My K-Novella Obsession - 검사 프린세스

Yup...I'm going through a bit of a K-Novella obsession at the moment - especially since now the plot is finally getting juicy. So, obviously, as you guys know, I'm studying Korean right now and one of my tutors suggested that I watch Korean shows (without subtitles) to help with my listening comprehension. It seemed like a good idea, especially since I don't really have anyone in my close social circle who speaks Korean. 


Most of my friends and my boyfriend are Spanish, so there's no help there (I already speak passable Spanish). So, I went on www.bada.us and managed to catch a show at the very beginning of its first season - 검사 프린세스 (Prosecutor Princess). I only missed one or two shows, but 검사 프린세스 is about a privileged girl (Ma-Hye-Ri - who I will later just refer to as Hye Ri - also pictured in the show poster at left) who manages to pass the Korean version of the Bar and begins working in the prosecutor's office. At first she's at somewhat of a clerk position under the ultra yummy prosecutor Se-Joon...pause for yumminess... (no that's not Se-Joon in the pic - that's another guy who's part of the love square I mention below)


Okay, anyway Hye Ri is initially not really concerned with her job - and why should she be, she's privileged - living a life that the other prosecutors couldn't even begin to afford on a state salary. But eventually (and I forget the reason why because the first few episodes are honestly a tad bit silly) she becomes a full fledged prosecutor - but since she's been so flighty, the cases that are given to her are fluff. But eventually she takes herself (and her jobs) more seriously and proves that she really is the stuff that good attorneys/prosecutors are made of. 


I'm leaving a lot of the plot out just because, there's a whole love square going on as well as the usual dramatic shenannigans for a love/work drama such as this one. Even if you don't understand Korean (or much of it - as is my case with this show) you can pretty much glean a lot of what's going on from watching it. And there are sites that offer the shows with English subtitles. I'm just purposely not watching those versions so my Korean can improve. :) Of course, if you don't want to watch with subtitles, yet aren't understanding everything that's being said (like me) then I highly recommend that you follow up the shows with an awesome blog I came across a couple weeks ago - www.dramabeans.com. They give a full recap (in English!) for all the major K-Dramas (fyi: K-novella is just what I call it because after studying Spanish for so many years, their word for TV drama is "novella"). So, you won't miss out on anything - or in my case, you can confirm that what you thought you heard was right!


The Skinny:  검사 프린세스
When: **If you actually get SBS then it airs Wed & Thurs at 9:55pm local (Korea) time - otherwise you can check out sites like www.bada.us where the latest episodes are posted every Wed & Thurs
Recaps: www.dramabeans.com - just do a search for Prosecutor Princess, it takes a week sometimes for the latest recap to be posted 

My New Favorite Korean Learning Guide

Okay....unless you've been living under a rock and don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I'm studying Korean. This time last year, everyone was scratching their heads trying to understand why I would even try to learn a language where I had no real reason to (as opposed to say Japanese - or enhancing my passable Spanish skills). Fast forward to 2010 and now I do business with Korean entertainment firms - so apparently it wasn't such a bad idea for me to learn the language! Haha! ^_^

Anyway, the Korean learning curve has been a rocky one. At first my work schedule made it tiresome for me to make time for tutoring lessons or to study when I got home. Then my first tutor moved home to South Korea before returning to the States to go to school at the University of Minnesota. Then my 2nd tutor got too busy with classes at Columbia University's Business School to meet up with me anymore. And finally the third one was somewhat of a bust as we only met twice and he's going back to South Korea in May.

Finally I realized that much like learning to run my own business, if I wanted to learn to speak Korean, I was going to have to take it upon myself. So, I stumbled upon (no not through using Stumbleupon.com) a website that was developed by a (I'm assuming former) guy who used to work with KoreanClass101.com. If you're familiar with KC101 then you probably either really love it or are ambivilant to it. I'm ambivilant to the website but do like the iPhone apps!

Well the new website I found is called "www.TalkToMeInKorean.com" and is entirely different than KC101. First all the lessons are accessible without needing a membership and each one comes with a pdf and podcast that clearly outline what is being learned and how to apply it to regular conversation. And even better, they have these workbooks which help you to quiz yourself on how much you learned from the step by step lessons. I highly recommend this site if you're trying to ease into Korean. :)

And...in addition to that, I've also been spending a lot of time watching Korean TV to help my listening comprehension skills. My last tutor gave me a great site - bada.us which offers streams of all the popular Korean TV shows and movie trailers. I'm partial to the modern day dramas or "novellas" as I like to call them - for those of us familiar with the Spanish versions of soap operas. I'm partial to 검사 프린세스 ( which in Korean means "Kamsa Princess" or "Prosecuting Attorney Princess") which is the story of a well to do woman who (through her father's connections I'm guessing) lands a job working for the State as a prosecutor. Originally she's bratty and doesn't take her job seriously but as the show continues, she begins to mature. But the predictable soap opera-ish plot line is that she has a choice between two men - the silent/stern but well meaning co-worker who she has a crush on (who is a hottie) and her childhood friend who likes her but she doesn't like "in that way".

Anyway...I definitely recommend bada.us (especially since there are no subtitles like on CrunchyRoll.com) and TalkToMeInKorean.com because it clearly explains everything!

감사합니다!!!

한국어 Begins Again!!!!

Alright...

So, the saga with my Korean lessons has finally come to an end. Sadly, two weeks ago, my original Korean tutor returned to S. Korea since he realized that he couldn't afford college after being accepted to SUNY Buffalo. I know, a serious fml moment.

But, after two weeks of searching, I found a Korean tutor who speaks good English! Yayyyy. We met yesterday and after some directional issues (didn't realize the Columbia U area was so spread out), we finally met up. Even better, we'll be doing a lot of virtual sessions via skype. So, I'm really psyched because now I will be taking my Korean lessons much more seriously and hopefully soon, I'll be speaking it fluently! :)

Another Multi Post Day! - the 헌국어 Sh*t Hits the Fan :-/

Sigh.....

So, my Korean tutor finally got into an American college like he wanted to - SUNY Buffalo. Yayyyy right? Nope.

So, either way, he would have left the city and I would have had to find another tutor...but it turns out he didn't realize that u need $ to attend college here. So, he got the acceptance letter, but then realized that he didn't have the $ to afford it. I know...an fml.com moment right? So, instead of him leaving for Buffalo in the fall, he's leaving for South Korea --- NEXT WEEK!

Yike-rs...now I have to find another tutor...or find someone who can help him figure out the financial aid issue when your an international student...either way, it's an fml moment.

Korean Tutor Update (한국어 산생)

Crisis averted!

My tutor is just going home for a month. He hasn't been home to see his family since like January of 2008...Although I'll probably still have to find a good tutor while he's gone though!

And with that good kids...I'm off to bed! :)