Blog

March 19, 2010 | Korean

Early Spring, with Foreign-Language Encounters

In which I encounter people walking around in the sunshine speaking different languages.

Yesterday and today were around 70 degrees. Tomorrow will be more of the same. A beautiful and premature spring. This morning I wanted to go for a run, but for some reason found myself strangely indecisive about audio accompaniment: would it…

March 20, 2010 | Korean

I Need to Go Faster!

I am running out of time.

I am in a race against time and language ignorance. I need to learn way more Korean between now and March 31. That is 12 days. My current status: not good. It is morning, and I am about to do lesson 9, Pimsleur…

March 22, 2010 | Korean

It’s Harder to Study After Half-Marathons

In which I discover that racing 13.1 miles does not, in fact, enhance my language-learning abilities.

Yesterday I woke up shortly after 5:00 a.m., ate breakfast, put on running clothes, and jogged over to Central Park for the start of the NYC Half-Marathon. It was my first race of that distance in 11 years, on an amazing…

March 23, 2010 | Korean

Dilemma: Which Languages to Include?

I want to add languages to the schedule, but my eyes are bigger than my brain.

For the first half of the day, I was not entirely functional, as I was still tired from my half-marathon on Sunday, but I worked on more Korean Pimsleur and didn’t do all that terribly. I got through lesson 11 …

March 24, 2010 | Korean

Nice Weather, Lost Hats, and Korean Writing

In which I experience strange word associations.

With Pimsleur, words and phrases you learn in early lessons tend, after lying dormant for a while, to resurface in later ones. When I am asked to recall things from past lessons, I have noticed that surprising non-verbal memories sometimes…

March 25, 2010 | Korean

I’m Running the New York City Marathon. Maybe.

I get sucked back into the giant marathon machine.

Today I was officially admitted to the ranks of New York City Marathon registrants for 2010. I got the good news shortly after my morning run. There had over the past few days been a bit of a snafu involving whether…

March 26, 2010 | Korean

Korean Pimsleur: Status Report

I am falling further and further behind.

Things are continuing to look pretty grim for my goal of finishing all 60 available Pimsleur Korean lessons by April 1. I tried hard today, but I guess Korean tried harder. Part of my problem is that I kept falling asleep during…

March 27, 2010 | Korean

I Barely Left the Apartment

In which I complete four Pimsleur lessons, yet do not lose my mind.

Today was an all-Pimsleur kind of day: Level II lessons 17, 18, 19, and 20, with two repeats per lesson. I now have 10 lessons left for the four remaining days of March.  I didn’t leave the apartment today, except to get a…

March 28, 2010 | Korean

Four Miles, Three Pimsleur Lessons, No Nap

I run a race and then study. A lot.

Today was another marathon Pimsleur day. I finished three more Level II lessons, 21 through 23. I am pretty wiped out. Seven Pimsleur lessons in two days is a lot of Pimsleur. Especially Korean Pimsleur! I am getting through these lessons by…

March 30, 2010 | Korean

Korean Pimsleur: Finished!

A day-long downpour keeps me inside and focused on my Korean cram session.

It is 4:11 p.m. as I write these words, and I have shocked myself by finishing Korean Pimsleur a day and a half early.  Yep, lessons 24 and 25 yesterday, twice each, and then a marathon Pimsleur session today, starting at 7…