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I hoped to learn more grammar and review the vocabulary that I’ve been learning. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
As usual, I met with Professor Kim over Zoom these past two weeks. The vocabulary we have been learning these past two weeks have been about different buildings, such as “bookstore”, “bank”, “department store”, and “restaurant”. She also tested me on different adjectives and miscellaneous items. I’ve been doing pretty well on the vocabulary test and things are getting easier to remember. Something Professor Kim has been doing that I’ve found very helpful is after each word we go over; she will ask me a question in which I have to use the word. I think it’s helpful to practice using the word and gives me a better context of when it would be used. It also helps me practice my speaking and grammar. After the vocabulary test, we did a conjugation activity. Professor Kim sent me a worksheet with a bunch of verbs on it. In one column I was supposed to change the verb to polite informal and in another column, I was supposed to change the verb to polite formal. This was an interesting and fun activity that gave me a lot of practice with conjugation. Some of the irregular verbs were tricky but it was a good reminder that those verbs had special exceptions. Another activity we did was finish reading the sentences that we didn’t get to in previous weeks. We were able to finish the reading activity which was good practice for my reading and speaking skills.
These past two weeks, I also met with Jannette. Since I practiced verb conjugation with Professor Kim, I wanted to practice verb conjugation and speaking with Jannette. We came up with hypothetical situations where depending on the context, I would conjugate the verb accordingly. I thought that this was a fun activity and was very engaging. I liked that it reflected real life situations and forced me to be aware of the context and who I was speaking to. I find it so interesting that depending on who you are speaking to, the conjugation of the verb will change. This doesn’t really exist in English, so it has been hard for me to get into that mindset. I often default to the informal conjugation of a verb even when I am speaking to someone older than me, such as Professor Kim. I think this was good practice to rewire my brain to think as a Korean so I can conjugate verbs correctly without much thought.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks I will continue having practice conversations. I liked the activity that I did with Jannette where I would conjugate depending on the situation, so I think I would like to continue doing that. As I’ve said in the past, watching Korean dramas and movies has been a fun way to practice. I try to pick up on how they are conjugating verbs depending on who they are speaking to. It’s cool to notice how someone’s speech will change depending on whether they are talking to someone younger than them or someone older than them.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. My vocabulary continues to expand, and I am becoming more efficient at recalling vocabulary. I think that my listening skills are also improving after exposing myself to Korean more often. Understanding a sentence when watching Korean dramas or movies is a really great feeling and makes me confident in my learning.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to continue expanding my vocabulary and learning new grammar rules. I also want to make sure that I reinforce the material that I’ve learned in previous weeks so I will look over that material. I will continue using apps to teach me new vocabulary that I can try to use when speaking.
In light of the pandemic that is going on right now, I have seen several videos about COVID-19 showing up on YouTube. One video that I came across was a video by the YouTube channel, Vox. The video I watched is called The big lesson from South Korea’s coronavirus response. As you can probably guess from the title, this video talked about South Korea’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Early on, South Korea was one of the first countries that had a major outbreak of coronavirus cases. This all began when a patient, known as patient No. 31, went to a megachurch in Daegu. After this huge outbreak happened in Daegu, Korea took immediate action in containing this outbreak. They did something called contact tracing. They have been able to test many people for the virus and have done such a successful job of containing it. They introduced one of the largest and best-organized epidemic control programs in the world. This system involves testing mass populations of the virus and isolate anyone who is infected. Beyond that, the government will trace and quarantine whoever had come in contact with the infected person as well. Although this sounds extreme, it has been very effective for Korea. Contact tracing wasn’t enough either. People who were infected may have moved through the city, touching doors and subway handles, which is another way that the virus could spread. In order to combat this problem, Korea traced the infected person’s footsteps and alerted citizens of their trail and where they have been. These alerts let people know if they have cross paths with an infected person so they can go get tested themselves. This may be giving people less privacy, but it has been a large reason why Korea has been able to contain the virus. Their efforts have led to them being able to test more people than any other country at the time. This has resulted in Korea not having to have aggressive lockdowns, like the ones we are currently experiencing in the United States. Through Korea’s efforts, they have been able to do something that many of the other countries have struggled to do. They’ve been able to bend the curve. I am very impressed by Korea’s response to this pandemic and makes me wish that the United States had taken proper steps like Korea did in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
I think that the way South Korea handled this outbreak shows a lot about their culture. I think that this has really shown the difference between Korean culture and American culture. When Koreans heard from the government about the outbreak, people were very willing to listen the government and self-quarantine, as opposed to some Americans who took it as a joke and had large gatherings. In the video, they mentioned how many Koreans value public health over their privacy. This is something that may sound absurd to an American, since privacy is so highly valued. Even after preventing the first wave of infections, Korea is still alert and taking precautions to prevent a second wave from happening. I think that this attitude by both the government and its citizens are something that is unique to Korea and speaks a lot to their values and culture.
