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고려대학교 한국어의 수업 시작한다!! posted at 04:05 I know I promised in my last post I would update more about my activities before classes started but...classes did start and I have been far too busy studying and socialising to update :( However I thought this would be a more important post to make first, because as a SOAS student I was very concerned about both the placement test and start of classes at Korea University. It was very hard to find information, or people blogging about past experiences so I believe this post will be helpful in preparing for the SOAS (and other universities) students of the future ^^ Placement Test - 28th August 2013Literally as I finished my last exam in May I opened up my study notes and didn't waste a second of my summer reviewing grammar and vocabulary. For the exam I managed to nearly remember all the vocab in both textbooks we studied, but in order to keep it refreshed in my mind I would revise them everyday. I even took it upon myself to write various compositions of different topics, in order to keep my writing standards up. I would read more blogs in Korean and started re-watching various of my favourite dramas without subtitles. Studying but with a bit of fun! When it got to the week before I left for Korea, I panicked slightly. It left me no time at all to study as there were so many people to say goodbye to and also the amount of last minute preparations I had to undertake. For SOAS students we had to enter a minimum level of 2 at Korea University in order to return at level 4 after three semesters in Korea. As the worrier I am though I thought it would be difficult to even scrape a level 1 with the lack of study time I had nearer the placement test. Additionally when I got to Korea, even though I had done well in my final speaking exam at SOAS, I was hit with anxiety by the amount of times Koreans wouldn't understand me. However after making Korean friends, they assured me it was less of the fact I didn't pronounce it correctly but instead they were more shocked that a foreigner was speaking Korean so it threw them a little! In every spare second before my test I was revising like crazy, looking over vocab, grammar and writing multiple compositions. In my panic mode and no real background information to create a study guide from, I found help from the SOAS students who had just completed their year abroad. They said that the writing part of the placement test was only 20 minutes long on the topic of 'self introduction' and the speaking test was 5 minutes long in a very comfortable setting. This made me far less anxious and I still to this day thank the older students for helping me with my ridiculous amount of questions! Actually the night before the placement test, I went out to a bar in the local area with my KUBA buddy group. I insisted I would stay for only 2 hours but missing it would have been a good chance missed to make friends within my group. However my advice is, whatever time you set yourself always add an extra 2 hours on to it, because Korean students are very insistent you stay. However whilst I was there the students were so nice and even let me speak Korean with them to practice =^= and I returned home by 9pm, ready to study everything quickly before catching an early night. On the day of the placement test, we entered a big room with hundreds of other students, and we were given a presentation in English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese. Before we entered we were given information packs in our language which included a sheet that said 'self introduction' that had a box no bigger than half an A4 sheet of paper. I knew instantly that this was the writing part of the assessment but with such a small space I was worried I wouldn't have enough allocation to show how much I know. After the presentation was completed they told us we could start our writing element of the test and after had to go to another room to wait for a speaking test. Everyone was talking during the first 5 minutes and I even heard a few "what shall I write?" and "how do I spell this?" being asked, that's how relaxed it was. In fact SOAS students were moved to a separate room to complete our composition before we went in the next room for our speaking test. In the room we had as much time to write down anything and chatted with each other and the supervisor the whole time. I managed to write quite a lot and had enough time to check everything was correct so I was happy ^^ After a while I was one of the last to do the speaking test and many of my class had come back already saying it was relaxed and nice. However when I walked in I completely stumbled the whole way through. Whilst a lot of my class were asked multiple questions, I was only asked "is this your first time in Korea?' which I mucked up even for such an easy question. However after the test was over I explained to my teacher than my stress usually gets the better of me, but I felt doomed either way. She showed me a sheet of the various levels and went pointing her pen towards it she was resting it upon level 1 and I thought I could see my life flash before my eyes. Then she pointed her pen at level 3 and said she was happy to put me there. I was really shocked, even after that awful speaking test, I managed to get in a level one higher than I planned to. The teacher told me plainly that my speaking is weak for level 3 but my reading and writing skills could even be level 4 if I pushed myself. My composition was the best one she read so far, and she said as long I put the extra time in practice my speaking and learning more vocabulary then I would be far in intermediate level. I kind of pleaded actually for level 2 but she was very insistent on level 3 ;c but I was sure to never give up! Start of Classes - 2nd September 2013
Before my classes started I thought it would be a good ideas as I would be one of the weaker students, to review both chapters in depth that we would cover that week. I semi learnt all the vocabulary so I wouldn't be stumbling in class, and made sure I knew all the grammar points (which I luckily knew before).
