WIU-Gwangju Commemorative Book Summer 2012 by pete tarantola

Western Illinois University

Gwangju University

Summer 2012 Exchange Program

Take Me to Your Leader!

Kim Ara A Korean Abroad I came to WIU with some great expectations. I have met nice teachers, lived on a beautiful campus, tasted delicious foods, and visited some great tourist attractions. It is what I expected before I came here. I expected to travel around Illinois and experience how Americans live. During my summer class at WIU, I traveled to many places. I visited the Quad Cities, Burlington, and St. Louis. I also have good memories from the picnic, Heritage Days, Independence Day, homestay at the mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house.

My most unforgettable memory was watching the baseball game in Burlington. I was curious before I got to the stadium of the Burlington Bees because it was my first visit to a minor league baseball game. It was not very big and there were not that many people there. When I went to watch a baseball game in Korea, I could bring food and drinks into the stadium. I would bring chicken and beer however it is not the way in America! I miss Korean baseball. In Korea, there are cheerleaders, music, songs, games in the stands, and kiss camera. During the game, it was hot and I couldn’t concentrate on the game. However, there were some fun things we did. The first thing was singing “Take me out to the ball game” in front of the crowd during the middle of the seventh inning. We practiced it in class and during the ride to Burlington in the car. We did it well I memorized the song.

Another unforgettable memory was when I played the in-between-innings game. Before we went to Burlington, Pete told us that some of us will play these games for fun during the baseball game. I rode a toy and had to see how fast I could get to the finish line. During the game, Cooler and I fell off the horse. This was a prearranged thing between he and I. That was a great experience. After the game, we got a T-shirt as a prize. During the baseball game, we found out that there was a Korean on the visiting team. It has been hard to meet Koreans in Macomb, it was a great a pleasure to be able to meet him. His name was Jiman Choi and when it was his turn we shouted his number,”48!” He didn’t look at us when we called his name, so we thought he was born in America. However, when we met him after the game, we found out that he came from Korea a few years ago. He told us that when he hit a home run he wanted to wave at us. We also took some pictures with him and talked for a little while. I got a signed baseball from him. It is my awesome souvenir from the baseball game, I asked him “please give me a signed ball.” He gave me a signed ball and gloves that he wore during the game. A few days later, I searched his name on a Korean web site, it turns out that he is pretty famous. I reed an article about him, which included a story about us. Watching a minor league baseball game was a great time. especially for me. I’m interested in Korean baseball. One new thing is that I have become interested in American baseball. During my stay in Macomb, I had lots of experiences that helped me establish good relationships with people. I have awesome memories of many places despite the fact Macomb is not a big city. I believe this is not the only time that I will be with these new friends, and that we are going to meet each other again one day in the future.

Bae Ahjin A Happy 3 Days with the Fink Family Before I came to the U.S, I had expected home-stay. I had wondered ‘who will be my host family?’ ‘what will I do with them?’ until I met my host family. My home-stay hosts were Rodney and Bertha Fink. I stayed in Fink family house for 3 days with Christina. First, we met in the First Christian Church. They looked nice and kind. My home-stay host Rodney Fink, ex-agriculture professor, has been to many countries like China, Russia, Japan, Pakistan, Korea and many other countries. In the First Christian Church, we ate delicious Korean food and had good talk. On Friday, the first day of homestay, they came to my dormitory to pick us up. After unpacking, we went to Magnolia’s Restaurant to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary. I ordered chicken steak. Christina and I gave them our present. My gift was a frame decorated with a woman wearing Korean traditional clothes. They said, “It’s very pretty,” and they liked it. On the second day of home-stay, we went to Steve’s Farm. Steve was a

student of Dr Fink. Now he runs his own corn and soybean farm. Christina and I rode a John Deere tractor. It felt like riding an amusement park ride. I enjoyed it. After leaving Steve’s farm, we went to the Spoon River. We took pictures and had great time there. After we came home, Bertha, Christina and I made apple pie. The process of making apple pie was easier than I thought. Christina and I cooked Korea instant food, Sa Ri Gom Tang and Ja Pa Ghe Ti, for our hosts. Even though it wasn’t delicious, they said to us “I like it! Delicious”. Then, we had dinner with their Korean friends Mrs. Kim and Minister Kim. Dr Fink talked about his trips abroad. As I heard his story, I wanted to go to many countries abroad. The last day of home-stay, we went to the Wesley Korean Church. When Christina and I went home, our hosts were preparing presents for us. I received two pretty candles and a two-dollar bill. They gave us warm hugs. Our host Dr Rodney said, “We’re family now”. When we went to our dormitory, I was sad and depressed. We said “Good Bye” in front of our dormitory. I thank my hosts Rodney and Bertha Fink for giving me great memories and taking care of me.

