Enjoying nice company and bonding moments in GEO Summer Party

GEO Summer Party was held June 7 and 8. It was indeed a great evening. We solicited some student comments about the party.

Below are the comments from Class 1-1...

Park Jin Hee, 1-1

Last Thursday, June 7, GEO17 Summer Party was held at the Global Lounge. Level 1 and 2 students, together with the professors and TA attended the Summer Party. Everyone was dressed by their summer outfits, some with their Aloha shirts. Professor Peter Jenkins shines than anybody else in the crowd. He looked like a star.

Tommy was one of the emcees. I was happy to see him.

Unlike the GEO activity programs, this party had more participatory games. We played the Guessing Game, the Tableaux and the Relay game which was the most fun. Hyun was my partner. It was a very challenging game but my class won the first place. Meanwhile, I got scared when the balloon popped.

Because of the party, I got closer with my classmates.

Class 1-1 with their prize for winning the relay game

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kim Nam Hoon, 1-1

In Korea, parties are seldom held. So I was very glad to join the GEO Summer Party. I went to the Global Lounge with my classmates as a team. We played Guessing game, Tableaux and Relay game. Our team won in the Relay game. Yumi, together with the Pop song contest winner, sang a very beautiful song. They were very nice. We had some snacks afterwards. I t was a very nice day.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kim Young Wook, 1-1

During the summer party, we won the games and got chocolate cookies. I joined in the relay game and it was no fun. But I heard someone performed the song Desperado. The singer was very good. After that we had our snacks. I ate my favorite fruits. Thank you!!!

by GEO Class 1-1, Professor Peter Jenkins and TA Alessa

GEO Summer Party jumpstarts the Summer Fun

With only a few weeks left in our spring semester, we look forward to a wonderful summer. Our students have a lot of plans for their summer which include “parties with friends and family and catching up on sleep”. To jumpstart your summer, an early GEO summer party for the GEO students last June 7 and 8 at the CUK Global Lounge. GEO Students enjoyed wonderful snacks and refreshments. A series of games such as Guessing Game, Balloon Popping Game and Tableau Game were also prepared to encourage interaction amongst GEO students. There were also heartwarming performances from our TAs Jiyeun, Karl, Yumi and winners from the OBF Pop Song contest. Surely, it was a night of entertainment and relaxation with friends - real great way to jumpstart our summer fun.




Check out the photos below:

Thanks to our dedicated TAs who prepare the food.
(Our TAs are so hardworking from the site preparation, food preparation, program proper,
down to the program wrap up, they do a great task.)

Refreshments and snacks for everyone

Guess who???

Our Korean TAs

Come on ... 1-2-3 Pop the Balloon

Our judges for the Tableau Game

Wow... they're so into the Tableau Game... ^_^

Will you marry me?

Complete with props..
Paint me a picture of a Birthday Party ^^

Let's go teammates..
Paint me a picture of a Baseball match

Even professors joined the fun...
Paint me a picture of a Beach scene

Winners gets chocolate treats

Eat, mingle and smile
Students enjoy the food prepared for them

Everybody interacts
Lets enjoy the night and have fun together

.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*• 

                                         It's more fun in GEO   

.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•¸

Check out other pictures in:  http://www.facebook.com/CUK.GEO.

By Abigail Go, GEO Blog and SNS Editor

Sharing my CUK Festival sentiments...

It was my first time to experience the festival in the university. I belong to the School of Business and I joined the Business Administration society in our department. The name of our organization is "Ringing in the Morning." I was really excited and nervous because of the festival. The festival was from Wednesday to Friday. We opened a small tavern and at the beginning I thought it was hard. A lot of people came and serving all of them really made me tired.

Korean performances during the CUK Festival

There were several performances during the festival. In addition, our school invited two famous performers for the festival. The names of the bands are 2 AM and 10 cm. They sang their songs well. On the first day of the festival, there weren't a lot of people. But on the second day when the bands are going to perform, there were an awful lot of people. At first we thought it would be nice if many people will come but the more people came, the more we had a lot of work to do. After the last day of the festival, there was a lot of cleaning up to do. The festival was fun at first but eventually, I thought that working for the festival is just hard.



by Kim Kun Woo, GEO Class 2-6, Professor Stephen and TA Gellene

My worthwhile plan for a long weekend

I heard that the Catholic University of Korea was founded in 1855. Then it is the 157^th School anniversary this year. Luckily, this year’s School Anniversary fell on a Friday! So it is a long weekend for most of us. What do you usually do during long weekends like this?