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE-cA4UK07c
I hoped to learn more grammar and review the vocabulary that I’ve been learning. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
I have been able to meet with Professor Kim over Zoom for the past two weeks. Class began as usual with us catching up and talking about how our week has been. After catching up, we went into the material for class. Each week, Professor Kim has been giving me vocabulary tests. The vocabulary tests consist of vocabulary that we have already learned, as well as some newer vocabulary that I may have been introduced to during previous lessons. Recently, the vocabulary tests have consisted of words that apply to school. Some of these words include, “library”, “major”, “classroom”, and a bunch of other words that relate to school. From this vocabulary I have been able to talk about what I am studying and my major. There were also some verbs, adjectives, and question words. I think it is helpful that I am tested on vocabulary every week. I may not remember all of the words for that week’s vocabulary test, but after seeing the words over and over again each week, they eventually stick. This has helped me learn a bunch of new vocabulary, which I can use when speaking. Another activity that Professor Kim gave me was a reading activity. She sent me a worksheet with several sentences written on them. She asked me if I could read the sentence and tell her the meaning of it. I was able to read the sentence but stumbled on some words here and there. She corrected my pronunciation which was helpful. For the most part, I was able to figure out the meaning of the sentences but wasn’t sure about some parts. When I was having trouble, Professor Kim would walk me through the sentence’s grammar and vocabulary. That helped me figure out the meaning of the sentence. I think it was very helpful because I had another reminder of some vocabulary, and also had a better understanding of the grammar in the sentence.
For the past two weeks I have also been able to meet with Jannette. We’ve been working on keeping conversation in Korean. I think it has been a great way to practice what I learn with Professor Kim. I go into my meetings with Jannette knowing more vocabulary each time. I try to use the vocabulary I learn in Professor Kim’s class and use it in conversation with Jannette. Since I’ve been learning school related vocabulary, I tried talking about school. Jannette has been able to teach me new vocabulary that goes along with what I’ve been learning in Professor Kim’s class. I’ve been able to get more practice speaking and getting more comfortable. I think it has been very helpful and I enjoy practicing speaking another language.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks I will continue to try to speak in Korean with some of my Korean speaking friends. I will also try to text them in Korean, as a way to practice my writing. I’ve also found watching Korean shows and dramas as a good way to expose myself to Korean, so I will continue doing that. I will look for more shows and movies to watch.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I’ve been able to recall vocabulary better. When I watch Korean dramas and movies, I recognize some words, which is pretty cool. I definitely see the progress that I am making, which is really encouraging.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to continue learning more vocabulary and learn more grammar points. Watching Korean dramas and movies has been effective, so I will continue that as well. I have apps on my phone that help me learn vocabulary so I will continue using them.
I hoped to learn more grammar and review the vocabulary that I’ve been learning. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
The past two weeks I have been able to meet with Professor Kim over Zoom. I think that these meetings have been going well and I’ve still been able to learn Korean. We have been able to do the activities that we did in person, over Zoom, which is really helpful. As usual, Professor Kim began the classes by asking me in Korean how I’ve been and just have casual conversation about how our weeks have been. After catching up, we went over a list of vocabulary. For the first week it was new vocabulary and a mix of vocabulary that I was kind of familiar with. For the most part I was able to get a majority of the vocabulary but had forgotten some of the words that we learned. After going over vocabulary, we learned some new grammar. Professor Kim gave me a worksheet with a bunch of grammar particles on it. We went over each grammar particle and when it would be used. She also made me read example sentences. This helped me get an idea of what context I would use the grammar particle, as well as practice my reading skills. I’ve noticed that I’m able to read a little quicker, which is encouraging. For the second week, we had a similar format. We went over the vocabulary list again, and I was able to remember more words than last time. I think repetition is good when it comes to remembering vocabulary. After going over vocabulary we went over the rest of the grammar particles.
I was also able to meet with Jannette these past two weeks. Again, we reviewed some of the things that I learned with Professor Kim. I had a hard time remembering the grammar particles and when to use them, so we had some practice with that. Although we practiced them in very simple sentences, it was good practice. I think that I’ve been getting a better understanding and the speaking practice definitely helps. Being able to speak Korean more is very helpful when it comes to me remembering things, so speaking Korean with Jannette is a great way to practice.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks; I will go over the vocabulary that I’ve learned. The more I go over it, the more it’ll stick. I will also look over the grammar particles and try to use them in sentences when I can.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I’ve been remembering the vocabulary more and when I watch Korean dramas, I am able to pick up on more things.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to expand my vocabulary and build upon the grammar that I’ve learned so far. I’ve been watching Korean dramas these days, and I think that it is a great way to keep my mind thinking about Korean. When I watch, I try to pick up on words and grammar. I will also repeat things that I hear. I’ll practice speaking as much as I can with Korean friends and use apps to learn more vocabulary.
As a cultural artifact, I watched a Korean drama called Itaewon Class. This drama is about a young man, who is also an ex-convict, who opens up his own street bar. It follows his journey from when he was a high school student, all the way to his grown-up years.
In terms of entertainment, I thought that this show was really good and entertaining. I would recommend it to anyone who is into Korean dramas or is just looking for a show to watch. Not only was it just fun and exciting to watch, I think that I was able to learn more about Korean culture from this show.
