I remember a funny story about a student with an accent. A country boy left his rural home to attend college in Seoul. Naturally, he picked up the Seoul accent from his classmates. During school vacation, he returned to his hometown, where his old high school friends were happy to see him. However, they quickly noticed his changed manner of speaking and did not appreciate it. Feeling both inferior and somewhat jealous, they decided to do something about their newly refined friend.

They concocted a story with a surprise ending. Upon hearing it, the Seoul student instinctively reverted to his old country accent. At that moment, his friends accepted him back into the fold. I don’t know why I remember this story or how it relates to what I am about to share, but it lingers in my mind, nonetheless.

A friend of mine, whom I hadn’t spoken to in years, recently commented on my Korean. Teasingly, he pointed out that I now spoke Korean with an American........

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