TWICE’s Sana Opens Up About The Most Frustrating Part Of Being A Foreign K-Pop Trainee

Here’s how she overcame it.

Training to be a K-Pop idol is never easy, but it’s especially difficult for foreigners. The topic was brought up by TWICE‘s Sana during a recent lunch date with Chaeyoung.

Sana opened up about the frustrations she felt as a foreign trainee in Korea when she first arrived in the country.

According to the “Alcohol-Free” singer, the greatest challenge she faced was her inability to communicate with others, which was especially difficult as someone who was fond of talking.

Next week will mark the 10th anniversary of me coming to Korea. I was really excited to come here, but I didn’t even know how to respond to ‘How are you? Did you eat?‘ I didn’t know how to answer. I was so frustrated. And I’m a talkative person by nature.

— Sana

Because of her frustration at the language barrier, she did her best to learn how to speak Korean. “When other trainees were laughing, I wanted to understand what was being said and laugh with them, so I studied really hard,” she explained.

Being surrounded by her members also helped her become accustomed to different ways of speaking. It’s partly thanks to them that she improved and can now confidently say she is more comfortable!

And after we debuted, we ended up spending so much time together. Each member has her own way of speaking. I mean, they’re somewhat similar now. But I feel much more comfortable now.

— Sana

Hearing Sana’s story, Chaeyoung thought of all the foreign members of the group—Sana, Momo, Mina, and Tzuyu—and praised them for their courage and resilience to start a new life in a foreign country.

I don’t know how you all did it. I would have been so scared to do what you did. I mean, going to a foreign country, spending years away from your families… You are all truly amazing.

— Chaeyoung

Sana may have struggled to speak Korean at the start, but several tricks helped her become fluent.