18 In Korean learning journey (:/ Korean Lessons

“Hangukdrama, how much did you study everyday”

a #notserious post

I like looking at my blog stats, not really for the numbers, but for the search engine terms that people use to get to the blog. I was really happy when people started to search hangukdrama to get to the blog, instead of kpop terms “boy over flowers” etc. Throughout the years, the search term list has increasingly move from kpop terms to Korean learning terms and it makes me secretly very happy that people know of this blog / me as “the girl who writes about learning korean”.

hehe sometimes I get amused looking at the list, such as the one in the post title. #truestory

Agreed with what Guus from Yago Languages said – “people are nowhere as honest as when they talk to the search engine!”

So I assume that quite a number of people are seriously curious about how much I really study. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I’ve hence compiled a list of the top 5 facts and myths about Hangukdrama and her studying methods.

Myths

  1. She studies Korean hardcore everyday  – no, you think I very free isit? 
  2. She has super memory for memorizing vocabulary – I wish? In any case, I don’t memorize anything
  3. She’s actually a gyopo or have Korean blood somewhere along her ancestry. –  nope not a single drop (Koreans like to say I lie to them -_-) 
  4. She secretly has a Korean tutor and cheats us by saying she self studies – it self studying that impossible??! You think too much!
  5. She’s super smart – ㅎㅎㅎ thanks for the compliment 😛 I’m not sure I deserve that

Facts

  1. I do something Korean everyday – be it watching drama, listening to k-music, reading something in Korean
  2. I did study quite hardcore-ly for a period for a few months during the (beginner-intermediate stage) and I did spend hours a day on Korean 😛
  3. I love to laze around and I can spend days just being in my own world. I don’t work as hard as you think I do.
  4. I remember vocabulary and grammar easily ^^ for Korean. Different story for Japanese.
  5. I haven’t encounter much difficulty in learning Korean. Nothing significant. The only time I actually remember finding something difficult was probably sometime in 2008 – I spent 2 days learning indirect quotation, and was quite confused for a while. That was the longest ever that I spent learning a grammar point. Other than that, I understand after reading it once or something.

hehe I hope that answers your queries ^^ And your curiosity. If you are curious about something else, leave a comment!

This concludes my #notserious post.

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18 Comments

  • Reply
    Koreanlearner
    2 March, 2013 at 5:58 PM

    Interesting, I do listen to Korean music every day when going to/from the station, but I never thought about it as a learning activity that much. But you’re right, it adds up to more than an hour of listening per day so it should count for something in my mental spreadsheet. And when I take a break from studies I watch a drama while doing chores if it’s a task I can do in front of the TV.

    If I can add to your list, I think that you’re probably also really stubborn when it comes to improving your Korean skills. It seems that no text or colloquial oddity throws you off. A sort of “challenge accepted, just wait to see who laughs last” approach when you come across something you’re not familiar with 😀

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:31 PM

      haha! you’re pretty observant 😛 yeah somehow I will never think that anything in Korean is too difficult. And I refuse to believe that I won’t be able to conquer it.

  • Reply
    just curious
    2 March, 2013 at 6:32 PM

    If you are curious about something else, leave a comment!

    Why are you so much obsessed with Korean? There are tons of other things out there, such as French, Spanish, cooking, reading comic books, movies, tasting coffee/wine, dance, fashion, having a good job,,,,, etc.

    Were you a Korean girl kicked out of Korea in your previous life?

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:33 PM

      hahaha! If I really was a Korean girl kicked out, I hope to go back there again this life XD

      I’m pretty happy that I have something to be obsessed about, something that I can dedicate my life to (: I hope you have found something like that in your life too!

  • Reply
    Guus
    2 March, 2013 at 10:34 PM

    My Mandarin is intermediate. I can have a conversation. Not bad for an anghmoh. I often hear “Oh, your wife is Chinese” or people would think I’m super smart. It’s not that. It’s many small steps over many years. Like you, I started off very intensively at the beginner stage, and I have exposure to Mandarin every day.

    When we cannot muster the dedication, it’s easy to make a superhero out of someone who can. I also look up to a lot to people who dance well or are real sportsman. But deep down I know – I never put in the effort.

    Wonder what other interesting search queries you’re going to write about!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:35 PM

      totally agreed! ^^ Nothing comes easy and if you are good in something, chances are you have put in immense effort into it.

  • Reply
    Van
    3 March, 2013 at 12:51 AM

    @justcurious Why are you being rude? You don’t have say things like that in that kind of manner. This is a site for people that have a passion with Korean and Japanese and the related things. Just because we have a great passion towards Korean, does that make us a bad people? Does that mean we have little interests? No, we just love Korean and is it so bad to like a country and everything about it? I’m sure a lot of us on here are like this also, we just love Korea and everything about it. It doesn’t mean we have no other interests in other things. It just means we love Korean/Korea and we are happy about it. I just can’t stand rude people like you. 나가.

    Anyways sorry Shanna, that troll just really pushes my buttons.. That’s great that people start searching up using “hangukdrama” 😀 I just hope you will keep this blog going for a long time~After I’ve been reading your blog posts, I thought I would be great to post about my Korean studies etc like you! I don’t think I will get around to it though or maybe not enough motivation?