One aspect that I learned about was the night life in Korea. The main character decides to open a street bar, which are very popular places for people to hang out at night and on the weekends. Since a lot of the show took place in these kind of nightlife areas, I felt like I had a glimpse of what Korean night life is like. It seems very lively and many people go out to these street bars and restaurants to eat with their friends. I also saw that the most popular alcohol is Korea is soju and I constantly saw the characters drinking it in the show.
I also learned about the Korean drinking culture as well. Something I thought that was interesting that I never knew before was that, when someone drinks with a parent, it is common practice for them to turn to the side and drink. I guess that this is a sign of respect in some way. Something else that I noticed was that people would always shake the bottle, elbow the bottom of the soju bottle before opening it, and then serve it. I’m not too sure about the background of it, but I just thought that it was something interesting that I probably would’ve never learned in a classroom setting. A final thing that I noticed about Korean drinking culture is that there is a phrase when drinking soju. The main character drank with his father for the first time and his father asked him if the soju is sweet or bitter. The main character said that it was sweet, indicating that it was a good day. It is said that when you’ve had a good day, the soju will taste sweet, but if you have a bad day, it will taste bitter. I thought that this was really interesting, and again, is something about Korean culture that I wouldn’t have learned in a classroom.
A final thing that I learned about Korean culture was their cuisine. Another aspect of the show is a battle between this small restaurant, owned by the main character, and a giant restaurant company. Since there was a battle between these two food companies, food was obviously a huge part of the show. I got to see different Korean dishes, such as soondubu jjigae, which is a soft tofu stew, and other stews. I noticed that Korean cuisine involves a lot of soups and stews which is something that is very different from American cuisine.
In conclusion, I learned a lot about Korean culture from watching Itaewon Class, that I wouldn’t have learned about otherwise. I think that watching Korean dramas, or shows in whatever language you are learning, is a great way to learn about aspects of their culture that you wouldn’t learn about in a classroom. Itaewon Class was a great show and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
I hoped to learn build upon what I’ve been learning on for the past two weeks, as well as learning some new material. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
The past two weeks have been pretty hectic considering the situation that is going on around the world. I was able to meet with Professor Kim once for the past two weeks, before spring break. We were able to review what we learned about the date. She always begins class by asking us how our week has been and what we did today, or yesterday. These conversations at the beginning of the class are always nice, since it is a good refresher before we begin learning. It also helps us practice our speaking and listening skills. Since spring break, Professor Kim has emailed us and attached some handouts to help us practice. She gave a list of vocabulary words that we’ve been going over and another worksheet about grammar particles.
I was able to meet with Jannette these past two weeks. One week, we did our usual practice by reviewing and practicing the things that I learned with Professor Kim. As usual, Jannette taught me new vocabulary here and there. We try our best to have as much conversation in Korean as we can. Since I am just a beginner, we don’t speak in Korean for a majority of the time, but it is always good practice and forces me to draw on things that I’ve learned in the past that might not be as fresh in my mind. Besides our usual meeting, we also watched a movie. Jannette held a movie night with all of her language partners, so I was able to meet people who are also learning Korean. We watched 200 Pound Beauty, which is a Korean movie. It was very informative and actually was a very good movie. It touched upon some issues in Korean culture and was funny, but at the same time informative.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks; I will look over the handouts that Professor Kim sent me. I will also use other resources to learn Korean, such as different language apps on the phone. There is also a website I’ve used in the past, so I think that I will go back to that. Our classes with Professor Kim will also continue so I look forward to those. I will continue to try to incorporate Korean into my conversations with Korean speaking friend. I also hope to continue having practice conversations with Jannette in our future meetings.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I’ve found that things are sticking, and I am starting to pick up more and more Korean. After laying down a foundation, I’ve been able to continue to build upon it.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to learn more useful vocabulary and new grammar points. I plan to find different ways to practice Korean and learn more about the language, even though I’m home now and don’t have the same resources. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the semester will be like and find more sources to learn Korean. These resources will be helpful for me after I graduate and hopefully continue my studies in Korean.
I hoped to learn more useful vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for basic conversation. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
The class two weeks ago was unfortunately cancelled because Professor Kim was sick. For our Korean class this past week, we reviewed the material we learned before. She tested us on some of the vocabulary we learned last time. The vocabulary was mainly about the days of the week, the seasons, and some other random vocabulary we learned. After taking the test, she asked us how we were in Korean. I think I’ve been able to express a little more about what I’ve done the past week, which is a good sign. It’s good that I am able to improve little by little and express more about myself. She also asked us questions about the date, such as “What day is it today?” and “When is your birthday?”. This was a good review of when we learned how to say the date. I was surprised that it stuck pretty well and I was able to recall it pretty easily. After reviewing the material about telling the date, we moved onto a new subject. The rest of the class, we learned about how to say if things are in a room or not. Professor Kim gave us a packet full of dialogue and practice activities and we went through it. First, we read the dialogue and tried to understand what it was saying. I think I was able to understand a good amount of it, but I still didn’t know everything. Then we did the activities in the packet. We were given a picture of a classroom and were tasked to say what was in the classroom. This was a good activity, but it made us practice our grammar, as well as learn some more vocabulary. We learned words like “seat”, “map”, “desk”, “chalkboard”, and other vocabulary that has to do with a classroom. We also did an activity that taught us some adjectives. For example, it gave us a picture with a big bag and a small bag, and we had to say if the bag was big or small. A grammar point we learned was how to say something in agreement. It was a pretty simple grammar point, since we just had to add an ending to the sentence. I think we were able to learn a lot these past two weeks.
