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12 hot days in Korea – Part 4
Day 10 After another hearty breakfast at the hotel, my friend and I headed to Hyehwa to hike in the park around Naksan and explore the Ihwa mural village. I always really liked the area around Naksan but don’t always have the time to enjoy it when I’m in Seoul. The hike uphill is always…
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12 hot days in Korea – Part 3
Day 7 We felt a bit tired after our trip to Gangneung, so we had a slow morning before I headed to Hongdae to have lunch with Kyeongeun from Talk To Me In Korean. After lunch, we headed to the office to say hi to the others and it was so much fun to catch…
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12 hot days in Korea – Part 2
Day 4 After a few days in Korea, it was time for me to reunite with my Korean family. Aside from the heatwave, which I could have done without, I seemed to have timed my visit perfectly. Geonha’s brother had been studying for a master’s degree in economics while working full-time in a bank and…
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12 hot days in Korea – Part 1
It’s been over a week since I came back from my most recent trip to Korea. It’s been five years since I was in Korea this time of year and in that time I had managed to completely forget how insufferably hot it gets in August. It didn’t help that my stay pretty much overlapped…
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Back from BCLT summer school
I just spent an entire week having the most fun I’ve had in years! I’m sure you all know from that statement alone that I must have been participating in the BCLT summer school for literary translation. I have recently signed a translation contract with Danish publisher Korridor and have started translating the Korean novel…
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Life update (with pictures)
Can anyone believe that we’re already halfway through 2023? As always, I like to use the beginning of July to reflect on my goals and progress, since July marks the entry to the second half of the year. I set several goals for myself at the beginning of the year, and as per usual some…
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Spring in Seoul, part 2
I’ll continue right where I left off in part 1. On Wednesday, March 15, I headed to Hanyang University to have lunch with one of my former econ students from Sogang, who is now in law school. I keep in touch with a few of my former students and it’s such a joy to see…
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Spring in Seoul, part 1
Two weeks ago I spent a wonderful spring vacation in Seoul. I was too early for the cherry blossoms but there was no way I could go at any other time. Geonha’s hyung was getting married, and I would not miss being there for the celebration! I arrived in Seoul after what felt like the…
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My JLPT N3 results
As I wrote here on my blog, I took the JLPT N3 in December after studying for it for the past year. I had passed the N4 level quite convincingly in January 2022 and definitely felt up for the challenge. I felt pretty good about the test when I left the room and I continued…
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Goals for 2023
With 2023 being just hours away, I spent some time reviewing my goals for 2022. Like always I have followed through with some, completely abandoned others, and made a half-assed attempt on the remaining goals. A year ago my vision for 2022 were: So with some goals for 2022 met, others abandoned or greatly modified…
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It’s that time of the year again…
For most people, whether they celebrate Christmas or not, this time of year means something special. It’s the end of the year and a time to reflect and make new plans – or if you’re learning Japanese – a time to take the JLPT exam. The JLPT is held twice a year in July and…
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Keep pushing, keep learning
This may sound like the title of a motivational seminar but I’ve actually wanted to talk to you guys about complacency and language learning arrogance for a while. At least since I saw a tweet that really resonated with me: Most of 2022 I’ve been focusing on going from beginner to intermediate level in Japanese…
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Canada, covid, and cramming for the JLPT
Happy October everyone! I can’t believe we’re already far into fall. It’s been a while since my last update and the headline should give you some idea as to the reason why. I spent the first week of September in Canada together with my husband where we attended a friend’s wedding. The weather in Calgary…
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Korea diaries vol. 5
It’s been a while since I updated you on my recent trip to Korea. Life has kept me busy but now I’m ready to share the fifth and final chapter – just in time for my next adventure. On Monday I’m flying to Canada to attend a friend’s wedding but more on that later. My…
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Korea diaries vol. 4
We’re continuing with my bite-sized accounts of my latest trip to Seoul and we’ve made it to the second week. On Monday July 19, I got up early and took the bus to Hyehwa station. I like the area around Hyehwa and Daehangno and always hike to the top of Naksan when I’m there. That…
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Korea diaries vol. 3
I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Meanwhile I’m back with the third installment in my Korea diaries series. So far, I have covered my first week in Seoul in volumes 1 and 2 and we’ve now made it to Friday July 15. That day I had made plans to meet my Norwegian friend…
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Korea diaries vol. 2
