Saori Wakita is a PhD student in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature. She was awarded a FLAS fellowship to study Korean during the summer of 2023.
What did you do during your FLAS Fellowship? When and where did you study?
I studied Korean at Ewha Language Center, Ewha Womans University during the summer of 2023.
What is your history with language learning and what interested you in studying your target language?
I began learning Korean last autumn semester and made up my mind to apply for the FLAS fellowship during the semester. Honestly, while I have studied various other languages, I did not study Korean until this point, but it has been on my language-learning wish list since high school. Since my department mandates doctoral students to study a third foreign language, I deemed this an excellent chance to finally start learning Korean.
What did immersion teach you about your target language? Are there any new insights you got that you would not have gotten in a language classroom in the United States?
Korean was the second foreign language I attempted to learn in an immersion environment, as English is not my first language. Living in a community where the target language is dominantly spoken reminded me that it is motivating to continuously try to understand the language in order to survive. I would recommend immersion learning to anyone serious about acquiring a second language. It's almost impossible to speak the target language only and communicate with people without relying on English if we only learn it in a classroom setting in the US. However, going to a place where you can't use the language you are comfortable with forces you to use the language you're trying to learn, which is wonderful!
What made your FLAS Fellowship experience most memorable?
One of the greatest benefits of living in Seoul was the opportunity to interact with classmates from diverse parts of the world and explore the city together. Despite learning about the country's historical landmarks, cultural events and cuisine from textbooks, I didn't truly appreciate their significance until I had the chance to experience them firsthand while studying the language.
As for the academic perspective, it was great to have the opportunity to be in a Korean language class where the instructor taught exclusively in Korean to a group of students who did not share a common language. As English was not an option, everything was taught in Korean. This experience gave me a fresh perspective, and the teachers showed me how it can be done effectively. This was very beneficial for me since I am currently teaching Japanese at Ohio State.
Do you have a favorite moment during your FLAS Fellowship?
There were many memorable moments, but Seoul was a great place for me because I like to go out and explore different places. The city has a lot of hills, so there are many places with great views, and I was happy to find a place where I could see a great night view. It was also a great place to just walk around to see the sights, as you can get almost anywhere by train and bus, just like in any other big city in East Asian countries. The best thing about Korean public transportation is the fee is cheap and easy to navigate once you learn the system.
How did your experiences abroad impact your career goals and plans for the future?
Though I am not proficient enough in the Korean language to use it in my linguistics research, I intend to continue studying it gradually and hope to conduct research on the Korean language someday.