I’ve also met with Jannette these past two weeks. I have used this time to review and practice the things that I learn with Professor Kim. Along the way, Jannette also teaches me more useful vocabulary and phrases that have to do with the topic I learn in the Hagwon class. Like our previous meetings, we will have practice conversations to have a more real-world experience with Korean. I think having these practice conversations is helpful and allows me an opportunity to speak to someone as if I met them on the street. It’s always a little hard to come up with things to say on the spot though. Once I get through all the phrases that I know, it’s difficult to think of other things to say and sort of improvise. I hope that this skill will continue to develop as my knowledge of Korean increases. These practice conversations give me more confidence to speak Korean to more people.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks; I will continue to look over the packets that Professor Kim has given me and try the activities again. I will continue to try to incorporate Korean into my everyday life as much as possible, whether it’s with friends or even just to myself. I also hope to continue having practice conversations with Jannette in our future meetings.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I like that I’ve been learning more vocabulary, because that allows me to say a lot more things. My reading skills are getting better and my speaking skills are slowly improving as well. I think the activities and lessons I’ve learned so far have been helpful in my journey to learn Korean.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to learn more useful vocabulary and new grammar points. I want to move towards more complex conversations, as well as cement my knowledge in the basics.
After watching Parasite and seeing how well renowned it has become, it got me interested in other Korean films. I’ve watched a few Korean so far and they have been very good. I wish I heard about how good the Korean film industry years ago. After doing some research online about Korean movies, a movie that was frequently brought up was Train to Busan. Train to Busan is an action/thriller about zombies taking over Korea. This movie frequently showed up on lists of the best Korean movies and was very popular when it was released, not just in Korean but in many other countries. I’ve heard my Korean friends mention it before, but I never watched it.
Overall, I think that it was a really good movie. It was definitely an exciting movie that involved a lot of action, with characters constantly having to fight zombies. I’m not much of an action kind of guy, but I actually enjoyed watching it. This was my first experience with a Korean action movie, so I didn’t know what to expect. So far, I’ve only watched Korean movies that are dramas or rom coms. I was impressed with the Korean film industry and I think that they do a good job with action movies as well. I would highly recommend this movie to all movie lovers, or anyone who is learning Korean.
Watching Train to Busan, and Korean movies, in general, has given me good practice with Korean. I try my best to pick up on the words I have learned so far. As I learn more Korean vocabulary and watch more Korean movies, I find myself understanding words more often, which is very encouraging. Being able to understand words in a foreign film, without the use of subtitles, is oddly satisfying and fulfilling. It shows the progress that I have made so far in my studies. I’ll try to watch Korean films and television shows as much as possible since I’ve had a great experience watching them so far.
I think watching this movie has been another good experience with Korean films. Korea isn’t really viewed as a country known for its movies, but in recent years, it has definitely been building a reputation. I think that this has been able to give me a better understanding of Korean culture. There is a large emphasis on entertainment in Korea. Although their shows and movies may be different than what we see in American television or movie theaters, it is just as good. This past couple of years, the Korean music industry has become a worldwide phenomenon, with groups like BTS and BLACKPINK. It’s been clear that the Korean music industry has been able to make the leap to America and other countries, and I think that the Korean film industry is capable of making that leap as well. They have already taken a huge step in the right direction with Parasite, especially after they won four Oscars this year. Train to Busan has played a role in helping the Korean film industry move towards becoming a worldwide phenomenon and I am happy to be able to see it develop.
I hoped to learn more useful vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for basic conversation. I think I was able to complete these goals these past two weeks.
The last two Korean classes with Professor Kim, I learned about telling the date. The past two classes covered this topic. She printed out some pages from the Korean textbook and we went through some activities. We also read the dialogue which was good practice for my reading skills. I’m getting pretty good at recognizing the characters and their sound, but the hard part is putting everything together and reading quicker. I’m still reading pretty slow so that’s something I look forward to working on. The activities from the textbook taught us how to say the date. We also learned some useful vocabulary that relates to the topic, such as “birthday”, “Christmas”, “today”, “yesterday”, “tomorrow”, the months, and the days of the week. Professor Kim would ask us what today is or what yesterday was, and we would have to respond in Korean. She also asked us when our birthdays were and our friends and family’s birthdays too. I think we have done a good job covering all of the skills. We’re able to do activities that make us practice our reading, writing, and speaking. I can’t wait to continue learning about the date and other useful topics.
