Mr Kim, from last weekend, invited me to go hiking today. I was thrilled to hear myself attempting to give him directions to my apartment in Korean, yesterday evening, on the phone. Well, not thrilled. But it gives me some optimism, when I use the language at all in a successful way, that I may someday "get there" – wherever "there" is: some kind of communicative efficacy, anyway.
"Where is your house?" he asked. I answered in English, and realized he wasn't understanding. I tried to explain in Korean, then. I wasn't even using full sentences. But he said he understood. Now, we have a real-life test of that understanding, as I wait for him to show up to pick me up.