Oh Dongchan “Bob” Learning American Ways Through Home-stay Home stay weekend was a very good experience for me, because it was my first time and I was excited. I met my host family, and talked about other cultures. My host family is American and their name is the Reed family. I had many questions for the Reeds family. I’m from Korea and we have a different culture. We talked about the differences in education, society, and traffic. One question Eric, my host father, asked me was, “What is your major? And what is your dream?” I told him my major is English Literature, and my goal is to be a teacher. However, my parents want me to be a public official .The Reeds listened to me and gave me advice. Their advice is very important for my future professional life. On Saturday I woke up late, because I had an allergic reaction to their animals. I talked to the about my allergy and they were worried about me. Shannon made breakfast for us, and I was surprised. I’m Korea, I have never eaten cereal; however, Americans eat cereal for breakfast. I think this is a difference in culture. Nick and I played Nintendo Wii with Collin. After that we ate Italia food. It was strange for me, because when I am in Korea I eat

Italia food as a snack. However, Americans eat this food as a meal. I felt some culture shock. In the afternoon we were very tired so we rested. The Reed family gave us some suggestions. They asked us if we wanted to watch a movie or go fishing .We wanted to go fishing, but, in America, laws require a fishing license. In Korea we don’t need a license for fishing, so we were very shocked. I wanted to play another game, so Eric suggested disc golf. I wanted to do this because I hadn’t ever played this game. This game is similar to golf; however, I have never played golf either. After dinner we went to play miniature golf. I felt so happy and had fun. Disc golf is a very fun game, and a hard game. I was sweating a lot, but, Saturday was a great experience for exercising. Home stay weekend was a very good experience because I didn’t know much about American culture. I learned different things about American culture and learned to speak English. I know now why many people like home stay and the host family. I think we didn’t know much about each other’s culture, so home stay was a great way to reach out to each other. This program is very unique for my life. In two weeks when I go back to Korea, I will remember my home stay family. I will recommend to my friends to go overseas and experience American culture. Thanks to Eric, Shannon, Grant, and Collin Reed for such a memorable experience. I will always remember you and my home stay weekend.

Choi Saetbyoul An Important Step Forward Always, I’ve thought I have to learn about diverse people and experience many new cultures for improving my design power. After I came here, I met various people such as my teachers, GJ Univ. members, mentors of the conversation class and other students of the WIU, and I could widen my view. We, however, have limited time per day to speak English and experience the U.S. culture enough, and I wanted to go through the culture more closely than now. As a reason, home-stay was one of the most anticipated experiences in the U.S. Particularly I wanted to experience common family culture in the U.S. On July 13, finally, I went to the Mr. Carter’s family with Chanmi and Sally! Though Mr. Carter’s house has two floors which have 4 rooms, 3 living rooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, they live at their house by themselves with only two cats since their son and daughter have been independent. Fortunately, at that weekend, Mr. Carter’s family was gathered at the Carter’s house; Mr. Carter’s parents, son, daughter-in-law, another daughter, grandchildren, and two dogs. As a result, we could spend the weekend with the extended family. It was a really good experience that I had always wanted. We went to the picnic, watched the video, walked with two dogs and

played card games! Specially, they said many U.S. families play card games whole family, and they also often play it together. In Korea, we have similar traditional card games with flower cards called Hwatu. Although the Hwatu and the U.S cards have different ways to play the game, we could learn it without difficulty, and we loved it. First, we played Uno. After that, we taught them “One card”. It’s very similar to Uno except for having more drawn and dependent cards. They also liked our game. Next, we learned some kinds of poker. As Mr. Carter had chips, we could play the poker using the real chips. It makes the game more interesting. Specifically, the most played game for us is “Texas Hold’em”, which is one of the pokers. After each member holds 2 cards, players bet and share totally 5 cards. This game needs some strategy and luck. Chanmi’s strategy was so daring, and she became the winner of the “Texas Hold’em”. Finally, we played “yahtzee”, which I’ve never seen before. It doesn’t use cards but dice. At the beginning, I was unfamiliar with this game. However, it soon became the best game for me because I had lucky dice. I was not good at pokers, but I was good at “yahtzee”! I was the winner of “yahtzee,” getting the 319 points. It was nearly twice the lowest score! During the games, we could forget the language barrier. We really enjoyed our time. I experienced the common family culture in the U.S. that I had wanted during this home-stay period. I could learn and feel many things, as I thought that Korea and the U.S. have different cultures, such as differences in the clothes, the foods, the houses and even greetings. “We are different, but we are not different.” After I come back to Korea, I’ll never forget these experiences and lessons, and I’ll make full use of this memory to plan for future professional life. I’m certain these experiences allow me to move ahead with one more important step.

