안녕 = Annyeong !!!

안녕!!! = I Belong!

안녕 =  Annyeong means….

1. How are you?

2. Hi!

3. Hello!

4. Good day! Good morning! Good afternoon! Good evening!

5. Goodbye!

*Annyeong (adult saying to kids/young person)

*Annyeong Hasseyo (same age/level of profession)

*Annyeong Hashimnika (young person to higher authority as a sign of respect say this to the parents, old folks, employer, teacher, Royal family, police, person in higher rank)

 

South Korea's alphabet is called "Hangul". There are three kinds of pattern in speaking korean language. When you are talking with younger than you are, your same age and person older than you or the higher authority (King, Police, Teachers, Higher officials, etc.). Hangul is a phonemic alphabet organized into syllabic blocks. Each block consists of at least two of the 24 Hangul letters with at least one each of the 14 consonants and 10 vowels. These syllabic blocks can be written horizontally from left to right as well as vertically from top to bottom in columns from right to left. Originally, the alphabet had several additional letters.

I have been studying Korean language since January of 2007. Actually, it was funny and yet interesting as I was enrolled in the Public Elementary School in Anseong City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea (from Seoul it takes about one hour to get there). It may sound weird studying together with the first grade pupils. Well…  yeah~ though it doesn’t matter because somehow I was learning from them and so were they…

My first day in class was really funny because every one was looking at me. I was nervous then, as I thought whether I looked pretty or ugly in their eyes LOL. Perhaps, they only would like to make friends with me but they didn't know how to approach me . They couldn't speak any english aside from hello and hi. But then, I realized that they were just curious about a foreigner like me of how I eat, move, speak and think.

As the days went on, they had a chance to chat with me. Although, they were afraid to speak in English. I found myself, reaching out to them speaking in Korean so we could communicate easily. Later on, they had tried their best to speak in English or Konglish (Korean-English mixed like Taglish in Filipino term) with me because they said I was interesting to be with. I played with them during our free time in school.

I was even surprised when, everyone wanted to sit beside me during the lecture and every meal time. We ate lunch in school and I was lucky that my school supplies, meal and fresh milk everyday were all subsidized. Whenever we had a group activity in class, they always wanted me to be part of their team. Some of the children, were even jealous if I decided not to join other team. The children invited me to visit them in their house just to play and chat with them. Some of them, invited me to attend their birthday parties, While, most of them, wanted me to meet their families and friends. It was a fun experience to study basic Korean with the kids. It is simply because I felt the sincerity, hospitality and friendliness of everyone which made me felt like I was at home.  

A few months after, I had gained many friends (from all walks of life LOL). They were asking me to teach their children. I knew for a fact, that teaching ESL for children was not that easy for me there. I would loved to teach adults though.. So I decided to choose my students wisely based on age level and their english skills/ abilities. 

Until now, I still have communication with them via yahoo chat, facebook, friendster and skype. It is indeed difficult to make friends... specially to find a genuine friendship that would last a lifetime. They told me that, they're so grateful for meeting me because they're not shy to learn english when I was their teacher. As they could express themselves and they're not worried to speak bad english with me because they're comfortable. 

At first, I doubted my teaching skills and knowledge of the basic grammar, however, I was able to overcome my fear and insecurities. I just thought that these people have faith in me. They trusted me because they believed that I was capable of teaching them. They never think of qualification/s or whatever for as long as I can speak in English with an american accent. 

Eventually, I was able to come up with a teaching plan/syllabus through my unending patience in research and passion on teaching privately. Not only that I had gained so many true concern friends in my neighborhood (Samsung Condominium but they called it apartment), but I also became part of their family or circle. I belong...

  

Life is like a journey

       



I would like to share this very inspiring post/article by Shannon Spaunburg, entitled "Life Is A Journey".

Life Is A Journey

Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth; in fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges.

Some of these challenges will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that will come between the paths that we are destined to take. In order to follow the right path, we must overcome these obstacles. Sometimes these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, only we don't realize that at the time.

Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. How we react to what we are faced with determines what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like.

When things don't always go our way, we have two choices in dealing with the situations. We can focus on the fact that things didn't go how we had hoped they would and let life pass us by, or two, we can make the best out of the situation and know that these are only temporary setbacks and find the lessons that are to be learned.

Time stops for no one, and if we allow ourselves to focus on the negative we might miss out on some really amazing things that life has to offer. We can't go back to the past, we can only take the lessons that we have learned and the experiences that we have gained from it and move on. It is because of the heartaches, as well as the hardships, that in the end help to make us a stronger person.

The people that we meet on our journey, are people that we are destined to meet. Everybody comes into our lives for some reason or another and we don't always know their purpose until it is too late. They all play some kind of role. Some may stay for a lifetime; others may only stay for a short while.

It is often the people who stay for only a short time that end up making a lasting impression not only in our lives, but in our hearts as well. Although we may not realize it at the time, they will make a difference and change our lives in a way we never could imagine. To think that one person can have such a profound affect on your life forever is truly a blessing. It is because of these encounters that we learn some of life's best lessons and sometimes we even learn a little bit about ourselves.

People will come and go into our lives quickly, but sometimes we are lucky to meet that one special person that will stay in our hearts forever no matter what. Even though we may not always end up being with that person and they may not always stay in our life for as long as we like, the lessons that we have learned from them and the experiences that we have gained from meeting that person, will stay with us forever.

It's these things that will give us strength to continue on with our journey. We know that we can always look back on those times of our past and know that because of that one individual, we are who we are and we can remember the wonderful moments that we have shared with that person.

Memories are priceless treasures that we can cherish forever in our hearts. They also enables us to continue on with our journey for whatever life has in store for us. Sometimes all it takes is one special person to help us look inside ourselves and find a whole different person that we never knew existed. Our eyes are suddenly opened to a world we never knew existed- a world where time is so precious and moments never seem to last long enough.

Throughout this adventure, people will give you advice and insights on how to live your life but when it all comes down to it, you must always do what you feel is right. Always follow your heart, and most importantly never have any regrets. Don't hold anything back. Say what you want to say, and do what you want to do, because sometimes we don't get a second chance to say or do what we should have the first time around.

It is often said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. It all depends on how one defines the word "strong" It can have different meanings to different people. In this sense, "stronger" means looking back at the person you were and comparing it to the person you have become today. It also means looking deep into your soul and realizing that the person you are today couldn't exist if it weren't for the things that have happened in the past or for the people that you have met. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason and sometimes that means we must face heartaches in order to experience joy.