Believe in yourself, you have the power to be a good English speaker

With GEO 9 coming to a close, several students had mixed feelings on the subject. Several students say that they are excited about the last day of classes. For a number of students, it is quite bittersweet. It provides them a sense of accomplishment, but ultimately it makes them realize just how much they will be leaving behind.

The students are all excited to go back to their lives, but at the same time they are happy of the memories that they will forever cherish. Their GEO 9 experience is truly remarkable. The newfound friends, outstanding professors, accommodating teaching assistants, academic classes, interesting club activities, exciting team competitions will be a memory that they will forever remember. Ultimately, they will forever remember and put in mind the CONFIDENCE (IN SPEAKING ENGLISH) that they rediscovered during this winter camp. Their "graduation" from GEO 9 is a start of new challenges that lies ahead for them - the challenge to continue to use English in and outside of their community, the challenge to communicate with others with confidence, the challenge to continuously believe in themselves and the power they have to make a difference in the lives of others.

As Professor Corien puts it, "Use it, or loose it". Continuing to use the English language after the program will be of help to them. (For one, they can talk amongst themselves using English, listen to English music, watch English shows, among others.)

Finally, quoting Professor Roger, Believe in yourself, you have to power to be good English speakers.

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Sharing with you some photos from the Closing Ceremony (January 28, 2011)

Teams competing for the GEO Cup

Everyone praised our GEO 9's very talented violinist

Magnificent Ge-u band performs lives in GEO 9 Closing Ceremony

Team leaders share their wonderful experiences with other GEO students

X League's team drama winner - New Zealand

We got the POWER!!!

Winning the GEO Cup - X League's Jamaica

Heaven's blessings (from Jesus) showered upon Team Botswana

Botswana bags the Z League's Team Drama Award & the much coveted GEO Cup.

Professor Richard & TA Heejong will forever be remembered by their students

Having the Time of their Life in GEO.

Some people behind GEO 9

TA Maricris, TA Kat, TA Glenn, Office manager Carol,

Blog editor and TA Abby, TA Van

by: Admin

Inspiring and Entertaining Team Drama Contest

Completing the roster of team competitions for GEO 9 is the team drama competition. This presentation is the final component in determining the winning team for this winter camp's GEO Cup. Both X and Z League had to join this activity. X League's Jamaica, Bermuda, Venezuela, Belize and New Zealand presented their team drama last Wednesday (January 26). While Z League's Samoa, India, Ireland, Singapore and Botswana performed last night Thursday (January 27).

During the team drama presentation, the audience were amazed and mesmerized by the student's performance. Witnessing students acting, singing and dancing, confidently speaking in English on stage is such a wonderful thing. All the toil of the professors and teaching assistants alike paid off. It is always great to see the great improvement of students after their GEO experience. Seeing the progress in the student's English speaking ability and the confidence that they rediscover after the camp is always a great achievement for the people behind the GEO program.

Below are some photos taken during the drama presentation:

Team Jamaica's "A Parody of our favorite Movies" was a unique concept

- using a compilation of several popular films including 300, Forrest Gump,

The Mask, The Godfather, to name a few.

Team Belize's "Father Act" puts an interesting twist on the storyline of the movie, Sister Act.

The leading man showed his immense musical and English talent throughout the play.

Team Venezuela used contemporary theme of a talent show in their performance, Superstar G

The Little Mermaid by Team Bermuda was a fitting choice for the island nation.

The costumes were very creative and hilarious.

The intelligent twist in the original storyline was also remarkable.

Lord of the Cup, the drama by Team New Zealand was very impressive.

Harry Potter and his battles with Snape, Voldemort and other villains in the renowned adaptation

were shown in the play.Great story, fantastic costumes and excellently portrayed characters.

India's Incredible Story showcased Team India's dancing skills

Samoa's Cinderella in GEO is an interesting depiction of Cinderella in a contemporary context.

The main character played the role very well too.

Ireland's Drama, "G", showcased great English rapping from these two handsome gentlemen

Great voices heard from Edward and Bella (main characters of Singapore's Twilight drama presentation) ,

singing A Whole New World from the movie Aladdin.

Team Botswana's "Finding Confidence" encourages students to be confident in using the English language

Finally, the results of the drama contest....

Drum roll please....

