How many Korean worlds do you know? I know about a 1000.

I've been saying the wrong word for the word 'word' for the past 4 months.

Lots of stares and 'huhs?' from students and friends alike.

My study buddy (yes, I have a study buddy) informed me today that the word I've been using for 'word' is actually the word for 'world.'

Can you imagine?

"What's this world mean?"
"How many worlds are there?"
"I don't know that world."
"What's this world in English?"

I'll be honest - at the beginning of the week, I was kinda bummed about the whole language learning process. It's long, arduous, and you feel like you're never getting anywhere. It feels like you fail at every conversation you try to create or participate in, because things always end up resorting back to English or silence.

I did some analyzing this week, trying to figure out why exactly I'm learning Korean.

I've realized, as with Spanish, that I will never perfect at it. I will never speak it like a native, and there will always be something tripping me up, or some expression or word I don't quite get. However, I constantly have to remind myself that the point is not to be Korean or to be Spanish/Latin American. I've come to realize that the point is to just see how far I can get, and enjoy the ride, no matter how long or short it may be.

This week, I learned some important concepts:
1. How to say "I know how to..." + "Do you know how to...?"
2. How to say "I _____ for _____ hours/minutes/years/etc." + "I _____ during _______"
3. How to correctly say the words for 'word' and 'world'
4. I will never be anything but American, and I'm fine with that.

Lots of people get frustrated with languages, and give up eventually. Although I've felt like that often, I've always stayed focused on the fact that it's a lot like making sand castles: If you just make a sand castle once, eventually the waves will totally destroy it. But, if you keep building it and building it constantly, no matter how much the waves take, it will eventually become a permanent fixture on the beach.

Well, it's kinda like that. Sorta.