The designation “one of the best decisions I’ve made in years” is one I have happily applied, these last few weeks, to my decision to complete an intensive Korean course in Seoul. It’s over now. It took place in January 2014.
I write this a week after I returned to the USA on “Chinese New Year’s Day”, Friday Jan. 31st 2014. (What I’m doing now — I will explain in a future post — is even more intensive and is another good decision, and for similar reasons.)
Why was the intensive Korean course a good decision?
The simplest answer is that the class left my satisfied and optimistic at the end of each day, despite its difficulty. Every day of the Korean course was fun; the teachers were great and professional; I feel the course improved my Korean (it was my first-ever formal class; all my previous knowledge was just picked up “somehow” from living there); it gave me the opportunity to be a student again and in the unique context of a half-EastAsian/half-White class (six Whites [three USA, three Europe] and six East-Asians) which was interesting to observe; it let me met many interesting/fun people from all over the world; it gave me a window into Korean university life. I’m really glad I did it.
It left me wishing it were not ending. Alas, it ended. The future is wide open.
It left me wishing it were not ending. Alas, it ended. The future is wide open.
Note: I labelled this post under several categories, including (naturally) “Korean language” and “Korea“, and also, less self-evidently, “Purpose of Life“. One could criticize my decision to go back and do this course as a “waste of time”, or something. But….Well, to spare this entry from becoming bloated by hundreds more words, I’ll say that I disagree, and the reader of these words, if inclined, can make his own conclusions about my use of that category here!