May 2023 Wrap-up

 

May was not an ideal month for studying as you can see I only started planning my studying again on the 20th. That being said, I feel like the end of the month went by pretty quick because I was doing what I love and I focused on really taking my time to learn my target languages. 

What went well?

Firstly, I was consistent in studying every day for 12 days in the last days of May! I will talk more about this in my June studies post but I've joined a study challenge to study Korean for an hour every SINGLE day in KST so it started May 31 here in the States. Secondly, using the notes app, sticky notes, and the monthly planner to organize my studies worked so well that I have stuck with it and am using it in June. I highly recommend this trick! Thirdly, I actually gave Anki a chance and it has been a game-changer. I'm still learning it but my memory retention was increased which I was really surprised. 

What could I work on?

Firstly, I need to work on integrating comprehensible input into my studies. This can be a video, podcast, audiobook, book, etc anything in the target language that might be a little bit challenging but I can learn some vocabulary from it! I need to challenge myself more, I tend to fall into my comfort zone often and keep "learning" what I've already learned. Secondly, practice making my own sentences both speaking and writing. I really need to practice being "flexible" in speaking in my target languages. Thirdly, I want to eventually take language proficiency tests in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese so I need actually prepping for those tests. 

Language break-down

Japanese

The main resources I used were:

Anki

Tuttle Kana and Kanji Workbook

Learn Hiragana: Tofugu's Ultimate Guide

I'm still learning kana so I focused on really learning Hiragana through flashcards, writing, and mnemonics. I'm not quite there yet, it isn't sticking but it's not a race. I'm enjoying the process and it's the journey that matters :)

Spanish

The main resources I used were: 

Duolingo

Anki

Complete Medical Spanish 

SpanishDict Learn

I haven't really focused much on Spanish, and that's all on me. Spanish is a beautiful language that I have been learning off and on because of school so trying to self-study it among other languages that I might have more passion for makes it hard to prioritize it. I still want to study it just like Thai and Turkish, but like I really like Korean, Japanese, and Chinese and there's only so much time in a week. 

Chinese

The main resources I used were:

Duolingo

HelloChinese

Learning Mandarin Chinese Characters

Reading and Writing Chinese 

Chinese Grammar Wiki

I specifically remember one day thinking I could make Chinese my main priority. After making Chinese a main priority that day, I realized how much I really enjoy and love learning Chinese. I love shadowing and trying to speak, I love writing Chinese, and I just want to learn more about not just China but other Chinese-speaking countries. 

Korean

The main resources I used were:

Anki

Go! Billy

I had a crisis that I had to get out of for Korean which was to avoid getting kicked out of Bangtan Academy a Korean language academy on Discord you can find more about them on Twitter! Anyway to stay on the server you have to turn in homework, and I didn't do that until late May :( So I didn't do much for Korean in May, I was stressed and I was seriously considering dropping Korean as a priority but I took a three-day break then the challenge post came and everything changed. I am still absolutely in love with the language and now it's expanding more to the culture and everything as in this challenge there are events. More on this in June studies!