However first day of classes was dreadful. I walked in there and was already intimidated by the other students talking comfortably with each other in Korean and for 75% of the lesson I had no clue what the teacher was saying in Korean. I remember telling my friend that I was going to run to the head of the department and ask for level 2 the next day it was so painful. After a relaxation trip to a cat cafe in Myeongdong, I decided to try one more day of classes and then speak to the department about moving down a level.
Though surprisingly, I understood even more the next day, and decided to stick around. As the week went on my understanding would increase more and more, and I was less terrified to speak in Korean. I am still one of the weakest in class but after to speaking to other classmates they all said they have trouble with understanding. After feeling like I disappointed both my teachers on the Monday, they told me on Friday that even in one week they noticed a great improvement in my speaking level. Even my classmates told me I did well, and they may shove me forward to do more speaking but they are all really nice and helpful, I couldn't ask for a nicer class =w=
My Korean friends said at the weekend that they noticed a lift in confidence and I was able to converse more and more with them in Korean. They always ask me each day what I have learnt and even though it's not much, the fact they praise me over even a little thing really boosts my spirits! I really have been gifted with the most wonderful buddy group.
Today was actually the start of my second week, and I had a weekly test that surprisingly went well. I made a few mistakes but seeing as I was convinced I would fail I was really pleased with myself ^^ I had a little muck in the writing task where I had a quite a few mistakes so I had to write it out again but my teacher didn't make me feel bad about it and in fact was really encouraging. I really love my lessons here C;
So everyone! No matter how hard it seems at the start, you must not give up! 아무리 힘들어도 포기하지 마세요! Also to any new SOAS students starting in the next few weeks, good luck and remember even beginners can go far!
Arrival in Korea! posted at 06:51 (Please be prepared for a whole backlog of posts from my first week in Korea over the next few days as I was so busy moving to Seoul and registering for classes that I didn't have time, sorry! 한국에 와서 너무 바빴기 때문에 지난 주도 이번 주도 업데이트를 할 수 없었는데 죄송합니다!! ㅠ ㅠ) At 3pm on the 19th of August, I reached Heathrow airport ready to begin my 12 month long journey in Korea as an exchange student at Korea University. I decided to fly with Asiana as that was the most recommended service from friends who had been to Korea before. Also it has won loads of awards, even for it's in-flight meals which I usually cannot eat, so I was excited to fly with them!  Being at the airport had made me very nervous and having problems at check-in just made the problem worse! I had a luggage allowance of 50kg and my luggage was only 32kg but the airline told me my bag had to be 31kg to go through the barrier =____= When I asked what would I do if I had filled up to my luggage allowance, they said I would need to pay for another bag...then what is the point of me getting extra free luggage allowance in my flight deal?! Then they couldn't find my passport on the system so I was worried I would't even be able to get to Korea, but soon the manager came and sorted everything out for me, 어휴~~~ Soon I was ready to start a three hour wait at the departure lounge!  Even though I was scared about it, I managed to make it to my gate easily and get on the plane! I was in an aisle seat but it was okay because the young Korean couple next to me were really nice. They asked me why I was going to Korea and we even shared sweets ^^ The flight left London at 9pm, so after watching a film on my laptop and having had bulgogi for dinner, I slept for the majority of the flight. The food on the flight was really nice and tasty, with the air hostesses being really kind and helpful! They were so pretty in so that ruined my future plans to become an air hostess haha! When we were about land, I was desperately trying to look out the window, and in the end a lovely Korean lady moved from her seat and said I could watch the landing. Everyone I met at this point was so nice! Now I had officially landed in Incheon airport! I had originally planned to get the subway to my hostel but in the end as my luggage was far too heavy