Kim Chanmi Beautiful Macomb from Above It's already been more than 3 weeks since I arrived in Macomb. I have learned and experienced American culture and I'm having lots of fun here. I went to the Quad Cities and St. Louis. I experienced the celebration of the Independence Day of the United States. I also stayed with my home-stay family last weekend. Among those wonderful experiences, the most memorable moment in Macomb is the day I was really surprised. I went to the Macomb Airport to have breakfast with all the Gwangju students on June 24th. We had nice pancakes and coffee. It was a small airport. They had a raffle for a free airplane ride. All of my friends and I wrote our names on the raffle tickets and placed them into the raffle box. I was hoping to win. After we had breakfast, we took a look around outside. There we saw a large corn field and many small planes. We took pictures with the planes and the pilots. While I was taking pictures and talking with my friends, I suddenly heard my name called over the microphone. I was really surprised and thought, "There is no way this could happen to me." As soon as I heard my name, I ran into the airport hanger and saw a man looking for me and he was asking "Where is Miss Kim?" I raised my hand and went to him. He gave

me the ticket on which I wrote my name. I exchanged that ticket for a free plane ride. I waited for about 30 minutes because I was not the only one who won the raffle. After waiting, I finally got my chance to ride the small airplane with two other women. The two women were seated behind me, and I was right next to the pilot. I couldn't believe that I was riding inside the small airplane. While I was riding, I saw Macomb from above and I also saw the sky. From up there, the houses and buildings of Macomb looked like a small toy village. It's very exciting when something you don't expect happens to you. It was the first time in my life that I had ridden in a small airplane. I was so excited and I'm still happy when I think back about this event. I'll never forget that day. I'm really grateful to all the sponsors that made free plane rides possible, as well as the Macomb Airport. We're going to Springfield this coming weekend and we're camping out as well. I can't wait to see what wonderful moments are waiting for me.

Jang Yeowook “Cooler” I don’t like fire! I have a message for everyone that I’ve gotten to know during my stay in Macomb. First of all, thank you for the unforgettable memories that you’re given me. Before coming here, I thought this trip was just a vacation outside Korea that I would enjoy. However, when I came to WIU, I witnessed other students studying very hard. This has given me a strong motivation to do my part too as a student. My English skills have improved a lot, especially my speaking and listening skills. I now have more confidence. American culture is different and I think it was shocking, but it was especially through the home stay weekend experience that I completely overcame that shock. On July 9th, I met my host family for the first time. My home stay family consisted of Tim (father), Emily (mother), Joe (daughter) and Sumner (son). Tim is a history professor, and I admired him for his work in the community. Emily had a lot of questions for me. Emily asked me “Why did you choose your name?” I told her “My major is fire fighting safety and I don’t like fire, so I gave myself the name ‘Cooler’” She asked me “Have you ever seen the fire station in Macomb?” I said to her “Not yet, but I want to go to the fire station.” She whispered to her husband. After having dinner, Patti told us “We will go to the fire station.” I was very 14

happy. When I went to the fire station, I was welcomed. The firefighters explained the fire engines and the other machines. I saw the facilities at the firehouse. I think that the firefighting facilities are better than those in Korean firefighter facility. When I saw the picture about firemen, I felt their sacrifice. This day will always be unforgettable. Approximately one week later, my home stay started. All the things that I experienced in home stay weekend will be memorable. The most memorable things are vegetarian diets and home schooling. Tim, my home stay host, was a vegetarian. Caesar and I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eat meat for 3 days. There are no vegetarians in Korea. I had heard that there are many vegetarians in America. It was very surprising. Another interesting thing I learned about was home schooling, which is different from Korean culture. The home schooling system is where the parents teach their children at home without sending them to school. Many American children have been doing home schooling for a long time. Home schooling parents in America have many different reasons for this type of education for their children. Some people think this is better for them. It is inconceivable that that could happen in Korea because many Koreans have prejudices about home schooling. I have experienced cultural differences between America and Korea. I think that when I go back to Korea, I will still continue to study English and keep on improving. Gwangju University and WIU are very different in many ways. This makes it difficult for me to cope with the life style, but I can say that I have more good memories than bad ones. I have met good friends and teachers, I learned how to be independent, and most of all, I have a lot more interest in learning English. Thank you for all your consideration. When I go back to Korea, I will definitely recommend WESL to my friends. I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget the experiences I had during my stay. Thank you very much!!!