During long weekends like this, I plan to take a trip. I want to take a trip to the city ‘Jung-sun’ in Kang-won province.

I want to ride a rail-bike in Jung-sun. In the past, Jung-sun was famous for its coal mine. So there are many rails that were used to carry mineral resources dug in mines. The rails are not used as their original object, but they are used as a tourists attraction today. It is similar to a wagon, but it works with pedals. I want to ride it and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jung-sun.

The Temptation of Hemibarbusmylodon, a fast-food restaurant

There are also special food cafes in Jung-sun. One is “The Temptation of Hemibarbusmylodon”. It is a fast-food restaurant, and it looks like a fish (Hemibarbusmylodon) laying some eggs. The other restaurant is “The Dream of Grasshopper”. It consists of two female grasshoppers and male grasshoppers. On the first floor people can eat meals, and on the second floor they can drink some coffee.

The Dream of Grasshopper, another restaurant in Jung -sun

I heard that there is a Train-pension in Jung-sun. That is a pension that is made with a train which does not run anymore. I would like to stay there for one night. But if the Train-pension is not available, then I want to stay in the capsule house for one night instead of staying in the Train-pension. Literally, the whole shape of the house is a capsule! It looks really cozy and comfortable. It is smaller than the Train-pension, but I think it has advantages in its own way.

Usually, I have no time to take even a short trip. So I would like to get as much out of my everyday life and take a trip to get out of our campus specially during long weekends when we have a lot of time..

by Lee Han Ul, GEO Class 2-4, Professor Nigel and TA Jiyeun

Photos taken from:

http://blog.daum.net/kyu019/6938734

http://blog.naver.com/kcsids?Redirect=Log&logNo=120070768560

Fun and learning experienced during the 2012 English Group Presentation Contest

The 2012 English Group Presentation Contest was held last May 24, 29 to 31.  The contest was held at the International Hub Building 267 Conference Room and the Global Lounge (for May 29). The event was open to the public and there was a large crowd consisting of both participants and their acquaintances this year. The English Presentation Contest  is annually organized by the Global English Outreach Program Professors and Teaching Assistants. It is run by the International Language Education Center and financially supported by the Korean Government. The contest is open to Catholic University of Korea (CUK) students and 2012 Spring CUK International Language Education Center students, and each participating team must consist of two or three individuals. There were three levels - beginners, intermediate and advanced. There were various topics assigned per level. The beginner level participants were asked to share their idea on the area where South Korea will lead during the 21st century. The intermediate level topic was about the presenter's opinion whether it is time for Korea to officially make Korea as a second language. For the Advanced level, the topic was about South Korea's best strategy towards dealing with North Korea.   The applicants submitted the requirements on or before May 18. The participants discussed and argued their stand within the specified time.  The participants made seven- to eight-minute presentations using any visual materials of their choice, such as Powerpoints. Their oral along with their visual presentations were scored by the judges and prizes are given to the teams who presented best.  There were numerous participants. There were a total of thirteen teams who joined the beginner level, twenty teams who joined the intermediate level and another twenty teams who joined the advanced level.  For the beginner level, the announcement of the winners and the awarding were held on the same day of the contest, May 24. Whereas for the intermediate and advanced level, a semi final battle took place last May 29 and 30 respectively. Afterwards, the six finalists were declared for each category. They competed again during the final round held last May 31.  Team Purple & Art, Team Tong and Team Like Steve Jobs bagged the first, second and third prize respectively for the Beginner level. For the Intermediate category, Team Saeul Mate, Team Bilingual and Team Double K won the first, second and third prize respectively. Whereas for the Advanced level, Team Zealot, Team The Surgeons and Team All in won the competition. After each presentation, there were also trivia questions and lucky winners were given snacks to commend their participation.  It was indeed a successful event full of fun and learning experience for all the delegates and audience.  We hope you had a worthwhile experience. See you again next year ^^ Students registering for the event ID of the participants for the Beginner Category Judges, Professor Stephen and Professor Nick, eagerly listening to the presentation Winners of the Beginner level Mrs Kwon and numerous ILEC Representatives graced the event  Trivia time by our active and bubbly host, TA Liz Intermediate Level winners Advanced category winners Some of the organizers of the event GEO Blog Editor and GEO TAs poses with Korean participants and friends ^^ By Abigail Go, GEO Blog and SNS Editor

