Language partner
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How I became a Korean teacher (feat. an honorary guest post)
I wrote in my previous post that I’m currently teaching Korean to a Danish girl. I greatly enjoy this for several reasons; it provides some structure, it holds me accountable, it’s a challenge, and she speaks Japanese so I can teach her while drawing parallels between Korean and Japanese, which may be one of my…
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End of the year traditions in Korea
While Christmas is stealing the picture everywhere in Korea with Christmas trees, Christmas music and Christmas gift sets all over, it has limited significance to the Koreans. Those who identify with Christianity may go to church and have a small family celebration, but the big picture remains that Christmas in Korea is reserved for friends…
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Still studying Korean? (feat. BTS)
I took a break from active Korean studies following my intense preparation for the TOPIK exam in mid-November. I thought I deserved to do so, and it felt great to just not focus on constantly learning new Korean. The thing is, though, that it’s been pretty difficult to get back on track with my studies.…
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A gendered language: boy Korean or girl Korean?
Even though I’m currently in Denmark on a long vacation, I’ve brought quite a few Korean books with me. I make sure to dedicate at least an hour per day to studying Korean, and this does not include watching dramas, texting, speaking on the phone, browsing news sites and other activities that I will naturally…
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My midterms, my week in Denmark, and my hurt Korean pride
I’m back, and brace yourselves for a long update. I haven’t been active on the blog for the past couple of weeks due to, well, the title of this post should be self-explanatory. It may seem like three random concepts without any rhyme or reason, but put toghether they pretty much summarize what has been…
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Finding my Korean cool
“If you want to be popular with your students in Korea you must become a more trendy professor!” These words were uttered by my ever brutally honest Korean language partner, when I told him that I was rewatching old Korean dramas for language learning purposes. I was so taken aback by this statement that I…
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How I improved my Korean writing
누가 도와준 거예요?! “Who helped you write this?!” Those were the words greeting me as I picked up the phone when my LP called to give me feedback on an essay I had sent to him. 제가 알아서 썼거든요!!”No one, I wrote this alone!!” I exclaimed, not knowing whether I should feel offended at his accusation that I would “cheat”…
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What happened to my Korean study routine?
I used to have a perfectly planned study routine. One hour of reading in the morning, podcasts throughout the day, grammar points and chapters in textbooks to study in the afternoon and evening. It’s worked like that for a long time but recently it seems I can’t make myself stick to it. I’m still studying…
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When, how, and what to memorize?
Teaching is a significant part of my job and naturally, I want my students to do well when they enroll in my courses. That requires learning a lot on their own. After all, the four hours they spend with me every week is not going to cut it. I once heard a thought-provoking and even…
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Emphasizing in Korean
Whenever you speak a language you know well, you will usually put a lot of emphasis on certain sentences to make things sound more natural. For example the sentence “I don’t know anything about this” is less strong than “I don’t know anything about this at all“. Other words or phrases in English, which may be…
Sofie to Korea 