Merry Christmas to US!

I know we've tried this before, but we're going to give learning Korea another honest effort via Rosetta Stone. Yesterday, we went to the mall with the intention of buying each other Christmas gifts. Over lunch, I was complaining how embarrassing it is for me to have Koreans talk to me and that I can't understand a single word. And I hate having to admit that I don't speak Korean and seeing the shock on their faces. Plus, I have two VERY good reasons to learn the language... my brother and my father. To be able to communicate with them, even on a basic level would mean a lot to me.

So we decided to give ourselves a joint gift of the Rosetta Stone.

::photo via Rosetta Stone's website::

The version we bought off Amazon over a year ago must be a really old version. This new version is SO MUCH BETTER! You can use a headset and speak and it tests your pronunciation. Plus, it came with these nifty little CD's to download on our iPods. I think that'll be a good way to get some extra practice on the subway.

Also, that class when we first arrived in Korea and spending time in Korea has helped give us a foundation to be able to use the program. It's kind of fun to realize how much we know and connecting the dots. Wish us luck!

Buzzing with excitement

K: I emailed my brother Sang Kwan to let him know that the tickets are bought and we will finally get to meet. His email back was so touching and his excitement is so apparent.

"Kim; That's a really good news for me .souds like you will be coming as soon as possible .oh MY GOD ! I can"t control my felling! I hope that the day is tomorrow. Maybe we can spend it in New year 's Day ! Now my best wishes is study english .if i can't speak it .i can't talk to you more .so iam so afraid! that's a imporint things for me this year !you bless me OK ? sang kwun"

Mark and I also need to start our Korean lessons ASAP. We have decided that we will commit to lessons every Sunday (at least). Though it's hard to stay on top of this, the ability to communicate with Sang Kwan will make it worth it! And he's making such an effort to learn English, I'd love to at least say a few things to him in Korean also! Can you imagine the surprised look on his face when we walk off the plane and say "Hello, nice to finally meet you" in Korean?!?!?

Talk to me like I'm a child...

K: Last year we bought Korean textbooks with every intention of becoming fluent in the language. Easier said than done. We memorized each letter and what it's supposed to sound like. But Korean seems much like English in that there are exceptions to nearly ever rule. And then there is the oddest practice of just throwing letters that are not to be pronounced in the front of words for the heck of it. Anyway, we learned the alphabet and deciphered several words, trying to figure out what we thought they should sound like... and then we'd listen to the online tutorial and hear words that sounded nothing like what we thought. Needless to say, this became a very frustrating experience.

My co-worker, who also happens to be 1/2 Korean, mentioned that she was using the Rosetta Stone. Apparently it is used by ambassadors and is billed as the "fastest way to learn a foreign language." The program teaches you to speak the language much like a child would be taught, through pictures and immersion.

Mark ordered it today, so we'll see how well this miracle product works... Won't you all be shocked if our next post is in Korean!?!?!?