After having spent a lovely first weekend in Seoul meeting with Geonha’s brother and his fiancee and touring a few of my favorite spots I was ready to start a new week in Korea. I started my Monday morning in the hotel “gym” where I – whilst wearing a mask – spent a grueling 30…
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Korea diaries vol. 1
It’s been a while, but I’m finally back – this time with some much-needed Korea-related content. After more than two and a half years of not being able to go to Korea for reasons everyone probably is aware of I finally managed to book a trip to Seoul for this July. I was beyond excited…
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I went to Switzerland (for the first time ever)
With covid gradually becoming a thing of the past the world is beginning to open up again, and my travel heart is rejoicing at all the destinations that are waiting to be explored. I’ll readily admit that Seoul is the one destination that I care most about being able to go back to but still…
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Korea has elected a new president
Yesterday was the presidential election day in South Korea and the past few weeks had indicated that it would be a tight race between the two main contestants – Lee Jae-myeong from the democratic party and Yoon Seok-yeol from the conservative people’s power party (yes that name, I know). There were other contenders but none…
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JLPT results are in
As I wrote about recently, I took the JLPT N4 test in Copenhagen in early December. Unlike with the TOPIK, there is no official date for the results announcement but at the exam, we were told that we could expect to get the results by early February. It turns out they did the grading a…
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New year, new goals
Happy New Year everyone. It’s officially 2022 – or as Stephen Colbert called it – the third straight year of 2020. Anyway, as always I like to create a list of goals and intentions for the new year while keeping in mind that sometimes life happens, and deviating from the goals or even setting new…
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Learning two (or more) languages at once
I can’t believe that we’re almost finished with 2021. A year that started on a hopeful note but turned out to be little more than an echo of 2020. Here’s to a fresh start and hopefully better times in 2022. After I published my JLPT post, a few of you requested that I write about…
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My very first JLPT experience
If you’ve been following along for a while you’ll know that I’ve been flirting with the Japanese language on and off since sometime in 2017. It’s mostly been off though, and I never managed to do anything but learn the scripts, scratch the surface in terms of grammar and vocab, learn a few phrases I…
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What I’ve been up to (feat. my second TOPIK experience)
Hey everyone – It sure has been a while! While I’ve been away from this blog I’ve been happy to see that my readers haven’t. I still get lots of reads and new subscribers every day. Thank you! I guess there must be a few evergreens among my vast library of blog posts 😉 So,…
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Korea’s xenophobic quarantine mandate
I’m privileged to live in a country with a high level of trust in our (fair and transparent) authorities and an equally high willingness to take the COVID vaccine, which is offered for free to anyone over 12 (I’m talking about Denmark by the way). I myself am currently between my first and second dose…
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How I’m studying Hanja and why you should too
Since my last post, I’ve received several requests to share my Hanja learning tips, so ladies and gentlemen – here they come! If you’re learning Korean you probably know that 60-70 percent of all Korean words have roots in Chinese characters called Hanja in Korean. That means that although they are written in Hangeul they…
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July
And just like that it’s July. We’re already halfway through 2021. It seems like forever and a blink of an eye at the same time. Just like the Koreans divide the year into 상반기 and 하반기 for the first and second half, I like to use this time of year to evaluate my goals and…
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More free Korean learning resources
Working as a Korean teacher, I’m constantly looking to improve not only my own Korean skills but also to expand my knowledge of methods for effectively teaching Korean to others. For the past few weeks I have spent my italki lessons, talking with my teacher about how to improve. I’m currently reading a really cool…
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Snow in April
With Korean cherry blossoms taking up most of my Instagram feed these days, the view from my own window seems even more depressing in comparison. For the past week the weather has been extremely windy and today a generous amount of snow was added into this ever-changing cocktail that is Danish April weather. I can’t…
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Korean pronunciation tips I wish I’d learned sooner
With most of the country in continued lockdown, I’m still confined to my apartment from which all my teaching, class preparation and self studying takes place. In order to feel a sense of progress and purpose I’ve created a detailed study routine for myself with several chapters to be read every single day. If you…
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Korean pronunciation – the struggle is real
