TOEFL is May 1, 2009. Summer 1 registration begins May 4. Summer 1 begins May 12.

THE ELC NEWS A Publication by and for Students of the English Language Center, Old Dominion University

April 2009—Spring 2

Katarzyna, what made you choose ODU and the ELC? My fiancé is a PhD student at ODU, so I decided that it would be a good opportu-nity for me to improve my English. What are your plans after finishing the ELC? I will go back to my country and open my own busi-ness. Please imagine you have a girlfriend or boyfriend right now. If you had to marry an international partner, which country would you want him or her to be from? I know that people in love

don’t think rationally, but now I can say that it would be eas-ier for us to be from countries with similar cultures. Hence, I would choose a country from Europe. What is your passion in life? I really like designing and making clothes; it is my main passion, but I like taking photos too. How far would you go for your desires—what is your limit? I already came to the USA to fulfill my desires. Now, I feel like I have enough bravery to go anywhere I want and do a lot. Bandar, do you feel there are any differences about culture between your country and the U.S.? Yes, there are some differences. For example, in the uni-

versity, the uni-form is free; we can wear what-ever we want. But there are some instructions in my country: we are not allowed to wear T-shirts and some classes don’t want any unusual clothes. One more thing: women are not like here in my country. Here they can go wherever they want and the clothes are different. How do you think the relationship is between the stu-dents and the instructors at the ELC? Actually, that depends on the student. But for me, the in-structors are wonderful; you can ask whatever you want, and you can join them in the outside events. They are just like friends. If you had a free plane ticket, which country would you want to go to? I wish I could go to Japan, and my third language will be Japanese, I think. What is your major and what do you want to study af-terwards? I have a Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree. Now I am going to enroll in the Master’s Degree Engineering Management program at ODU, but first I have to pass the required exam. Are you comfortable or nervous when you meet a new person? Yes, at first, sometimes I become little shy, but in time I get used to it and get closer. It just takes time.

This session, Advanced II students Isami (Japan), Mert (Turkey), and Fatimah (Saudi Arabia) interviewed fellow Advanced II students Katarzyna (Poland) and Bandar (Saudi Arabia) about how they got here, what they’re dong now, and where they hope to go next.

Katarzyna (left) and Mert talk outside on Kaufman Mall near the ELC in Dragas Hall.

From left: Isami, Bandar, and Mert meet outside of Dragas Hall

April 13th in Korea By Juyeon Kim (Korea) 

   The 13th of April is a very special day for my mother nation, the Republic of Korea. Exactly 90 years ago, when Korea was under the control of Japanese imperialism, some patriots in Korea founded a provisional government of Korea in China. The founders gave up every single thing they had. They left their families in Korea; they gave up all their properties; and moreover, they risked their lives for the independence of Korea. They organized the “Liberal Army” for Korea’s independence; they sent hundreds of ambassadors to other nations to make other nations know the injustice of Japan at the time.    After Korea had gotten freedom from Japan by the U.S.A and other powerful nations, Korea was actually  in a crisis of losing their sovereignty again because they were in the driver’s seat.  But, they recognized the provisional government’s effort, so they gave the sov‐ereignty of Korea back to the provisional government.  The 4th of July is not just a holiday in the States; it is the day that all Americans remember their ancestors’ efforts for the nation. Korea also has Inde‐pendence Day and it is the 15th of August, but the 13th of April is also an important day for the history of Korea. Nowadays, losing re‐spect for great ancestors is a worldwide phenomenon, but we have to remember their efforts because those made our nation what it is right now, and us as well. A lot of countries have had Dark Ages throughout their histories, but the real patriots and patriotism most brightly shined in that time also, and that light led the way for the nation’s people follow.  

Traveling to Western Ireland By Junseong Kim (Korea) 

 What  is your first thought or  idea about Ireland? Like most people, I also imagine “Green.” When  I  travelled  in  Ireland,  I 

saw a large number of sheep, cows, and horses. However, Ire‐land  is not  just all about  “green”. After  traveling  to Western Ireland,  I  can  recommend  that  Ireland  is  the  best  vacation place.  You  can  enjoy  a wonderful  landscape,  various historic sites, and interesting culture.  