Bae Yumi â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crystalâ&#x20AC;? Korean and American Holidays When I first came to America, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about Independence Day, so I studied and learned about this important holiday. Independence Day celebrates the formal signing of The Declaration of Independence and is the most important American holiday. Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th and is a national holiday. Americans usually have a picnic, a parade, performances, and fireworks to celebrate this holiday. On July 4th, afternoon, we went to Everly Park and we met many people, ate delicious food, and went to the football stadium to watch fireworks. Also in the stadium, the city bend performed and their performance was beautiful. The sunset was also so beautiful and I was very impressed. After the sunset, the fireworks started. The 20 minute show was very big and very beautiful especially, the star shaped ones. I am honored to be in America on July 4th I am glad to celebrate and learn more about American culture. After Independence Day I felt many things. I think the most memorable event in Korean

history is the “Independence from Japan”. Korea had been a colony of Japan for 30 years. During the reign of Japan, Koreans were deprived of basic rights such as our native language. However, in World War II, Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, and the Korean government was established on August 15, 1948. In 1949, Korean government established that August 15th would be a national holiday; and is considered to be the “Korean Independence Day,” a national holiday. Unfortunately today, especially the younger generation, many don’t know the importance of this day. I think national independence is still the most important day for our country. I believe that we must thank our predecessors who regained our freedom and allow us to celebrate “Independence Day” as a meaningful day.

Yang Dahye Great Memories with Mike`s Family

When I was in Korea, I actually never had an opportunity to learn American culture. I used to never talk or even meet foreigners. Therefore, I was expected about meeting and learning culture. Last week, I met my home stay family and it was my most memorable culture experience In America. When I first visited Mike and Melissa house with Ara, I was surprised, because their house was different from Korean houses. This house has a large garden and sometimes four deer come into that garden. There is a small basketball court and a biking place for the children to use as an activity space. Therefore, they look cheerful. They have a pet. The dog`s name is Luna, cat`s name is Jake. The pet is living with them as a family member. After, I looked around the house, I went inside. The rooms are very beautiful. I think that House looks like a Korean villa. On the first floor, there's a big door which leads to the garden and a terrace. Living room, kitchen and bathroom are on the first floor. In the living room on the first floor, there are a big television, a sofa and a table and the second floor has a bedroom, a bathroom and my own room. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a window with a wide view, which brings good lightreflection. Our room is a silent and comfortable place where we can enjoy our time. 18

The second memorable cultural experience was American food. I wondered about American food. In my home stay family`s house, I ate typical American food and I made American pie. The food was very delicious. It was a great time for me to learn about their food. When I go to my home in Korea, I will try to make American food. Then, we went to the Red Ox Restaurant. We ate typical American food. It was good. The third memorable cultural experience was to speak English. When I came to my home stay family`s home, at first, it was a little nervous and I also had a hard time speaking English. Because I can`t speak English very well. As time passed, I felt selfconfidence and the thing that changed dramatically is that I got to feel independent. In their home, I met another foreign family and learned its culture. Therefore, I became so interested in America. A special message to Mike and Melissa: The short three days were a very enjoyable and valuable time. I thank you very much for having taught me about American culture, with much passion and much interest. Through this help, I changed a lot since I came here. It has been positive change for me and I tried hard to find my life here in America during the rest of my stay.

A Special Visitor

President Abraham Lincoln to Visit WIU 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln will be speaking at WIUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sandburg Theater on Wednesday 18 July 2012 at 7:00PM. The event is free and open to all community members and students, regardless of age. Following President Lincolnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remarks there will be a press conference style question-and-answer period, during which all in attendance are encouraged to participate. (The Sandburg Theater is on the basement level of the University Union. There is ample parking, which is free after 5:00PM.)

