Cultural Post #1

[Ann Pongsakul]

My interest in Korean began when I started middle school in 6^th grade. It was a new school in a new area called that was known as Korean town among locals. I had never met so many Asian students, especially Korean students before. I am glad I met a few really good friends who are Korean; they are a large inspiration for learning Korean. They introduced me to Korean culture and the language. I always found Korean culture to be very interesting, especially when it comes to behavior, what they perceive to be cool, and academics. I saw it daily and I liked to see the differences and similarities there were to Thai culture, being a Thai-American. I learned to read in Korean, but because I did not know how to speak the language I could not comprehend that. So I hope to be able to read basic words like what is on signs in markets, stores, on the street, etc. It would also be great if I could begin reading children’s books in Korean. My main goal is just to be able to have basic conversations like talking about myself, where I am from, what I am studying, for example. It would be nice to learn vocabulary for describing people, their physical features, so that I could talk about Korean celebrities with my friends, since a lot of them are into Korean dramas and music. I also really want to make sure I learn how to say body parts and describe my health, which is due to my goal of becoming a doctor. But you never know, I could get a Korean patient in my office and help him/her understand things better.