Ireland has a wonderful  landscape. This  country has  the most various glacial  landscapes  in  the world. So, you can see not only broad green fields, but also many beautiful lakes and the finest marine cliffs in Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are some of  the most  famous ocean  cliffs  in Western  Ireland. You  feel like you are standing on the edge of the world  if you walk on top of  the Cliffs of Moher. After enjoying  seeing  the Atlantic scenery, you can go to the Aran Islands, a famous historic site about  the potato  famine of  the 1800’s. The Aran  Islands are the  first settlement  in  Ireland, and you can have a chance  to learn Gaelic, the official  language of  Ireland.    If you  feel tired after sightseeing,  I suggest going  to an  Irish pub. Many cities and towns in Western Ireland maintain their traditional music, so you can enjoy delightful and  light  Irish music. Don’t  forget to try the famous black beer Guinness. Its taste is really good. Under  a bright night,  you  can  find  that  you will  really  enjoy Irish culture and feel Irish.  

Work Camp By Yujin Choi (Korea) 

 

  Do you want to go through a special ex‐perience that you can’t ever forget? Or, do you want to make a precious memory that you can’t made with money? If so, I would like to recommend the ‘work camp’ to you!   Work camp is an international volunteering program. If you participate in a work camp, you can meet various people who from all over the world and experience a unique commu‐nity life. Participants have to accomplish the local communities’ project, and it requires voluntary manpower and partnership. By working for local communities, participants contribute to help local communities’ development. Because of the above reason, this program is called ‘work camp’. To participate in work camp, you have to choose a period that you can possibly work and select the country you want to go to: Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. And, you have to pay all the expenses, including charges for boarding and lodging.   In my case, I went to Uzbekistan last summer for volun‐teering through my university’s program. During that time, I realized how I had a narrow vision. But, this experience allowed me to improve my self‐confidence, to prompt me to act posi‐tively in all things, and to gain a wider viewpoint in looking at the world.   I hope  to participate  in another work  camp  someday, and I believe that you can develop your self‐confidence and also a cooperative mind through work camp. 

Are you lying? The direction of the eyes can tell the truth.

By Ayrat Gimranov (Russia) We have seen in the movies how police officers or detectives deter-mine if people tell the truth or not according to direction of their eyes. Even though it may not give a good result, you can try this technique out on somebody to see if it really works. Initially this method was mentioned in a book by Richard Bandler and John Grinder called “Frogs into Princes: Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)”. When a person is asked a question and he looks (from your point of view, when you face him): UP and to the LEFT: It means that he is making up an image that he has not actually seen. UP and to the RIGHT: It means that he is trying to remember a pic-ture of something that he has seen in the past. LEFT: A person is trying to make up a sound that he has never heard before, so he creates it and tries to play it in his mind. RIGHT: He tries to remember a sound that he has heard before. DOWN and to the LEFT: This is the way the person looks when he was asked to remember other senses or feelings like smell, taste, touch, etc. For example, if you ask him to explain the taste of his favorite food that his mother used to cook for him when he was a child, then his eyes would probably look into that direction. Down and to the right: This is the way he looks when he has an internal dialog with himself, like when he thinks of a question that he may be asked and prepares an appropriate answer for it in advance. So if you ask, for example, somebody the question “Where have you been?” and his eyes turn to the left and up, you could probably con-clude that this person is creating a situation in his mind instead of telling the real situation. That means he is lying.

For the Spring 2 Mid-Session Event, the ELC had its very first Game Day! Students, faculty, and staff participated in a Wii Tennis Tournament, Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, and other fun

and exciting board games! What a great chance to have to show those great gaming skills!

In one classroom, the Wii Tennis Tournament had a large audience as students competed against each other for the top prize! While next door, Yakup (Adv. II, Turkey) watched Bandar (Adv. II, Saudi Arabia) challenge in-structor Laura to Guitar Hero.

Hee Sook (Intermediate, Korea) shuffles the cards in a game of Guess-tures while Isami (Adv. II, Japan), Katarzyna (Adv. II, Poland), and Assis-tant Director Anne discuss their game strategy. Meanwhile, My Ngoc Kieu (Intermediate, Vietnam) and instructor Jamie dance the afternoon away.

Students Yujin and Jiae (Adv. II, Korea) and Eunjeong (Adv. I, Korea) enjoyed the food and company. Next door, the father/son team of Junseong (Adv. II, Korea) and Aaron enjoyed a victory over in-structor Jane in a game of Apples to Apples.

ANOTHER GREAT TEAM‐UP:  MEADOWBROOK AND THE ELC! 

 On April 1, students from the School of International Stud‐ies at Meadowbrook visited our classes here at the ELC.  They really enjoyed meeting our students, learning about cultures, and even participating in class!  They definitely want to return next year! 