I’ve also met with Jannette these past two weeks. I have been practicing what I’ve learned in the Hagwon classes, as well as learning some different material. I practiced my speaking with Jannette, and we practiced having a conversation. One of the new things that she taught me was how to ask somebody about their interest. She taught me basic phrases that I had to write down. Beyond just learning these phrases, I was curious about the grammar behind the sentences. She was able to clear things up for me. The phrases I learned are very useful and will come up in most conversations. I learned things like “What do you like to do?”, “Where are you from?”, as well as how to respond to the questions. After reviewing the phrases, we had a practice conversation. We went through our greetings and introductions. Then we went into the phrases that I just learned. I asked her what she likes to do and where she is from, and she asked me what I like to do and where I’m from. Although it was a bit difficult to keep track of what she was saying and remembering how to say the phrases, I thought this activity was very beneficial. I definitely felt more confident after having the conversation and I liked how it replicated something that would happen in real life.
In order to practice what I’ve learned these past two weeks; I will continue to look over my notes and go over phrases that I’ve learned. I will try to use them whenever I can while interacting with my Korean friends. I also hope to have practice conversations with Jannette in our future meetings, since I thought that they were very helpful.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I’ve been seeing progress in my Korean skills. My conversations are getting longer, and I am able to say more. When I listen to the other person speak, I’m able to actually understand most of what they are saying, which is a pretty good feeling.
In order to build on what I’ve learned so far, I hope to learn more useful phrases and vocabulary. I’ve learned pretty useful phrases so far and I think I have learned a lot. As always, as I learn more phrases and vocabulary, I hope to have longer conversations and talk about more topics.
I hoped to continue to review the Korean I learned last semester, as well as get into some new material. I think I was able to complete these goals this past week.
This week I had my first class with Professor Kim this semester. It was good to get back into the schedule of studying Korean in a more formal setting. It was kind of hard at first, since I’m still trying to brush up on the Korean that I’ve learned so far. When I walked into the classroom, Professor Kim spoke to me in Korean, but for some reason I just couldn’t figure out what she was saying. It sounded familiar and I know I’ve heard it before, but it just wasn’t clicking for me. After, she was able to rejog my memory and I was able to remember. One activity that we did was watch a movie trailer. There is a very popular Korean movie called “Parasite”. We watched the trailer and Professor Kim pulled 20 vocabulary words from it. We went over each word and its meaning. She made us read each word in order to practice our reading skills. I think I’m definitely getting better at reading Korean. I can read a little faster, but I still have a lot of work to do. We also went over what we want to learn this semester and kind of plan for the future. I’m excited for the rest of the classes with Professor Kim.
This week I also met up with my language partner. I think that meeting up with Jannette will be especially helpful after my classes with Professor Kim. As I learn new material from Professor Kim, I will be able to practice speaking and actually applying what I learn in class. Not only will I be able to apply what I’ve learned in class in my meetings with Jannette, but I will also be able to learn new things from her as well. When I met with Jannette, we did some more reviewing. I reviewed the grammar points that I learned last semester, such as conjugating. We did some practice with conjugation. I also practiced my speaking. We went over basic phrases and how I would respond to them. I like that I am able to speak a good amount of Korean, beyond just the class with Professor Kim. Speaking is such an essential part of learning a language, so I think it will be very beneficial for me this semester.
In order to practice vocabulary and the grammar, I have been reviewing some stuff on my own and with my language partner. I think it’s been helpful, and hopefully will bring me back to where I was at the end of last semester. Vocabulary is really easy to forget, so I’ve spent some time reviewing and memorizing vocabulary again. I still have the worksheets from last semester, so I’ve been looking over those.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. Reviewing on my own is good because I can go at my own pace and try to draw back on my memories from last semester. But beyond just reviewing by myself, reviewing with my language partner has been effective too. It’s good to have someone help me and give me tips, on memorization and pronunciation.
In order to build on what I’ve learned about Korean so far; I hope to learn more vocabulary and learn new grammar points. I’m at a decent starting place, and I can’t wait to continue building on the foundation that I’ve developed last semester. I think I will see a lot of growth this upcoming semester.
As a cultural artifact, I watched a Korean TV show called Heart Signal. Heart Signal is a reality TV show about dating. The concept of the show is that there are 6 strangers, 3 boys and 3 girls, that live in a house together. As an audience, you just watch them live their normal lives and see how they interact with each other. At the end of the day, each member of the house has to anonymously text the person they are interested in.
I thought this show had a very interesting concept and I’ve also never watched Korean reality TV before. I was able to get a glimpse of Korean culture by watching this show. I think that this show does a pretty good job of letting viewers learn about Korean culture in all aspects of life. Since it’s just following their normal lives, you get to see Korean culture at home, at the workplace, their family, and how it plays out in their relationships.
One aspect of Korean culture I saw was how Korean people flirt with each other and their behaviors in relationships. Although flirting is a universal thing, I thought that there were aspects that were more specific to Koran dating culture. One example of Korean culture be evident within relationships is when a younger guy went on a date with an older girl. Korean is a language that uses honorifics, so the guy had to use honorifics with the girl. Since they were on a date, it was a little awkward and she told him that he didn’t have to use honorifics with her. The guy took this as an opportunity to tease her and flirt in that way.
