16.7.08

Jeoneun haksaeng imnida.

While I had managed to pick up plenty of words and phrases and learn to read Hangeul since our arrival in Seoul, I had not taken any formal direction. So, in an attempt to not be a total chump for the rest of our time here, I signed up for a one month, four days a week, three hours a day Korean class as a way to pass my summer holiday. We started a few weeks ago from the very beginning, with the formation and proper pronunciation of the letters. Straight-forward enough, until the sounds we so assiduously practiced morph in combination to become something new. Then onto grammar, so devilishly labyrinthine and not entirely logical to this Western thinker. To wit: the straight English transliteration of the Korean sentence "The pencil is on the desk." reads "The desk on the pencil there is." Factor in thirty or so new vocabulary words each day and review tests to ensure we are doing the hours of expected homework, and this has become a challenging, rewarding, and very enjoyable mental exercise.

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