영어타자 연습

한글타자는 그야말로 잘친다. 그런데 영어타자를 익히지 못했다. 쓸일이 많지 않기도 해서, 크게 불편할 것은 없었다. 그러다보니 그야말로 아주 짧은 문장을 쳐야할 때도 키보드를 들여다보며, 철자 하나씩 쳐야 하니 무딘 손가락앞에서 나자신에게 좀 실망이 된다. 키보드는 영어로 되어 있지만, 한글을 덧입히지 않아도 외워서 치고 있는 손이 기특한데, 영어도 좀 그리하면 좋겠다는 생각은 해왔었다.

심심풀이로 “continuing education” 사이트들을 뒤지다가 그들이 제공하는 타자연습 프로그램을 만났다. learntyping.org로 가면 누구나 수업을 받을 수 있다. 반복을 통해 자판을 기억하게 해준다. 지금은 자판을 보지않고 칠 정도이기 때문에 속도가 붙으려면 많은 연습이 필요하다. 그러나 일단은 자판을 외웠다는 그 자체에 큰 의미가 있다.

한글타자를 치다가 영어로 쳐야할 때도 나는 그 영어를 한글로 냅다 쳐버릴 때가 많다. 번역이 되는 것은 번역으로, 아닌 것은 그냥 발음이 되는 대로 말이다. 예를 들자면 helen을 헬렌으로 david를 데이비드로 말이다.

그렇잖아도 영어가 약한데, 꼭 필요할 때도 한글에 매달려 있으니, 언제 그 실력이 늘수 있을까? 초보 수업을 끝내고, 중급 수업까지 끝내고 나니, 이제 영어타자 치는 것이 할만한 일이 되어간다. 

타자를 치면서 느낀 것들이 있다. 손가락이 오른쪽으로 조금만 기울어져 그 옆의 자판을 치면, 영낙없이 다른 글자가 쳐진다. 단한번도 용서해주는 법이 없다. 손가락은 정확히 그 자리를 기억하고 있어야 하고, 외울 때까지 끝나지 않는다. 어떤 글자는 잘 사용되지 않지만, 그렇다고 그것을 외면해서는 안된다. 모든 손가락이 전부 필요하다. 가장 많은 활약을 하는 손가락은 검지가 아닐까 싶다. 왜냐하면 검지 한 손가락으로 각 4계단으로 이뤄진 자판에서 각 계단에 두 철자씩, 모두 8개를 담당하고 있으니 말이다. 엄지는 잘 사용하지 않는 것 같지만, 띄어쓰기 할때 눌러주는 역할을 하므로 그역시 필요하다. 가만히 보니, 왼손 엄지 손가락을 쓰지 않는 것 같기도 하다. 씌어쓰기 할때 나는 주로 오른손 엄지손가락을 사용한다.

어쨋든 요행이도 놀고먹는 손가락이 있긴 하지만, 대부분의 손가락들이 모두 제 할일을 해야 한다. 제대로 작동이 되지 않으면 오자와 탈자가 나오기 마련이다. 이제 심심할때 영어타자를 쳐서, 단어공부도 하고 문장공부도 하고 해야겠다~~~고 또 허풍을 떨어본다. 

좀 서글픈 말이긴 하지만, 영어타자 연습이 치매에는 많은 도움이 될것 같다는 생각이 들었다. 각 손가락마다 제 할일을 줘야 하고, 속도를 늘리는 일까지 하려면, 꽤나 기나긴 작업이 될 것 같으니 말이다. 

그 기념으로 결혼식때 아이들이 이야기했던 것을 입수해서 한번 쳐봤다. 

Janet:

We each wanted to take a moment to say some thank you and then finally, the party can begun!

First of all, a huge thank you to all of you for being here today. We know a lot of you had a long journey to be here today-even some from BC-and wanted celebrate with us.

To my parents; umma and appa, thank you for your love and support not only throughout the wedding planning process, but for my entire life. It is a gift to be your daughter, and now, finally, you have a son, Jin shim euro gamsahabnida umma and appa.

Rosemary and Fred, we have been family long before today. Thank you accepting me completely, for loving us un conditionally, and for the joy and richness you bring our lives every day. We love you so much. Thank You for making this wonderful day possible.