My Memorial Day Sentiments

Remembering our loved ones

Memorial Day is June 6th. This day is declared as a legal holiday as it is a time to think about our forefathers who devoted their lives for Korea. Including the President, people usually go to the National Cemetery. At 10 am, it is a moment of silence with sirens. We also raise the national flag.

But to be honest, I did not do these actions like thinking our ancestors or hanging the national flag. Actually, I am very happy during June 6th. The reason why is because it is a holiday. I am feel ashamed when I didn’t do the practices in the past.

From now on, I will worship our forefathers and raise the national flag on June 6th. If the opportunity comes, I want to visit at National Cemetery on June 6th.

by Kim Ji Young, GEO Class 2-5, Professor Stephen and TA Revan

My Korea Buddha‘s birthday experience

Buddha's birthday is very special day for me. Because It is big festival for Buddhists. Buddhism is one of Korea's well known religion.

Although I am a Catholic, I still enjoy Buddha's birthday. Last year, I went to Samkwangsa during Buddha's birthday. Samkwangsa is a very famous Buddhist temple. For example United States' CNN broadcasting selected Samkwangsa as one of Korea's beautiful places. When I arrived there, Samkwangsa had lantern festival . There were many people. Samkwangsa had decorated many lanterns. That day is lantern festival's last day so it is at its peak. Another feature I like is the solemn temple mood.

For me, Buddha's birthday is somehow different with Christmas celebration. In the case of Christmas, it is like a festival. Every people just enjoy that day. But during Buddha's, people worship Buddha. So many Buddhist monks are enthusiastic to worship Buddha. In the evening, when the Sky becomes dark, lanterns are everywhere. Monk's spearhead the festival celebration. It is both a festive and serious event. I think that's one of the difference with Christmas day.

 
Editor's note (Lotus Lantern festival write up and photos courtesy of Abigail Go):

Here are some photos from the recently concluded 2012 Lotus Lantern Festival. The Lotus Lantern Festival in Korea was held last May 19 to 20. An opening ceremony was held in Dongguk University where all the Buddhist temples showcased their lanterns and had performances shown to the public. Numerous participants flocked the area - the young and aged, even the disabled and special people took part in the event. Afterwards, all the participants walked their way from  Dongguk University all the way to Jongno-samga where the lantern parade took place. It was a festive celebration, full of colors and wonderful performances. Locals and foreigners alike witnessed this eventful celebration. Below are some of the photos taken during the 2 hour long parade ^^

Cute little monk lantern

Vibrant colors depicting the festival's festive mood

Several schools participated and joined the lantern festival

Even Catholic University of Korea has its own lantern

Brightly colored elephant seen during the parade

Even the Seoul mascot is visible in the parade

by Jung byung soo, GEO Class 1-3, Professor Tom and TA Boram

Photos by Abigail Go, GEO Blog & SNS Editor 

CUK Student Festival - a Fun & Enjoyable experience

Pub like tents (Po Jang Ma Cha) mushroom around the
CUK soccer field in celebration of the  CUK Student Festival

I enjoyed student festival in Catholic University of Korea that occurred last Wednesday to Friday. During the first and second day, I ran a pub and street stall because I am a member of school club and my school club had decided to operate them. During the daytime, I ran the street stall to sell some street food. My club members had determined that we would sell a cup of “Naeng-myeon”, Korean cold noodles. All of our members, including me, expected that it would be very popular, but I was so sad because it was not that popular. However, when I ate it, I could feel why they were not popular because the taste was pretty terrible. Obviously it will not sell well. However, the pub which we ran at night was very popular because the foods were very delicious. One of my team members’ mother cooks very well, so we borrowed her recipe. That was why the foods were delicious.

