Well, back to the hot topic of the LANGUAGE in Korea.
Things are not always as hard as they seem. Just try.
What is Hangul?
"Hangul is the current Korean alphabetical system. It is considered one of the most scientific alphabet in the world since the form of each Hangul letter is closely related to how the sound of the letter is produced. Hangul is very easy to learn. That’s why the illiteracy rate of South Korea is very low, below 2%, and most Korean children are able to read when they are only three years old." http://publicholiday.org/calendar/hangul-day/?fb_action_ids=3809061035418&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366I did not know that it was easy to learn upon arriving. Here's for a pretty cool story, I think. When I got to Korea I met my co-worker aka a godsend and sister in Christ, named Joanna. She invited me to her church, IEC (International English Church) which is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. After the first visit, I pretty much knew it would be my new church away from home. I could go on a tangent about the church but that's another blog for another day. At the end of the first service, Pastor B made announcements and mentioned a Korean class at the church every Sunday morning. And get this the teacher is from Dallas, Texas! What you say (my neck of the woods). I was amazed. Long story short, I had NO EXCUSE. He was TEACHING the class.
Eyes Opened.
Anyway, after a few short weeks of taking the class using the book, "Survival Korean", I learned how to read Hangul. I learned it using the book and CD. It was quite simple. Hey, even a three year old could do it. Shout out to my Korean teacher, Lance. He has the gift for making things plain and simple. Also, he was very knowledgeable of Korean culture so that helped a lot! So after learning to read and write Hangul, my eyes were opened! The street signs, road signs and menus that used to look like jumbled up, crooked lines began to make sense. I would (and still do) ride and walk around reading EVERYTHING. I can read!! haha I literally felt like I could do anything after that. You remember I said before, Spanish class was a mess and left me uninterested in studying a foreign language. It just seemed impossible. I continued to take the class and learned some survival Korean (ordering food, taking taxis, buying products, etc).
Opportunities.
After a while, I also started a language exchange with a Korean guy I worked with. I taught him Essay writing and he taught me basic Korean. He was a hard task master! It was great because he was serious about our studying. sessions. I taught him for an hour and he taught me for an hour every Monday after work. Then he got married, lol. We will probably start it back up soon.
Making connections. That's what life is all about, right?
The beauty of learning the language is that I was able to make those connections I'd been wanting to. I was able to talk to the older ladies (who knew no English and seemed so sweet) at this specific restaurant in my neighborhood. A few days ago, they asked me, 'Where and how much did it cost for me to get my hair done?" I was so happy that I understood and could fluently tell them in Korean. :) Also, I can make more connections with my students. Some students really struggle and when I speak just a little Korean, they zone IN and I have gained their attention. A blessing is what it is. Lastly, I learned that you cannot learn the language without dipping into the culture. It goes hand in hand. There are certain phrases and titles (for different people) used here that scream, "This is not just our language but our culture." It starts to make a lot of sense when you study the LANGUAGE ITSELF (not just the information pertaining to a cultural aspect). I hope this makes sense.
I'll stop there. There is so much more to say on this topic. However, I think two blogs dedicated it to it for now is enough. Language study and experiences will definitely be intertwined in entries to come.
Thanks for reading. God bless.
Michelle
This picture would have you believe I wasn't excited at all but it had been a long night. :-)
