First Cultural Post: What is your interest in 'your' language and what do you hope to accomplish this semester?
I have always wanted to learn an Asian language. European languages and travel is so popular these days, and I really wanted to learn a new type of language before leaving college. I heard about this program from my friends who took it last year, and I was intrigued by the prospect of learning how to learn a language while learning a new language. I chose Korean because I have always loved the way Korean sounded from native speakers. It sounded polite, classical, and melodic, something that I have always wanted to mimic. Furthermore, many of my friends on campus are Korean speakers and have encouraged me to take this course as they have told me it is the best way to learn an Asian language. Finally, I know this might be a weird reason, but I really love Korean restaurants and Korean supermarkets. Both the restaurants and supermarkets are full of interesting foods that stimulate my taste buds in ways that can never be replicated. Coming from Los Angeles, where there is a big population of Koreans, every weekend I would go to the Korean markets in Koreatown and pick up cute snacks to eat at home, or maybe stop at the all-you-can-eat kbbq restaurants and spend 3 hours there eating piles of bulgogi and kalbi.
This semester I want to become an elementary Korean speaker. I am very cautious about my goals. I would rather have a strong background in Korean and speak and write less, than learn a lot of Korean and end up forgetting it in a month because I crammed too much information in. I feel as though this happened to me with Spanish in high school. When we crammed learning different types of conjugations I remembered them for the test-- but forgot them ever since. Furthermore, I would like to be able to introduce myself, talk about my family, ask for the date and time, and learn basic expressions. I would also like to be able to read first grade level books, and learn more about Kpop and Korean dramas, as all my Korean friends tell me it is unmissable.
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