Students enjoying the food we served ^^

On the second day, my friends came to my street stall. We spent time together. They bought a lot of foods from me. Therefore I could take a rest earlier than expected. Also, at night, a lot of senior came to the pub. I expected I would sell a lot of food at a more expensive price because traditionally seniors paid more expensive price for food. I could get a lot of margin thanks for them. Everything which I experienced during the day was so good. I enjoyed the festival a lot. I had a lot of fun. I could not forget it.

Jam Packed Student Festival. Students enjoy the music from 10cm and 2am, among other performers

by Se-jin Park, GEO Class 4-1, Professor Nigel Powers and TA Ilene

My Awesome CDZ Life

The name of CDZ is the acronym for 'Catholic University Dancing Zone', and it is the only central dancing circle in Catholic University of Korea. My way of joining this circle is quite special. At first, I did not participate in the audition for CDZ. This is because I was a little bit shy girl. I thought I was not that good at dancing like other member of my circle. I danced in our major's MT, and one of sophomores at school suggested that I join CDZ. I thought about it and I think it is a good suggestion so I joined the club.

Let me share with you my CDZ Life. We usually have a circle meeting from 6 to 9 PM every Tuesdays and Thursdays. During our meeting, we usually take a test so that everyone dances in front of others. In turn, other member give an advice to another member. This is a good practice to improve our craft. Actually, I have a GEO class from 8 to 9 during the same day, so I always have to leave our club earlier than other members. I feel sorry to them, but they understand mey situation fully and for that I am grateful. These days, all members always gather together because of the preparation for the school festival. My friends say "It is very hard to see and spend some time with you. You must be busy. Aren't you tired? Your circle is too strict!" However, I have never regretted being a part of this club. It is such a pleasant thing to communicate with our club members and spend a great time with them. Unlike what other people think, my seniors are very kind and nice people.  

These days, I am excited to perform along with the CDZ club during our school festival. I hope I can be a part of this club until I finish my college year at CUK. I think aside from GEO, this is a great activity that students can be involved in. I am trying to keep things balanced, which is not an easy thing to do. However, I am grateful about the fact that I can enjoy these two activities.  I hope you find an organization and activities that you enjoy too. This way you can make the most out of your time, learn something new and enjoy your time.

by Narae Kang, GEO Class 4-1, Professor Peter Jenkins and TA Sydney

Another round of interviews with Foreign Teaching Assistant

Collin busy during his duty hours in English Clinic

 I visited the English Clinic two times so far. My first English Visit was last March 29th and my second visit was last May 9th. During that time, I met Collin. I talked to him during my visits. He is an American and is currently 24 years old.

During my first visit, I asked him several questions. Firstly, I asked his opinion about Korea becoming more and more westernized. For him, is that good or bad? He said having a westernized Korea has positive aspect as well as negative aspect. Positive thing is that westernization improves the economy and social stand of Korea. But the negative thing is that westernization makes Koreans lose Korea's traditional culture.

Second, I asked "Could you consider dating a Korean person?". He answered that he can date Korean woman. But he can't explain the reason. However, he worries about the language barrier.

The third question I raised was "Will you always live in your country?, or are you willing to move to another country?". He answered he prefers to live in another country. This is because he likes to experience different culture and make a lot of international friends.

Collin smiling widely as his picture is being taken together  with the author

During my second visit, I also asked him two questions. First, I asked "What is the best part of university life?". He said in his hometown America, he just goes to school and comes back home every day. But in Korea, he lives in dorm at campus. So he can make many friends and experience a lot of school activities as a Foreign Teaching Assistant. He looks like he is enjoying university life in Korea rather than his hometown. In addition, he said "I am little bit famous. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy my campus life here!" Of course, he meant it as a joke but I think there is some truth about it :)

I also asked him "What is the worst part of university life?". He answered dorm's living environment is little bit unsatisfactory. Maybe he had some suggestions to improve dormitory life especially for international students like him. I hope his suggestions will be considered by the dormitory and school officials because it is essential especially in attracting foreign students.

