Hello! It has been a while since I've posted something as I was busy with studying for my Korean proficiency exam TOPIK 1. I finally took it today and yes it is done (for now).
It was rather surreal to be sitting in an examination hall, faced with a Korean exam script because I would have never thought that I would be doing this even one year ago. Signing up for the test itself was rather impulsive because I felt that at that point of time, I needed something to challenge myself with.
Before I even started studying Korean language, I did seek some opinions of people around me whether I should be studying Korean in the first place. Reasons why I should not study it was rather compelling - no practical usage, not going Korea to study, waste of time, will just give up after a while etc. To be honest, I was a little discouraged then when I heard all these and it kinda resisted me from signing up for any courses. However, looking back, I am definitely not regretting my decision and bravery for jumping out of my comfort zone and pursuing an interest even if there are no obvious tangible and practical benefits to it.
Learning a new language has been a fruitful journey (still learning humbly because there's just wayyyy too much to learn :)) and I'm thankful for this experience because it has humbled me in many ways. It has taught me how to appreciate Korean cultural better, watch Korean cartoons and actually laughing at their korean dialogues etc. I don't even know where to begin to explain the little joys during this learning journey. Of course, the journey has not been entirely smooth sailing - there were times where I questioned my sanity as to why I am even learning Korean and times where I felt that I should give up when things got tough. However, I'm glad I've persevered and I hope that I would be able to continue to do so!
Apart from these little nuggets of joy, I would also like to encourage anyone to just go ahead and pursue your interests. Really. There will always be aunties, uncles, friends (whoever you can think of) who would discourage you from going for something you want just because they are limited by their world view. But hey, we are only limited by what we limit ourselves to right? The world is bigger than whatever we can comprehend and although it is scary, it is ok to push ourselves out of our comfort zones sometimes. Perhaps you would be able to discover something greater out there and get to know that you are capable of much bigger things.
This would be a reminder to myself that when I am learning something new, do not let naysayers deter you. Don't give in to your insecurities, we are meant to push the invisible boundaries that we thought restricted us. However, as we adopt the growth mindset, there is really nothing we cannot do (legal things ah). I'm not here to brag about the achievement or what, just really want to share and encourage everyone to take the leap of faith and do whatever you have always wanted to do. Be it drawing, dancing, a new sport etc, just do it! You will never know what you could ever achieve unless you try to do it :)
Another take away is that we don't necessary have to do something that is productive or practical. Life is more than being a output machine and we are more than being just measured by what we could contribute. Granted, learning this new language does not have any tangible benefits - it does not help me with my line of work, neither would it help with my daily lives, but what I've gained is a new perspective to this world, an enjoyment of a beautiful language and most importantly, watching K-drama without subtitles eventually. hehe. Don't let people's yardstick be our yardsticks. I guess we are all used to living the prim and proper life and follow the life charted out for us. However, we would never be able to discover the wild flowers blooming at the corner of the sidewalk if we decide not to be courageous and venture.
In life, there will always be tons of people giving you advice whether you asked for it or not. E.g. When to get a bf, when to get married, how to give birth, how to feed the child, how many children you have, how you should be a female, how you should dress etc. IMO, just screw it. This is our lives and we ought to be focused and live authentically and genuinely. Take the good advice and filter out the useless chatter. Live freely :)
Alright, that's all for the random and rather out of point blog post that went from Korean test to life LOL. I'm excited about how things would turn out and I really can't wait for the day that I would be able to watch K-drama without subtitles :) 화아팅!
