Goal Satisfaction? Maybe.. - Blog Assignment #6

As the time to leave Ulsan draws near, I keep thinking about the goals I had set prior to my departure. Learning more about South Korean language and culture, how their hierarchical society works, and improving my Korean language abilities were some of the goals I had set for myself. So far, I believe that I have done fairly well in pursuing these goals and working to achieve what I had set out to do. Concerning the Korean language, my abilities have improved quite a bit. I am still quite shy when it comes to speaking out, but my reading and listening skills have changed significantly. I have realized that listening to the general context of conversations allows me to understand a lot more than trying to focus on the meaning of words I don't recognize. As I learn more vocabulary, I am sure that I will only improve in the future.

Understanding the hierarchical society has been an interesting goal to work towards. In general, most Koreans tend to push aside this aspect of their culture when they interact with foreigners. Because of this, it has been a little difficult to see this particular part of South Korean culture on a daily basis. Fortunately, my language abilities are decent enough that I can follow the politeness of a conversation between Koreans. It has been through this method that I studied the Korean hierarchy in their relationships with each other. It has been really fascinating to see how the language and behaviors of people change, all depending on the politeness required when speaking to a specific person.

Overall, I am proud of my progress. However, I would definitely like to work on speaking Korean and having closer relationships to the native people here. It will have to be a goal for next time, right?

Some of the wonderful staff that has helped my language goals.