After that I went to my first of 4 Korean paper art classes. I don't know much about it except that I see lots of different kind of art involving paper being sold around here, and it looks pretty cool. What we'll be making is a framed picture of a flower bouquet. This is so fun for me - right up my alley!!
Here's my homework: Make these strips of paper...
into flowers like these:
When I'm all done I'll try and take a better picture.
The teacher showed us how do do each different thing and we are to go home and make multiple flowers and leaves to bring to class next week and put in a frame. Should be fun! The instructor was a very nice Korean woman who was working hard to communicate... I asked her if she had ever taken any English classes and she said no, she's just learned from customers in her shop and by speaking it. Wow... I so admire someone who would be willing to teach a class in a language they don't fully speak or understand!! And we were able to communicate pretty well, just had to repeat a few things, but eventually we would understand each other.
Which leads me to the next thing on my to do list: learn some Korean!! Man, it is so frustrating being the foreigner and not knowing the language! I've realized over the last couple weeks that I do not like the feeling of being unable to communicate... it is uncomfortable, unsettling, and makes you feel pretty dumb. And just plain useless and stuck! Like what if I get lost and need to ask for directions? What if I need to know where the bathroom is? What if (like the other day) I ask how much something is (in English) and the person tells me but I don't understand what they're telling me? Why ask?! Like I was saying, I definitely have a new found respect for people who come to the US and learn English and get by in our world as they learn the language. It is hard, and not fun.
So... I really really want to learn Korean, at least a little. Believe it or not, their alphabet system (hangeul) is somewhat like ours - where each character matches a certain sound. Except probably better and more logical, since the same character always says the same sound. In English of course, many of our letters make different sounds at different times, and combinations of letters sound different, too, depending on the word. Like pair, paid, and plaid. How can "ai" say so many different things? Anyway, as far as Asian languages go, Korean seems like one of the easier ones (according to my vast knowledge of Asian languages - HA HA). Like maybe I could do it, just a little (don't want to set my hopes too high, here!). And hey, the best way to learn and retain a language is by immersion and using it, right? I guess I'll have plenty of opportunity for that over the next two years.
So wish me luck, and committment, and courage to try.
into flowers like these:
When I'm all done I'll try and take a better picture.The teacher showed us how do do each different thing and we are to go home and make multiple flowers and leaves to bring to class next week and put in a frame. Should be fun! The instructor was a very nice Korean woman who was working hard to communicate... I asked her if she had ever taken any English classes and she said no, she's just learned from customers in her shop and by speaking it. Wow... I so admire someone who would be willing to teach a class in a language they don't fully speak or understand!! And we were able to communicate pretty well, just had to repeat a few things, but eventually we would understand each other.
Which leads me to the next thing on my to do list: learn some Korean!! Man, it is so frustrating being the foreigner and not knowing the language! I've realized over the last couple weeks that I do not like the feeling of being unable to communicate... it is uncomfortable, unsettling, and makes you feel pretty dumb. And just plain useless and stuck! Like what if I get lost and need to ask for directions? What if I need to know where the bathroom is? What if (like the other day) I ask how much something is (in English) and the person tells me but I don't understand what they're telling me? Why ask?! Like I was saying, I definitely have a new found respect for people who come to the US and learn English and get by in our world as they learn the language. It is hard, and not fun.
So... I really really want to learn Korean, at least a little. Believe it or not, their alphabet system (hangeul) is somewhat like ours - where each character matches a certain sound. Except probably better and more logical, since the same character always says the same sound. In English of course, many of our letters make different sounds at different times, and combinations of letters sound different, too, depending on the word. Like pair, paid, and plaid. How can "ai" say so many different things? Anyway, as far as Asian languages go, Korean seems like one of the easier ones (according to my vast knowledge of Asian languages - HA HA). Like maybe I could do it, just a little (don't want to set my hopes too high, here!). And hey, the best way to learn and retain a language is by immersion and using it, right? I guess I'll have plenty of opportunity for that over the next two years.
So wish me luck, and committment, and courage to try.
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