As always, the organizers hope that the audience were not only entertained but inspired to use the English language often. Thanks to the performers and their mentors. ^_^

by: Admin

Fun & Educational Night during GEO 9 Country Quiz

Students from class 2-1 shared their country quiz experience.

Last January 24, we competed with other teams. We played country quiz. As participants of the game, we had to answer questions about other countries - India, Samoa, Botswana, and Singapore. We played in the Gymnasium. We started the quiz at 6:30pm and finished at around 8:00pm. - Sung-Jae from Team Ireland.

Team Ireland discussing what their answer is for the country quiz question

Z League teams anticipating the answer to the country question

I had a great time during the GEO country quiz. Jamaica got almost perfect scores!!! I was surprised, our team, Venezuela, got 4th place only. But it’s okay because we did our best. We had a fun time too. - Eun hyang from Team Venezuela.

Our team Venezuela participated in the country quiz together with other X League teams. We only got 4th place. I was so sad. It didn’t matter if the questions were easy or difficult because our team didn’t do very well. I'm so depressed that’s why after the quiz I ate ramyeon (Korean noodles) because of stress. –Bo Seub

Team Venezuela still in high spirits aiming to do better in the next team competition

The country quiz was a bad memory for me, because our team lost. I confess that we didn’t prepare that much because we had to practice a lot for the team drama. As team leader, I felt sorry for my teammates and my Professor Jerry. Through this experience, I realized that I have to work harder and exert more effort for the team drama to redeem Team New Zealand. - Min Keon

Team New Zealand's turn to ask questions for other teams to answer

I liked the country quiz time because our team won 3rd prize. Actually our team had little time to prepare for the team competition. But for me, our team score was not bad. :) But if we got 1st prize, it would be more impressive. Anyway that's okay. I like GEO and I really had a fun time. -Seol

During Z League's country quiz, our team won 5th place. I just couldn't believe that our team didn't win the game despite the fact that we won the last two games – sports night and speed quiz. Anyway, we felt so sad but we believe we are going to be okay. I am just looking forward to the team drama. We prepared so hard for the team drama that’s why I believe that even if we didn’t win the country quiz, we can still be the winner of GEO cup. –Lee Kang

It was amazing. Our team Jamaica almost got perfect scores!! We were very happy because our hard work paid off (Our team leader and members studied very hard for the country quiz.). We had only one wrong answer. The country quiz was indeed fun and educational night. I think we could be 1st place. Professor Roger and Jonathan encouraged us to do our best for our team. Go go go Team Jamaica!!! We got the POWER!!! -Hyun Jeong

Finally, it's Team Jamaica's turn to ask questions

from GEO Class 2-1 (Professor David & TA Glenn)

Thought provoking discussions about the changing meaning of Friendship

Last January 17, our class 3-4 had group conversations designed as a symposium. Each group and their discussions were centered on the main topic of ‘friendship’. The topics were researched and addressed by each individual student and group. The topics were found by the students and designed by the students. Professor Roger helped in the overall design and order. The topics were the following:

Group 1

a. Non-personal friendships

b. Imaginary friendships

c. What is a real or true friendship (survey)

d. The possibility of a close friendships

Group 2

a. The importance of the past and present in friendships

b. How friendships will be redefined in the future

c. What are the most important factors in true friendships

Group 3

a. We can make global friends

b. Is Facebook a help or hindrance towards friendships

c. Is there a counter-reaction to Facebook?

Each person became a semi-expert from their particular research and added a unique perspective that others within the group or class may have not considered. Each topic was explained, and each member of the group then discussed their opinions to each in a form of a town hall discussion. For example, the second group came to a consensus regarding two important factors of friendships. According to Yeo Sang Min, Kang Sun Hun, and Kim Sin Soon, friendships have to be about honesty and trust, and these are base on Lohan, and that honesty and trust can be only built on the past, present and future of that particular friendship. The third group mostly focused on the Facebook and its impact upon Korea and the world. Although no consensus was agreed upon on whether Facebook is having an overall good impact or not, it was noted that it is easy to make global friends, but there is an issue regarding the disclosure of personal information which everyone found disconcerting. One member of the third group discovered that there actually is a small counter-reaction group to Facebook and refuses to participate. They hold a belief that friendship must be based on face-to-face interactions.

Overall the group conversations were interesting and thought provoking. It is my belief that everyone had a great time and benefitted from the discussions.

