With the impact of Korean pop culture in the Philippines (Hallyu wave~), I am sure a lot of Filipinos have been wanting to learn the Korean language. Watching Korean dramas without subtitles and getting to understand Kpop lyrics without googling its translation sound rather pleasing, right? ;) Since I enrolled in a legit Korean language class last year, I figured I should blog about it so other people can get an overview of how it is like.

WHY DID I ENROL IN A KOREAN LANGUAGE CLASS?

It's pretty obvious that I'm a Korean anything fangirl (well DUH!) but aside from that, one of my passion is learning foreign languages. Even before Kpop, I have always been amused by the various languages and cultures in the world. I actually tried learning Spanish on my own when I was in elementary school then tried learning Mandarin Chinese online (RIP loquella.com) when I was in high school. Even though I studied basic Mandarin Chinese in college, I was never really fluent in any of the languages I studied. Yes, I enjoyed learning about it but I never followed through with my lessons.

When I became a Korean anything fangirl, I came up with a brilliant idea to connect two of my interests: foreign languages and Korean stuff. How do I connect these? By studying Korean! And since I wanted to take it more seriously, I decided to enrol in a legit Korean class aka a class situated in a normal classroom setting.

WHERE TO ENROL?

There are a number of institutions within Metro Manila that offer Korean language classes. When I was looking for a class, I cut my options to my top 3 choices: Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, UP Diliman, or Ateneo de Manila University. I was torn between UP and ADMU because the former's classes would start earlier (which was what I wanted) while the latter was my university. It also helps that traveling to and from these schools isn't a problem for me! I scratched Korean Cultural Center off my list because the location is too far. In the end, I chose UP Diliman. I liked the time slots that UP offered better and the classes started a couple of weeks earlier than Ateneo. :)

You should take note that the classes these institutions offer are on a per batch basis, meaning, you can't enrol in the middle of a cycle. You should check the websites at least a month before your desired class so you'll know the enrolment schedule. I believe UP will open the registration for the January 2017 classes/cycle this December.

HOW IS IT LIKE?



I enrolled in a Korean 1 class at UP Diliman last January 2015... obviously the first cycle of the year. The tuition fee was PhP3500 and this already included the materials we would be using. Classes lasted for 10 weeks, 3hr sessions every Saturday. There were a lot of classes available for the Korean 1 class and I chose the 11am-2pm time slot because I didn't want to wake up too early on a weekend lol. There were about 15 people in the class and our 선생님(teacher) is Korean.

Korean Module 1 covered the basics of the Korean language -- how to read and write Korean characters, basic grammar rules (past and present tenses), date, time, numbers, basic vocabulary words (nouns, verbs, adjectives!), etc. We had quizzes and were given homework... although not necessarily on a weekly basis. We also had a final oral exam (can't remember if we had a final written exam??). There were also sessions where we had to do group skits in front of the class and converse in Korean lol.  Fun times, fun times. After 10 weeks, if you pass the class, you'll get a certificate.


After passing Korean 1, I immediately enrolled in a Korean Module 2 class. This was during the 2nd cycle of the year and classes were from May to July 2015. Some of my classmates from my Korean 1 class also enrolled and we all took the 8am-11am time slot. Korean 2 is more difficult than Korean 1 because it is expected that you already know the basics. Korean 2 tackled future tenses, more vocabulary words and more complicated sentence structures. Homework and quizzes were also given and we had a final written exam. It was best to come prepared to class every session because our teacher would randomly call students to recite. Thrilling!! Thankfully, I passed Korean 2! Korean 2 is definitely more difficult than Korean 1 so I was very grateful that I passed the module. Passing it also means I am qualified to enrol in the next module.

I haven't taken Korean Module 3 (UP Diliman offers Korean Modules 1-5) yet since I got busy and was focused on other priorities. I'm planning to take Korean 3 early 2017 though because I really do want to achieve my foreign languages/linguist goals (PASSION!!)! Before that, I have to study my Korean 1 and 2 lessons first... especially because my last Korean class was almost a year and a half ago :o

Just a note: Different teachers may have different requirements or activities so not every Korean Module class in UP will be like what I have just described. The lessons will be more or less the same though because of the materials.

WHAT DO I LIKE MOST ABOUT ENROLLING IN AN ACTUAL KOREAN LANGUAGE CLASS?



Let's do this in bullets!

• It pushed me to seriously study the language. If I studied online or at my own pace, life could get in the way and could make me neglect my lessons. Since enrolling in an actual class assumed that I would have student responsibilities, making excuses was not an option! Also, hello! I paid for this!! The quizzes and exams I had to study for also helped me be more serious and to take everything in more. 
• I made new friends! Most of my classmates also wanted to learn Korean because they were interested in Korean culture. Because of our same interests, it was not hard making friends in my classes. Take note that I literally didn't know anyone when I enrolled. Everyone was super friendly and approachable as well! I still get to hang out with my classmates every now and then actually.
• It gave me the opportunity to learn more about the Korean culture. My teachers would often give anecdotes or random facts about Korea during lessons. These are things I wouldn't have encountered if I proceeded with self-studying.