On a recent cold winter evening Nodutdol member Lilian Lee sat down with Korean Language Program student Wales Khoo to ask him about his experiences learning Korean.

L. Lee: How long have you been taking Nodutdol’s Korean classes?

Wales: This is my second year of taking Nodutdol’s Korean classes, I’m currently in my fifth semester.

L. Lee: Wow, so that’s why your Korean is so good!

Wales: Well, it’s getting there, with help from my teachers…

L. Lee: Speaking of teachers, which teacher would you recommend?

Wales: I’ve had three teachers and every one of them was very good. I wouldn’t choose one over the other, they all have different styles and personalities.

L. Lee: You’re very diplomatic, but I would agree, all of our Korean class teachers are very talented! By the way, I heard you speak five other languages, what are they?

Wales: Yes, I speak Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese and English.

L. Lee: And now you can add Korean to that list, that’s very impressive. In your opinion, which language is the most difficult to learn?

Wales: Right now I would say Korean because I don’t have the opportunity to practice it in my everyday life.

L. Lee: There are so many Korean classes being taught in New York City, why did you choose Nodutdol’s Korean class?

Wales: I decided to take Nodutdol’s Korean class because of my friendship with different Nodutdol members. I got to know some members and was introduced to the organization and its work, so I wanted to support Nodutdol by taking Korean classes.

L. Lee: What are some interesting things that you have learned in class?

Wales: For me, taking Korean class is not just about learning Korean language, but it is also about learning about Korean culture. For example, the other day in class I learned that Koreans consider it bad manners to hold your bowl while you are eating. When I go to my Korean friends’ house for dinner I will remember this so that I don’t exhibit bad manners! In addition, I’ve realized that different languages sometimes share similar pronunciations, but words can mean something completely different! So it’s important to learn the different meanings so that you don’t end up offending other people. Honestly, this class is different from any other class I’ve ever taken. People in the class treat each other like family, and there is no competition. Classmates will often share articles with me about Korea, which I find very interesting. In class, I enjoy the diversity of activities that we do. For example we do speed games, we’ve learned how to sing different Korean songs and have gone on a field trip to noraebang (karaoke) to practice singing them, and we go out to eat dinner together. Even though we don’t have exams for a final grade, the teachers care about our progress and make sure we have a solid understanding of what they are teaching us.

L. Lee: Thanks for your time Wales, is there anything else that you would like to say?

Wales: Eventually I would like to use Korean for my work (Wales is a mental health provider and works with Asians living in NYC); I would like to speak Korean with my patients, but I have found out that learning Korean is not as simple as I thought it would be.

About Nodutdol eNews

Nodutdol eNews is the monthly e-mail newsletter of Nodutdol.Through grassroots organization and community development, Nodutdol seeks to bridge divisions created by war, nation, gender, sexual orientation, language, classes and generation among Koreans and to empower our community to address the injustice we and other people of color face here and abroad. Nodutdol works in collaboration with other progressive organizations locally, nationally and internationally as part of a larger movement for peace and social change.

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