Watches, Apples and ducks, Oh My!

Like I have mentioned in previous posts this week, I've begun to study in earnest, attempting to slowly make it through a Korean through English book I purchased during the first week of my stay here. While proving to be a challenge, I can already see some progress, but only through a weird set of circumstances.

Bizzarely, the words some of my students have chosen as vocabulary to learn for the week have been very useful. Today, I lost my watch in our giant playground, sometime while playing dodgeball with the kids. I decided that I needed a watch, and since I knew the word for watch (si-gue), and have recently brushed up on the Korean number system I knew how much prices were when told orally. Also, while shopping at Lotte, the local department store, I got to ask "How much is it?" and comment "It's expensive", and much to my delight, was understood by the counter worker, who smiled and commented in agreement.

That is pretty much the extent of my new vocabulary usage for now. If I have any run-ins with ducks (Oo-ri), apples (sah-gwa) or have to buy a new hat this weekend (mo-cha), I will know I am the brunt of some sort of cosmic foreign language vocabulary joke.