THE ELC NEWS

A Publication by and for Students of the English Language Center, Old Dominion University
April 2009—Spring 2

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, what made versity, the uni-

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
Katarzyna (left) and Mert talk outside
partner, which country
on Kaufman Mall near the ELC in would you want him or
Dragas Hall. 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-
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 From left: Isami, Bandar, and Mert meet outside
unusual clothes. of Dragas Hall
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.

TOEFL is May 1, 2009. Summer 1 registration begins May 4. Summer 1 begins May 12.
 April 13th in Korea  Traveling to Western Ireland 
By Juyeon Kim (Korea)  By Junseong Kim (Korea) 
   
  The 13th of April is a very special day for my mother nation,  What is your first thought or idea about 
the Republic of Korea. Exactly 90 years ago, when Korea was under  Ireland? Like most people, I also imagine 
the control of Japanese imperialism, some patriots in Korea founded  “Green.”  When  I  travelled  in  Ireland,  I 
a provisional government of Korea in China. The founders gave up 
saw a large number of sheep, cows, and horses. However, Ire‐
every single thing they had. They left their families in Korea; they 
gave up all their properties; and moreover, they risked their lives for 
land  is  not  just  all  about  “green”.  After  traveling  to  Western 
the independence of Korea. They organized the “Liberal Army” for  Ireland,  I  can  recommend  that  Ireland  is  the  best  vacation 
Korea’s independence; they sent hundreds of ambassadors to other  place.  You  can  enjoy  a  wonderful  landscape,  various  historic 
nations to make other nations know the injustice of Japan at the time.   sites, and interesting culture.  
  After Korea had gotten freedom from Japan by the U.S.A and  Ireland  has  a  wonderful  landscape.  This  country  has  the 
other powerful nations, Korea was actually  in a crisis of losing their  most  various  glacial  landscapes  in  the  world.  So,  you  can  see 
sovereignty again because they were in the driver’s seat.  But, they  not only broad green fields, but also many beautiful lakes and 
recognized the provisional government’s effort, so they gave the sov‐ the finest marine cliffs in Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are some 
ereignty of Korea back to the provisional government.  The 4th of  of  the  most  famous  ocean  cliffs  in  Western  Ireland.  You  feel 
July is not just a holiday in the States; it is the day that all Americans  like you are standing on the edge of the world if you walk on 
remember their ancestors’ efforts for the nation. Korea also has Inde‐
top  of  the  Cliffs  of  Moher.  After  enjoying  seeing  the  Atlantic 
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‐ scenery, you can go to the Aran Islands, a famous historic site 
spect for great ancestors is a worldwide phenomenon, but we have  about  the  potato  famine  of  the  1800’s.  The  Aran  Islands  are 
to remember their efforts because those made our nation what it is  the  first  settlement  in  Ireland,  and  you  can  have  a  chance  to 
right now, and us as well. A lot of countries have had Dark Ages  learn Gaelic, the official language of Ireland.  If you feel tired 
throughout their histories, but the real patriots and patriotism most  after  sightseeing,  I  suggest  going  to  an  Irish  pub.  Many  cities 
brightly shined in that time also, and that light led the way for the  and towns in Western Ireland maintain their traditional music, 
nation’s people follow.   so you can enjoy delightful and light Irish music. Don’t forget 
to try the famous black beer Guinness. Its taste is really good.
Work Camp  Under  a  bright  night,  you  can  find  that  you  will  really  enjoy 
By Yujin Choi (Korea)  Irish culture and feel Irish.  
 
  Do you want to 
go through a special ex‐ Are you lying?
The direction of the eyes can tell the truth.
perience that you can’t  By Ayrat Gimranov (Russia)
ever forget? Or, do you 
want to make a precious  We have seen in the movies how police officers or detectives deter-
memory that you can’t  mine if people tell the truth or not according to direction of their eyes.
made with money? If so, I  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
would like to recommend the ‘work camp’ to you! 
mentioned in a book by Richard Bandler and John Grinder called
  Work camp is an international volunteering program. If  “Frogs into Princes: Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)”. When a
you participate in a work camp, you can meet various people  person is asked a question and he looks (from your point of view,
who from all over the world and experience a unique commu‐ when you face him):
nity life. Participants have to accomplish the local communities’ 
project, and it requires voluntary manpower and partnership. By  UP and to the LEFT: It means that he is making up an image that
he has not actually seen.
working for local communities, participants contribute to help  UP and to the RIGHT: It means that he is trying to remember a pic-
local communities’ development. Because of the above reason,  ture of something that he has seen in the past.
this program is called ‘work camp’. To participate in work camp,  LEFT: A person is trying to make up a sound that he has never
you have to choose a period that you can possibly work and  heard before, so he creates it and tries to play it in his mind.
select the country you want to go to: Europe, the Americas,  RIGHT: He tries to remember a sound that he has heard before.
Asia, and Africa. And, you have to pay all the expenses, including  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,
charges for boarding and lodging.  touch, etc. For example, if you ask him to explain the taste of his
  In my case, I went to Uzbekistan last summer for volun‐ favorite food that his mother used to cook for him when he was a
teering through my university’s program. During that time, I  child, then his eyes would probably look into that direction.
realized how I had a narrow vision. But, this experience allowed  Down and to the right: This is the way he looks when he has an
me to improve my self‐confidence, to prompt me to act posi‐ 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.
tively in all things, and to gain a wider viewpoint in looking at 
the world.  So if you ask, for example, somebody the question “Where have you
  I  hope  to  participate  in  another  work  camp  someday,  been?” and his eyes turn to the left and up, you could probably con-
and I believe that you can develop your self‐confidence and also  clude that this person is creating a situation in his mind instead of
a cooperative mind through work camp.  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 ☺

What is your country’s traditional food?
Somtum. (Supakorn, Thailand)
Dograma and palow. (Murat, Turkmenistan)
Kabsa. (Sulaiman, Saudi Arabia)
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)
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
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)
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)
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) This section
was com-
piled by
Mahammad
Alghmdi,
Jiae Kim,
Hanil Lee,
Euisin Han,
Luan Tran,
and Yisi Dai