Day 3 to 7 of Korean in 80 days

T-73

A week has gone by since I started picking up Korean. The first two days were good. Despite being in the midst of travel, I laid the foundation, prepared the materials and enacted the plan.

Did I learn anything? Not much. But that wasn't the point. The first week was there to establish a habit. Day 3, however, was the day I travelled. It would have been a short flight, but travel isn't what it used to be for me.

At the airport, I couldn't bring myself to look at my phone where I placed a list of phrases to commit to memory. When I arrived home, I found out that I didn't have a room since my sister was using it (I often drop back in unannounced). She was renovating hers so she bunked at mine instead. I ended up staying at another sibling's house for the next few days.

There, I had access to internet and I could, reasonably, spend time learning. I didn't though. I felt tired from the travel and unsettled for not having my own space. Imagine people who are displaced and don't have a home.

Today, Day 7, is the first day that I'm back in my own room. It feels good. Something in me calmed down and I'm happy to return to learning Korean again. I've resolved not to rely on Google translate and, thankfully, someone had left a Korean language book lying around (the joy of having a big family who are interested in culture and the world in general).

But the strategy remains, I will learn first and foremost phrases that I would use in daily life and find, thus, more useful. Over time, I would swap the English phrases I use with these Korean equivalents to slowly adopt the language into daily life.

Here are the 30 remaining phrases. The first 10 are from Google translate (these were Day 3 players that never got to the park). The rest are selected from my new friend "Practical Korean"

1. One two three four five six hana dul ses nes daseos yeoseos
2. Seven eight nine ten eleven twelve ilgob yeodeolb ahob yeol yeolhan yeoldul
3. Thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen yeolses yeolnes yeoldaseos yeol-yeoseos
4. Seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty yeol-ilgob yeol-yeodeolb yeol-ahob seumu
5. It's one o'clock 1siyeyo
6. It's at 1:20 pm ohu 1si 20(isib)bun-ieyo
7. I arrive at 3:45 naneun 3si 45(sasib-o)bun-e dochaghanda
8. It's time to go ije gal sigan-ida
9. How do I feel? nae gibun-eun eottaeyo?
10. I feel good gibun-i joh-a
11. My apologies Yongseo haseyo
12. I'm sorry Mian hamnida
13. Come right in Eoseo deureoosipsio
14. Goodbye (to the one leaving) An nyeong(h)i gasipsio
15. Goodbye (to the one staying) Annyeong(h)i gyesipsio
16. Do you understand? Asigesseumnikka?
17. I understand Amnida
18. I don't understand Moreumnida
19. Please say it again Dasi mal hae juseyo
20. Please say it slowly Cheoncheon(h)i mal hae juseyo
21. Please talk in Korean Hanggungmal-lo haseyo
22. Let's do it (say it) together Gachi hapsida
23. Is that so? Oh, really? Geureosseumnikka?
24. That's it (it is so) Geureosseumnida
25. Please bring me... ....gatta jusipsio
26. This (thing) Igeo(t)
27. That (think) Geugeo(t)
28. When? Eonje?
29. Now Jigeum
30. Later Najung-e

Did you see something in this list worth commenting on? Honestly, correct me if I'm wrong :)

While I slacked this week, I did have enough guilt build-up to go on a language learning app by Day 5. My choice of poison was "Drops" which has taught me the words for sunglasses, house and dog and is now giving me 5 mins doses of the hangul alphabet. It's an act of learning, no pressure and I'm just hoping I'd get it somehow by osmosis.

This goes contrary to what the videos I watched about how to learn a language fast (links here) where it does suggest some urgency and effort, but I need to sustain the joy. Having said that, I'm keeping to the 50 words mark (hence listing up to 30 new words and phrases here, even if I don't remember them) and honouring my plan for Week 2, which is to learn another 50 phrases which would be useful for when I'm travelling around South Korea.

Wish me luck and if you're learning, too, I wish luck to you!