores. On their signs, the Hangul language is placed right alongside the Chinese characters. A bakery I go to routinely plays the same Korean songs over and over again; “Just one 10 minutes, ne goshi doenun shigan~”

I asked my Korean classmate why there were so many in China. He came up with three reasons.

1. They want to learn more about China.
2. They come here for business reasons or to better their career.
3. They couldn’t get into a good school in Korea, so they decided to come to China, where it’s easier for them to get into the best schools.

I told this to my roommate, and he laughed, saying that the third reason was the biggest.

As for John, my roommate, his reasons for coming to China are maybe a bit more unique. He’s already lived in the country for about five years, and even went to high school here. When I asked him why he was in China, John said it was his father who decided it. “He thinks it will be good for me in the future and my career,” he added.

John wants to be a diplomat, and has three languages under his belt already — Korean, Chinese, and English — which should help him a lot in his pursuit.

I on the other hand know very little of Korea — all except for the country’s amazing music. Some of my best friends back in America are Korean. Growing up they introduced me to a lot of Korean pop. Even now I still play some of those songs, although I have no idea what they are saying.

Now whenever I introduce myself to a Korean person here, I always throw out a few names to some big Korean music groups I listened to. Makes me feel cool and like I'm down with Korean culture. It is kind of funny that it’s me, and not John, playing Korean music on the speakers in our dorm. Recently he asked if I could transfer the songs to his PC, which I happily obliged to.

A few weeks ago I went to a local get-together in the hopes I might meet some Chinese students. Instead, I found myself surrounded by a group of Korean people, wanting to practice their English.

As I type, I hear the murmurings of Hangul, the Korean language, just outside my door. My roommate is also Korean. And I laugh when I hear him say the word “Shiba”, which means “fuck.”

I asked my Korean classmate why there were so many in China. He came up with three reasons.

1. They want to learn more about China.

2. They come here for business reasons or to better their career.

3. They couldn’t get into a good school in Korea, so they decided to come to China, where it’s easier to get into the best schools for them.

I told this to my roommate, and he laughed, saying that the third reason was the biggest.

As for John, my roommate, his reasons for coming to China are a bit more unique. He’s already lived in the country for about five years, and even went to high school here. When I asked him why he was in China, John said it was his father who decided it. “He thinks it will be good for me in the future and my career,” he added.

John wants to be a diplomat, and has three languages under his belt already — Korean, Chinese, and English — which should help him a lot in his pursuit.

Now whenever I introduce myself to a Korean person here, I always throw out a few names to some big Korean music groups I listened to. It is kind of funny that it’s me, and not John, playing Korean music on the speakers in our dorm. Recently he asked if I could transfer the songs to his PC, which I happily obliged.