Summer vacation can be short or long depending on what one does. How did foreign lecturers who are working at our university spend their vacation this summer What is their daily life like outside of the university What kind of college students were they To provide the curious with a glimpse into their professional and personal lives, DAU Media Center interviewed the following foreign lecturers : Andrew Johnston (British), who teaches English at DAU ; Christopher Hapgood (Canadian), whose wife is also a DAU lecturer; Ohashi Mayumi, (Japanese), who arrived on campus last February. Professional LifeDAU Media Center (DAU) : Now that summer vacation is over and a new semester is beginning, what are you doing to prepare for it Andrew Johnston : I don't usually prepare unless it's something urgent, so I'm going to set up from next Wednesday, which is 4 days before the new semester. Usually, when I prepare for the new semester, I look over the textbook that I will use from the beginning to the end, and then I think of two effective ways to teach each conversation unit such as group activities and role play.Christopher Hapgood : Usually I prepare for the new semester by making sure that I have all my paperwork in order. Up-to-date handouts are one of the first things I check. I try to make sure that I have a working syllabus for each class, but usually something will happen during the semester that will cause it to be off by a little. I also like to look at the previous semester's lesson plans to refresh my memory, adjusting them in any way that I think will help students. If we have a new textbook, it's a lot more work to prepare.Ohashi Mayumi : I haven't prepared yet. I will teach Japanese conversation practice for sophomores and juniors. I'm thinking about how to teach students and collecting teaching materials. Since students study very hard, at the very least, I should do my best to teach them.DAU : What is your opinion of Korea and Dong-A University : I lived in Japan for three years. Japanese are really kind to strange foreigners, but Koreans are not. I have lectured for a long time at Dong-A University. Most Korean students don't have confidence and are passive when they speak English. They always think about the sentence whether the grammar is right or not when they speak because they adhere to grammar. They need to have an open-mind and a positive attitude. There are also Chinese and Japanese students in my class. When Chinese students speak English, they speak out before they think, and they are very positive and confident. On the other hand, Japanese students are negative and lack confidence.: I always feel that Koreans have a great sense of unity as evidenced by the 2002 World Cup and the Beijing Olympics. However, I am concerned that they can lose their sense of self in a group. Dong-A University's students are diligent. They study at the library till late at night. There are no vacant seats during examination term. And they usually don't miss classes. They also have a positive attitude.DAU : Who is the most unforgettable student : The students who speak confidently and don't care about grammar remain in my memory, anyone who was an active and positive participant in my class. Superior students don't care about what other people think of them during class and don't hesitate to express their ideas. I like positive attitudes. These students are always in my memory.: I don't really have very many students that I remember. Some I remember because we stay in touch over the years, but usually I only see students for 3 months and then I rarely see them again. It's very difficult to remember students when you have so many for such a short time. Still I remember some because they were fun students or good students or both. Sometimes I think it's a lot harder for students to make a connection with a foreign teacher just because of the language barrier. I still remember a student that I had when I first came to Korea and was working at an academy. She was my student for almost the whole year and was very good at English. She always tried hard to improve and had fun while she did it. She sends me e-mails every now and then, and it's always good to hear from her.DAU : If you weren't teaching at Dong-A University, what would you likely be doing now : I haven't ever thought about that. I worked in a company right after graduating from university in Japan. At that time, I never thought that I would be a lecturer. From time to time, I encountered Korean products at the company where I worked, and I thought Korea would be an interesting place. Hoping to become a professor in Korea, I quit my job and came to Korea 4 or 5 years ago, but I didn't have the ability to teach university students. So I returned to Japan and majored in Japanese education. After completing my studies, I came to Dong-A University.DAU : How was your university life If you could return to that time for only one day, what would you do : My university life was terrible. I wasted my time up to the day I graduated, having no goals. I spent my time smoking, drinking, and motorcycling. So I didn't grow in any way both during university and after graduation. I regret doing that. So, if I have a chance to go back to my university days, I'm going to think about my future seriously all day long sitting in an employment agency.: I really enjoyed my university life. I could spend most of my time doing things that I wanted to do, which included classes and studying. Sometimes students say that they don't like their majors, but I really liked mine and still like to read about the subject. If I could go back for one day, I think I'd see some old friends from that time that I don't get to see anymore and go to a lecture from some of my favorite professors.: I don't want to go back to that time. I think I didn't study hard. I was more preoccupied with my tennis club than with studies. Actually, I enjoyed getting along with friends more than playing