Korean Language Learning

Seoul’s Student Ghetto is Unbeatable

By Sheila D’Souza

A peaceful garden in the metropolis of Seoul, South Korea.

With four large universities within walking distance of the center of Sinchon — one of the main districts of Seoul — you could be forgiven for thinking that you had arrived in a student ghetto. This is particularly true when regular classes are in session and the streets of Sinchon seem about to collapse at their frayed seams under the weight of the throngs. Sinchon is not pretty — there are no idyllic rice paddies or crystal streams tinkling merrily in the background — but it is exciting and about as “authentic” an experience of the real Korea as you will find anywhere in Seoul.

Sogang Univ. is one of the top universities in Korea, and its language program is easily in the top three in the country. The program is intense, very rigorous, and has really well-trained teachers. After one week in Level 1, you can read “hangul” (Korean script), and your confidence is soaring. In the second week, the hammer comes down and there is homework like you thought you would never see again: worksheets, workbooks, listening exercises (the texts all come with CDs), and long vocabulary lists demanding to be memorized.

At around midterm time I suddenly realized that I actually understood Korean. There is no way you will finish even Level 1 and not be able to read and minimally communicate with Koreans. This makes contact with your ajumma, the inevitably middle-aged female owner of your boarding house, much more pleasant. While ajummas are famous throughout Korea for their toughness, being able to speak a little with at least your own ajumma will prove that she has a soft side too. She might even make your favorite dish more often for dinner.

If you already know some Korean, it is possible to join various club activities at the university itself (basketball, tae kwon do, etc). What a brilliantly natural way that is to improve your Korean!

Sheila D’Souza is working on a master’s degree at Sogang Univ. in East Asian studies. Prior to this time, she was in Japan for five years teaching English.