and difficult to move, I organised a taxi with the International Taxi service. The International Taxi Service booking centre is located next to the normal Seoul taxi service just inside the departure area before you exit to the taxi ranks. If you are unsure why to find it, don't be too scared to ask at the airport information desks as some even speak english. If not, I am sure if you just said 'International Taxi' they would be happy to point you in the right direction, no language barrier causing problems at all. To get to Anam-dong, which was classified under their zone 2, it cost me 65,000 won (£37) which is actually cheap for a taxi ride that took almost an hour and a half. The driver came into the airport and collected me, then lifted my bags into the back for me. The driver was really nice but the reason I chose the international taxi service was the fact the drivers could speak English. However mine could speak as much English as I could Korean so it was hard to ask him questions about Korea. We actually got a little lost in Anam-dong till we found my hostel, but eventually we found it! The driver even carried my huge bag up four flights of stairs, which was so kind of him, especially as the hostel staff would have offered to help me. The reason I really recommend a taxi when you first come to Korea is that after taking the subway now I know my luggage would have definitely not fit and the stairs out of each station exit is far too steep to carry up luggage. Many subway stations in Seoul have very narrow escalators which would not fit luggage on, and some don't even have lifts, so if you have a lot of things it's not the best option. Obviously a taxi can be expensive, but is worth the money for someone like me who is nervous or either alone with all their belongings. It was also a good opportunity to see the sights of Seoul whilst driving. For my first four nights I stayed in Anam Hostel (http://www.anamhostel.co.kr/en/) which is a short walk from the Anam station, down the 5-ga road located next to a restaurant called chicken bus and opposite a Davinchi cafe. After seeing pictures of typical Korean hostel room sizes and booking a standard single room, I was really surprised by how spacey it was. The bed was quite narrow but it was super comfy to sleep on, with the covers/pillow provided being clean and nice. The storage space was also great and they provided a small TV and fan for me during my stay for no extra cost. There are two showers and toilet which were all clean, but as these were shared between a whole floor I recommend you wake up early to use them! The total cost of my stay came to 88,000 won (£50) which is great for four nights, seeing as tea/coffee, wifi and LAN internet are included. You can come and go at any time of night, with guests allowed till 11pm. The only problem I have with the hostel is that my room faced a very busy student area so it was hard to really sleep till around 12pm. Also the walls are very fine and unfortunately the man in the room next to me thought it was acceptable to skype at 4am. However I can't really complain with such a cheap price and with lovely staff who were ready to help me with whatever problem I had! I really recommend it!    As it was my first night in Korea I wanted to try a Korean bbq restaurant to start the year on a good note! A friend who had already arrived in Korea that day and I went to a local place in Anam-dong that had really good prices for both meat and noodles. However when we walked in we felt like a fish out of a pond. It was fairly empty and everyone turned round to stare at us, I think mostly because we walked in looking so confused and I have bright pink hair! The waitress seated us and took our orders but we were in such shock as she spoke Korean incredibly fast in comparison to our 선생님's speed back in England. However she was really nice and looked after us well, explaining all the different food and how to eat it. I tried my best to speak with her but it really showed that this year will be much harder than I thought but I mustn't let this put me down! The food was so delicious and far cheaper than any Korean bbq restaurant I went to in Korea ^^
As soon as I got back to the hostel I skyped my family then went straight to bed after having such a long day ㅠ ㅠ Korea is so hot compared to England in the summer, with a 15 degree difference nearly some days so it makes me very lazy but I am not going to let it stop me making the most of my time here!
