Sang-eul Tatda

Warning: Boastful blog entry alert!

Had final exams Wednesday and Thursday. As promised, the listening comprehension was definitely harder than it was for the midterm. I had to make guesses on three or four of the 20 questions. But I knew that I did well on the other parts of the exam.

Yesterday, Friday, was our suryo-shik (수료식 修了式), or "completion ceremony" for the end of the term. It's not called a graduation ceremony because most students aren't graduating from the program, just completing one level and getting ready to move on to the next.

The ceremony was pretty fancy. It was held in an auditorium. As is standard practice for events of any size in Asia, there was a large banner strung up at the front of the room.

It reads: Congratulations, everyone! / Korean Course Completion Ceremony / Seoul National University Language Education Institute

Some students were graduating from the program -- those that had completed Level 6. They wore borrowed gowns and mortarboards, and one of their number gave a short valedictory speech. (Interesting fact: By my count, of the 18 graduating students, 16 were women.)

Graduation was actually the last event on the schedule. I'm showing pictures out of order.

The first event was entertainment. Various students performed songs and dances.




It was all very professionally done, with lighting effects, excellent sound quality, and projected images on the big screen.

Before the ceremony began, I and a handful of other students were asked to move down and sit in the front row. So I knew I was likely to get some sort of award.

As it turns out, I was called up twice. First for having the highest total grade out of all the four Level 3 Classes (about 40 students), a combined score of 99. I apparently got a perfect score on the final exam listening comprehension, which means I guessed right on all those questions I was unsure about.


For some reason I had decided to put on a tie that morning, so I looked rather professional receiving my award. It consisted of a certificate and a nice SNU pen/pencil set.


Not long after, I was called up a second time to receive 300,000 won (about US $300). These scholarships are given to a handful of students in recognition of "sincere attitude" and "superior performance" that makes them a model to other students. I think the award was based on a combination of my grades and some subjective judgment on the part of the teachers.

It sure is fun to get an envelope full of cash!


I feel like I have a lot of advantages over many other students -- maturity (well ... age anyway), experience, knowledge of other languages, no need to work part-time jobs, etc. -- so it doesn't seem entirely fair for me to compete directly against them for these awards. And many other students are certainly in greater need of cash assistance than I am.

But it is wonderfully satisfying to come for just one term of study and feel a real, and publicly acknowledged, sense of accomplishment at the end of it as I prepare to head home in little more than a week.