Amanda Takes Off...

Last night I met some friends for dinner at COEX. On the way home, on the subway, I ran into a man selling nutcrackers.

I was sitting, studying Korean. There were two middle eastern guys on my left, me, three Americans on my right, and a Korean at the very end (who seemed to know the other Americans). No wonder it was one of the last seats open in the car. It was Foreigners' Row. And nobody wants to sit near those scary foreigners...

Anyhow, this tout was selling these nutcrackers, and the American guy near me was being a jerk. He asked the man how much the nutcracker was. He obviously had no intention of buying one. You don't ask the price from subway touts unless you're going to buy one. Just plain rude.

After trying to sell the nutcrackers in Korean and English, the man noticed me studying Korean.

"Oh! I can teach you Korean! I have perfect pronunciation!"

I was trying so hard not to catch his eye because I had no intention of buying anything, but when he said that I couldn't help but laugh. Of course everyone else was watching us.

He had me read a sentence from my book and said, "I can teach you!"

I said, 한국 남자 친구 있어요. 같이 연습해요." I have a Korean boyfriend. We practice together.

"앗! 한국 사람이에요?" Oh! He is Korean?"

At this point everyone in the car was paying attention to us, or so it felt. "네," I nodded.

He said, "결혼할 거예요?" Will you get married?

I blushed. "음..." and shrugged. I noticed women hitting each other and whispering to each other to see if the other had heard the conversation.

After telling me I should be married to Good Man, he told me I spoke Korean well. I shook my head and said, "아니요. 사투리 있어요. 북한 사람이에요." No, I have an accent. I am a North Korean.

He laughed and laughed, slapped his knee and shook my hand before getting off the subway. On his way out the door, he bowed at me.

God only knows what the Koreans thought of the foreigners on Foreigners' Row.