Another aspect of Korean culture was watching 밀당 (mildang) between two people. Mildang is literally translated to “push and pull”, and the English equivalent is playing hard to get. One of the guys was playing hard to get by teasing the girl and seeming like he wasn’t interested in her. This only made the girl want him more. I did my final presentation last semester on Korean dating culture and this was one of the terms I researched for my project. Speaking to my Korean friends, they’ve said that this is a very popular thing to do for Koreans. I’ve never witnessed it myself, but it was cool to actually see how it plays out and understand why people find it so attractive.
A final aspect of Korean culture that I have learned more about while watching this show is the Korean work culture. These people are very focused on their career and it seems as though their career is one of the defining characteristics of a person. 5 out of the 6 people living in the house are working, while one of them is a student. In one of the episodes, the student was distressed over her career path and how she didn’t have things figured out. She was so distressed about it to the point that she started to cry. Since the other people in the house have experience working, they consoled her and assured her that although there is a lot of pressure put on people to find a good career, she still has time to figure out what she wants to do with her life. I think this is not just specific to Korean culture, but Asian culture in general. There is a huge emphasis on your career, since it will dictate how you are viewed in society.
In conclusion, I thought watching Heart Signal gave great insight into Korean culture and I really think that I’ve learned a lot from watching it. Since it has been so beneficial for me to watch, I will continue to watch it and maybe even watch other seasons.
I am looking forward to continuing my studies of Korean this semester. Last semester I laid a foundation in Korean, learning things like Hangul, basic phrases and words, as well as learning very basic grammar. I think that this coming semester, I will be able to build upon the things I’ve learned so far and greatly improve upon my Korean.
In order to practice the Korean, I learned last semester over winter break, I did several activities. One activity I did was practice some vocabulary using things like Quizlet and language apps like Memrise and Drops. This allowed me to brush up on some of the vocabulary that I learned last semester, as well as learn some new vocabulary that I can use this upcoming semester. I also practiced speaking Korean with my Korean speaking friends. Even though it was small phrases here and there, and not a full-on conversation, it was good to be able to practice and reinforce what I’ve learned so far.
This week I hoped to accomplish reviewing the stuff I learned last semester, such as Hangul and basic words and phrases. I think that I was able to accomplish these learning goals.
I was able to meet up with my language partner, Jannette. Since I hadn’t had much practice over the break, I thought that this would be a good way to refresh my memory and remember the things that I’ve learned so far. First, we went over Hangul. I have made flashcards, so we just went through those and practiced. When she showed me a character, I would make the sound, as well as the name of the character. Remembering Hangul was surprisingly pretty easy for me. The hard part about that activity was remembering the name for each character. After going over Hangul, and brushing up on my pronunciation, we then went into basic vocabulary. I had worksheets from last semester with vocabulary that we’ve learned, so we went over that. It was harder to remember some of the words, but I think I remembered a lot more than I expected. Lastly, we went over basic grammar that I learned last semester, such as conjugating verbs in the present formal tense. Naturally, this was the most difficult part to remember, so it was really helpful to go over it with Jannette.
As a final wrap up of review, we had a small conversation using the phrases that I learned last semester. Although it was a very basic conversation, such as saying greetings and asking how I was, it was nice to speak Korean again.
I think that reviewing was very effective. I was able to solidify the stuff that I learned last semester. After a whole winter break without thinking much about Korean, I was afraid that I would’ve forgotten everything. Surprisingly, I remembered a lot more than I expected, which was a good feeling.
In order to build on what I’ve learned about Korean so far, I hope to continue building my vocabulary, and learning new grammar. I think after last semester, I’ve formed a decent foundation to continue to improve my Korean. Last semester, I was able to get the most basic ideas down. Hopefully, that will prepare me for this upcoming semester, as I learn more of the complex stuff. I really hope to be able to work on having conversations in Korean, as well as improving my reading and writing skills. I think I’ll make more of an effort to expose myself to the Korean language and culture by listening to Korean music, watching Korean dramas, and watching Korean movies.
This past semester I have learned a lot about the Korean language and the culture. But more importantly, through this experience, I have learned valuable insights about myself as a language learner and a cultural explorer. I have learned that, when it comes to learning a language, I need to be able to speak it as much as I can. When I’ve studied other languages, we learned through textbooks, doing worksheets, and didn’t speak the language as much as I hoped to. I’ve learned that by speaking the language as much as possible, I am able to remember things a lot more and my responses become a lot more natural. I have also learned that I am very curious about other cultures and hope to explore many other cultures. I am interested in other cultures’ cuisine and traditions.
I thought one of the most difficult things about Korean was understanding when to use certain grammar in different context. Korean has honorifics, so depending on the situation you are in and who you are talking to, your grammar will change. I was very unfamiliar with this concept since English doesn’t have it. This was something that I had to get used to and am still working on. As I continue my studies, I hope that I will natural be able to recognize the context and use the proper grammar.
