뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다
will-SUBJ exists-ADJ place-LOC way-SUBJ exists
Where there's a will there's a way.
This proverb translates almost exactly to the English. I was almost shocked when it dawned on me that it was equivalent. Mostly, proverbs aren't so easy to translate.
Not very useful advice, to someone such as myself who seems to be suffering primarily from willpower issues.
I'm not, personally, a big Doctor Who fan. I was always a trekkie, when it came to inordinate otakuosity vis-a-vis sci-fi shows (and by the way, I just invented the word "otakuosity" so don't complain – look up the Japanese slang term "otaku" and you'll understand).
Nevertheles, I couldn't help but be very impressed and pleased to see an 8th grade Korean girl write the following speech composition for me in 2012 (and note that, as always, I will type what she wrote verbatim – without corrections – I think she did very well for her level):
[broken link! FIXME]
Hello my name is Yeongeun. I'm going to talk about my plan for camping trip. I want to go to Tardis. Because Tardis is a very interesting spaceship. Tardis can go anywhere even future and past, too. If I go to Tardis, I have to bring some food, water, a sleeping bag and clothes. I have to bring weapons, too, because when I trip with doctor, that I have many happens. Also, I will have to see many aliens, and they will attack me and doctor and I will be scared. But maybe doctor can't kill them. So, I have to attack aliens with weapons. This is my plan for camping trip. Thanks for listening.
Please note, I did not in any way plant this idea in her mind. It emerged utterly on its own, and in the hostile environment of Korean hagwon-based English education, which for the most part stultifies imagination and creativity and discourages interest in unusual cultural artifacts from foreign cultures, such as Doctor Who.