To my sisters, my best friends, I could not have made it through this day without you two by my side. Thank you for everything, for your tireless work to make this day happen, and for being my emotional supports. Thank you for also loving and accepting Tristan as your jeboo and hyongboo! I love you.

Tristan:

I’d like to say how excited I am to be joining the Song’s Family, as Janet said, we’ve already been a family for quite some time, and it will be with happiness and pride that I call you my parents and sisters in-law.

To my parents, thank you for everything. I love you both more than words can ever say. Your love and guidance made me the man I am today, which in turn, won me the woman of my dreams.

To all our family, with old and new, who have selflessly and joyfully helped us make this day possible, thank you - while there are too many people to name, we would like to say a special thank you to  Uncle Hugh, Helen, Jason, Alyssa, Mirie, William, Mija Imo, our lovely flower girls, ring bearer, their parents and our decorating team for everything they have done to make our wedding day as magical as it has even. We love you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Janet:

Despite the face we all lead very busy lives, you found time for us, and we will never forget that. Gamsa Hapneda.

To our friends-those who knew us as children, in high school, those who met us in undergrad and watched our relationship grow, those who made office life bearable, and those who got me through my first year of law school-we see you, we love you, and we thank you for being here to witness the start of a new chapter in our lives.

Tristan:

Janet, you are constantly teaching me the meaning of true love . Over our years together our love for each other has not only endured, it’s flourished and grown in depth and intensity. I can look at you feel like the giddy teenager I was when we first met, yet I can also see our bright future together, building a life together hand in hand. Janet, you are everything to me, and I will love you always, and cherish you for all my days.

Janet:

Finally, to my husband, Tristan, I still remember the moment I first saw you, waiting for the bus at York University during frosh week. To think that handsome man is now my husband confirms in my mind that miracles happen. I’ve loved you since I was 18 years old, but that love shifted and grown, as have we. As your wife, I promise to love you with more depth, maturity, and sincerity, every day. I promise to support you, to uplift you, and to bring out your best self, as you have come back to you, to remember the humour and lightness that makes our relationship so amazing. You are my best friend and the love of my life. Here;s to us. I love you.

Alyssa:

Good evening, 안녕하세요, everyone. Thank you for joining us tonight and being together as we celebrate an incredible evening. For those who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, I’m Alyssa, Janet’s 언니, her big sister. And I wanted to say a few words for the bride and the groom tonight.

전 한국어가 서툴러서 영어로 말할께요.

Nearly eight years ago, I remember Janet telling me that she met someone and started dating. Fast forward maybe a few months and they made their first appearance together at a party. And I’m just going to fast forward a lot: now all these years down the toad, after all the adventures, were we are. All that time passed and, look, Janet and Tristan still so in love like freshman students and excited for every single day together; here together tonight. You both look amazing and I’m sure you both have been feeling all sorts of heightened but  amazing feelings.

Janet, my sister, is an incredibly sensitive, emotionally aware, and well-rounded person who always has everyone’s concerns on her mind.

Tristan is a patient, kind and understanding person who also is very mindful of the people around him. Together, they just work as partners and I’ve seen them grow and learn together all these years into a companionship that I know everyone only dreams of having. It truly is a phenomenon that leaves many at a loss for words. There’s friendship, romance, and security. They bask in the passion and essence of a young romance AND harnessed the maturity of a lifelong commitment. Every single day of their relationship has always been a celebration of their love, the only thing that’s different is that we are all here tonight in one room to party and have fun.

Truly, this evening is a unexplainably wonderful joining of two people, two families. I love you-Janet- so much, and marrying your best friend must feel like the world is giving you its everything, and I’m so happy you found it. And Tristan, I love you, and you have been my brother. You were always there with us and the family. Together I know you two will continue to grow and cultivate your partnership into something truly deep and rich, and continue to elevate each others’ souls.

To love someone and to have then love you back and grow together is one of life’s single greatest gifts.

Welcome to the family.

Everybody please raise your glasses to Janet and Tristan,

Thank You. 감사합니다. Enjoy your evenings.