I have enjoyed seeing my progression each week. I started from nothing, and to see how far I have come, I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish and learn in such a short time. Knowing how much I have been able to learn this semester, makes me even more motivated to continue my studies and learn even more about the language and culture. I have also enjoyed learning about the culture. Korean culture is very unique and there is so much to learn. I found that learning about their cuisine and music was some of the most interesting things I’ve learned so far.
In order to continue my learning, I have registered for SDLC 111. I will try to expose myself to the Korean language and culture as much as I can during break. Professor Kim suggested that I watch Korean movies and TV shows, as well as listen to Korean music. I will also try to practice Korean with Korean friends, in hopes that I will remember what I’ve learned so far. Over break, I will try to learn some more vocabulary and prepare myself for another semester of learning Korean.
Some activities I thought were most useful were the cultural activities held at the Hagwon school. This past semester, I had the opportunity to attend two of the cultural events at the Hagwon school. I found going to these events were so beneficial because they taught me so much more about the culture. Sitting in a classroom, I can only learn about Korea’s culture through Professor Kim, videos, and other readings. Attending these events were an entirely different experience. Listening to what Korean culture is like is one thing, but to actually take part and have a hands-on experience with Korean culture is another thing. The first cultural event I went to was Korean Thanksgiving, or Chuseok. At that event, I was able to learn about the background of Chuseok and what Koreans typically do to celebrate it. We had the opportunity to watch younger kids in the Korean classes sing in Korean. They were all dressed in traditional Korean outfits which was really interesting to see. We also made traditional Korean desserts, typically eaten during Chuseok. I think that learning about the cuisine, and actually learning how to make it was a unique experience I probably would’ve never had, had I not gone to the event.
The other event that I went to was a cooking class. At the cooking class, we made of one of the most common and famous Korean foods, kimbap. I was able to learn how to make Korean food, as well as learn about their culture in a fun and interactive way. Beyond just learning about Korean culture, by going to these events, I was able to practice my Korean with native speakers. Many of them were older than me and so I would have to adapt my grammar to fit the situation. Although I was only able to say very basic sentences to them, but it was still a very enriching experience. It was a situation in which I would find myself in the real world, rather than the simulated situations we have in the classroom. I am very thankful for the opportunities to take part in these events and I think that they have taught me so much about Korean culture, beyond just what I learn in the classroom.
I would like to learn more about how to express my ideas. Before getting to that point, I think I still have a lot of vocabulary to learn, as well as solidifying my understanding of the basic grammar rules. Knowing as much vocabulary as I can will be essential as things get more advanced. I hope that I will be able to get to the point of being able to express my thoughts and opinions in Korean. After learning about the basic sentences and phrases, I think that expressing my thoughts and opinions is the next big milestone. This skill will greatly increase my ability to communicate in Korean and will allow me to carry conversations beyond just simple greetings. One of the best things about learning a language is being able to exchange thoughts to those you weren’t able to in the past. Learning to express my ideas will bring me one step closer to being able to do this. I look forward to continuing my Korean studies in the future and have been very happy with the progress that I have made so far.
I hoped to learn about conjugation and also about particles. I think I was able to accomplish these learning goals over the past two weeks. We had a week off for Thanksgiving break, so I was only able to meet with Professor Kim once these past two weeks.
One activity that we did was learn about particles. We learned about the topic and subject particles. Professor Kim gave us a couple worksheets that explained the concept to us and also had some examples. I thought that this concept was pretty hard to grasp. The particle you use is very dependent on the situation and context you are in. Learning the rules wasn’t hard, but the hard part was learning when to use it. We asked a lot of questions in order to get a better understanding of when to use the topic particle and when to use the subject particle.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I think that I have a pretty good understanding of the basic grammar rules. Now we are able to get into some of the harder things about Korean grammar. I definitely still have to continue practicing the basics of Korean, so I will continue using the methods I have been doing. I will continue talking to friends and practicing. I plan to study some more vocabulary over winter break, so hopefully going into next semester, I will have a little head start when it comes to vocabulary, and hopefully it will make the learning process easier.
In terms of my future plans for Korean, I am already registered for SDLC 111. I will continue my studies of Korean next semester with Professor Kim and possibly another language partner. Going forward, I want to expand my vocabulary. As I advance, knowing more vocabulary will be essential if I want to continue learning and learn more of the complex sentences. This is something that I’ve been working on and hopefully will continue to work on. I am also hoping to learn how to express my thoughts and ideas. This semester I learned a lot of basic sentences and phrases. The next step in my learning journey is to learn more complex things, such as how to express my ideas. I am really excited to learn this since I think it will be a huge milestone. From the beginning, I have wanted to learn Korean since so many of my friends are Korean. I’ve always found the language and culture interesting and figured this was a great opportunity to learn it. Learning Korean has made me more knowledgeable about Korean culture. I have a deeper understanding of the culture, and so I am able to understand my Korean friends a little more. Beyond just my friends, I think that Korean can have a possible impact on my career. Although I am very far from getting to this point, I think that if I continue my Korean studies and get to a proficient level, it may open up some doors for me in terms of my career. I am majoring in accounting and have a general interest in business. Korean can be useful for me, possibly allowing me to work with Korean speaking clients, if I choose to have my own accounting firm. Business is a very wide career path and Korean can possibly have a positive impact on it in the future. I look forward to continuing my studies and learning more about Korean and Korean culture.
