중간 시험 (Mid-term exams)

이번 중간 시험은 제가 정말 잘 봤습니다...!
(I did really well in the mid-term exams!)

I received my results today. I wasn't expecting to fail, but I wasn't expecting to do this well either:

Thank God, and I really have to thank my teacher too, who, I think, has been too kind and generous to me.

The exams were held over 2 days. On the first day I took the speaking and reading exams, and the rest on the second day. I honestly thought my speaking was a complete, utter, dismal failure. In class I could speak with a reasonable level of confidence, but during the exam I was a wreck. I dropped/mixed up all the Korean particles (e.g. subject/object/topic markers - bane of my life, prepositions etc) and at one point in time my teacher stopped to say this to me:

"Linda, particles are Level 1 grammar."

I sat there, stunned beyond words. Not a good thing to happen during a speaking exam!

After the speaking test, I sat by myself in the auditorium and reflected. Results aside, it dawned upon me just how woefully lacking I am in my proficiency. Again, I'm all okay in class, but throw me into the real world and I'm LOST. I know all my grammar stuff, I know all the vocab I need to know at my level, but I can't speak. It's a fact, and a fact that I can't hide from.

I felt really, really bad. I felt I had let my teacher down. I felt I had let myself down too.

The reading exam was ... easy. O.O Deceptively easy, because while I understood everything, I made minor mistakes in places that cost me marks.

After the exam I went home and immediately sat down to write in my diary. For the first time in a long while I didn't need to think too long about what to write; I had a topic, and it was about my reflections. So I wrote for about 2 hours. I wrote about how I realise my inadequacy in the language and how being good in class won't always translate to confidence in the real world. It took me a long time to check the dictionaries* but I finally penned down all my thoughts. I ended with this:

"I still enjoy learning Korean and I wish to continue enjoying my time here learning Korean."

* paper dictionary, phone app dictionary, Naver online dictionary, Google translate LOL

It was cathartic. I felt a lot better after doing it and I think being a perfectionist isn't good at times like this. It's no secret to anyone who sees the way I study ... I aim for perfection and excellence, because I believe it is worth every ounce of my effort to do this well. But maybe I was going overboard ahaha.

The next day, I did my writing exam which was again, deceptively easy. The writing exam is split into 2 parts: grammar and essay. The essay was worth 10 points out of 100 ... what?! LOL. Then came the reading aloud exam which I did pretty well in because I practised reading almost the entire night before (nerd alert) and the listening exam wasn't impossible but I knew there was a trap somewhere. Sneaky Korean!!!

After my exam I went for the school worship service and the bible study, both of which are conducted in Korean. The service was still manageable but the bible study ... my goodness, I was SO lost because I believe the language in the Bible is different from daily conversational Korean (which I already have problems with). And true enough, an extremely honorific (and dated) form of Korean is used, and it is not dissimilar to the Korean you hear in period dramas. Everyone was very nice and kind to me in the study group though. There was a teacher who tried to translate for me but she had to leave for class halfway, and then a Korean girl who speaks super good English took over the job. An American guy who speaks perfect Korean also tried to help me by telling me the references in English. But again, it was a reminder of how lacking I am. Anyway, after worship I had dinner with my friends from Hongkong and the Netherlands. We had Korean-style chicken, makkoli and ice cream. Haha.

And today we got our results.

My teacher was very nice when she analysed my speaking with me. As expected, she docked marks for my poor use of particles, but otherwise she thought I did well because I attempted (to a degree of success) a range of grammar and vocabulary taught in class. But I guess the most important reason why I did well was because I understood all her questions and even though I answered falteringly, I didn't need her to repeat her questions or translate them into English for me, because each time she had to do that she would take 50% off the score for that question!

So that was a really pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to do so well for speaking at all, (BTW she gave me an additional 1 mark after reviewing my speaking) but I know she was being really generous.

And that marks the end of the first half of the course. :)

with "power" comes responsibility

It's a rare day that I'm at home at this time (2.35 p.m.)!

