Unforgettable Experience

Hey Korean Language Learners!
I originally spent 3 weeks at LTL Shanghai learning Mandarin, and had such a good experience that I decided to return to LTL, but this time in Seoul to improve my Korean. LTL Shanghai included not only classes, but a fun community of fellow students, as well as some fun activities in the evening organized by the school. This is more or less also what I expected when I signed up for another 3 week stay at LTL Seoul, but my actual experience so far has vastly exceeded my expectations.
As I’ve only had classes with one teacher, I can only speak to my experience with 다영 선생님, who makes class fun and full of laughter, but also ensures that she both challenges and supports us students when it comes to both comprehension and oral expression. Class often passes by very quickly, as there’s been a high emphasis on speaking, as opposed to the teacher simply lecturing us about the language for 4 hours. Speaking from my experience both in Shanghai and Seoul, your fellow students also tend to be very motivated, as they’re spending their time and hard earned money to make as much progress as possible in the limited time they have at school.
While the academic portion so far has been very enjoyable and effective (in 2 short weeks I’ve already seen visible progress on my goal to read Korean at a quicker, more natural pace and increase my practical vocabulary), where LTL Seoul shines the brightest is the staff, which I feel are the heart and soul of the academy. Hailee, Manuel, Sebastian, and Violet have done, and continue to do, such an amazing job welcoming us and fostering an incredible experience for all the students.
Before even arriving in Seoul, Violet would respond to various questions I had about the academic program, learning materials, and even helped to sort out accommodations (which I don’t think is even part of her responsibilities). Once I arrived in Seoul, Manuel was in constant contact with me, making sure that I knew how to get to my accommodation without getting lost, and also ensured that everything at the accommodation was prepared properly. Shortly after settling into my 고시원 (a kind of low rent, single occupancy room), Violet and Hailee took myself and other students out for a picnic on the Han River. I had been in Seoul not even 3 hours and I was already getting a nice local experience with fellow students that I probably would never have considered doing on my own. Hailee not only helped to organize events and accompany students to them while the school was looking for a new Culture Specialist. And finally, when Sebastian (the new Culture Specialist) arrived, he hit the ground running with organizing a karaoke event, getting to know the students, and planning further events according to the interests of the students.
I went to LTL Seoul expecting to have a nice time while improving my Korean a bit, but I never really thought I would seriously consider returning anytime soon. Now I’m looking at my schedule and trying to figure out if another trip this year is possible, or if I’ll have to wait until next year. In either case, I look forward to returning to LTL Seoul very soon!