tennis. But, after I came here, I was surprised to see that Korean students study in the library until midnight. That the library was open 24 hours a day was also shocking. Korean students study really hard. It's totally different from my university life. There are hardly any libraries that open 24 hours a day in Japan. They usually close between 6 and 8 p.m. No situation would occur in which students couldn't find a seat because all the seats were occupied. Personal LifeDAU : How was your summer vacation : Together with my wife and two daughters, I went to England, spending time with my parents, sisters, brothers and friends. Then we toured Italy. It was a great experience as we saw the lakes around the Alps.: I returned with my wife to our hometown in Canada. On the way we stopped to visit my sister who lives around Calgary now. So we stopped there for 6 days before we went home to visit our families for the summer.: I visited friends in Japan. For a month I was at my alma mater in Kyoto and looked for a subject I wanted to research. Then I went to Tokyo to collect data for it. Also I visited Niigata, my hometown, and I had a good time with my family.DAU : What do you do during a school holiday : I cannot consider a school holiday a rest day because, even though I can get a day off from the university, I have to teach and do other works every afternoon at City Hall. But I do go for a walk around my house (Gwangalli), or do the household chores such as the dishes, laundry, house-cleaning since there is time to spare in the morning. I also like to go out and shoot pictures with my camera.: I read a book at my office, or talk with students who sometimes stop by my office. I don't stay in the dormitory even on a day off because my office is more spacious. I often go to markets around Hadan. I don't go there to shop but to meet friends. In Korea I have Korean friends and Japanese friends.DAU : This summer was so hot due to the passions stirred by the Beijing Olympics. What did you think of the Korean broadcast or presentation of the Olympics : I like to watch field and track events because I'm British. But Korean stations televised only events where there were Korean participants, so I couldn't watch what I wanted to see. It was rather disappointing and unfortunate. And I was bored by the repeated airing of Park Tae-hwan's victory in swimming. In view of the World Track and Field Championships to be held in Daegu, I hope that the Korean outlook on sports becomes more globalized.: I guess my favorite events at the Olympics are the track and field events. They don't take a long time to start or finish. I'm not really a big fan of sports, and I don't follow athletes. I am a fan of athletes who have simply worked hard and made it to the Olympics. They don't have to be stars or from my country for me to cheer for them. Of course, I like to cheer for the Korean athletes just as much as I like to cheer for the Canadian ones, but naturally we see and hear a lot more about Korean athletes here in Korea, wanting them to do well.: I didn't watch the Olympic games on television even though I have one in my dormitory because I'm not interested in the Olympics. I watched news about Japan's standing in the medal rankings. Or when I heard or saw a news item about Japan winning a gold medal, I was impressed and thought, "Wow, that's great. They did their best!" But I stayed away from viewing the Olympics. I like to do sports rather than watch the games. Even if Korea and Japan competed against each other, I might not cheer for either team. Of course if I were to watch the game, I would cheer for Japan. Koreans root for their team vigorously, so I don't think I could support Japan vocally if I were among Koreans.DAU : If one lives in a foreign country, one could get homesick. What do you do when you feel homesick : My elementary school seemed huge and resembled a castle like the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as seen in 'Harry Potter' movies. I've lived in a dormitory since I was eight. From that time until university, I didn't feel homesick because I lived away from my parents. Of course, the day before the start of a new term, I would feel homesick. But once the busy term started, I forgot it and adapted myself to university life.: I don't think that I got homesick very often, and I don't get really homesick at all. I try to go home once a year, and that works for me. Once a year can be pretty often if you're used to living away from home. My sister and brother can't get home for years at a time, so I guess I'm pretty lucky because I can.: I didn't feel homesick when I stayed in a foreign country, although I certainly think of Japanese food I want to eat. Niigata is rich in seafood because it is near the sea. Thinking of my hometown, I'd like to eat sliced raw fish, sushi and cooked eel on rice. DAU : One would think that teachers form strong attachments to students through the course of their teaching careers. Would you like to offer any words of advice to your Dong-A University students : In my case, I regret going through university without a specific objective. I hope students are concerned about their courses seriously enough that they have no regrets after they graduate. : I hope you actively use Japanese by writing e-mails or talking to me in Japanese when you visit my office. It is one way to be a good speaker of Japanese. Study hard!Through the interview, we can see that foreign lecturers are just like us. They are people who are open-minded, and whom students can easily approach. As the new term begins, an opportunity is presented to us to learn from them in and outside of classes as a teacher and person, for we can overcome barriers presented by nationality by forming a true student-teacher relationship with foreign lecturers. By Kim Yeon-jeongKang Myoung-aKim Do-hyungJang Tae-yoonKim Mi-heeTHE DONG-A UNIVERCITY NEWSPAPER No.1064 (MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2008)