Written by Lee, Seung Min from GEO Class 3-4

Edited by Professor Roger Foard & TA Jonathan

A Wonderful Change in Class 1-1

During the first day of GEO 9 (Winter Camp 2011) I discovered that our class was mostly composed of men. There were 10 men in our class, 8 from the Songsin Campus and 2 from Songsim Campus (including me).

When I found out about this, I felt terrible. Everyone felt terrible. Nobody had energy. The delicious Michel food tasted bland for us because we were all in low spirits.

This winter season’s GEO has discouraging student ratio. I found out that almost 9 of 10 students are men.

There was an average of one woman for every class and ours was not lucky enough to have any woman at all. Because of this, our class did not have a lot of energy. We were becoming tired very quickly.

But God truly exists! One day, He sent us an angel. Class 1-1 has our very own angel. Her name is Kim Jae Youn. She is 21 years old and lives in Sanbon. Jae Youn is an incoming sophomore Nursing major at the Songeui Campus. She told us she was not able to come to class earlier because of an examination she had to take at Songeui Campus last January 5^th.

Jae Youn joined Class 1-1 on the afternoon of January 5^th. Immediately after she arrived, our class felt a burst of energy. We got the power! She is the power of Class 1-1.

Because of Jae Youn, our class was energized. All of us eagerly went to class hoping we would be her partner for Professor Jason’s “Free Talking” or “Question of the Day” activities.

We gained new confidence in speaking in front of other people.

Class 1-1 members even won first place in the Group Presentation Contest. We beat teams from Level 2.

As GEO 9 (Winter 2011) ends on January 28^th, Class 1-1 will have many lasting memories. All of which is because of our own sweet angel, Kim Jae Youn.

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Dear friends, I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you our wonderful GEO moments:

by: Jung Yeon Jae from GEO Class 1-1 (Professor Jason & TA Van)

4-1's Club Activity

Let students from GEO Class 4-1 tell you about their classmate's club activity:

I’d like to tell you about my friend Hak-Jun’s club activity. He wants to improve his English speaking skills while he is in the GEO program. He decided to join the cooking club because he loves cooking! Although, he cannot cook like a professional chef in an expensive hotel, he likes cooking nonetheless. He feels happy while he cooks for other people. He believes that cooking is an expression of love, like the food prepared by your mother for you. - Moon Hyeok

Cooking club members enjoying their club activity

After the club activity, students get to indulge in the food they cooked) ^_^

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Hello, my name is Hakjun Lee. Let me introduce the GEO club of my partner, Moon Hyuk Jo. Moonhyuk joined the TOEIC club. As he is a Seminarian, Munhyuk does not need a good TOEIC score to get a job. Still, he is interested in improving his English skills. At the moment, he is planning for his trip to Spain to attend the World Youth Day, a famous festival for the Catholic youth. Since regular TOEIC classes are very expensive, the GEO TOEIC club is the perfect opportunity for him.

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I would like to tell you about my friend, Min Jung, and her GEO TOIEC club. She joined because she wants to improve her English abilities. When she heard about the TOEIC club, she decided to take this class to improve her chances of getting a good job. TOIEC classes outside the university are usually very expensive, but during GEO it is offered for free. How cool is that! I am very happy for her! - Lee Soyoun

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Hello, my name is Yong Taek. I would like to introduce my friend, Jae Yeop. He is a very cool guy. He joined the GEO Music club. In that club, they listen to different kinds of music. He says Jamaican songs which they listen to during club time are really cool. The Music Club’s professor is Roger. He is very kind and awesome.

Music Club's professor Roger teaches students of different music

by GEO Class 4-1 (Professor Nico & TA Sehyun)

Related article: http://geocuk.blogspot.com/2011/01/whats-up-with-geo-9-winter-clubs.html

In the Eyes of the Real Children

A curious thing about the movies we have these days is that there seems to be an inclination to go back to the basics. Hence, film adaptations of fairytale stories like Alice in Wonderland to Rapunzel consistently stressed the curiosity we once had as children innocently and creatively experiencing and exploring the world. In particular, the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” touches that chord of our hearts which has long been asleep. Why do we grow the way we do? What happened to our curiosity and selfless adventure?The movie is thus full of allusions and lessons why growing up must not bury the lovable curiosity and daring we once had as innocent children