Nationally renowned Lincoln impersonator George Buss has performed live all over the country, and a number of times on Illinois and national television. George is President of the Stephen Douglas Association, Vice President of the Lincoln Douglas Society, and a board member for the Lincoln Fellowship of Wisconsin and the Lincoln Forum Board of Advisers. As a guest of President and Mrs. George W. Bush, George attended a special presentation of Harold Holzer's Lincoln Seen and Heard in the East Room of the White House in February 2005. "[His] emphases, his gestures, his change of tone and pitch all brought out aspects of Lincoln's speeches that I hadn't previously imagined. I don't think I've ever been so riveted by a Lincoln impersonation anywhere, by anyone." -Harold Holzer.

A Night to Remember

Go Bees! (Burlington)

Riverboats and Gamblers (St. Louis)

Choi Goun “Ellen” Unforgettable Memories During My Home-stay. Before I came to the U.S.A, I imagined a personality regarding Americans. It was what they are greatly reasonable and individual people. Nevertheless I had a feeling of concern about home-stay. But luckily I met Ms. Patti Jones who is nice to us. Whenever she was speaking, she did not make difficult sentences that we could understand very easily. And she gave us a feeling of comfort. Once, Ga young made a mistake related to vocabulary. The mistake confused Patti. But far from blaming Ga young, Patti positively encouraged us, saying “We can do it!” Second is about America’s various family forms. It has a single parent, a small family, or some special cases such as the Amish. Before everything else, Patti Jones is single mom. However I could see that she seems to be thoughtful to her son. And sometimes I felt that Patti has clear vision. It was very impressed me because single mom who live in Korea have tough life raising their children.

My next topic is related to hobbies. We were invited to Eric’s house. I was shocked to see little boy’s hobby. His hobby was hunting! I couldn’t believe it. And I asked to him again, saying “really?” And then I realized what the land of the U.S.A is huge while I thinking, “How could they hunt at a young age?” It was not only incredible but I also envied him because most of the Korean teenager’s hobbies were typically limited such as reading a book, listening to music, watching movie, and so on. The last thing is what I had experienced activity. I participated in Christmas in July and looked around garage sales. It was the real America.. Even if the items usually old, but some people tried to find it with cheap prices. I thought Americans are more pragmatic. And then we rode a speed boat on the Illinois River in Peoria. Even though I couldn’t see a flying fish, it was really cool and awesome since it was my first experience of my life. And I saw a wide landscape, various boats and people who waved their hands at us. I definitely can’t forget these happy memories. Therefore, I hope I will have a more open mind and positive thoughts of my remaining time. Even though the term was very short, obviously I won’t forget these happy memories.

Yuon Gayoung Learning Culture from the Food I came here to WESL, and got an unforgettable experience. I experienced all of the things that I had seen in American movies. And I enjoyed different kinds of food especially; the one surprising thing was typical American food. That was because, I used to eat these foods as a snack, but they are considered as a meal. And I got to know countries’ various foods from Mexico, India and Saudi Arabia. And those times makes me get closer to new friends. We talk about our own cultures and think about the difference between their cultures. It was so interesting. I learned about their culture through the food. I got to know Arabic friends through culture class, which is held twice per week. Usually I had a lot of curiosity about countries in the Middle East. So I asked one of my new Saudi friends. And I got a culture shock. She said in Arabic, drinking alcohol is prohibited so they can’t drink any kinds of beer or wine. Second, women can’t drive; also women have to wear their traditional clothes ‘hijab’ for religious reasons. Of course, they can

dress casually in their home. It was interesting and they seem so conservative. I told her I want to eat Saudi traditional food, and thankfully she invited me to her home. We were given a warm reception. We were invited to her home with some of her friends-one Korean, one Chinese and 3 Americans. They were her classmates. We talked about each other’s country and enjoyed our dinner. It was the first time to eat Saudi food. They also ate rice as a meal. The Foods’ taste was quite similar to Korean food. And Chanmi and I want to experience firsthand, so we ate food by hand not using the fork. I could get not only food, but also I could experience their culture. A few days ago, I enjoyed my home-stay weekend. I think home-stay is the best way to experience authentic American life. And I could find the difference between America and Korea. All families have their own back yard. And they keep their shoes on even in their home. It was uncomfortable at first because, in Korea culture we take off our shoes and do everything barefoot. The host really liked Korean food, so on Sunday morning I made a ‘kimchi jjigae’ for her. All of these experiences increased my insight, and I could get rid of my stereotype. And I’m having a positive outlook even while having a different culture and appearance. 27

