Nora Kurose

Korean Language Program Student

Hi Nora! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Since we’re immersing ourselves in Korean culture, I should start with my age! I am turning 40 this spring, and I am a healthcare consultant. I started studying Korean language and culture back in 2019, and I haven’t looked back since!

What made you first interested in learning Korean?

I stumbled upon my first k-drama – Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon – and it was so fun, but also fascinating! My family is Japanese-American, so I did not have a lot of familiarity with Korean culture, especially in modern pop culture. Everything was so different to me, but also warm and familiar somehow. After watching a few shows, I also became a BTS ARMY, and after that, I became more invested in wanting to truly study instead of just trying to learn the language from music and TV.

How did you learn about the Korean Center and our Korean Language Program?

It has been a while now, but if I recall correctly, I googled Korean Language Classes in San Francisco, and this was the top search result.

What has been your experience learning Korean with KCI?

It has been challenging, but also rewarding. I am not one of those people with a knack for languages, and although I studied other languages here and there, they never stuck. KCI classes have helped me to stay committed, engaged, and also make friends with other students. The teachers are all very dedicated to helping us learn, and they work very hard, so it actually makes me want to work harder in my own studies.

You won first place for the King Sejong Speaking Contest. Do you have any study tips for someone who wants to learn Korean?

For the contest in particular, I think I just thought about the prompt and tried to write and speak from the heart. My experience with Korean people and Korean culture is that sincerity is truly valued and respected, so I did my best to share how enriching this learning has been.

As far as study tips, I have two recommendations. The first is to always have some non-scholastic Korean culture exposure. Maybe it’s watching kdramas or variety shows, following Korean influencers on YouTube, listening to kpop, even playing a video game that has Korean voiceovers. It always helps when there’s something fun that exposes you to the language, and you can’t help but pick up new words and expressions. The second is to keep setting and resetting your Korean learning goals. My long-term goal is to one day be able to speak freely in Korean, in Korea, with Korean people. But my first goal was just to actually finish one semester of study! Giving yourself credit for every little step you take helps to remind you how far you’ve come, even if you have farther to go. 

After winning first place, you were invited to visit Korea by the King Sejong Institute Foundation. Have you visited Korea before? Could you tell me more about your time in Korea?

I have visited before, but this trip was very special and unlike any travel I’ve ever done before. We had experiences I would never be able to do on my own, from specialized language lessons with guest speakers, to a Tae Kwon Do lesson, to watching a Korean cultural heritage performance far outside of Seoul. We also got to see a fantastic show called The Painters, which was an amazing mix of art, dance, music, and – believe it or not – mime. We were taken through our busy schedule with kind and dedicated teachers, a guide for each group to share more about history and culture, and we had snacks and delicious food everywhere we went. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget.

How did studying with KCI prepare you for your trip to Korea? 

It certainly helped me get prepared for basic conversation with the teachers and other students, but I’ll be honest – I felt like my language skills were amongst some of the lowest of everyone there! And that’s okay, too. I was humbled and impressed by the Korean language talent I saw and heard in students from all around the world. They understood a lot more than I did, and helped me when I didn’t understand some of the instructions we were given. My lesson there is to never stop learning – and never stop studying, either!

How did visiting Korea impact your Korean studies? Do you feel like it improved your Korean? Do you feel more motivated to study more?

The trip was truly immersive, so it helped me a great deal to be listening, speaking, eating, and thinking in Korean for a week. If I wanted to make friends with anyone, I had to put myself out there and do my best in Korean, even though my skills were lacking. I definitely feel motivated to study more, and my 2024 new study habit is that I’ve started trying to learn one hanja a day for a while. Although I won’t be able to read them without a lot of additional work, I think this has already started to help me learn vocabulary, which has always been my weak point as a student.

What was your favorite thing about Korea?

 I would say that truly, Korean people are exceedingly kind and generous. Korean food is incredible (I had the best samgyetang ever, and that’s not even one of my favorite dishes!), there are so many beautiful sights to see, and also fun trendy things to do (like get an Ah-Ah even on a cold day). But everyone I met was truly happy to see me, a foreigner, trying to speak their language and learn more about their lives and their home. It made me want to work harder, to make it easier for them to understand me, because they worked so hard to make me feel welcome.