Comments on: Home Plus Shopping Language Adventure http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/83 Crunky! This is a blog about an English teacher living in South Korea. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:34:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: torgodevil http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/83#comment-173 torgodevil Sun, 07 May 2006 01:22:10 +0000 http://www.torgodevil.com/?p=83#comment-173 Bob- I've travelled sans language skills before. It sucks, but it's not like everyone should just stay home. Work, life, and the pursuit of pleasure don't have to come second to learning a language if you are adventurous enough. You will have a harder time in anything you do though, and will probably step on a few people's toes along the way. He did speak *basic* English. I don't know if I would understand the complexities of signing a phone contract anywhere in the world in any language myself. I've met people with worse language skills while traveling. If people want to promote English as "Lingua Franca", the people behind the counter are just as guilty of not being able to communicate in anything besides Korean anyway, aren't they? I've totally been in this guy's shoes, trying to understand something basic and not being able to comprehend anything going on. That's why I took pity on the poor soul and tried to help him. Bob- I’ve travelled sans language skills before. It sucks, but it’s not like everyone should just stay home. Work, life, and the pursuit of pleasure don’t have to come second to learning a language if you are adventurous enough. You will have a harder time in anything you do though, and will probably step on a few people’s toes along the way.

He did speak *basic* English. I don’t know if I would understand the complexities of signing a phone contract anywhere in the world in any language myself. I’ve met people with worse language skills while traveling.

If people want to promote English as “Lingua Franca”, the people behind the counter are just as guilty of not being able to communicate in anything besides Korean anyway, aren’t they?

I’ve totally been in this guy’s shoes, trying to understand something basic and not being able to comprehend anything going on. That’s why I took pity on the poor soul and tried to help him.

]]> By: Eric http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/83#comment-172 Eric Sat, 06 May 2006 22:01:41 +0000 http://www.torgodevil.com/?p=83#comment-172 I almost got arrested in a Save-a-Lot in Akron because I didn't know about the "purchase bag" policy. I checked out with a handful of items. Walking out I noticed some bags and tried to take one. The assistant manager, a middle-aged man who was very bitter that he spends his life assistant managing a fairly crappy grovery store and vents his frustration by lifting weights and being condescending towards customers, told me in a rather unpleasant tone that "bags cost five cents". I was unfamiliar with this policy and, not wishing to go through the line again to buy a bag, proceeded expeditiously to my car before I got in any more trouble. As it so happened a snagged a discarded but perfectly usable bag in the parking lot. I'm sure that manager but out an APB immediately. I almost got arrested in a Save-a-Lot in Akron because I didn’t know about the “purchase bag” policy. I checked out with a handful of items. Walking out I noticed some bags and tried to take one. The assistant manager, a middle-aged man who was very bitter that he spends his life assistant managing a fairly crappy grovery store and vents his frustration by lifting weights and being condescending towards customers, told me in a rather unpleasant tone that “bags cost five cents”. I was unfamiliar with this policy and, not wishing to go through the line again to buy a bag, proceeded expeditiously to my car before I got in any more trouble. As it so happened a snagged a discarded but perfectly usable bag in the parking lot. I’m sure that manager but out an APB immediately.

]]> By: Bob535 http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/83#comment-171 Bob535 Sat, 06 May 2006 17:07:13 +0000 http://www.torgodevil.com/?p=83#comment-171 Going to any country without speaking either A) The local language or B) English seems like a bad idea to me. I try for some of the first and all of the second if at all possible. Why do foreigners try to travel with none of the above? Going to any country without speaking either A) The local language or B) English seems like a bad idea to me. I try for some of the first and all of the second if at all possible. Why do foreigners try to travel with none of the above?

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