I have begun taking Korean language classes at the Lord Jesus Korean Church, which are taught by Prof. Sumi Kim. At my first class, there were around 10 students of all ages, and we were all at different levels in our language abilities. At that class, I learned how to formally introduce myself, but some of the other students were able to have long conversations with the professor. One thing that Prof. Kim emphasized in the first lesson was the importance of hearing Korean in order to familiarize ourselves with the sounds. I was encouraged to hear her say that because I have been hearing Korean throughout my entire life, so I am very familiar with the sounds, and I can recognize Korean being spoken anywhere. My next step is actually learning what those sounds mean and being able to say them myself.
The second week’s class was much different than the first because we were divided by level. There were five students in my class, including me. My classmates were all older adults, so I was by far the youngest one. One of my classmates is Korean and the other three are white. We are all complete beginners, so we started by learning the Korean alphabet and the different sounds. It was not the most entertaining class for me, because I think I have an easier time distinguishing the sounds than my classmates. They were very confused as to how to make some of the sounds and how some sounds differed from others. To my surprise, Prof. Kim was using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to teach us the Korean alphabet, which we learned in SDLC 105. There were many other overlaps to topics we covered in SDLC 105, such as how to make certain sounds with your mouth. We spent most of the class time distinguishing sounds that are not used in English. At the end of the class, Prof. Kim gave us a handout with some Korean vocabulary, but without the English translations. So far, she has placed a much heavier emphasis on us being able to listen to and speak in Korean than read and write. I also have more interest in being able to hear and talk in Korean because I think I will be communicating verbally more often than through written text.
Overall, I am enjoying my Korean class. I like learning alongside the adults from the community because they create a more relaxed environment. Furthermore, their motivations for learning Korean are similar to mine. One of the students is Korean but does not understand it, like me. Another has been attending the Lord Jesus Korean Church for about a year, so he wants to finally learn the language. The other two students are a married couple who have adopted a young daughter from Korea. They, along with their middle school aged son, are learning Korean in order to be able to communicate better with her. I have similarities to all of my classmates, as I am Korean, I attend a Korean church, and I have family whom I wish to be able to have conversations with in Korean.
Moving forward, I hope to learn more about Korean culture and current events. I am hoping to study abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea next semester. I want to not only learn the language, but learn more about the culture before I become fully immersed in it.
Comments
Hey Eden! I enjoyed reading your post. I can relate to some things because I am also learning from Professor Kim. I have enjoyed her emphasis on listening and speaking Korean since that is the main goal I am striving for. I think she is doing a great job teaching and I'm excited for the rest of the semester. I look forward to hearing about how your studying is going in the future.
Hi Eden,
These are fascinating entries. If you have any pictures from the Chuseok celebration or the LJKC classes more generally, would you please post them here at your convenience?
Thank you!