As some of our classmates prepare to move on at the end of Spring 2, our very own Assistant Director Jason McSparren will also be moving on newer, bigger adventures. Here, Advanced II student Isami composed a farewell message for Jason: Hi, Jason, I am so surprised that this is my last chance to meet you. What sudden news—it’s a teary farewell. Every time I visited Dragas Hall, I looked forward to saying hello to you because your smile made me cheer up all the time. Anyway, in our lives there are thousands of separations, so this is one of them. We have to accept this fact and wish for the next happy meeting! I hope you will have a wonderful time at the new place. You developed great relationships with every student and teacher here in the ELC. May your new life be bright and happy ☺

This section was com-piled by Mahammad Alghmdi, Jiae Kim, Hanil Lee, Euisin Han, Luan Tran, and Yisi Dai

What is your country’s traditional food? Somtum. (Supakorn, Thailand) Dograma and palow. (Murat, Turkmenistan) Kabsa. (Sulaiman, Saudi Arabia)

Do you have any memories—the best or worst—during your studies in the ELC? I have many friends in the ELC. I have a good roommate in my dormitory. Also, I have made many friends with many Koreans. (My Ngoc Kieu, Vietnam) The best thing that I have enjoyed is that I am here. The worst thing is I have to get up early and I don’t have more break time during class. (Karim, Morocco) When I was studying in my first session, I could not even hear what the home-work was, so I gave the teacher the wrong home-work every day. (Jinsung, Korea)

Where is the most impressive place you want to recommend in your country? I wound recommend “Insa-dong”, where you can find many kinds of antiques and traditional Ko-rean items and works of art. If you like see to exotic places, you had better go to “Seokguram”, which is made of granite stone. The stone statue of Buddha is very beautiful, even for me. (Hyun Hwa, Korea) If you love the beach, you should go to Phi-Phi Island in Krabi Province (south of Thailand). There are so many beautiful beaches and places to visit. There is a really nice view there; you‘d loved it for sure because it’s appropriate place for relaxing and romance. (Parujee, Thailand) Troy has a huge Troy house, and after Brad Pitt’s movie, they sent to us the movie’s Troy house. Now we have two Troian horses. At night time, there is a wonderful view of them. (Meric, Turkey)

Do you want to work in the USA or go back to your country after getting your degree? I am going to go back to Korea be-cause I want to use what I learned in the U.S.A to improve our econ-omy. I want to do something for my country. (Nam Yong, Korea) Well, I have already lived here for more than three years, and the U.S.A has become my second home. I will definitely keep living here and develop professionally. (Jiuliana, Peru) Yes, I plan to work in the U.S.A to improve my experience in my Medical Tech-nology major. (Dina, Sudan)

What is the most impor-tant thing in your life? My family is the most important in my life. I love

them more than everything in the world. I wish to take care of them very well. (Pinyada, Thailand) My family, especially my daughter. All parents put their children at the top. My parents raised me, support me, and I am nothing without them. (Arwa, Saudi Arabia) My family is the most important in my life. I like to spend my time with my wife and lovely son. They are my strength when I feel week. They are the most precious things in the world. (Solomon, Eri-trea)

THE ELC NEWSLETTER STAFF: ADVANCED II-1 WRITING, SPRING 2, 2009 FATIMAH AL HARTHI, MAHAMMAD ALGHMDI, YUJIN CHOI, YISI DAI, MERT FIRINCIOGLU, AYRAT GIMRANOV,

EUISIN HAN, JIAE KIM, JUYEON KIM, JUNSEONG KIM, HANIL LEE, ISAMI SAKANE, LUAN TRAN EDITOR: JAMIE STURGES

PHOTOS AND PICTURES: BETTYE HUSSEY, ISAMI SAKANE, MERT FIRINCIOGLU, FATIMAH AL HARTHI, EUISIN HAN, MAHAMMAD ALGHMDI

What

is the exciting thing as an interna-tional student at ODU? I love ODU because this university is very different from a Mongolian univer-sity. I like to meet new international and American students. When we talk to each other, it is kind of exciting for me because we can know each country’s culture, language, etc. (Oyuntugs, Mongolia) ODU is a good place for students who come here to study. Here, I can make some new friends from different countries. Studying in here helps me improve my English. (Hoang, Vietnam) I can meet international people and learn about their cultures. (Oralia, Mexico) Do you recommend your friends to study in America? Why? Yes, you will see different lifestyles and can learn many things you didn’t know before. You will be surprised. (Tang, Thailand) I recommend studying in America because we can learn clear pronunciation from native teachers, and learning English here is cheaper than in Japan.

(Hitomi, Japan) I think studying in America is a not only a chance to enhance your Eng-lish ability, but also a good opportu-nity to experience other cultures and broaden your horizons. (Donggyu, Korea)