Joo Kyoung Meet my American Friend: Crystal At the first conversation class, our topic was the Mississippi River. Ahjin, Da-hye and I met Crystal. She used the iPad to search for the Mississippi River. After conversation class, all four of us went to a coffee shop and pizza store. During lunch, we were talking about Korean culture, hobbies, and family. She and I were especially interested in drawing. Therefore, we were able to be friends more easily. Last week, on July 6th, Crystal made a cake for my birthday Away movie. That was the first time in my life to have this kind of party. I was really surprised and deeply touched. Ah-jin, Da-hye, Byoul and I had an assignment to report on a typical restaurant. We didn’t know the way to the restaurant. However, thanks to Crystal’s help, we could complete this assignment more easily. After lunch, we went to the shopping mall. Crystal recommended a black mini dress to me. When I first saw the dress, I felt awkward. But I felt fine after wearing it.

An Impression of Saudi Arabia Previously, I had always thought Saudi Arabia was a poor country and Saudi men were very selfish because I had heard Saudi women shouldn’t drive. And I had heard they should always wear long dresses and scarves due to religion. I felt Saudi women has many restrictions. At my last conversation class, I met Saudi women, and I asked them about their country’s education system, clothes, foods, lifestyle, and financial affairs. Because of the conversation class, one could put away misconceptions about the relationship between Saudi men and women. I realized that the men

are not selfish, but provide maids and nannies for their wives. I had misunderstood about Saudi men. Further, Saudi Arabia is a rich country. I really envy their free education system. At first, I felt afraid about conversation class because I thought my English ability was not very good. I am a little shy with strangers. During this class, I have a hard time digesting new information and communicating with WESL students and mentors, but I always keep a good heart and try to express myself with a loud and assured voice. Thanks to a dedicated effort, I could speak without fear. Further because of the English, I felt culture shock! My return to Korea is only two weeks away; until then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to practice English conversation every day.

Lee Wonhyeong “Nick” Experiencing American Life In my trip to America, my greatest expectation for an interesting experience has been home-stay. I was wondering about American life. What food do they eat?, What do they do every weekend? were my questions. And it was very good chance for me that I was invited by my host family. My Host Family was the Reeds. Eric is the father of my host family. He is kind and likes their sons. Also, he likes to play card games with his younger son Collin. Shannon is the mother of my host family. She is a good cook. All the food that she made for me was really delicious. One of the best foods that I like most is my fist size meatball. I think I will miss Shannon’s meatballs. And they have two sons. Their names are Grant and Collin. They are so friendly. The elder brother mentioned above Grant. Grant is a golf player. He always brought his cell phone and sent messages. When we came from outside, he usually went to his room and did something with computers. I didn’t have much time to talk with him. And the younger brother’s name is Collin. He is not similar to children of the same age in Korea. Most Koreans want to buy a new brand of smart phones. But he didn’t want new smart phone. He liked simple cell phones like his father did. And I was surprised by his hobby. His hobbies are fishing and hunting. I can’t imagine these hobbies. We can’t possess guns in Korea. When we met the first time at the Host Family Dinner, I was embarrassed. I didn’t have any topic to talk with my host family. But it was my illusion. All the members of the host family are very kind and humorous. I taught them how to eat ‘Ssam’ and they said it was good. I was proud of myself. On Friday, they picked me up. We

Gwangju students traveled to many Macomb homes. When we arrived at a host house, it was so fantastic. The house design was natural. And we had a pizza party with Patti, Ellen, and Ga-Young. We played “yahtzee.” It was very good. The next day, we didn’t have any plans for the morning, so I played Wii with Collin. Collin and I played a dancing game. It was very difficult but fun. After the game, we had lunch. The menu was Lasagna. In the afternoon, we played Frisbee golf. It is different in Korea since we don’t have Frisbee golf courses. So I was very happy that I learned another sport. It was so fun. Then we came back home. We had meatballs for dinner. The meatballs were very big and delicious. That night we played mini golf. I enjoyed watching Grant play. He had amazing skills, so I couldn’t catch up to him. We also tried to play sand volleyball, but it was too difficult. The next day, early in the morning, we went to church. There were many people. After the worship service, we went to a Chinese restaurant. The food was good, but it was not as delicious as I expected. Then I came back to Higgins. All the things that I experienced were really good, and I felt little culture shock.. Collin was very friendly to his older brother. In Korea, younger brothers should obey their older brothers. If not? They will be hit by their brothers. All the foods on the table were sufficient. I thought, “If I don’t eat all, they will hate me.” We never leave the food made by our elders because it is rude. So we eat all the food on our plates. I have been thinking that I want to live in another country, so home-stay was good experience for me. home-stay weekend was very good, and I answered my question. The answer is “They are same as us.” They want to rest on weekends. I am thankful for my host family.