나는 출발하기 전에 한국에 오기에 대해서 걱정했는데도 지금 한국에 있어서 내가 흥분하고 있어요!
[Make-Up Review] Etude House Drawing Show Creamy Liner ✰ posted at 13:55 Recently as cosmeticlove.com was having a sale on etude products I had a massive haul of things I had been wanting to try for a while. One of these was the 'Drawing Show Creamy Liner' due to seeing so many great reviews for it! I normally use pen or pencil liner so for once I wanted to try a cream liner as many people have told me the results are much better and usually last longer.  To start, the packaging is really cute but I didn't expect any less of etude products as they are all presented beautifully. It's quite small and if you really wanted to carry the contents around together, you could easily fit the box in a medium sized handbag.   Inside the box, is the cream eyeliner in a round container and the nice thing about this product, is that they also include a brush! The brush is of really good quality, and is better than any other in my collection, including the more professional ones. Also it has a handy cap to place over it when not in use, in order to prevent damage and the spread of dirt.   I chose colour BK802 which is 블랙 더블샷 (Black Double Shock), the darkest shade, as I like my eyeliner to be very strong and I often use it as the statement piece of my makeup. I was actually a little surprised at the size of the eyeliner itself. From what I saw in reviews I thought the product would be much bigger, and I've searched online but I can't seem to find a bigger size. I have included a picture of the eyeliner container's side so you can see how much it actually holds. This is why I hoped the recommendations were correct and you wouldn't have to use much, as it was quite expensive. It could be that previous reviewers have smaller hands so it was hard to judge!  To actually show you an example of how small both the brush and eyeliner container are, I have placed them next to my assistant Sehun ✰ This is a typical photocard size so as you can see they are quite small.  I tested the eyeliner via the brush on the back of my hand (my skin is death white pale) and from left to right is three consecutive strokes. As you can see the first stroke was very dark so if you have a steady hand you won't have to use so much to make it stand out. Additionally when I tried to wash the makeup off my hand after, it was quite hard to do so which may seem a pain but is a good sign it will last well on the eye above a decent primer.  As I normally apply my eyeliner on quite thick I wanted to try how it would adapt to my typical style. To begin, I primed the eye area with Benefit's 'Stay Don't Stray' in light/medium and around the area socket with Benefit's 'Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow' foundation in 'ivory (i'm pure 4 sure)'. For the base I used Benefit's 'Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow' in 'R.S.V.P' and then on the whole eyelid used Benefit's 'Longwear Powder Shadow' in 'Thanks a Latte' which I patted softly over the whole area and blended darker into the crease. In the outer corners and along the brow-bone I quickly dusted Benefit's 'Longwear Powder Shadow' again but this time in 'Call my Buff'. (As you can tell I really love Benefit products ^^) I really liked how easy it was to trace the eye with the brush and the eyeliner applied clean and smooth without much fuss. I didn't even have to trace over it again to make it darker. However when I used it further to flick out in the wing the colour didn't come out as strong. This may be due to the creamy texture but also by the fact of how I didn't want to over-use such a small amount given. When I tried to re-apply more eyeliner on top, due to it being a cream, instead of making it darker it just blended out further and gave a more smudged look. This doesn't reflect badly on the product, I just think for the style I tried, cream was maybe not the best option. As you may see the wing is not extremely bold and has a slight 'cracked' look despite it not being dry. Though due to it being a cream, it feels soft and kind to the skin. Overall I am very pleased with it and I will definitely stock up in Korea.  After three hours of wear it was still neat and tidy without any worries of having to touch it up. This could be due to the good primer I used but seeing as other eyeliners have smudged using that before, I think it was a combination of both products being amazing!! Pros: ✰ Easy application ✰ Dark and long-lasting ✰ Brush included was very good quality ✰ No smell from the product ✰ Cute and simple packaging Cons: ✰ Small amount for the price ✰ Too creamy to use for bigger/extreme styles (but it is a cream eyeliner so duh) I will definitely buy it again when I run out! Next time I may try to blend it with my favourite eyeliner pen for a stronger look~~~ 읽어 주셔서 감사합니다! Labels: etude house, eyeliner, make-up tutorial Summer Holidays and Year Abroad Preparations posted at 12:51 Firstly I would like to apologise for the long time it has taken me to update, especially seeing as my last post was just before my end of year exams began. Well I managed to complete all my exams and after two months of solid studying 9am-12pm in the library I was able to start my summer holidays!  