Meeting Governor Deal and the Head of Kotra's Germany Branch

The last week seems like a blur, in a short amount of time I've been overwhelmed with some of the best opportunities Korea has offered me so far. Last week, Gov Deal came to Korea to discuss potential investment opportunities in Georgia with Korean business leaders. With Gov Deal was my friend and former Professor Chris Young, who works with the Governor as the Chief of Protocol for International Affairs. I had gotten in touch with Chris a few weeks before the Gov's planned trip to Korea. I was able to plan ahead and take a day off work so that I could meet with Chris for lunch. Lucky for me, I also got the opportunity to sit in on an interesting press conference with the Governor, and briefly meet him and some of the other staff members traveling with him.

It was a great opportunity, and quickly followed with another great opportunity. The head of Kotra's branch in Germany was in Seoul for the weekend, and as a tribute, Kotra was hosting a small "October Fest" (a bit late) to learn a bit about the German tradition. It was a rather exclusive event, and closed to interns, but my boss who is always very kind to me pulled a few strings and invited me to come.

I was a bit nervous at first to show up to such an event. However, when I got there I found that I already knew a large number of the workers from the Kotra soccer team. Further, the presence of an all you can eat buffet and all you can drink bar quickly created a happy and relaxed environment. The event lasted for several hours and was a rare opportunity to really break down barriers with my co-workers and have some of the most insightful and valuable conversations that I've enjoyed in Korea thus far.

Both opportunities were incredible. A week ago I had fallen victim to allowing myself to just push through the tough Korean work weeks with my eyes always set on the opportunities of the weekend. Shaking hands with Gov Deal and a Kotra executive reminded me that every day in Korea is a valuable opportunity, and that I can't let a single one go to waste.

Remembering Korean Names

Yesterday marked the 4 month anniversary from the day I arrived in Korea. In the four months since coming to Korea, I have never once regretted my decision to make the journey, but that's not to say some things haven't been a little tough from time to time. Many of my struggles have come from anticipated obstacles, different cuisine, the language barrier, the long Korean work day. However, I have also had my share of surprising challenges. One that comes to mind is the constant embarrassment I feel at forgetting the names of Koreans.

From time to time, everyone is bound to forget a name or two. Sometimes we drift off into lala land as we shake someone's hand and completely forget to listen in as they state their name. Other times we are simply introduced to too many people at once and can't remember every single name. However, with a few nemonic tricks and the ability to listen in to the conversation, its often easy to pick up the names we miss.

Korea is a different story. Often I will pay full attention, but despite my best efforts, the conversation will go something like this:

(New Korean Friend) Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Kim Kyung Hwan (note: Koreans usually introduce themselves with their whole names, and their surname comes before their given names, unlike English)

(Me) Hi, nice to meet you Kyung Hwan, my name is Sean

(New Korean Friend) Ah, sorry, not Kyung Hwan, Kyung Hwan

(Me): Thinking to myself....what on earth? Was there any difference between the two names he just said... uh, sorry. Kyung Hwan

(New Korean Friend) No, No, Kyung Hwan

(Me) Kyung Hwan

New Korean Friend) No, No, No....ah, its OK, just call me Kim

And so my first few weeks in Korea this was pretty much the scenario that played out. It worked ok for a while, but pretty soon, I knew about 25 "Kims," 19 "Lees," and 15 "Parks." It was a disaster. What made the problem worse was that many of these people would get my phone number or find me on facebook. Soon, I was getting lots of messages from "Kim," but I had absolutely no idea who I was talking to.

In my four months here, I've done a few things to prevent this scenario from spiraling out of control. First and foremost, I no longer allow anyone I meet to let me call them by their last name, instead I apologize for my pronunciation and do my best to get as close as I can.

The second, less conventional thing that I've done is try and memorize the meanings behind names. Nearly all Korean names have some sort of meaning attached to them (for example, "Young" means Golden and "Kim" means Dragon). For some reason, connecting Korean names to English words helps my brain to better remember both. It's also a great way to start a conversation about my new friend's name, which helps me to transfer the name to my long-term memory.

Oddly enough, its finding tricks like this that have allowed me to continue to enjoy the pleasures of Korea without getting bogged down by the numerous (and sometimes exhausting) challenges that I face everyday being in a foreign culture. Now if I can only find a trick that helps me find a restaurant with a decently priced steak and an American beer, I'll be set for my last two months here.

Enjoying the Weather, and some K-Pop

Korea's weather has changed in a hurry. The hot, muggy, and rainy days that plagued my first couple of months here
have been replaced by blue skies and mild (sometimes a bit chilly) temperatures. I've welcomed the change and have been doing my best to enjoy the good weather. Korea had another holiday this past weekend. I wasn't as adventurous this time around and just used the opportunity to hang around Seoul and catch-up on some sleep. One exciting thing I did was go toyet another concert (I believe this is now my fifth or sixth since moving here). I went with Juan Jo, a friend of mine who is a college exchange student from Guatemala, to go see Girl'sGeneration. K-Pop is a booming industry in Korea, and Girl's Generation is at the top of the game. The concert didn't really change my opinion of the music genre (no thank you), but I still had fun and remain determined with Jaun Jo to meet the band so that we can ask them out on a date (they're a lot more fun to look at then listen to).

Tonight I'll be

going out to dinner with my fellow interns. The team has grown quite a bit since my first day at work, there are now eight interns including myself, the largest by far of any other team at Kotra. Dinner will be entertaining, I am now wearing suits to work and the other seven interns on my team are all girls. I already get odd looks w

alking to work in the morning, I can only imagine the looks I am going to get at the restaurant when I walk in wearing a full suite with seven girls tagging along. Not that I am complaining or anything.