Beijing Here I Come!!

It has been a hectic past couple of weeks. Musical rehearsals are on full throttle. It is coming together quite well, and the show is quickly selling out. It is mostly good to be getting back in to dancing and acting, something I was afraid I wouldn't have the opportunity to do over here. However, the most rewarding part about the musical is being able to do it for our church and for missions and to tell the magnificent story of Joseph and his colorful coat.

Referring to the above title; I was accepted into the Yale-PKU joint program. This means that I will not be at Yale next year. I will be doing my sophomore year in Beijing. I am very excited. A new language, a new culture, and new horizons to continue with myriad kinds of growth. It will also be nice to get back into an academically challenging environment with Yale classes. I am particularly excited about the fall term class called Religions of China, a class that will incorporate field trips to religious centers near Beijing, including mosques, temples, and churches. I know China will be my most eye-opening sojourn yet.

I had my midterms, and they were decent. Somewhat lackluster compared to my previous terms where I did quite well, but then I again I didn't have as much on my plate as I do now. However, Korean language-wise things are going great. This musical is giving me so many more opportunities to actually use everything I have learned in the classroom. For example, today during my oral exam, my teacher said I was spot on with pretty much everything, particularly pronunciation and fluidity, except for the incredibly pedantic things that are forced on us in the classroom that will seldom, if ever, be used out in the real world. So regardless of my final grade this term, which will for sure be at least passing and most likely in the above average range, I am very satisfied with my level of Korean. To be completely honest, and this is my usual approach to language study, I am not studying as thoroughly for the tests as I maybe should. This is completely on purpose, however; I like to use these tests as a measuring device of my actual Korean and not how much I can memorize short-term for the test, which tends to be the case with most instances when learning a language in the classroom. I am very practical with my learning, particularly when it comes to language and very long-term. And I believe I have set down a more than proficient foundation to continue learning Korean in the long-term sense.

A testament to this approach of mine with language, which may also have to do with certain natural ability, is my recent use of German as well. There is a Korean girl in the musical who grew up in Germany whom which I have been talking up the German--the language I never get to practice, and it is all there! It always worries me, but it is there. But that is because when was in Germany I focused very practically on a practical foundation for the language, with a realistic goal of having it be a long life process of incessant learning. The first thing to learn in a language, to truly be able to communicate on any level, is what I call a language's melody. Each language has a different one, and is what determines how the language is exchanged and understood. I know people who have studied a language for years, but because they never got the melody down, no one ever understands what they are saying. More than mere memorization, language study is pure mimicry. An act of mimicry that comes out of a primal necessity to survive, the main reason I find it so important to not waste any time learning a language if I don't have the opportunity to be completely immersed in the culture. Also, the mere nature of mystery is appealing to me, not knowing things and constantly being like a child learning knew things is exhilarating. Also, you will remember something long-term if there is some sort of event attached to it, rather than just having memorized it from a page. Although doing the latter with the former helps even more. All I am saying is that to really achieve fluidity and particularly the all-too-important melody of the language, learning like a child is key; something that is only made possible by study abroad and the willingness to look stupid often, which has never been a problem for me.

On that note, I am planning on staying in Korea through September, or at least August. To truly get to be 100% in the real world and not in the linguistically padded walls of Sogang. I have learned all I need to know in the classroom, for now at least, but now it is time to actually time to get out there and apply all the theory to the real world and keep building real linguistic muscle memory and reflexes. I will be moving to the south part of Seoul and volunteer for the church I have been attending and get involved in several ministries. I am very glad that I have opted out of the "build my future/career" option this summer, for a more introspective summer of spiritual growth, something I will couple with a lot of nature and rock climbing, ideally. And of course the polishing of the Korean language. Korea has truly become a huge turning point for me, and I am very excited for what lies ahead. More news to come, and hopefully some pictures sooner than later. Greetings to all.