Thuso Mbedu Instagram – I have been to South Korea three times now because as South Africans, we don’t need to fret about the visa. It’s not as cheap as Thailand but the Rand still goes a long way. The city is clean and beautiful and the people have been friendly. In 2023 it was a little jarring having people stare and point because we are black but I was quick to pick up that it was never from a place of malice as the stares were always followed by the word “Yeppeuda” which means pretty/beautiful. On this trip we got a lot of free things from kind vendors because they were so enamoured by my youngest niece. EVERYBODY thought she was the cutest.
Anyway, I wasn’t intending on posting about this trip because my role was of the designated photographer and so I looked comfortably dodge everyday but I had two small moments that that I wanted to share.
In preparation for the 2023 trip I jumped onto Duolingo to try familiarize myself with the language. Chile, all I achieved was the ability to read Hangul- which came in clutch when reading signs that didn’t have subtitles. The last two visits I was very ill-prepared. On one of the days, Zen and I were walking and I was sounding out whatever I could read. A nice elderly man overheard my attempt at reading his language and he started a conversation. His English didn’t come easily to him and I could see him fight to get the right words. He would grow frustrated with himself but soldiered through it. Personally, I thought he did great as we spoke about a variety of things. His fight to keep going, despite his limitations, really left me in awe. I thought “if my Korean could touch the hem of his English garment I would be celebrating.” I was inspired.
I then found myself in an uber with a very chatty driver. His ability to speak English was almost nonexistent but that didn’t stop him. Both he and I were surprised by how much I could piece together. It was only when he tried compliment my Korean-comprehending ability that I said “Anniyo” at least 5 times in 2 seconds that he jumped onto his translator app to continue the conversation.
The experience left me feeling positively challenged. Ima learn for real now and make the ahjussi’s proud😅 | Posted on 07/Oct/2025 10:41:41
