Several people helpfully pointed out a spelling/listening error in my post about saying high school in Korean.  It’s supposed to be 고등 go deung not go dang. I didn’t take enough time looking at the hanguel, and was just noticing that it wasn’t go tan. The following day, I noticed it was go deung.

Armed with this new information didn’t seem to help me with the taxi driver, unfortunately.  (Although having it written out [thanks!] will the next time.) I called a taxi to my school and said, CheongPyeong godeung hakyo over and over again, and finally in frustration I handed the phone over to my co-teacher, who I swear to God it sounded the same as I was saying it, got understood instantly.  She laughed and told me I could just say go for short!

Of course, the following day, I tried only CheongPyeong go and that was unsuccessful too.  So tired of people looking at me like I’m a lunatic as I’m looking Korean and trying to speak something intelligible.

The other day, for the first time ever, I was mistaken for being Chinese.  I was trying to buy a chicken skewer and this older Korean gentleman started translating for me, unsolicited.  I heard one Korean woman asking the street vendor what country I was from, and the vendor whispered off to the side that she must be Chinese…

I wish people always thought of me as Chinese or Japanese, because they treat me much better when they think I’m a visiting tourist.