Topik
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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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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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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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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,…
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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?”…
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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…
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Recreational Korean (… or how to study when you’re actually not)
Since the upcoming week means Easter break for a Uni employee like myself, I now have plenty of time for studying Korean. I’ve already gone overboard in listening to TTMIK grammar podcasts, reading the last chapter in my Intermediate reader, reading and shadowing news articles, and cramming vocabulary on Memrise. Hey, this was supposed to be vacation, but…
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Musings on the TOPIK, goal setting, and my most recent book haul…
As I’ve seen my Korean language skills develop, I’ve started gradually playing with the idea of signing up for the TOPIK. I’m convinced that I’d be able to pass the Basic level, so in order to give myself a real challenge I’m considering the Intermediate level. From what I read on other Korean learning blogs,…
Sofie to Korea 