Somewhere in Seoul 지금 힘들지? 수고했어 오늘도. (soo-go-hay-so oh-neul-do. "These days it's hard, right? You did well today".) Soo-go-hay-so oh-neul-do (Literally, "You made an effort today as well.") is a commonly used phrase between friends to reassure one another that each did all they could for the day, just like every other day. The word, 수고했어 (soo-go-hay-so), implies not only that one did a good job but that they expended much effort and energy to complete that job. As such the receiver feels recognized and reassured that their work endeavors were not in vain. This phrase also serves as an automatic greeting between office workers after a long day, and customers give a variation of the phrase to employees at the end of an interaction (soo-go-ha-say-yo "Keep making an effort"). It's kind of like saying "Have a nice day." An artist created a cute song around the idea of 수고했어 오늘도, which I listened to after excellently failing the Korean langua
I post updates with thoughts and feelings about what I experience as an American in South Korea. I recently received a master's degree in Korean Studies from Yonsei University, having taken classes on Korea's history, social issues, and pop culture. In my free time, I like to explore Korean literature and the underground arts scene. If you're curious about my journey navigating how to live in and love Korea well, read on!