Beginner to Intermediate

Hey to my non existed readers/followers (I don't know if anyone still read blog now)

It has been awhile since the last update about my Korean language learning progress, so I'm here to update a little. 

I had actually completed the beginner level (equivalent to TOPIK Level 1 & 2) in last year November in KLH before I flew off to Korea for my trip. And I also took the TOPIK I exam in last October and passed the exam with a Level 2, am very satisfied with the results although I secretly aimed for full marks but I'm finally another step closer to my goal.

To be honest, it was not easy to keep this going because of the sounds coming around. People asked and wondered about my purpose of doing Korean language, they have doubts on my decision. I did got lost for awhile so I actually stopped all my classes after coming back from my trip and have yet to sign myself up for the Intermediate class. 

I asked myself, what exactly was the purpose of me first started joining the class? I did not have a certain answer till today. But along the way I realized, you don't always need an ultimate goal or a valid/practical reason for you to learn something do you? It is kinda similar as you don't expect your kid grow up to be the next Van Gogh when you send them to art classes, so you get my point here?

Learning is the fun part of living, and I sometimes find it dreadful to learn if you were to do it because of some other purposes. I find joy in learning languages I don't need a reason, and I'm not responsible for the answers either. People find joy in cooking so they attend cooking classes, does that make them a chef? Not really. 

I see myself as who I really am when I'm picking a new languages, I like how I go from not knowing a single thing about a new language to finally being able to read and understand. It is an adventurous event to me. As I'm writing this post I have finally gathered enough courage to sign up for the Intermediate class, it is just going to tougher but I really can't wait!

And I can't wait for my next adventure!! 

載浮載沉的小小船

距離上一個post也有一段時間了，我也不知不覺韓文讀了快一年。
上了四個學期的課，最後一堂也在昨天圓滿完成了。
哦對了，我也忘了聊聊我的近況。（雖然感覺大家不太想知道 *擦淚*）
因爲工作的緣故我目前會定居在家鄉啦啦啦 （就是留在家繼續當蛀米蟲的意思）
很順利也很幸運地找到了工作 （eh 説好的放縱半年頹廢過日呢？*攤手*）沒辦法啊就，老爸老媽都希望我快點滾出去 ~~~ （開玩笑啦，哪裏可能）
目前任職于architecture firm做著本行。還不錯啦一切，輕松了許多沒有太大的壓力了。

至於韓文呢，回來的時候思前顧后了很多也因爲金錢上的考量差點就要換回去自學了。可想想多可惜啊，我好不容易進步了很多的說。
結果在某人的金錢上資助下，我還是順利地多上了一個學期，還報考了10月的TOPIK Exam。
現在還有一個月左右的時間來做準備，希望能夠全力以赴啊。（因爲我沒錢重考啊 *哭*）

你説我這小小的夢想怎麽就能說放棄就放棄，也許真的微不足道，可也是我努力下去的動力。果然夢想不便宜啊，真的不能讓自己變窮。

上課的9個月來，你問我到底學了什麽？我看我們要聊個幾天才行。我學到的何止是課業上的進步，心得和想法上的轉變才是這一年最大的收穫。我不再糾結讀不讀語言這件事了，衹要可以天天做著喜歡的，就算衹是個陪襯的副業我也終究相信自己的能力。不需要什麽證明去告訴自己到底值不值得。在最忙的architecture最後一個學期我也兼顧到了繼續上我的韓文課，還有什麽理由讓自己動上放棄的念頭？

也許這承載這我小小夢想的船現在游走得還是載浮載沉的，但總有一天它會穩定下來，漸漸地往岸邊駛去。加油！

First term Korean Class (Thoughts)

Hey guys! Just one or two months ago I have uploaded a post which I shared about my journey of self--learning Korean and how I did it. For the past 9 years doing self learning of course I have noticed lots of pros and cons of throughout the way and in the end after many considerations (money, dream, future, time) I have decided to enroll myself for my first official korean language class in January. I have just finished my first term last week and I'm here today to share more about my experiences after attending the first term.

To ease your pain of trying to korek (dig) out my answers and comments I will do as same as the QnA session like the previous post.

1. Is language classes expensive and worth paying for?
I would not say it's cheap but affordable, for my first term I paid RM450 (8 week) and they don't count public holidays in the 8 weeks so don't worry. So it is about RM225 per month, might be ok for those who have already started working as it is only a portion of your salary probably. But I decided to take it anyway despite always living "in debt".

Language classes are usually around that range la to be honest, it won't go any much lower if you really want some quality teaching and learning. And I would say mine is really worth paying for! It's really different from how I did with self-learning (I will elaborate on this later).

2. How did your first class go? What do you learn during the first lesson?
My first class was hmm not bad? I did my placement test before I attended the first lesson and obviously I screwed up the paper. My tutor kinda gave up checking it and just handed me the exercise sheets. I didn't know my grammar is even worse than I thought until I took the placement test. Korean grammar is not as easy as I thought (cries).

Basically on the first, he evaluated on my performance and see how much I can learn and absorb in a 2 hours class. He started with all the basic korean grammar, sentence ending for noun and adjectives (입니다 , 입니까 , 습니다 , 습니까 ), object and subject particles (은/는, 을/를, 이/가). On my first class I was still working on getting used to caring so much the grammar usage. Korean grammar is really particular in the way they express a certain meaning/feelings, it would a completely different thing with just a word different.

3. What do you think of the way of teaching and learning?
The way of teaching and learning is called DSS a commonly used method in KLH at which students learn the new language on directed self-study basis. You will be given help from your tutor on the exercises given based on your learning progress. Basically, to put it in a simpler way everyone in the class might be at different level and learning at different pace and tutor will guide you based on your learning speed, so if you are a fast learner you can definitely progress faster and need not to wait for the others in the class which is of course saving a lot of time.

In my opinion, I was very comfortable with this way of learning as I already had a certain basic and I wish to strengthen my grammar and also sentences forming. I can move on as soon as I'm done with exercises and tests given, also when I have already fully absorbed what have been taught. I find learning in a big class sometimes tend to waste your time, it is either you spend most of your time waiting for others to be at the same level in order to move on to the next thing or you are too afraid of being slow and not being as "one" with the others so you pretendddd that you already understood which is definitely not a good way of learning. No worries for me la I went through so much shits learning English last time, being muka tembok (thick skinned) is one of my greatest skills just so you know.

4. Do you still recommend self-learning? Or do you think proper class should be first option?
Well, if were to let me choose again I would still prefer to do some self-learning before going for proper structured lessons. It saved me way too much time as I can just focus and work on my grammar instead of spending too much time and money on basic things like getting to know how to read, write etc. But it really depends on one's ability, some people prefer to go step by step and to be guided by tutor. 10years ago I didn't have that ability to pay that much for extra classes and Korean tuition class in my place was way harder than kena toto (exaggerated abit). I remember there was only one place that taught Japanese, basic that kind somemore.

So yea, if you're financially constrained and wish to not spend too much on foreign language classes, self learning could be a good choice!

5. How are you progressing so far?
There is one thing I really love about KLH is their module, it's all structured and arranged accordingly so it makes it really easy from me to go from this to the next. If you get what I'm trying to say, they start from the most basic grammar usage you would probably see it everywhere, the more common ones and once you got all the basic in mind they moved on to the harder and more complicated parts. It is something very different from me learning using those korean guidance textbook where the syllabus can just jump here and there so sometimes you will encounter much complicated grammar even only in the first two chapters.

As for now, I'm progressing quite well I think? I usually get to complete at least 2 sheets of grammar exercise per session included past year Reading and Listening test paper too within the 2 hours class. I think cause I worked really hard so I don't find it an issue catching up with the pace. I'm actually having lots of fun learning too, it is some kind of self satisfaction when you accomplished something. Especially when I managed to finish my homework within half an hour or scored 100 for test kekeke
Yes, it's possible to score 100 and even 200 full marks for the TOPIK exam (beginner level) cause the questions basically surround simple grammar usage and those common vocabs used in songs or drama, hmm well that's if you watch drama frequently. Knowing vocab is another thing, and it is something you can't just rush outta it.

6. Will you continue with the next term?
I'm already on my 2nd term and two classes before it ends. I have also decided to continue with 3rd term despite the busy schedule I have now with my school assignment (final sem architecture). But I have this very strong will to keep me going so I think I will be fine? Trust me, it's not something that hard or dreadful to be done, as long as your interest in there you will just go with the flow and progress smoothly.

One more thing, language is something you need to keep practicing so if possible try not to give up half way if you already get yourself into it. It really takes awhile for you to pick up the pace again. It is better if you keep practicing and fork out a little time everyday to do some work/exercises, watching korean speakers videos help too! It helps me lot in improving listening skill, beginner might not be too familiar with the accent and pronunciation of native korean speakers so you would want to keep it a habit to get familiarized with them.

This is the channel I subscribed to on youtube and it is called "Talk to me in Korean"
https://www.youtube.com/user/talktomeinkorean
They have short videos or sound clips which they will have people speaking in Korean of normal conversations, daily life, activities and etc, which some topics are actually quite interesting!

7. What do I need to equip myself with before attending the class?
Patience and persistence, do not give up easily when you are having a hard time remembering vocabs, grammar or conversation. I'm not good in speaking as well but I'm trying to read out every sentences just so I can train myself to have the ability to pronounce in the right way. To be able to have a conversation, it does require a certain level of understanding in their sentences forming and grammar besides knowing enough vocabs. So be patient, you will get there someday if you work hard and keep trying!

8. Is TOPIK exam necessary?
This is up to individual's choice, some people learn Korean because they like it and they see it as a hobby or interest. Well some might wish to be qualified in something for job entries or for scholarship application. But it is really no harm if you don't like the trouble of taking exam. To be honest, the beginner TOPIK I exam is not that hard as you thought. As for myself, my wish is to achieve advanced level of TOPIK II and have the chance to pursue further studies in Korean in Korea, yea that's my aim so I'm preparing myself for the coming exam in Oct.

I think that's all I wish to share in this post, feel free to drop me a message at the comment box if you wish to know more about learning Korean. I will try my best to answer you!

Cheers xoxo

My thoughts about self-learning Korean (How I did it)

I actually wanted to write a post of this topic quite awhile ago then I stumbled across a Singaporean blogger's blog few days ago which she wrote about her journey of learning Korean and Japanese where she began from self-learning and it is quite similar to my situation so I guess maybe I can give my two cents too? Not sure if it would help anyone out there but just wish to share what I know so far. And I will go by the usual question and answer form so you get to know it clearer.

Q : How do you feel about self-learning a completely new language? Was it hard for you?

It was not hard at all for me to be honest, I started receiving info and knowledge of foreign language when I was 14 cause I was so into Kpop and it used to make me feel closer to my oppas (roll eyes). So ya I was already very interested in it when I started so I could say I learned and adapt quite fast. And what I wish to say here is everything is not tough anymore if you really like it (smiles).

Q : How and where did you learn it? 

10 years back I was not really good with net surfing and all so I started off with copying lyrics. I used to buy those albums and they always came with a lyrics booklet so I would normally copied them down to a notebook and translated word by word. I didn't even know what I was copying but I just wrote them down and translated to romanization. And I did that every day without fail, anyhow I will squeeze out an hour or so every single day to copy them. Basically I learned my pronunciation from listening to Korean songs (I can listen to the same song for more than 10 times a day, and Korean songs blasting day to night).

I would also looked up to online tutorials when I got more familiar with the whole internet thing. What I did was I downloaded some of the worksheets (for beginners) and tried to do them with the help of google translator and dictionaries. I actually bought quite a few Korean grammar books, I was really picky in getting these guide books. I suggest you to get those without translation/romanization (especially those translated using chinese words, they sound really funny and you would probably get mislead and also to prevent you from being too dependent on the translation given). I prefer translating everything on my own in my mind but it is also better to do some short notes sometimes. This was how I learned to read fast (without knowing 100% the meaning though) but good enough to read lyrics (raises eyebrow)

Q : Do you need to spend a lot of time in it since you're doing self-learning?

Not really, as I mentioned I would spend an hour or two sometimes less if I was busy with exam preparation or so. But doing it everyday keep you fresh and attended, because it is not something that we learn since young so it definitely needs longer time for us to process the info received. I would suggest the beginners to try practicing every day, even just half an hour from writing, listening or reading. It helps really, trust me. It is all about persistence here, you can't rush.

Q : How do you know if pronounce correctly since you have no tutor to correct you?

HAHA, at this stage google is quite helpful but not all the time. I watched many Korean dramas and listened to close to or maybe more than 1000 Korean songs already in the past 10 years. And I really like repeating the lines in drama (sometimes pretending I was the one acting), I would follow what and how they said it for a few times, listened to myself and repeat the lines for a few times to check if I did it correctly. Besides, I watched short videos too and I will repeat the scenes again and again till I got to listen clearly of what the person saying. I'm quite fussy in pronunciation, be in for other languages as well. I always try my best to speak as accurate as possible cause to be honest it sounds annoying to me when people strengthen on the "r" so much when they say saranghae (roll eyes). Of course I'm not the best, but I always try my best.

Q : How do you understand if you are watching something without subtitles?

Because I only did self-learning all these while so I have very very bad grammar. I could understand words and short sentences but not formal and long ones. But I can still understand about 50-70% depending on what kind of videos. As for songs a little bit more as they are usually about the same (especially love songs). I used to force myself to watch videos without subtitles just so I could practice my listening and also get my brain used to this language. For me it worked quite well, cause I improved quite a lot in my listening and I sometimes watch drama without subtitles and still know if the boy loves the girl or not, or he is dying from some disease bla bla (smirks). Simple to average is fine for me but big NO NO for ancient story background kind of drama, I understand nothing cause I know not much about formal language (I really wish I could understand them one day though). Overall, I think it is about practice again. Try it once in awhile to watch a short video without looking at the subs and force yourself (not like force force la if you get what I mean) to understand it and remember the meaning of each line. It definitely made a difference after some time.

Q : Where and how did you practice it?

I talk to myself a lot (no I'm not crazy), and I sing. I used to own a Korean twitter thing called me2day, and it was where I made friends with Korean people. And I tried to chat with them in my very very broken Korean I was lucky la most of them too kind and complemented on my Korean (which was quite bad actually at that stage but I used to think I quite geng hahahah) so it gave me lots of courageous to use Korean more in my daily life. I tried to write short passage or sentences in my secret notebook (now gone liao) or I would just post it on me2day since nobody used it (my friends only Jenn knows la).

Oh there was a thing I did too, quite rude actually. I listened to people's conversation every time when I met Korean people around me. (kepoh I know) but I wanted to try understanding what they saying cause Korean speak 10 times faster than what you hear from your whatever guide CDs or tutorial videos. I failed la most of the time, still adapting to their speed of speaking (sighs).

There was a time I really got to practice it though, I went Korean for a trip in around 2011. I chatted a lot to the driver who brought us around. He was like appa to all of us and I actually called him that too. I would always go next to him while waiting for the others before we left to next station and tried my best to make conversation. And through our conversation I found out that he has a son studying in KyungHee who is a few years elder than me and he also went around telling people (restaurant owners most of the time) I was cute (I said WAS ah not cute anymore I know). At the end of the trip he even wrote his phone number down in my notebook and told me to contact him if I was going to come Korea again (cause I told him I wanted to pursue Korean language in Korea). I tried to speak Korean to them locals too when I was asking for stuffs or buying things instead of speaking English to them. Ok back to story, so I think it is really great if you have someone to talk to in order for you to really practice it in real life but I never tried speaking Korean to my korean friend before la I paiseh. (last time buey paiseh see people I talked ba liao)

Q : Do you think self-learning is enough to master it?

I do not think it's enough for you to really master it through only self-learning. Because most of the time you need to speak and write a lot for you to fully adapt into using the language cause it is not our mother tongue afterall. And we forget easily after few months not using it (me la goldfish memory). It's really better if you can sign up for class after reaching more than average level, and try to get tutors who speak Korean as native cause it is where you get to learn the most accurate information, pronunciation especially. But I think there are still people who managed to master the language despite doing only self-learning (cause you know genius everywhere). I strongly suggest you to start with self-learning though at the beginning stage, quite a waste of money if you spend few hundreds just to learn how to read the basic which you can always learn from internet.

After writing this post I think I should have done this a lot earlier, I always wish to share useful info on my site instead of spamming with my emotional posts. Oh ya, I just signed up for Korean class as I think it is really time for me to make it to a more advanced level, I have stopped half way for way too long already wasted a few years time in between. I hope whatever I have said could help any of you out there who is interested in picking up a new language but too afraid of wasting too much money on it. So self-learning it is! It is not hard at all trust me, anyhow you will find a way to get there if you really have a strong interest here.

See you in the next post!