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.