    Btw I’m not sure how to read this sentence haha but I think you meant ” no, you think I’m very free?” instead of “no, you think I very free isit?” Unless you meant that on purpose haha. I think your #5 is more truth than myth! You just being humble again :P. Nice new word “hardcore-ly” :P. Wow give me your bring for vocabulary and grammar! I think my short term memory is not good so I have learn it somehow for the long term ㅠㅠ. Indirect quotation? Are you talking about -(ㄴ/는)다는, -(ㄴ/는)다고?

    Anyways keep up the good work 😀 I hope the readers here and me will be at your mastery of Korean one day!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:38 PM

      ㅎㅎㅎ no worries.

      I hope this blog can go on too~ Not sure how it will evolve next time, I’m sure the blog will grow together with me! ^^ Will be great to read about your Korean study, are you interested in blogging for selfstudykorean? You can treat that space as yours too (:

      hehe as for that sentence, it is kinda colloquial Singlish 😛 Wanted to write it properly, but somehow that nuance will be gone. ㅎㅎ and yup indirect quotation can also refer to 느냐고, ..라고, ~대, ~래 etc

      Thanks for always reading the blog and commenting! ^^

      • Reply
        Van
        7 March, 2013 at 3:40 AM

        Wow you are so cool about what that person said~ maybe it just bothers me haha.

        Yeah I think that’s what we are all helping for! Hmm idk at the moment, I feel like I’m so lazy about blogging sometimes but it also sounds like a lot of fun to talk about our experiences and thoughts. Thank you for the offer, I’ll be thinking about it 🙂

        ah you fooled me 😛 gotcha! thanks!

  • Reply
    Ami10
    3 March, 2013 at 3:07 AM

    Hi Shanna;
    I am always happy to see someone so dedicated at learning, especially languages. Everytime I feel that I am giving up just because I spent vainly, 1 or 2 hrs trying to master a korean grammar rule, I come here, read your posts and then regain some confidence. It’s like a medication to me. And yes, you are my korean lifesaver.
    Keep posting and sharing your thoughts on the korean self-study, it’s inspiring me a lot.

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:38 PM

      I’m glad the blog is helpful! ^____^

      Don’t give up (:

  • Reply
    Tiffany
    3 March, 2013 at 8:00 AM

    Thanks for sharing! I’m trying to integrate Korean into my every day life as well, and I think it has helped my learning. 🙂

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:38 PM

      😀 😀 integration and immersion is the best way to go!

  • Reply
    Time needed to sit the TOPIK – and pass! | koreanstudentblog
    3 March, 2013 at 7:28 PM

    […] from Hangukdrama who passed TOPIK level 4 in exceptionally short time. Actually she has written a post about the myths and facts of her studies just a few days ago. I encourage you to read […]

  • Reply
    호세
    3 March, 2013 at 7:33 PM

    셰나씨 안녕하세요. 오래동안 당신의 블로그를 읽어 있었고 영감을 많이 받았기 때문에 고마워다고 하고 싶어요. TOPIK 시험에게 제가 관심이 많이 있지만 연습 시험을 봤을 때 중급 수준 시험은 아직 합격하지 못해요. 셰나는 일 년 이상만 한국어 배웠는데 중급 수준 시험을 합격하기 너무 대단해요! 파이팅!

    Anyways, despite all the ups and downs that come with language learning and exposing yourself as openly and sincerely on your blog, please keep on blogging regularly about your Korean language learning journey and inspiring us Korean language students!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      4 March, 2013 at 8:40 PM

      안녕하세요!! 블로그를 응원해 주셔서 정말 감사합니다! ^^ 중급 TOPIK는 쉽지 않지만 꾸준히 배우면 합격할 수 있을 겁니다.

      The most important thing is to enjoy learning! ^^

  • Reply
    Keuriseu
    27 January, 2014 at 11:05 PM

    Hi! I just started to stan your blog and it’s really amazing! Actually we have the same choice of language to study: Korean and Japanese. I am already TOPIK Level 2 proficient and I want to take it higher by taking the upcoming TOPIK exam this April, which is going to be the last exam of the current grading system and exam format. Though I am aiming for Level 4, I think whatever effort I do, I will not reach this level so easily so I am just aiming for Level 3, meaning, just to pass the Intermediate exam for now since I’ve noticed that it’s a big jump to each and every level. Is it possible for me to reach TOPIK Level 4 even if I study hard?

    Also, I am currently self-studying Japanese and has yet to enroll in a Japanese language class here in our country because hell year foreign language course tuition fees here are gold (I live in a country near yours, somewhere here in SE Asia) but is it possible for me to reach JLPT N5 or N4 by just self-studying?

    Sorry I have a lot to share, hope you understand and have a nice day!

    • Reply
      Hangukdrama
      28 January, 2014 at 9:46 AM

      Hello! ^^ Thanks for liking the blog! Yeah it is a rather big jump but not something that is impossible! Try out a few of the sample papers and see where you are lacking and then work on it. For example, if you find it tedious to read the passages, try to strengthen your reading skills by finding more articles online etc to read! I passed TOPIK 4 within a year plus of studying Korean so it’s definitely possible!

      yeahh tuition fees are expensive!! (so I opted for self studying) hahah yeah it’s definitely possible, N5 and N4 aren’t that difficult! (:

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