As a Korean teacher and lifelong language learner, I can testify firsthand that the pronunciation is one of the hardest parts of learning Korean. The distinct sounds, the double consonants and the countless exceptions to the standard pronunciation rules are enough to make your head spin. When learning the language the best way to get…
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Awesome (and free) listening resources for advanced Korean learners
I’m a big fan of YouTube. You can find almost any kind of content there in any language you want. That’s why I highly recommend Korean learners of all levels to explore YouTube for listening resources. Especially if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands for your language studies, watching an 8-minute…
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Korean debate patterns
A skill which truly indicates that one is fluent in a foreign language is the ability to debate in that language. When I was studying at Sogang university, the top levels 5 and 6 dedicated quite a significant amount of time to debate practice. Even though it’s been four years since I was enrolled in…
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My last Korean reading project of 2020
With only one day left of 2020, my last Korean reading project of this year has come to an end. In total, I’ve managed to read 12 Korean novels this year. This averages one per month, and I guess that’s not all bad considering the amount of Korean text and grammar books that I’ve also…
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Rays of light in the dark
I’m writing this on the darkest day of the year. In Denmark that means less than 6.5 hours of daylight, and this year, December has been unusually dark and gloomy. No snow (which is totally fine) but lots and lots of rain. There were 2 weeks straight where it was so overcast that I couldn’t…
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Remember to enjoy the view
I’ve recently written about how I sometimes struggle to stay motivated, and I believe one reason that I didn’t explore in my previous post is that I feel like I’ve been plateauing lately. While I do make an effort to study Korean every single day, I just don’t really feel that I’m improving. Part of…
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A sigh of relief
I’m sure the whole world watched the final days of the American election with tension and anxiety and breathed a sigh of relief when it became crystal clear on Saturday that Joe Biden was the new President-elect to the United States. I know I did. Why do I care when I live in Europe and…
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Staying motivated(?)
When I wrote this headline I must admit that it sounded odd to me because the truth is that I’m currently anything but motivated. My TOPIK plans are down the drain for this year at least, my purpose for taking the TOPIK has been postponed indefinitely, and there is really no external reason for me…
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Plans are made to be changed
So, a few weeks ago I shared on this blog that I had signed up for the TOPIK test in London in November and added that it might very well be that I wouldn’t get to go because of the pandemic. I will indeed not go to London but I’m still surprised that the decision…
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How I’m preparing for TOPIK, reading edition
As I told you in my latest blog post I’m currently preparing to take the TOPIK in London this November. That is, if the Covid-19 situation allows. So far, things are looking rather bleak with cases skyrocketing all over Europe including Denmark and the UK. Anyway, I’m determined to continue studying as if everything were…
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New season, new goals
I’ve always loved the early fall with its changing of the colors, the crisp air, and the “back to school” feel of everything. I always feel compelled to buy pens and notebooks this time of year and I’m so happy that, as a teacher, it’s a perfectly valid thing for me to do. While everything…
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My happy place
I try to make a habit of practicing gratitude and give thanks for all the wonderful things I have going on in my life. I find this daily practice particularly helpful in a year where none of us are having the 2020 we had planned or hoped for. One of the things that made me…
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The coolest proverbs
I recently had a pretty cool discussion about proverbs with a Korean acquaintance. I always loved proverbs and idioms in any language since I find that they reveal so much about a country’s culture. For example, think about how many proverbs and idioms there are about bread in Western culture. To be the breadwinner, our…
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Strengthening my (Korean) core
It’s been a while now since lockdown ended here and I’m starting to feel like things are back to somewhat normal although traveling still seems to be off-limits. Although I haven’t been that diligent in maintaining my blog during this time, I’ve thought a great deal about how to bring you guys new and interesting…
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It’s been a while…
It’s been almost two months since my last post. Ever since I started writing this blog over five years ago, this is probably the longest I’ve ever gone without updating it. So why haven’t I? The short answer is that I simply didn’t feel like it. I do enjoy writing this blog, but for the…
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One year later…
I’m back after the longest break from blogging I have ever taken. The last time I posted was July 31, 2023 – a year ago almost to the date. So, what took me so long? I guess I got out of the habit because it’s certainly not like I didn’t have anything to blog about.…
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Sofie to Korea 