I finished reviewing the book "Integrated Korea - Beginning 2". Last Saturday morning, I had my first class at the Italki app. My professor's name is Jessi (Korean name 보경정). She will help me improve my abilities in writing in Korean so I will be able to do well on the TOPIK exam. The TOPIK exam (한국어능력시험) is the proficiency test in Korean. I had already taken TOPIK 1 and got level 2 in Korean.
Now my focus is to apply for TOPIK 2, which goes from level 3 to level 6. My intended level is level 4. This level is the minimum required for graduate and post-graduate students. The main difference between levels 3 and 4 is the Writing section. If your writing is academic and shows that you know how to articulate all the grammar and vocabulary you know, you will probably do great at universities in South Korea. I think Listening and Writing are the most challenging section of the TOPIK exam. The audios go fast, and you have to read and answer the questions at the same time you are listening. It is a non-stop activity that makes you tired and over alarmed. Writing is always difficult because it implies a good knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and sentences structure.
I also borrowed a book from the Global Studio called Complete Guide to the TOPIK: II Intermediate - Advanced (new edition). This book explains the different parts of the exam and analyzes them. It shows the types of questions, their patterns, and it gives key strategy solutions and explanations for each one. It also has two Practice Tests. For this reason, it will help me to understand my strong and weak points related to this exam. I will start studying this book next week, and I will try to finish using it in a maximum of three weeks.
I went to New York during Fall Break and I bought two books written in Korean. One of them is "시가 사랑을 데리고 온다". Its name does not have an English version yet, but it can be translated to "Poetry brings love." It was written by Na Tae Joo (나태주), a poet famous for his poem called "풀꽃," (Glass Flower). Here is the poem:
"It starts to look pretty when I look closely
It starts to feel lovely when I watch it long
And so do you."
Korean version:
"자세히 보아야 예쁘다
오래 보아야 사랑스럽다
너도 그렇다."
I bought his recently published book and, for this reason, there is no version in English yet. My Korean friend told me some words Na Tae Joo utilizes are not common since it is poetry. I selected a random poem for us to read together, and she did not know one of the words, even though she is Korean and has lived her entire life in South Korea. I want to read this book slowly. I will not read this one now, but during vacations. The other book I have bought was "그냥 흘러넘쳐도 좋아요." The translation can be "It's okay if it just overflows." I have not searched about this book's content yet. I bought it because it looked curious and I am looking forward to reading it.
Comments
Hi Triz! I have never heard of Italki before. I looked it up and it looks like a very interesting and fun way to learn a new language since you get to learn with native speakers. I also really want to expand my writing skills, so that would definitely be something that I want to look into when I continue my language learning journey. I also have never thought of learning Korean through poems, but that would be a fun way of expanding vocabulary! I wish you best of luck on your TOPIK 2 :)