By: Sr. Jasmin Peralta, SSC
Jasmin Peralta is a young Columban Sister in Korea.
Here she describes some of her “teething” problems.
Humiliated and Frustrated
I never felt humiliated and frustrated in all my life until I came to study “hangu mal” Korean. Every time my teacher talked to me I heard nothing and understood nothing. All I could do was to keep guessing the meaning of the sounds and most of time I guessed wrong! Indeed, language study id draining. I would come home from school dead tired.
Maybe They’ll Laugh at Me
It was winter when I started the first level. I was shivering with cold because it was my first taste of winter. I learned very little then because I was anxious and preoccupied with difficulties of learning the language. I was scared to be with people for fear they’d laugh at my mistakes in speaking Korean. I kept tagging along my security blanket –the English dictionary.
Why Did I Ever Come?
I used to ask myself during those first months, “Why did I ever express interest in coming to Korea? Why did I not choose an easier mission? Why did I have to leave the Philippines? Why did I ever come to this cold hermit Kingdom? Why? Why?
A Ray of Light
There was a ten day break after finishing the first level. During this break I never once opened my hangu’mal book. I was lonely and frustrated and it led me to reflect on the experience of the recent past. I prayed and saw a ray of light.
During the Easter Triduum, I came to grips with myself. I asked the Lord, “Lord, will it be like this for the rest of my life?” I felt some assurance when a Sister warmly sympathized saying “It is okay to feel that way when you’re here less than a year. It could be different if you’ve been here for thirty years. And you’ll have to not learned the language. Now, that would be something to worry about.”
Spring
Spring Term came with lovely white magnolias and bright yellow kaenari flowers. The cool breeze and the scenery welcomed me as I walked back to language school early Easter Monday. I was full of enthusiasm to begin the next level of “hangu’mal.” I wanted to speak the language and not to compete in speaking it. Competition can be stressful while speaking can be fun.
Laugh at your Self
Laughing at myself and allowing others to laugh at me has given me the courage to meet and to talk to people. I am more relaxed now and I am enjoying my time at language school. I try to speak the little Korean that I know when I go to market, when I ask directions every time I lose my way and I am with our Sisters. My school work has improved and there is more expression and life in my basic dialogue in class.
Faux Pas
I remember the time when I asked the teacher something and she came swimming towards me. The class was in hysterics. I was wondering what was wrong. “Are you hungry?” my teacher asked. And I burst out laughing when I realized I had called her sensunnim (fish) instead sunsengnim (teacher)
Washing teeth with Rat Poison
In Cheju, I went to a yakpang (drugstore) to buy chiyak (toothpaste). The lady at the counter was so glad to hear me speak Korean knowing I was a foreigner. With out any questions she looked into my big brown eyes and handed me chuiyak (rat poison).
Courage Versus Intelligence
I have learned to appreciate the challenges and surprises God has put in the store for me here in Korea. My fellow Filipino missionaries have been a great support. They have learned to pick up the signs- when my fiery eyes grow dull, when my pleasant smile becomes a pout, when my giggles become sighs- they know I have the blues. One of theme said to me, “Learning the language is not so much the question of intelligence as it is of courage to speak it.” “Yes,” I agreed, God knows I have all the courage in the world but I just don’t have the word.”
One day I prayed earnestly, “My God will I ever learn to speak Korean?” And to my big surprise God said, “Mulon I ji jaz!”