I had very good time with Collin during my English Clinic visits! Thank you Collin ^^

by Kim Jinri, GEO Class 3-4, Professor Peter Jenkins and TA Jin

My interview with Foreign Teaching Assistant

Father Justin with a GEO student during the GEO Easter party

The first English Clinic foreign teaching assistant (FTA) I met was Justin.

He is from India and he is a priest.

Justin has 6 family members and he has a twin.

During my visit, we talked about globalization.

Justin said that it has merits and demerits but he may thought it made some things a little worse.

He thought globalization makes each country similar to each other.

There is no individuality.

I agree with him but the other partner who did English Clinic together thought that globalization is good.

We also talked about Indian movies, so-called Bollywood. We also discussed about Indian food.

Jinu with the author, Da Hye

The second English Clinic FTA I talked to was Jinu.

He is also from India. He comes from the same area as Father Justin.

We talked about many things such as our majors and our future plans.

Jinu's major is Digital Media and he is a graduate student.

The other partner I had during the session is a sophomore student. His major is Psychology.

In Korea, people have to study and study like a machine.

And entering the company, they work and work like a machine.

Jinu was very sorry about that because Indians study and work for just a few hours.

About 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..

And he said that he can't understand so many plastic surgeries in Korea.

It makes all people look similar.

I agree with him but I told him that for some people it gives them confidence.

But to the end, he didn't understand why people (especially Korean) take a plastic surgery.

Anyway we had a very long conversation.

It was very fun and pleasant time! I really enjoyed my English Clinic visits.

by Kim Da Hye, GEO Class 3-4, Professor Peter Jenkins and TA Jin

Join GEO NOW!!!

Summer is fast approaching. The Catholic University of Korea has the right program for you.

Join the Global English Outreach (GEO) Program this summer. 

Sign up now. We have a booth today until tomorrow (May 14 & 15), located in front of Michel Food. We have fun games and exciting activities in store for you. Talk to our competent Teaching Assistants and learn more about this program. 

You can also visit the International Language Education Center Office or the GEO Office.

Hurry... Register now!!!

GEO is a multidimensional course of study which is committed to upgrading students’ English proficiency, as well as to providing them with a unique social and cultural experience. Our goal is to offer students challenging instruction that aims to develop communicative competence in an environment that is both professional and fun.

The GEO Program takes place year round in the English language dormitory as it is designed to promote an “in-bound internationalization,” developing the students’ English-speaking abilities without them having to go abroad.

Interesting things I learned from the GEO Colloquium

I attended the GEO Colloquium last week. The guest speaker was Honorable Harry A.C. Van Woerden. He is the executive director of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) Korea. The topic of the colloquium is ‘Stepping Stone to European Business’. He explained issues pertaining to world business and global leadership. Harry engaged students and asked them: “What should we do?”.

After I listened to the colloquium, I searched about NFIA and visited NFIA homepage to further understand the topic, ‘Stepping stone to European Business’. There, it explains the best strategic position and discusses about the subject: ‘Why invest in Holland’ in Europe”. It also discusses about the international business management environment. Before I investigated Holland, things I know about that country only include the tulip and windmill. But, after I studied about that country, I realized that Holland holds a very strong strategic position in Europe. What is interesting is that Holland is not only located in central Europe, it has excellent social overhead capital facilities. These are some of the reasons, why the speaker suggests that Holland gives potential investors a business advantage.

Korea as a hub in Asia

I remember the speaker also mentioned about the position of Korea in Asia. As he says, Korea is located in the center of East Asia, between China and Japan. It is similar to Holland. So Korea can be the ‘Stepping stone to Asian Business’. I totally agree with this. Now, Korea also prepares Korean investment for international business. Asia is very big continent. Asia is a big business place. And Korea is the center of East Asia. It has a thriving economy. I really hope Korea is as active as Holland, becoming a major hub in Asia.

