Jay shares her experiences on YouTube
Thailand’s love of all things Korean has led to plenty of interesting content online. On YouTube, there are various channels about Korea that focus on travel, food, music, education and beauty. One of the most popular is jaysbabyfood, which has gained more than 159,000 subscribers in its first year.
Jaysbabyfood was created by Siros Mahawattanaungkoon (Jay). Jay studied Korean for a year in Gwangju before doing a Master’s in Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. She began the channel last year while she was travelling in Busan.
S Weekly met up with the 26-year-old YouTuber, who is now an instructor at Chulalongkorn University, to talk about her channel and life in Korea.
Why did you decide to study Korean?
Jay: My friends could read Korean and I wanted to be able to as well. I practised by myself and took classes at university. I enjoyed it.
How did you improve your Korean?
Jay: I watched Korean TV shows and picked up a lot of vocabulary. The shows featured Korean subtitles, so I learned by listening and reading at the same time. I also read the news about my favourite Korean stars and translated it into Thai on Twitter.
What obstacles did you face while studying in Korea?
Jay: During my first week, I wanted to quit school because Korean students take seniority so seriously. Nobody spoke up or expressed their opinions in class. I was uncomfortable with that atmosphere. But an instructor encouraged me to stay. I later found that we had to choose the right classes where we could discuss our opinions.
Did you experience any culture shock?
Jay: The bathrooms in old-style restaurants usually have a women’s toilet inside the men’s toilet. It was awkward going to the ladies’ bathroom because you might have to walk past a man at a urinal.
What are the dos and don’ts for students who want to study in Korea?
Jay: You should be open-minded about everything you experience there. Don’t imagine that it’s going to be the same as in the TV dramas. Every country has its upsides and downsides.
Why did you decide to start jaysbabyfood?
Jay: I always wanted to create videos to share my experiences in Korea. But I’m not beautiful, so I was worried that viewers would give me negative feedback. Then a student of mine encouraged me to make a video. She said she wanted to know about life in Korea. So I decided to just go ahead and do it.
What makes your channel different from others?
Jay: Thai channels about Korea are still rare. And I don’t use a script. The dialogue is spontaneous and natural.
How has the channel changed since you returned to Thailand?
Jay: At first, I was stressed out about how the move would affect the channel. But in the end, I decided to continue sharing my experiences about food and travelling. Now, it takes place in Thailand. I also include content about Korean language and K-pop events. My subscribers are fine with this.
