Eek! I'm leaving for Korea in less than 2 days!
I'm pretty excited, but also a little freaked out as I don't know exactly where I'll be staying the first night. Or what I'm getting the couple whose wedding I'm going to. Or how I'm going to survive in a country where I don't know the language. Lots of other 'ors' too.
Fortunately I talked to a collegue here from Korea who told me not to worry about learning Korean--apparently I shouldn't even try to speak it lest I want to be laughed at. And most of Seoul should have English around. Also, I am apparently not allowed to talk at all about Japan! There is still a lot of tension between Korea and Japan because of some of the atrocities of the second World War and the fact that Japan never apologized. Apparently even small comments about Japan can really get you in trouble--like beaten-up trouble. And China isn't really a good topic either. Apparently Koreans are a bit defensive about Chinese claims to some of their traditions. So yes, I will be on the defensive :P.
But I'm excited!
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