Before coming to Seoul, South Korea, I talked to other students who had come to Yonsei University. They all told me that it was fun and that I’d make so many friends but I was still worried. I especially wondered if I would be able to communicate with Korean locals.
Language is important to me. I use Spanish to talk to my family and my community and I use English to talk to my friends. I express myself by talking to the people around me and exchanging stories with them about our lives. The big problem is that I can’t speak Korean that well. I worried how I would be able to have this same experience in South Korea where the primary language is Korean. I wanted to be able to order food at restaurants, talk to Korean students, ask for directions when I was lost and learn about peoples' life experiences but I wasn’t sure if my goal was possible since my Korean language ability is very low. I wondered whether it would be possible to communicate with people when I arrived. What would I do without the most important thing in my life: language?
When I first got to Seoul, I was introduced to a group of Korean students who wanted to mentor foreign students like me. I quickly realized that there are many Korean students who can speak some English.
