Kimchi Mamas

Resources for Learning Korean

I have made various half-assed attempts to learn Korean in the past, but somehow my motivation always fizzled out. Then a few months ago, I realized my daughter was much more interested in learning Korean when I studied along with her. I haven't found a class nearby, although I hope to enroll in one when we move into L.A. this summer. In the meantime, I've learned hangeul, and I've been watching lots of Kdramas for listening comprehension practice.

There are so many free resources for learning Korean on the Internet right now. You can watch Kdramas with English subtitles at My Soju,  Vikii and Drama Fever.(Alas, most Kdramas aren't really suitable for children, although I did teach my daughter the 3 Bears song from Full House.) There's an amazing collection of vocabulary slideshows on Youtube produced by Korean Class 101. Here's one that teaches the colors:

This video helped me learn Korean phonics and pronunciation.

We've also used this series with my daughter. I recommend it, with a couple of caveats. 1) It's all in Korean, even the menu, and 2) it's a teeny bit annoying after a while. But it's well-designed and engaging for very young kids.

If you know of any other materials or Internet resources, I'd love to hear about them.

--Weigook Saram

Join our Group on Savvy Source!

If you can please direct your attention to the birdie on the right side of the page, we now have an online community where we can truly have two-way conversations!

I look forward to setting up meet-ups, securely sharing info on our Kimchi babies' development, and just talking and swapping tips with each other.

Just click on the birdie, set up an account with Savvy Source or use your Facebook login (that's what I did), and join Kimchi Mamas!  See you there!

Extra bonus: Inspired by Mary's post last week, we will donate $1 for every person who signs up to a charity that helps North Korean families.

North Korea Uncovered

Interesting article from WSJ on line about uncovering North Korea through Google Earth.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124295017403345489.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

At the event at Stanford that I wrote about, Mr. Shin used Google Earth to show us where Camp No. 14 was... as well as another camp near the northern border where a friend of his was held.  It was eye opening to say the least.  Made his story so much more real.

In the slideshow in the article above, there is one aerial picture of mass graves... of the victims of the "Arduous March."  That's how North Korea refers to the famine that reportedly killed between 1-3 million people.

OO-RAH!

Anyone care to sign up with me? (Yes, I realize this is a relatively old article. I've been meaning to blog about it for... *ahem*... awhile.)

In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession

Photo courtesy of Seokyong Lee for The New York Times 

Despite my self-imposed hiatus from commenting and blogging lately: Hello, my name is Janet (aka Halfmama) and I am an Internet junkie.

From the coconut wireless to you: Alltop.com has all your favorite stories covered

People born in Hawaii, we've got a network thing going on, so when Hawaii's-own Guy Kawasaki  dropped me a line to say that he had launched his new service, I hopped over to take a look, and I liked.

Last year, Kawasaki caused a buzz in the mom blog world (and the tech world for reasons that will soon become clear) by publishing his ultimate list of mom blog must-reads on his personal blog. My blog CityMama and Kimchi Mamas were included in his original list and we are in very good company. Since then, the mom blog list has migrated over to his new service, Alltop.com (beta). And not only that, Alltop.com aggregates "all the top stories...all the time." (Want to know more? Click this highlighted text.)

If you are interested in celeb gossip or politics or gaming or fashion or geeky stuff, the top posts in lots of different genres are covered all in one place, without you having to load anything into a feed reader. I bet your favorites are already there.  It's like heaven for media junkies like me. Check it out!

—Stefania/CityMama

 

Boston Progress Radio

I will admit upfront that I am involved with Boston Progress Radio.  But I still think it's a worthwhile endeavor.  In my unbiased opinion.

The goal of Boston Progress Radio is to provide a space for community to develop around Asian American independent musicians.  Ever feel like you're at a loss for finding Asian American artists?  Too quiet at work and need something to pick you up?  Looking for some music that speaks to your experience?

Boston Progress Radio is now both a blog and an online radio station.  To tune in, please use the following link. You will need a player capable of playing MP3 streams (e.g., iTunes or Winamp).

There's not a ton of artists up there yet (I'm only starting to learn about the craziness of getting rights to music etc.) - but there's already some good stuff up there.  Yes, there's definitely the politicized hip-hop that i enjoy blasting at work, but there're also some great singer-songwriters, and a little bit of everything in between.

Stop by, drop a comment, and let us know what you think.

~ eliaday