Want to Learn Korean? Some online resources...

Watching "Yes Man" my first year here in Korea was good motivation. I was really impressed with how well Jim Carrey could speak Korean even though he probably hadn't really learned it before.

Besides watching "Yes Man" and Korean movies and dramas, I've benefited from a lot of different online resources to help me learn Korean, many of which are free. I thought I would share them here (in no particular order):

Free Resources
Sogang University: Includes lessons from Beginner to Intermediate level and a useful introduction to Korean history, culture, and language. Each lesson includes: a dialogue (usually animated), listening or reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar practice.

www.koreanclass101.com: A free lifetime account gives you access to audio lessons. Other free resources include "Word of the Day" and Vocabulary lists. You can upgrade to other options.

Intermediate College Korean: This course provides lessons at the Intermediate level, each with audio text, grammar and vocabulary practice.

Seoul National University, Korean Language Education Center: Includes lessons with animated dialogue, vocabulary, and grammar, offering a basic introduction to Korean.

Talk To Me In Korean: Talk To Me In Korean has lots of free video and podcast lessons and PDF files. The lessons are about both culture and language.

Youtube: There are also lots of resources that can be found on youtube, mostly for beginners. Type in "Learn Korean" and you will find them.

Paid Resources
Yonsei University Korean Language Institute: Yonsei online offers six courses from the Beginner to Advanced level. Each course costs $100 (USD), is one month long, and has 20 lessons (one lesson a day five days/week). The lessons take about an hour to complete. Each lesson includes an animated dialogue, explanation by a teacher, and vocabulary and grammar practice.

www.koreanlesson.net: I haven't actually used this but have suggested to others who cannot attend courses and want to have interaction with a real live teacher. It looks like one of the best sites offering lessons by Skype.

Happy Studying! Aja! Aja! Aja!

"Jim Carrey speaking Korean in "Yes Man"

The Prayer of Peace

Yesterday, I was part of a group of people from around the world who read the "Prayer of Peace" to commemorate the first day of 2011.

The Prayer was originally presented by Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations on August 28th, 2000.

It suggests that we recognize the Earth as our common home and express the "true nature" that exists inside all of us (regardless of our religion, race, or country of origin) to create peace.

I climbed the mountain behind our university in the morning and read the prayer there. The old fort at the top of the mountain has been opened for visitors, so I had a great view of our university, Cheonan city, and the surrounding countryside.






Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2011 for all!

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The Prayer of Peace

I offer this prayer of peace
Not to the Christian God
Nor to the Buddhist God
Nor to the Islamic God
Nor to the Jewish God
But to the God of all humanity

For the peace that we wish for
Is Not a Christian peace
Nor a Buddhist peace
Nor an Islamic peace
Nor a Jewish peace
But a human peace
For all of us.

I offer this prayer of peace
To the God that lives within all of us
That fills us with happiness and joy
To make us whole
And help us understand life
As an expression of love for all human beings

For no religion can be better
Than any other religion
For no truth can be truer
Than any other truth
For no nation can be bigger
Than the earth itself.

Help us all go beyond
Our small limits
And realize that we are one
That we are all from the earth.
That we are all earth people
before we are Indians, Koreans, or Americans

God made the earth
We humans have to make it prosper
By realizing that we are of the earth
And not of any nation, race, or religion.
By knowing that we are truly one
In our spiritual heritage.

Let us now apologize
to all humanity
For the hurt that religions have caused
So that we can heal the hurt
Let us now promise to one another
To go beyond egotism and competition
To come together as one in God.

I offer this prayer of peace
To you the almighty
To help us find you within all of us
So that we may stand proudly one day before you
As one humanity.
I offer this prayer of peace
With all my fellow earth people
For a lasting peace on earth.