I recently started attending Korean class in an effort to jumpstart my acquisition of the language. I had been half-assedly going about that since I arrived in Seoul over 5 months ago. However, I’m fed up with being unable to speak to people who don’t know English, and feel rather silly not knowing the language of the country in which I live.
The class, though, is somewhat of a joke. The curriculum is okay, I guess, but they start us out in high form. That’s really nice if you are a business person or something, but I don’t need high form for much. I want to talk to my friends and other people my age. “Yo” form is much more appropriate. Furthermore, since the class only meets 3 hours a week (I am unable to take the 5 day per week class because of time constraints), it will take a full six months to finish Level 1. That was unacceptable.
I voiced my concerns about my class at lunch the other day, and Mark suggested that Gloria be my private tutor. She actually accepted, and at first said that payment would not be necessary. I nipped that idea in the bud, though, because not only is it unfair not to pay her, I also need payment to sort of legitimize my education. That way, I’ll feel like I’m paying for something, so I had damned well better get my money’s worth. Mark also suggested that if I fail to complete my homework, I still must pay for the session, but Gloria should not teach me on that evening. I think that’s a fantastic motivator, so that will be the arrangement. I think we’ll start week after next, three days per week. In the meantime, I’m going to continue teaching myself from my 가나다 book.
I’ve been texting my Korean friends mostly in Korean lately, which has been helping quite a bit. I really enjoy it, actually. Hopefully in a year I’ll be conversational. Maybe even in 8 months. I’ll keep my meager readership posted.
I’ve also started going to the Happy Suwon Language Club with Ji and Se-jun. It’s really fun! We have dinner in Suwon (the commute is kind of a drag, but I think it’s worth it), then beers afterward. During dinner, we have “Korean time,” where we must only speak Korean, followed by “English time.” It will be so rewarding as my Korean skill grows and I’m able to converse with my new friends. Speaking of the HSLC, here are a couple of pictures:
I snapped this as I blasted across the Han River on Line 2 of the Seoul Metro.
This is the Happy Suwon Language Club. The joker is my good buddy, Se-jun.
Other updates:
With every day that passes, I grow more comfortable in my decision to tell everyone back home that I don’t intend to go back to America anytime soon. With the economy the way it is, I feel even better about it. Granted, the Korean won has devalued like crazy, but I would be hard-pressed to find a better arrangement anywhere else in the world. Even more importantly, I still love my job. The stack of books I’ve written displayed on my shelf grows almost monthly.
Unfortunately, the economy also spells doom for my travel plans. Japan will have to wait. The yen has strengthened as the won has weakened – substantially. I would lose hundreds if not more than a thousand dollars in the conversion alone, if I were to go to Japan. So, either I’m staying in Korea for Christmas, or I’m going to go somewhere cheaper, like the Philippines or Thailand.
I’m not out of things to say, but I’m going to stop writing. Some things are best left unsaid, and this is not an interesting story; merely an uninteresting update. To my fellow Americans: I miss you. Oh dear, I think I hear an angry, soju-drunk man outside… Time to go investigate…
