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.In this chapter, I include ten tips on how you can do just that.Find Koreans (or Other KoreanSpeakers) Near YouPeople say that to live a good life, all you really need is to converse with goodpeople, eat in the company of good people, and of course sleep with a clearconscience.So go out and make some good Korean friends to converse andeat with; even if your friends can t help you much with the language, you stillend up on the winning side.In general, though, Koreans are more than happyto explain parts of their culture and language to you.Some may even con-sider you one of theirs, meaning that they think you are as Korean as them, ifyou play the role of an entertaining peer, caring senior, and respectful junior.Part IV: The Part of Tens280Use Korean Language Tapes, CDs, andOther Multimedia ResourcesWhen you learn Korean, immerse yourself in it, even when your friends aren taround.Pop in an audio CD on your way to work, or look up a few Webresources that you can download or listen to online.Be patient and go overthem regularly and often.Although your progress may be a little sluggish atfirst, your efforts will pay off.Visit Korean Restaurants and BarsGetting people to open up and talk around strangers can be a little hard.Butfood and alcohol make people relax and open up a lot easier.The best placeto learn about Korean customs is at a table, either over a meal or a drink.Ifyou have trouble speaking in Korean, have a few shots of soju (so-joo; Koreanrice wine), and you ll be speaking, crying, and laughing in Korean by the endof the night.Just be careful to not speak too much Korean to inanimateobjects  you may scare your new Korean friends away.Sing Korean SongsWhen you re first learning a language, don t forget how helpful listening tosongs can be.Songs are easier to remember than lists of vocabulary andpages of sentences.Although a lot of people start off by listening to modernpop music, you may want to start off with children s songs  they re catchierand easier to remember.If you do decide to listen to contemporary Koreanpop, be prepared to find yourself singing about unrequited love and heart-break in a very sappy way.But then again, if the people around you don tspeak Korean, they won t know what you re singing about.You can find a fewselections of Korean songs at www.amazon.com, especially the songs theyplayed in Korean dramas and movies.You may also find some Korean songsfrom www.youtube.com.Watch Korean MoviesOver the past few years, Korean movies have enjoyed a renaissance.On aver-age, the quality of Korean movies has gone up, and several Korean films havereceived wide acclaim at international film competitions, such as the Cannesand Sundance film festivals.Korean movies cover a wide gamut of styles andChapter 17: Ten Ways to Get a Quick Handle on Korean281offer something for everyone: art house flicks, thrillers, shockers, tear jerk-ers, and comedies.You may want to stop by a video store in your neighbor-hood that specializes in foreign films, or order a DVD online.Again, you canbuy Korean movies from www.amazon.com.Although their selection is notlarge, amazon.com carries some very popular Korean movies.However, youmay also find Korean movies from www.youtube.com.Watch Korean DramaThe addictiveness of Korean drama has been likened to that of hard drugs.Korean dramas draw criticism with regard to unrealistic plots and repetitivestory lines; every single one of them has to do with a love triangle of somesort.Even then, few people have the self-control to stop watching them.Infact, Korean drama has spread to the rest of Asia, and you can most likelytalk about Korean dramas with your Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asianfriends.www.amazon.comcarries very popular Korean dramas with transla-tions in English subtitles, which will be very helpful.Otherwise you can go tothe individual Korean TV channels and watch pay per view.Some Korean TVchannels are www.mbc.co.kr, www.sbs.co.kr, www.kbs.co.kr.From these,I recommend www.mbc.co.krsince their Web site can be read in English aswell as Korean by press of a button on the Web site.You may also find Koreandramas from www.youtube.com.Surf the Net for Korean Web SitesLook online for a wealth of information regarding Korea and Korean language.Films, travel, language  the Internet has something for everyone.If you canread Korean script, you can make use of the excellent language materialsoffered by universities and colleges, and soon you may even be able to readbits and pieces of the Korean Web pages of your interest.Look Up Words in a Korean DictionaryLearning a language can be frustrating if you don t know many words.Paperdictionaries are great when you have the time to thumb through pages andcircle random words you want to know, but electronic dictionaries have aclear advantage in terms of speed and convenience.You can even find severaldictionaries online.Try http://www.zkorean.com/dictionary.shtml.Theirdictionary is pretty good.If you have the time, check out the Web site itself.They have very useful information on learning Korean.Also try outhttp://www.ectaco.co.kr/English-Korean-Dictionary.Part IV: The Part of Tens282Make Korean Word and Phrase ListsIf you have trouble remembering words and phrases, use the information inthis book to make lists of them.Then carry the lists around and look at themwhen you have an extra minute or two, or when you need them.Anticipate aparticular activity for the day, and try writing down a few words or sentencesat a time that you think you may need [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]