By that I mean that I normally study with my friends after school these days. Coz coffee (the cafe kind) is really expensive (5900 won for a cup, which is SG$6.70, and this is a normal Korean cafe chain - not even Starbucks!), most of the time my friends and I study at the basement lounge in one of the dormitories. Once in a while we treat ourselves to some gourmet Korean coffee haha. CoffeeSmith has become my favourite cafe to study in because the place is spacious, plays good music at an appropriate volume (by that I mean that I can speak in Korean comfortably without being conscious that native Koreans can hear me ahaha and that my friends could still hear me without having to crane their necks too much) and has a really nice and warm atmosphere.

And today I am home because our mid-term exams begin tomorrow and we thought it would be good to take a break, review early and sleep early. I'm second in line for the speaking test so I'd better sleep early too.

About the title, I'm doing well in school. In fact ... objectively speaking, I'm doing very well indeed. First of all, I myself am surprised at how fast I am improving. Being here REALLY helps loads, and thanks to my teacher who painstakingly marks my diary entries every day, I'm learning loads from my mistakes. Secondly, even my classmates have noticed my improvement. And finally, I really do work very hard, and I believe that I'm also using appropriate study strategies that further boost my learning ability.

Because I am doing well, I feel I have a bigger duty to be a responsible student before my teachers and my classmates. I feel I have to work even harder to prove that what I've achieved so far isn't a fluke - it came by hard work, sheer hard work. And not just that, a bigger part of me knows that I can never (and for that matter I can never imagine myself as someone like this -) be a selfish student. What I have, and what I know - I am responsible to share it. Because I am a student.

Don't get me wrong. I feel zero pressure from bearing this responsibility, and I don't feel it's a chore to share. In fact, I am completely happy to do both. :) Yesterday, I was helping my friends with some Korean grammar and I felt so ... happy. I've always loved teaching and helping people understand concepts. It was fun, and on top of that teaching them means that subconsciously I get to consolidate and reinforce what I've learnt. It's a win-win situation.

Teaching, and studying. Both at the same time. I can't even begin to express how incredibly blessed I have been.

i can't believe it

It's ridiculous (no other word to express this) how much I enjoy studying Korean.

so i've been here 3 weeks ...

Haven't had the time to update because I've been really busy. With studies, mainly, and also going out with people. Haha.

I'm doing well here. My studies are a joy and I really look forward to school every day. And every day, I write a diary entry in Korean and it really, really, really helps my writing to improve. Speaking-wise I think I'm improving too, albeit slowly. In short ... everything's peachy on the studies front.

Living-wise ... it's ok. I lead a very mundane lifestyle in this exciting city, believe it or not. A typical day after school is lunch at home, then homework for a while until food coma takes over and I nap till dinnertime. After dinner, I continue doing homework and revision, and if I have time I'll look at the next day's work. On a less mundane day I study at a cafe near school with my HK friend, or I meet up with either my host dad or my Korean friend for dinner. Sometimes my classmates ask me out for dinner too. Just 2 days ago we went to eat samgyeopsal near school. Samgyeopsal is fatty pork belly and halal me actually ate quite a bit! Well, not to be rude by not eating but also coz it was rather delicious, like extra fatty bakwa or something. I know a few people who would love this. Haha.

And to make my life here easier, I've also purchased a few items that will make packing for home a tad more difficult than I'd expected:

1. rain boots, and heavy ones too, because the rainy season here is no joke. They were cheap though, haha. I got them from this Forever 21-ish shop called 8 Seconds.

2. an iron ... my goodness. My latest, proudest purchase!

3. a spanking new pot from Lotte Mart coz the 5000-won pot I got from Daiso was utterly ruined by my own hands. Oh well.

Seoul far seoul good! I'm really enjoying myself here, and seriously considering the possibility of completing Level 6 here, which, according to my calculations, would take me just almost a year if I don't "deprove" and continue from Level 3. My parents are supportive and I'm really keen about it, but we'll see.

한국 사람같은 싱가폴 사람

It's Monday again!

I just got home after a day of Korean - meaning I spent the bulk of my day listening to and speaking (bad) Korean. I'll explain again. Now I have to shower, review my work and then sleep. I LOVE BEING HERE!!!!