Whilst I am in Korea I plan to start recording and taking pictures of my adventures and all the work I have to do for studying out there. I also want to begin reviewing Korean products and media, in both English and Korean to benefit my language skills but also so I can recommend any cool stuff I find!! So I promise to update way more about how my trip developments are going and of course I will be updating as soon as I set foot in Korea in one month's time ^^ Scary business! 시험 학습 계획 #2 posted at 09:12 Unfortunately it has reached that time where I only have five weeks left till my Summer final exams start ㅠㅠ This means I have to think of a good study plan to go over. As much as the review tests were stressful during term times it has helped me to review chapters 5-20 material and remember it better than studying it all at once before my final exam. Much like I have showed you before, I have made now a study plan to make extensive notes for chapters 21-25! So I can add them to my existing notes for other chapters and then review it all completely. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Additional Studying
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I am currently on my Easter break and it seems like I can finally rest but as I have said before, the earlier you start studying the easier it is when it gets closer to the exam. Slowly and steadily studying works far better than fitting it all in at once. This also means you are able to remember it better after the exam, especially as I have to continue the studying over the Summer for my arrival exam when I arrive at University in Korea ^^
Therefore with this post I apologise if I seem vacant for the next month or so but I will be studying super diligently! Hopefully with my preparation for my exams I can bring you also more useful study guides!
Labels: korean progress, study plan, test Best Apps for Studying Korean posted at 15:20 As I have been quite hiatus recently because of the massive amount of work we have to deal with before the Easter holidays and the ever looming presence of the final year exams, I thought I would post something useful that I compiled earlier this year. In this post is a list of what I think are the best apps on the iphone (and probably ipad if there is a version) that I use for my studying but also for in my spare time. I am not sure if there is an android equivalent of each app I will list but make sure to check if there is as all are extremely useful! If there is one here that I haven't listed that you think is useful don't hesitate to leave a comment to tell me! ^^  As an iphone user I love to use different apps for studying Korean but also to further my knowledge of  One of the most useful apps I use for when on the go is the Daum Dictionary. It is really useful and can translate words from Korean into many different languages and additionally from other languages to Korean. I have found that it has the most accurate definitions of words and is very easy to use despite being completely in Korean. It also has a really handy camera app where you can take a picture of a word such as in a textbook or on a menu, and it will try to translate it for you which is really clever! I definitely recommend this one for any Korean language learner.  Another really useful app for when learning and studying Korean is Dongsa. This app allows to you insert any stem form of a verb and then it conjugates it into past, present and future verb forms. As a student who really struggles with this aspect of Korean I have found it one of the most useful tools and I really recommend it for those who still struggle with verb form rules. The only downside is that you could misspell a verb and it would not pick up on your mistake so therefore you could be confused. Additionally it doesn’t give any translation for verbs if you are unsure on the meaning. However overall it is a great app!  One app I really like but isn’t necessarily aimed for Korean learning is 키스더라디오 which is available for those who want to listen to the radio show ‘Kiss The Radio’ which is hosted by various members of the boy group Super Junior. I have used it a couple of times to listen to the show, and I am not able to understand a lot yet, but I can often pick up words and phrases so it works as great listening practice in your spare time. Unfortunately when I was taking pictures of the app I wasn’t able to get it when it is on air, but sometimes the app allows you to view videos of the show live as well.  