Laila Simone Robinson
ULG
What language did you study and why?
I studied Korean this past summer. The one thing that has remained a constant factor in my university experience is my dedication to the Korean language. It is the course that I work my entire schedule around because if there is anything that I absolutely want to accomplish before graduation, it is fluency in the Korean language. My interest in the language stems from an affinity for Korean media, specifically Korean variety shows. Now that I plan to work in the Korean entertainment industry as a costume designer, being able to speak Korean will serve as a valuable skill to connect the narratives of American and Korean culture.
What program did you attend and why did you choose it?
The Korean Intensive Language Program was an immersive language program hosted in Cheongju South Korea by American Councils. Apart from the intensive language study, being designated a language partner sparked my interest. Two times a week, we met with our assigned language partners to complete homework and converse together. Almost always, most of our group would go out together to cafes and restaurants to continue the conversation. Also, each week we went on cultural excursions that exposed us to both modern and traditional aspects of Korean culture. These felt like fun field trips to get us learning outside of the classroom.
Describe your experience doing summer language study. Was it tricky? How do you think your language skills improved?
This experience put me on the road of feeling exponentially more comfortable in engaging in dialogue using the Korean language. One of my points of improvement before I participated in this program was the need to strengthen my conversational and presentational skills. At first, when I was amongst the language partners who were all talking at each other in boisterous conversation, it was incredibly difficult to follow the conversation, much less trying to insert my own thoughts and opinions in the language. However, after allowing myself to relax and not worry about catching every single word, my comprehension skills started to improve. Knowing that I have the ability to casually engage/listen in conversation, this translates to me having more ease when presenting in Korean. In addition, my reading skills (speed and comprehension) have also improved exponentially. This has allowed me to move at a faster and more appropriate pace to match my classmates when engaging with the Korean language in context of news, literature, and movies.
Did intensive summer language study change or solidify any of your future goals? If so, how?
It absolutely did! After being abroad in South Korea for 8 weeks through KISLP, I know that in order to maintain my language skills, I need to fully immerse myself in the culture by living in South Korea. I was so sure that I chose to spend my last quarter at NU abroad in South Korea studying in the Clothing and Textiles department at Yonsei University. Not only will I be living in the language, but I will also be surrounded by peers in a similar field to my costume design background so that I can start networking to find a career in the costume design or fashion industry in South Korea!
Do you have any tips or advice for students similar to you that are interested in pursing intensive language study?
Make a fun reward/punishment system with your language-learning friends that encourages you all to speak the language outside of classes. For example, if you or one of your friends speak in anything other than your target language, you put your name in a “jar”; whoever has their name appear the least in the jar gets treated to dinner by the group; whoever has their name appear the most in the jar must wear a shirt with an embarrassing meme in the target language for a whole day. Having something that motivates you all to utilize the language as much as possible, even if it’s a little silly, will make language learning much more fun- plus you will be become more comfortable in casually speaking the language!
What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Anything Junie B. Jones 🙂