(明報)2011年4月7日 星期四
【明報專訊】Lee Sang Myung, a Korean language teacher, began to live in Hong Kong five years ago. She did not know a single Cantonese phrase then, but she speaks the language fluently now. Let's learn more about her life in Hong Kong and Korean culture!
"When I was small, I learnt about Hong Kong from Jackie Chan's action movies. I used to think all people in Hong Kong carried guns!" —— Lee Sang Myung, Korean language teacher
L: Lee Sang Myung
Q: What impression did you have of Hong Kong before you first visited here?
L: When I was in high school, I was fascinated by Hong Kong action movies. Jackie Chan (成龍) was one of the super stars then. In those movies, the city was dangerous, everyone carrying a gun and fighting in the street. Back then, we thought Hong Kong was an unsafe city. It is very dry in Korea, while humidity is very high in Hong Kong. Before I came to Hong Kong, I heard from other Koreans the wet weather was difficult to adapt to and that made Hong Kong an uncomfortable place to live in. Nevertheless, I have found the weather here nice. I feel good living here.
Q: What motivated you to live here?
L: It happened that, about five years ago, my sister, who had been living in Hong Kong with her husband, gave birth to a baby. She couldn't get anyone to take care of her baby. I therefore came here to help her. I planned then to stay two months, but Hong Kong people have stayed me with their politeness and hospitality. I went to a Christian church for local Koreans. I met my husband there. We got married some time later and here I am. I've been living here for about five years!
Q: How did you learn Chinese (Cantonese)?
L: Cantonese was a bit difficult for me, though in general I picked it up fast. One reason is that some Cantonese phrases are similar to their Korean counterparts. For example, the word for "door" sounds similar in both languages. We learned Chinese characters in high school in Korea. That has made it easier for me to write and read Chinese phrases. I took courses in the Chinese language at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for two years and gained a certain level of proficiency in the language.
Q: Are you a good cook?
L: Most Korean women can cook without having to learn it. When we were small, we helped our mothers in the kitchen. My favourite Korean dishes are kimchi jigae (泡菜湯) and samgyeopsal (五花肉). After I had come here, I tried yuxiang qiezi (魚香茄子) and I loved it so much!
Q: Are there any special festivals in Korea?
L: Valentine's Day (February 14) and White Day (March 14) are for married couples or people who are dating one another. For single people, we've got Jajangmyeon Day (April 14). It is not an official festival but most Koreans know about it. Jajangmyeon (炸醬麵) is a popular Korean dish that is similar to China's zha jiang mian, but its sauce is darker, almost black. Eating black jajangmyeon on April 14 symbolises the misery of having no lover!
Q: When do you usually go back to Korea?
L: I usually visit my hometown twice or thrice a year, to spend Mid-autumn Festival and New Year there. New Year celebrations in Korea are more or less the same as those in China. We get together with our families and enjoy nice meals. One of the traditional dishes we have in New Year is tteokguk (年糕湯), which is a bowl of soup with thinly sliced Korean rice cakes. The main difference between Korean and Chinese New Year celebrations is in colour. In China, red symbolises fortune and luck, and people hand out red packets with money. It is also a custom for Koreans to hand out money, but we use white packets. In Korea, white is the colour for both celebrations and funerals.
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an nyeong ha se yo → Hello
●go ma weo yo → Thank you
●sa rang hae yo → I love you
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