Another great app for people who like Korean TV and radio is tving. This app is all in Korean so it is quite hard to navigate but it is really useful for watching small clips of popular Korean shows and dramas without subtitles for practice. You can get full shows on there but Korean friends have told me you have to have really good food internet and also may have to pay a small fee whilst in  For those who like Korean food this also another interesting app with many recipes in different languages for Korean food throughout the season called Korean Cuisine. It includes step by step instructions including pictures but also reviews by other users who have tried each recipe. I have tried a few and they taste all really good! It’s also good for Korean learning because you can see what the recipe looks like in both English and Korean. I have tried one recipe in Korean and when I didn’t know the full meaning of what to do the accompanying image would help me get through that part.  KBS have another great app for learning Korean called Lets Learn Korean. It has Korean lessons in many languages including English and focuses on the type of Korean you would need to use in certain situations such as going to the airport and visiting a doctor. Each scenario includes a mini dialogue, a longer dialogue, a vocabulary list and each dialogue recorded by native speakers so you can compare your tones and pronunciation. This is really useful alongside Elementary Korean II work as you can have help with improvement of dialogue tasks but also have the opportunity to see if you’re accent matches those of a fluent speaker. I have found this really useful and one of the best apps available for studying Korean.  KBS continue with the best apps for Korean learners by including their news app. It’s pretty much similar to the news website but it is of course useful on the go. It is completely in Korean but therefore it is good for reading and listening practice as it also includes videos. It updates on Korean news, international news but also gives weather reports. I really like sometimes just clicking on this app and trying to read whole articles or watching videos to help improve my reading practice.  The last app I am going to mention is another really useful app for those have struggles in Korean numbers and writing out large ones which is SpellNumbers. You can select from many languages but Korean is included. If like me you have trouble writing out long numbers in Korean you can insert it into the app and it tells you how to write it. Of course you should study and make sure you can do it yourself but this is useful for those moments where you are really confused and maybe can help as a start to completing it yourself. Labels: apps, korean help Improved 취미 쓰기 With Evaluation posted at 15:14 As you may remember I did a post previously that was a type up of one of my composition practices based on my 취미 (hobby) with a translation to help you with some beginners reading practice. I promised that once my 선생님 (teacher) marked my homework that I would post the reviewed and corrected version on online for you to see. I don't want you believing my language level is high, everyone makes mistakes!! It's also a good example to see of how I review and re-work my composition pieces to put back in my portfolio for evaluation. Any words in pink are corrections or added material to the piece. Any words in blue are words that are cut out from the piece. "내 취미는 음악 감상이라서 음악을 듣기 아주 재미있습니다. 그리고 내가 많은 한국 음악을 들 I won't add the translation on this post because you can use it as practice to search any new words/sentence patterns without being prompted to just look at the translation. Remember however if you have any questions about what I have put and corrected, don't hesitate to leave a comment and I will reply as soon as possible. In a general evaluation of this piece there weren't many mistakes, and the large majority of the highlighted pink words are extra sentences and vocabulary I decided to add to make the piece from extensive and interesting. Additionally I need to practice more on my sentence order as I had to change a few sentence around, but also when tense markers are allowed to be used in certain grammar patterns. I hope this has been a useful post in how I evaluate and re-do my homework for extra studying and practice! I recommend that every piece of work you do for practice, that in a few weeks after some more studying you should go back and evaluation where you could improve. It's really useful in determining your weak points and how to work on them ^^. Labels: homework, korean progress, reading practice |
안녕하세요
My name is 루시 (Lucy) and I am a 2nd year student of BA Korean in London, but currently I am studying at Korea University in Seoul.
This blog will include helpful tips and hints on how to learn the Korean language but will also show my own progress in studying. I will also aim to post reviews on Korean products and will post videos of my adventures. |
