오래간만이에요!

So, yes, I’ve been missing for about 5,000 years. 나는 바빴어요….아직 바쁜데…But now I’m back!

“뭐 했어요?!” you ask. I’ve been busy moving and then starting college and joining every single Asia-related club and the language exchange club and writing essays and reading The Iliad and wishing I were reading 세상에 너를 소리 쳐 instead and listening to Standing Egg obsessively and plotting my future as the first non-Korean drama script writer (but you never know….it could happen! 할 수 있다~~~!!!)….I volunteered at a huge 추석 party and got free Korean food (한식) and a T-shirt. Woohoo! I love the Nam Center for Korean Studies. This week, they’re putting on a several-day marathon of Korean movies. Last year I was able to see Poongsan Dog (풍산개), Nameless Gangster, and several other fantastic films.

Anyways, in regards to language study, I’ve been very lax in my 독학하다ing. I’m finally taking Korean in an actual classroom, but the level is much lower than my comprehension level. The reason I’m taking it at a lower level? The 선생님 focuses on speaking and pronunciation (students study the majority of the vocab and grammar points for homework and then come to class to do interactive activities and conversations every single weekday – it’s a 5 credit course) which is exactly where I’m hurting. Great, I can read that Korean in my head and probably figure out a fair amount of what it means, but can I construct sentences aloud entirely on my own? Fluently?

Psh. When someone speaks to me in Korean, or even if I happen to overhear Korean, I just

However, I have started a new method of learning new phrases and words. I call it…The Running Man Word Learning Thing! But actually, it’s already been really useful.

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of Running Man on Dramafever. I have the app and it allows me to watch an episode on my laptop, shut my laptop, sprint to class, and then while I’m waiting for class to start, I can pick up on my iPod from wherever I paused the episode on my computer. I started keeping a list of words and phrases that I find interesting. As I watch, I hear a useful or interesting phrase, write it down, and dissect its meanings on Naver. I also find useful sample sentences online (usually also on Naver).

Here’s an example. An episode I watched last week included a scene where the guest comes onto Running Man and all the RM members exclaim, 우와아아아아~ 완벽하다~~~완벽한 천사!!” The subs said that the guest was the perfect angel.

완벽하다: to be perfect, complete, absolute, ideal…etc.

And now I keep hearing and seeing this word. It’s everywhere. Every. Where. 

I’ve watched numerous RM episodes since that particular one and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard 완벽하다 at least once in almost every single episode.

Yesterday I read through a TTMIK 이야기 with my Other Half (we’re best friends/cousins/siamese brain siblings) and it kept talking about a 완벽한 남자 – the perfect man.

Today I was listening to my iPod while working on 숙제 (homework) when NELL’s song, Perfect, started to play.

“완벽해 보여~”

Aha! “Seems perfect.” Knewwww it.

If you’re struggling to keep up your Korean studies on top of everything else you’re doing, or if you’re just at a plateau with learning new words, I suggest turning your K-drama or variety show vegg time into some useful and fun studying time (just try not to completely replace actual studying!).

Do you watch Running Man? How do you learn new words and phrases?

감사합니다!