These past few weeks have been so hectic. As the coronavirus continues to become more and more prevalent throughout the world, it seems as though my sanity is also leaving my body. The only bright side to this situation is that I am able to be home with my family during this time of quarantine and isolation. As a result, I have the opportunity to continuously be exposed to the Korean language. My parents speak only Korean within the household, so they are always willing to teach me and correct my Korean. They also correct my grammar and give me tips on my pronunciation, which has helped me immensely.
In addition to being at home all day with my family, I started to watch programs that my parents normally watch. By programs, I am referring to Korean entertainment programs and dramas that I normally would never be exposed to. Of these include a show called Mr. Trot. The music genre of trot is very culturally significant for the Korean people. This genre was extremely popular for my grandparent’s generation and is beloved by almost all Korean people. I say almost because I do not see the appeal of the music genre. However, I understand the genre has a significant history and is the music that resonates with the heart of the Korean people. Therefore, this show is beloved by the Korean people and is doing very well with respect to its ratings. The premise of the show is essentially an elimination-style competition program, where people from various backgrounds come out and perform in front of famous Korean celebrities to see who will move onto the next round. The show starts with 100 contestants, but as each round progresses the contestants get eliminated. I could see how this show appealed to all demographics since there were a lot of young people come out and compete singing a genre that appeals to the older generation. I found that, though I do not particularly love Korean trot, thirty minutes to an hour would pass by instantly.
In addition to this, I found that my ability to understand the Korean language has improved. Since my parents watch Korean programs without the subtitles, I am forced to solely rely on my listening ability to understand what is happening during the show. I believe I did better than I would have expected since I was able to understand what was occurring throughout the whole duration of watching the program. In addition, I found that visual support from the program made it easier to understand, for example when the actors would act out what they were going to do. So, if I do not fully understand what they are saying, I have a general idea of what they are doing. To confirm, I would ask my parents if what I deduced was correct, and they would either tell me that I am right or correct me. So, while I am here stuck at home during quarantine, I found that my Korean learning regiment has only become more intense.
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