TOPIK
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Advanced Korean writing patterns
I’m currently auditing a class at Sogang called 읽기와 쓰기 or, in plain English, Reading and Writing. More than trying to pass for an undercover student (even though I own and proudly wear a Sogang 과잠 university jacket) I’m exposing myself to this ordeal because I desperately want to improve my Korean writing. When I…
-
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…
-
My TOPIK experience
Yesterday marked the climax of 10 weeks of preparation for the TOPIK test. For those of you unfamiliar with this test, it’s a nationally standardized test designed to assess the taker’s proficiency in the Korean language. Think of it as the Korean equivalent to English tests like TOEFL. I had never taken the exam before,…
-
Earthquake
Korea was hit by a pretty strong earthquake yesterday. The second strongest ever measured in history. It happened in Pohang, which is around 300 km south of Seoul, but the tremors were felt all over the country. I felt it in my office and immediately thought to myself “huh, wonder if that was an earthquake?”…
-
Taking on a new Korean challenge
I had originally planned on enrolling in Sogang Korean level 7, but unfortunately, there was only one sign-up aside from myself, so they had to cancel level 7 this fall semester. Well, each cloud has a silver lining and in this case, it means almost unlimited time for self-studying Korean. And in all modesty, I…
Sofie to Korea 