Effective speaker

It is actually my first time to participate in an English speaking colloquium. The colloquium format is very unfamiliar for me. But, Honorable Harry A.C. Van Woerden’s speech made the atmosphere very pleasant. I think Honorable Harry A.C. van Woerden is a good speaker. He made a lot of eye contact with the audience. Even if the topic is difficult, he tried to deliver his speech properly. Amazingly, he sometimes used Korean in his speech. It makes an amicable atmosphere all throughout. I think the best speaker has to prepare contents of speech and consider the response of the audience. If the speaker doesn’t care about audience and does not make enough contact with them, they will be very bored and uninterested in his speech. So I was so impressed with his speech.

I experienced Colloquium for the first time. I learned a lot about global business and more so about the speaker’s attitude and EnglishJ. I enjoyed the colloquium and it helped me to improve my English. Thanks to the colloquium. I look forward to future colloquiums that Catholic University of Korea will organize. 

by Seung A Ko, GEO Class 2-1, Professor Nigel Powers and TA Go Eun

The country of courteous people in the East

Have you ever heard about the country of courteous people in the East? Can you guess its meaning? It is another name of Korea. During the era of Chosun dynasty, Western people called us, the country of courteous people in the East, Korea. That is because of our kindness, respect and consideration for old people. Now I am going to tell you some examples which pertain to these courteous situations.

Korean drinking culture

First example – the drinking culture. When we drink alcohol with older people, we have to accept a glass of drink with both hands. After accepting the cup, we have to turn our heads and drink alcohol sideways (not directly drinking in front of the older people). However, older people don’t have to turn their heads. If we don’t turn our heads in front of older people, they are going to think that we are very rude. When we fill a glass of drink to older people, we must pour with both hands. That is our courteous drinking culture.

Second - courtesy to elderly people who use public transportation. When we use public transportation such as subway or bus, we can meet people from all age groups. As the transportations’ seats are limited, we give priority to selected individuals. In our country, there are some seats that are reserved only for the old, weak people, disabled and pregnant women. As courtesy, young and healthy people in Korea don’t use seats allotted to these marginalized group. If the sick and the old use public transportation and there are no more seats for the sick and the aged, most people even give their seats to the sick and the elderly. I heard that in other countries, the elderly stand when no seat is available.

Third - eating meals with older people. If we eat meals with older people, we can’t eat first. We can eat after older people start eating. However in other countries, people don’t care who eats first. In Korea, eating after the elderly starts eating is one of ways to show respect to older people.

Lastly – the honorifics. I think that the major difference between foreign culture and Korean culture is the honorific term. If we talk to older people, we have to use honorific term like Yo (요) or Da (다). However in America or Europe, they don’t use honorific terms. Many foreigners have difficulties in using honorific terms and make mistakes about that. Honorific terms are used not only for older people but also for meeting other people for the first time. Even though we know the person is younger than you, you need to use respectful terms. That is how our country culture different from other countries.

Aside from the situations mentioned above, there a lot of other things that indicate that Korea is a country of courteous people in the East. I think these four situations highlights the high regard of Koreans to the elderly. These practices differ the most with other countries’ culture. It is good to know these basic manners so you can show respect to other people, especially to the elderly here in Korea. 

by Lee Jin Sol, GEO Class 5-1, Professor Stephen Jones and TA Mario

The return of the Stephen Cardinal Kim Global Leadership Colloquium

                 

Korea and Netherland flags

The 11^th Stephen Cardinal Kim Global Leadership Colloquium of the Catholic University of Korea was held last May 3, 2012 at the International Hub Hall with the theme: The Netherlands: Stepping Stone to European Business. Mr. Nicolaas Le Roux - Director of ILEC hosted the said conference that was attended by university professors and students. The University Vice President, Professor Yong-Seung Kim, Ph.D., welcomed the Guest speaker, His Excellency Harry A.C. van Woerden - Executive Director of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). Generally, the conference was focused on the reasons why the Netherlands is the ideal European state to invest in and how the NFIA can assist Korean companies develop business in Holland.

Mr. Harry A.C. van Woerden, Executive Director of the 

Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) Korea since 2005. 

Professor Yong-Seung Kim, Ph.D. for the Welcoming Remarks

Professor Nicolaas Le Roux , Fr. Jung Tae Young our University Priest

and some University Professors 

 Group Picture with Mr. Harry A.C. van Woerden

by: Raizza Tolentino, GEO Blog Editorial Trainee