Park Sealim “Sally” Memorable Things <Independence Day> The 4th of July is a special experience in summer semester. If I visited America for vacation, it would not be easy to arrive for this big event. I'm a lucky girl! Any Korea holiday especially Independence Day has solemn atmosphere that is different American festival. I think America's is better. And we went to a picnic close to campus. We decorated a variety of the stars and stripes. Then, we invited to WESL families who made delicious foods. At that time i first met my home-stay host, who’s name is Rick. We talked about various topics and had other enjoyable conversation. As time went by, be occupied the playground. Because people wanted see fireworks. Me too! We saw the city Band performance

who played various patriotic songs. When I heard the American National Anthem, i put my hand on the left breast over my heart. I felt fresh. We enjoyed the fireworks when night fell. How fantastic! But I'm sad time ran so quickly, but I recorded video by phone. I hope to share with my family and friends someday. <Different Cultures> Americans are very friendly in greeting people when they first meet. If I learn to do this then I will have happy days. I have known these tings but have how experience them directly, and I feel great. So I will try when I go back to Korea. Also, I learned about showing consideration when I open a door for the next person. I have a good impression!

Seo Seunghui “Christina” Warm-hearted People My most memorable cultural experience during the summer program was homestay weekend. I will never forget the home-stay weekend because it was very nice for me. I was going to have a home-stay with my roommate friend Ah-jin. I remember when I met my host family for the first time. The retired couple who are quiet and make a good impression welcomed us. They are Dr. Rodney and Mrs. Bertha Fink. At that time, we talked about our plans for the weekend. On Friday, we met The Finks and went to their home by car. It took about 5 minutes from Higgins Hall. Their home is very beautiful and spacious. By coincidence that day was Dr. Rodney and Mrs. Bertha Fink’s 54th wedding anniversary, so we went out to dinner. They said that we were wonderful guests for them and thanked us for coming. I appreciated them, said so, and I thought that they were kind people. After dinner, we came back home and Mrs. Fink played for us the piano. She was a good piano player. I recollected having heard the melody. It was a hymn, pleasing to the ear. On Saturday, we went to the farm. The farm owner was Dr. Fink’s student Steve. We rode a John Deere tractor. It was exciting. And then we went to the Spoon River. We saw the beautiful view and we had lunch in the restaurant around in the river. In this place, there are many humming birds outside. I haven’t seen that birds, they were very cute. In the afternoon, we

made an apple pie with Mrs. Fink. It was my first time making a pie. It was very interesting and the apple pie was delicious. We had a dinner with the Finks, and their Korean friends. I felt good to meet them. On Sunday, we went to Asian Buffet. And then we went to the Korea church at 2 PM. After that, we left Dr. Rodney and Mrs. Bertha Fink and went back to Higgins Hall. They gave me some presents: a $2 note, a pretty glass bowl, and Mexican dolls. I was very delighted to receive such nice gifts. I didn’t know that they prepared gifts for me. As we said good-bye, I was sad because I felt the time was very short. During the home-stay weekend, I was touched by my host family’s love. They are understanding people, who have warm hearts. They made an effort to understand me always. When we couldn’t understand them, they spoke slowly for us or repeated one more time. I appreciate everything they did. I think I was lucky to have such kind people like them, so I will never forget my host family.

Kim Soli

Cross-cultural Experiences In my younger years, my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. He said, "Whenever you're in someplace that is unfamiliar to you, try to learn a lot from that and don't be afraid of the challenge of facing something new." Whenever I have a chance to go abroad, it always comes to my mind and I've taken his advice so far. I tried to eat their local foods and preferred to experience their own unique culture. There are 3 experiences that are the most memorable moments for me since I left Korea. First, during my flight to Chicago there were 3 seats grouped together, and my seat was in the middle, between Chanmi and an American. I sat in my seat, and started to fall asleep and then woke up a couple of minutes later. After I woke up, I felt something different on my face, and was so surprised because my head was laying down on the American's shoulder and my mouth was opened. "I'm so sorry," I said to him, with big round eyes. He said, smiling, "no problem. If you want, you can use my shoulder." Then we both laughed at the same time. When the airline served ě&#x152;&#x2C6; (Ssam), which is traditional Korean food, he struggled to eat it, so I showed him how to eat it. When he tasted it, he seemed happy and I felt like all of my concerns about facing foreigners went away. After that, we talked about many topics. He was really kind. As I was talking with him, I felt confident about speaking English. It was great talking to him. I've been quick to adapt to my new life in Macomb. I've had a lot of field trips, such as visiting St. Louis, the Quad cities, etc. However, the most memorable place I've visited since I arrived here is Burlington, where I went to see the minor league baseball game. Burlington has their own team called the Burlington Bees. I was supposed to cheer for the Bees, but I didn't. Instead I started to cheer for the opposite team that had 2 Korean players. One of their names was Jiman Choi, and he hit a great homerun in the game. I was so excited and I felt like going and jumping on the ground, but I couldn't show my feelings be36