Recently I watched a Korean movie called 200 Pound Beauty. This movie is about a singer, named Hanna, who decides to get full-body plastic surgery to change how she looks, and follows the events following the procedure. This movie is a musical romantic comedy. This movie was released in 2006 so it is a fairly old movie. When it came out, it was a critical and commercial success. It was the third best-selling domestic film of 2006 and also received several awards and nominations.
Just as a brief overview of the movie, Hanna is a famous pop singer, but because she is overweight, she must sing backstage while a skinnier and prettier girl takes her place on stage. She serves as the ghost singer for a girl who just lip syncs on stage. Hanna is made fun of because of her weight, which leads to her deciding to get full-body plastic surgery.
I really enjoyed watching this movie. It was very funny, but also touched upon some more serious issues within Korean society. Although the movie was pretty dramatic and things were overexaggerated, I thought that it talked about issues in Korean society, that made it more palatable. The main issue that this movie pointed out was the beauty standards in Korea. Hanna had the talent to become a pop star, but because of the way she looked, she was forced to become a ghost singer. I think that Korea, and especially the K-pop industry, is notorious for their beauty standards. Many people feel pressured to look a certain way. I think Korea’s high beauty standards is the main reason why Korea is one of the leading countries in plastic surgery. I have heard from my Korean friends how much plastic surgery is encouraged by those around them, including friends and family. One of the most popular procedures to get done is the “double eyelid” surgery. Their high beauty standards, and cultural emphasis on looks is something that should be changed. There are many downsides to continuing these beauty standards. I think that these beauty standards and other expectations for K-pop stars can be seen in the news and how detrimental they can be. Singers like Goo Hara and Sulli have committed suicide, and the pressures of fame and the expectation for them to look or behave a certain way definitely played some role in them choosing to commit suicide. This is just a testament to how toxic these beauty standards can be and the pressures that people all over Korea, as well as Korean Americans, face. People shouldn’t be judged by the way that they look but judged by their character. Hanna should have been recognized for her singing, no matter what she looked like. I find it interesting that not only is this pressure to look a certain way felt by those living in Korea, but also Korean Americans. Despite living on the other side of the country, this aspect of Korean cultural is still very prevalent among Koreans in America. Overall, I think that Korean beauty standards, as seen in 200 Pound Beauty, is a harmful part of Korean culture and there should be efforts to change these beauty standards.
I hoped to learn more grammar and also different cultural aspects of Korean. I think I was able to accomplish these learning goals over the past two weeks.
One activity that we did was talking about our weeks in Korean. This gave us the opportunity to practice some of the conjugating that we have learned in previous weeks. We spoke in very simple sentences but it was good practice. Professor Kim was also able to help us if we were having trouble forming the sentence or conjugating. It was a very helpful activity and I look forward to practicing my Korean outside of the classroom.
Another activity that we did was more practice conjugating verbs in the present tense, polite formal expression. As Professor Kim mentioned different verbs, we would conjugate them on the board. I was really happy that I was able to remember the grammar point we learned last week. I was able to conjugate the verbs on the board and the conjugations were becoming easier with more practice.
Other activities that we did involve learning about the culture. We learned about when to use certain conjugations. Respect is very important in Korean, so it was really helpful to learn when to use certain conjugations and gave me practical knowledge to keep in mind when speaking. We simulated certain scenarios, such as teacher and student, friend and friend, and talked about which conjugation of a verb we would use in that situation. I really liked this activity since it is something that I will have to keep in mind when speaking Korean to people outside the classroom. Another cultural topic we learned about was dating. Professor Kim asked us about the topics we were going to present on for our final presentation and gave us useful information about certain words and topics we can incorporate it in. Professor Kim introduced some new vocabulary words that have to do with dating, and words that are used among the younger generation of Koreans. She also introduced slang words that are commonly used. I thought this activity was very helpful, especially in preparing my final presentation.
I think my strategies have been effective so far. I think that I am slowly becoming more comfortable speaking Korean. I am a lot more comfortable and quick when it comes to short responses in Korean. I will practice my responses, even when people speak to me in English. My Korean speaking friends continue to be encouraging and supportive of my learning journey.
In order to build on what I’ve learned about Korean so far, I hope to learn more vocabulary, especially more verbs. Verbs are very useful and will help greatly expand my abilities to form simple sentences. Learning vocabulary is always important and is necessary if I want to continue progressing into the more complex parts about Korean grammar. I hope that I will have more opportunities to practice my Korean. Not only do I want my speaking skills to improve, but I also hope to continue working on my writing and reading skills. Keeping this in mind, I will seek more opportunities to practice my reading and writing, such as going to a Korean restaurant and trying to read the menu.
Link to Parasite trailer:
