Learning Korean...

I'm learning Korean.

I started on Saturday morning. I woke up early, hopped on the subway and attended my first Korean language class at the Seoul Foreign Language Academy. I started with a private lesson and will be joining the group lessons on Monday.

I studied for two hours and the entire time I was delighted. Absolutely tickled! I tried to make new sounds with my mouth and remember the new sounds when I saw the letters written on the chalkboard. Every now and then my teacher (who spoke a minimal amount of English) would tell me that I had accidentally just said a word. I got very good at saying "cucumber" but couldn't seem to recognize the difference between "coffee" and "nosebleed." (The actual Korean translation is "nose blood" so I'm going to be sure to practice those words before I accidentally ask for a cup of nose blood next time I'm in Starbucks!)

By the end of class I was exhausted. It was a totally new type of learning. Imagine learning Spanish, Italian or French. The letters look similar to English and even most of the sounds are the same. But, learning Korean requires you to start from scratch! It's like learning to write your ABC's all over again.

Nonetheless, when I walked out of my class I felt fantastic. I looked at the Korean words on the street signs. Of course, I only recognized three letters, but (let me repeat) I RECOGNIZED THREE WHOLE LETTERS! I felt so triumphant that I could have danced down the street!

In fact, David Brent seems to demonstrate exactly how I felt after my Korean class...



More good news... February 7th is the Korean Lunar New Year. According to wikipedia (so it must be true)...

"It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day. The Korean New Year holidays lasts three days, and is considered a more important holiday than the solar New Year's Day."

I have to admit, the real reason the Korean New Year is important to me is because I get three days off from work! I'm planning on traveling to Busan. Busan is a coastal city on the opposite side of the country. But, since Korea is so small I can get there by train in about 3 hours. It might be a good time to visit.

Also, Seoul has a world class art museum. Seoul Museum of Art (SEMA). They are featuring a Van Gogh exhibit and it would be a shame to miss it.

Well, I had better be off. I have homework for my Korean class tomorrow and classes in a few minutes.