Charlie Bucket at first glance may not appeal to our hearts because we find more differences than similarities. Because we are adults now, our criteria to answer who he is in our lives are a little bit unclear. But Charlie is a part of us that tells us to believe in people and be bold and creative when looking at the world. At least four times, Willy Wonka described how he made people happy with the way he does with his chocolates and a least four times, Charlie found himself appreciating these things that made people happy. In wonder and amazement, Charlie never ceased to find what is good in his family, the sweets of the factory, and in Willy Wonka himself. A heart that knows kindness as a rule rather than an exception, he chooses to see beyond chocolates and finds himself immersed in admiration because these sweets in their uniqueness made people happy. Towards the end of the movie, it is this very same heart that guides Charlie to let an out-of-touch Willy Wonka get in touch with the natural feeling of children to find and love their parents. Are you in touch with your “Charlie”?

The other children, Veruca, Violet, Mike and Augustus were described as rotten in the film. It may appear that these characters are children but in fact, are not, and are instances of maturity gone awry - the spitting image of their parents. While we find Charlie to be growing in the direction of simplicity and curiosity, the attachment of the other children are distinctly moving towards the direction of vice and excessiveness. These children have ceased to be children and have become children living as adults out of touch of their own “Charlie” moments, failing to appreciate small joys.

What happened to the children inside us? Why are we more cynical and lonely now that we are adults when being adults gives us the power to be the captains of our own fate? Why have we stopped the curious brailing of the world that we once had as children? We must, if we want to find true happiness find that “Charlie” within ourselves for it will allow us to look at the world in the eyes of a curious child.

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Here are some photos from GEO 9's Movie Night - Roald Dahl's 1964 children's book to movie adaptation, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

Grabbing the chance for a photo opportunity

X League's TA in charge in between their free time during the distribution of movie night's freebies

Students getting Popcorn & Cola (exclusively for GEO Movie Night's participants)

Our very own Willy Wonka

Discovering the child in you...

GEO students so happy to win the first golden ticket

Mixed expressions of Golden ticket winners

- Some in awe and happy, a few curious, other students just plainly satisfied

An interview with GEO Class 2-4, Professor Jerry and TA Jam’s adventure!

Incredible GEO 9 Winter Camp

It's the final week of GEO 9. In retrospect, GEO had loads of activities during the past few weeks. Team competitions, individual and group presentations, club activities to name a few. These activities aim to give students fun but educational experience in GEO. There's class, team and club activities that focuses on conversation, confidence building and vocabulary expansion.

Before GEO 9 camp culminates, we asked students on their impressions and sentiments about GEO's vacation program.

Here's what students say about the program:

On the first day we were shy and tense because we must use English only. And we were stressed and felt strange about the warning card and meeting foreigners. But, now our thinking has changed. We got confidence and we met many friends. Thanks to our professors, T.A. We GOT THE POWER!!!

- says Youn Hee, Jong Ho and Jun Young

A 180 degree turn of Class 1-2 students

Once afraid and shy of speaking in English, but during the contest they were full of confidence.

And even enjoyed their time presenting their topics in English. Students even bagged major awards ^_^

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The GEO program has many things to do, such as our presentations. We must make at least two presentations. It’s very hard to us because we have to make an individual and a group presentation. They need some extra time.

And GEO has many missions. For example, we must make 4 foreigner friends and we must talk with the OBF master for 30 minutes!!! So we have less free time.

Maybe, if we have a chance to come back to GEO, we hope the GEO schedule is a little less busy.

- shares Jong Min, Se Young, Yong Su, Chang Su

As one student from Class 1-2 shares, GEO is tiring but challenging...

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The Team Competitions, ‘Catch the tail’ was a very exciting game. It was full of action and everyone in the team participated and cooperated during the game. Also, the Speed Quiz game had a lot of funny hints and gestures. So we had a lot of good laughs.

Lets get it on...

Teams fiercely compete in the "Catch the tail" game

At the Wine and Cheese Party there was a lot of food and wine that made our stomachs full. During that time, we also made a lot of new friends.

Heartwarming performance by the Music club during X League's Cheese & Wine Party

Energetic dance number to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it” by the Musical dance club

during Z League's Cheese & Wine Party

During the field trip, we had many missions that were interesting and fun. Then we had delicious food, and some shopping time.

Students enjoyed their Western meals during their mission-filled trip in Times Square

GEO is indeed an incredible experience.

- reveals Dae Young, Jin Ho, Chan Ho

by students from GEO Class 1-2 (Professor Keith and TA Nara)