Cummings and Goings

One of the top questions I got when we announced we were moving to Korea was, “But what about the language barrier?”

And honestly? That was one of my concerns too. Shocking, I know. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had approximately 4,372 anxieties about moving halfway across the world. The language barrier was definitely somewhere on that list.

Before we moved, Lee had been to Korea probably 5 or 6 times while supporting various projects. He assured me that we would be fine.

His plan was basically:

1. Use Google Translate.
2. Ask kind Koreans for help.
3. Figure it out.

And, as much as I hate to admit it… he was right.

Even with his thick Mississippi accent. 😂

We obviously still have our moments.

There was the Korean BBQ situation where we were basically staring at a wall menu with absolutely no idea what we were ordering. At one point, we were dangerously close to just pointing at a random meat selection and praying we had chosen wisely. Luckily we had a friend with us to order.

There was also the time we were trying to figure out which bottle was dishwasher detergent and which one was laundry softener. Because apparently moving to another country also means questioning every basic household task you’ve successfully completed for the last 30 years.

There was also the great cereal mixup. I thought the little dots were blueberries, turns out they were beans. 

Google Translate has become the real MVP around here.

Take a picture of the baking instructions? Translate.

Dishwasher instructions? Translate.

Washing machine instructions? Translate.

Trying to figure out what exactly you just bought at the grocery store? Translate and pray.

Thankfully, there are also a decent number of English signs sprinkled throughout Okpo, including some road signs, so we’re not completely out here living like the pioneers.

And when all else fails, we’ve discovered that there are some incredibly kind people who are willing to help us figure things out.

So far, we’ve managed to fumble our way through the language barrier pretty successfully… kind of like the Cleveland Browns fumble their way through every NFL season. 🏈😂

Is it perfect? Absolutely not.

Have there been some frustrating moments? Definitely.

But it’s also teaching us something I knew we would need to learn: patience, flexibility, and how to laugh at ourselves when we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing (which is often with me).

Because sometimes you just have to stand in the middle of a Korean grocery store, hold up your phone, hope Google Translate gets it right, and confidently pretend you know what you’re doing.

And honestly?

We’re getting pretty good at it. 🇰🇷😂