안녕하세요!! 토미입니다!
This time, I have invited Peter, one of our “Fast Korean” course students!
Regarding his achievement, when we first met, he hardly read even simple Korean greetings.
But after two months of intense program, he can now read Korean sentences very clearly.
I am very impressed with how much passion he has to learn Korean.
그럼 시작할게요!
※From this point on, it will be Peter’s remarks.
Self-introduction
My name is Peter Schroeder.
I am originally from Germany, but I have been living for 28 years in the UK, and I am 69 years old now.
My wife is English, and we currently live in London.
Back in Germany, I studied business administration in Berlin.
Also, in the UK, I worked for London Underground.
The reason why I started taking the Fast Korean course
What made you decide to learn Korean?
When I was 19 years old in 1975, I was curious to go to Munich, the biggest city in the south of Germany for a half-day sightseeing tour.
On that day, I was invited to and attended a lecture about religion and later found that the lecture series answered my serious and long-searched-for question: “what is the purpose of life?”
The roots of these religious thoughts are in Korea.
This is the reason why I became so interested in learning Korean and their culture.
In 1980, I had several chances to study the Korean language, but always for short periods.
The first time was at the Free or Technical University in West Berlin.
I learned the alphabet, how to write Hangul letters, and how to build simple sentences in the 이다-form.
In those days, nobody knew about Samsung or the name Hyundai.
Also, K-drama and K-pop did not yet exist, at least not under these names.
I had two books in those years to learn from – one very substantial with many chapters, and the other a pocket one for travelling.
For westerners, Korea was still a far-away country and relatively unknown.
Before taking my Fast Korean course, what was your Korean level?
My Korean level was only knowing the alphabet, basic sentences, and basic nouns and adjectives.
But beyond that, I could neither understand nor read Korean words and sentences properly and fluently.
Basic verbs I knew were 가다, 가르치다, 먹다, and 공부하다.
Actually, I studied on and off for over 40 years, but never long-term.
There were always pauses or breaks because of work and family matters.
Still, my desire to “make it one day” has never dwindled.
That’s why, I still find a lot of notebooks in boxes at home with the many attempts to study Korean.
What struggles did you have? How were you studying at the time?
My main struggles were not having a teacher on a continuous basis.
On top of that, I was studying from a large Korean book.
To study all of its chapters seemed like climbing a mountain.
Also, my surroundings were not conducive enough.
I was often left alone to study, and people often didn’t understand why I studied Korean.
At some point, I started studying the short stories, similar to the conversations in Tammy’s chapters.
I realised that I learn vocabulary quickly in the context of a text.
Why did you decide to take the course?
As a method, I always choose one main source for studying a language.
For Korean, I chose Tammy Korean.
The course is very comprehensive and has a clear goal: the TOPIK I & II exam.
It promises to be able to listen, read, write and speak Korean.
After enrolling, how many months did it take to see results, and what kind of results did you achieve?
Week by week, I saw results.
Quicker reading was one of them, and broadening my vocabulary was another.
On top of it, of course, was also the grammar.
In my particular case, I made a lot of notes on paper, filed them all neatly in separate folders per chapter, and stored them in boxes.
What made the difference in your progress,
and what aspects of my coaching service did you find most helpful?
The biggest difference was the speed.
It would have taken me two years to study all the content of Fast Korean by myself.
But with the coaching, it took me two months to get the foundation of all that is needed.
Some of the coaching services which were most helpful are
- The continuous support over two months
- A disciplined daily schedule that kept me focused
- A clear and structured study guideline
- The ability to ask questions whenever needed
- Reassurance and encouraging words along the way
If you hadn’t taken the Fast Korean Coaching course, what do you think you would be doing now?
I would have worked out a study plan on Tammy’s elementary course.
I thought once, to learn from chapters #E09-#E50, these are 42 lessons, one per week, or alternatively, two lessons in one month.
That’s all under the assumption that I would have had to self-motivate.
The first option would have lasted one year or even longer, as I wouldn’t have had the overview of all chapters as I do now.
The second option would have meant two years.
But who would have guided me or made me focused enough on a day-by-day basis?
Your future plans for learning Korean and your ultimate goal
As a future plan, I am looking forward to studying all material by Christmas and to take the TOPIK I test in April 2026.
My ultimate goal?
To achieve TOPIK I—and then keep going higher.
Message to the viewers
Grab the opportunity.
It’s fast, and it needs discipline.
Prepare yourself.
Make enough time for two months and focus on it.
Much success!