cause I was in the Bees' stadium. After a while, the time came to sing the song, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Particularly, we (i.e. Gwangju students) stood up and sang the song. Everybody in the stadium just watched us with curiosity, wondering what we would do at first, and gave us a huge ovation when we finished singing the entire song, which made me excited and proud of myself. Lastly, the most memorable moment was the home-stay weekend at David and Phyllis's house. My hosts are both librarians. One of them is retired, but the other one still works. They love traveling abroad, and they are really interested in traveling to Korea in the future. Yumi (Crystal), Gyeong, and I gave them some presents representative of traditional Korean culture. They loved them. I couldn't have been happier. We went to the Peoria County fare where there was a bean bag tossing game. Here's the one rule of this game: if I tossed a bean bag into a hole on the green panel correctly, I could get the green bean tshirt. Whenever I tossed the bean bags, they seemed to know where they should go precisely. I've got what it takes to toss bean bags. Eventually we all got a fancy green bean t-shirt. One more exiting moment was fishing. When we were on our way to Peoria, We stopped by the Illinois river and we fished. I hooked a tiny fish. Of course, I released them immediately. It was an absolutely wonderful experience. There are more experiences that I've had in Macomb, and every single experience has become a precious memory to me, which might help me in good ways in the future. How could I forget any memories from here? I've gained a lot of experiences, such as learning American culture and making new friends. I will always be truly grateful and fond of the times I had in Macomb, Illinois.

Moon Hwancheol “Caesar” Invaluable Experience in America Before I came here, I was wondering about American culture because I didn’t know about American culture. I watched a lot of American shows on the TV in Korea before I arrived here and I wanted learn about American lifestyle, so I was very excited and a little nervous. When I was on my way to WIU, I realized that America is a very wide and big country compared to Korea. I saw endless corn fields for 3 hours. I was curious how they harvest the corn. After being here almost 3 weeks, I had a chance to stay in an American’s family house through the home stay program. On Friday, I met my host family whose name are the Roberts. They have two children. Their names are Zoe and Sumner. When I got to the host family’s house, I felt that American culture is different from Korean culture because they didn’t prepare my food and they asked me, “Could you chop the garlic?” I was embarrassed, however I helped to cook the food. This also made me more comfortable. If they had prepared my food before I arrived, then maybe I would have been a little uncomfortable. We chatted during the food preparation. On Saturday we visited cowboys who live in an apple orchard. The orchard was very big and the cowboys had a pony and animal trophies. At 38

that time I was surprised by American children because they are very active and brave compared to Korean children. For example, Korean children study for a long time in academics, and Korean parents expect that their children will be smart. As a result, Koreans are expected to go to school even during summer vacation. According to a Korean proverb, “A healthy body can comprehend intelligent mind.” I believe this proverb from this experience. I rode a pony around the apple orchard while I picked apples, and at the same time ate them. Korean students believe that American apples are shinier than Korean apples. It was fun picking these shiny apples because I could see my face on the apples. After visiting the apple orchard, they said to me, “We will ride bicycle after dinner however it will be hard.” I thought it would just be a bicycle ride therefore I didn’t think it would be hard for me. When we rode the bicycle, we rode on the mountain near a dam with my host family. We went down the mountain from the dam bank and it was very extreme. It was my first time riding on a mountain which I had only seen on TV. When we climbed the dam of the bank, I was worried about my host family’s children. However, their parents cheered them and pushed them to climb the dam, and as a result they succeeded. I was very impressed. After this I was very tired and almost passed out. Even though I was tired, I was happy for them. I didn’t have chance to experience American culture in Korea. I have only seen American culture from TV and reading books, but this was a very good opportunity to learn more about American culture.

Everybody say “I hate kimchi!”

Pete’s Pic Picks

The Long and Winding Roadâ&#x20AC;Ś (back to Korea)