I don't think it's any secret that I have a slight addiction to K-pop. I have a Youtube playlist entitled "K-pop Guilty Pleasures" and my friends frequently have to listen to me rant about my latest obsession. However, besides giving me something new to listen to (and attractive men to look at!), K-pop videos have actually opened up a new world for me. They've helped me to expand my cultural knowledge and have inspired me to take the first steps to learning a new language.
Reading some of the comments on the many videos I watch gives me a very minuscule insight into Korean culture. For example, the words "oppa", "saranghae", "hwaiting", and "daebak" appear frequently (usually followed by lots of hearts or exclamation points). Out of sheer curiosity and the desire to not look like a n00b, I look up words like these on Urban Dictionary and, after sorting through some of the more *ahem* colorful definitions, learn what they mean. (In case you're wondering, "oppa" is what fangirls usually call the male band members they like, "saranghae" means "I love you", "hwaiting" is a term of support for a band or group, and "daebak" is something like "awesome").
It's amazing what knowing a few new words can do for your confidence. Learning these words lit the spark that drove me to start learning the Korean language, hangul. And since the Internet is so awesome, I don't have to spend money on textbooks, flashcards, or a professor's salary; I learn at my own pace, in my own way.
Using a couple free learning sites, music videos with on-screen lyrics, and English-subbed Korean TV shows (like Dream High), I've been able to learn the Korean alphabet and I've started expanding my vocabulary. I follow one of my favorite K-pop stars (Ok Taecyeon of 2pm) on Twitter and I've recently been able to read and understand a few words from his tweets. It's not much, but I feel pretty good about it!
I think it's cool that we've entered into an age where we don't have to go through the traditional steps to learn something new. With the Internet, we've got the whole world at our fingertips and there is nothing stopping us from picking up a new language, learning how to do a backflip, or taking on a challenging new recipe. We can begin a new adventure at any stage in life, whether we're in school or not, and I think that's pretty exciting. I guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks!
I hope to continue learning hangul and maybe someday move on to other Asian dialects as well. As long as I've got a functioning brain and an Internet connection, I'll be filling my head with new knowledge (and probably some adorable cat GIFs as well). So stay thirsty for knowledge, my friends! And don't be afraid to gain that knowledge in a creative way because, as we're always told, the journey can be just as fun as the destination. Saranghaeyo! <3
