The ESL Globe

Spring 2009

ESL
The

Spring 2009

Globe
A publication of the
ESL Institute
University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga

Festival of Nations Thrills
ESL Crowd at Dollywood

Guess who? It rhymes with “Tenny
& Bara.” Photo by Kevin.

The crowd warms to Dollywood on arrival. Photo by Kevin. Incredible acrobats!
Photo by Jongsik Lee.
And hidden away in the Celebrity
On Thursday, April 2nd, ESL students
Theatre was a trove of the world’s
enjoyed a field trip to Dollywood for The River Rampage. Who got wet?
most amazing acrobats. Bathed in
the spectacular Festival of Nations. It Photo by Maria Anato.
orchid and cobalt lighting with
was a gorgeous spring day and
flashes of white and gold, the
Dollywood was decked out
beauty and athletic mastery of the
beautifully with spring flowers and
Imaginé troupe was revealed in a
the colors and flavors of many
3 o’clock show in the darkened
nations.
auditorium.
The haunting pipe music of the
The students enjoyed the park’s
Andes filled the air on Show Street Students hatch a plan to have fun.
rides as well, including the Blazing
where flashy Mariachi Band Photo by Miseon Kim.
Fury, the River Rampage, and the
members chatted with the park’s
heart-stopping Thunderhead
guests. Shops and kiosks offered
roller coaster.
artifacts from the faraway lands of
Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
I

YOONJI LEE’S SUCCESS STORY by Anne Rittenberry

A native South Korean, petite During her time as an ESL and
and perky Yoonji Lee began our UTC student, Yoonji was a first
ESL program in Level 3 several violinist in the University
years ago and now has achieved Symphony, a math tutor, and a
her goal of working as a research biology and chemistry lab
assistant at the Department of assistant. In order to manage all
Pediatrics and Division of these activities in addition to her
Medical Genetics at prestigious classes, she had to use her time
Duke University in Durham, NC. wisely each day.
Her marvelous success makes all Planning to remain at Duke for
of us in the English as a Second two years, Yoonji is uncertain
Language Institute proud. about her future after that. She
knows that she will go on to a
Yoonji in the lab. The mice tremble.
combined Masters/PhD program
but hasn’t decided whether to
continue in research or to go into
pharmacy. The research lab is a
Yoonji’s success inspires our teachers to continue to put energy and love
lonely place with grueling hours,
into their teaching and inspires our students to persevere with their
and since Yoonji is a “people
lessons each day and to remain positive.
person,” pharmacy might be
At Duke, Yoonji is part of a scientific study that is examining the causes of
more appealing.
mental health disorders including autism. Her professor gives her
We asked this remarkable young
assignments, and then she is on her own, isolating DNA and looking for
scientist if she had any tips to
mutations, doing solitary work in a lab. Twice a week, she works with
pass along to current ESL
laboratory mice, a job she doesn’t love but recognizes as the path to
students, and she mentioned a
scientific proof.
few that helped her. To sharpen
English skills, Yoonji advises
My Life in students to get involved at the
Some people come to a foreign
University with native English
Chattanooga country with a high ambition
speakers. Join organizations on
that everything will be OK. I
by Heecheol Jeong
came to the USA with that idea. campus and also make friends
with international students who
Will I be able to succeed in it? I do not speak your language.
have been here for two months
Additionally, Yoonji credits the
and I have had many experiences
General Education classes, such
since I came here. I made foreign
as history and philosophy that
friends, I had a cold for one
month, I played the French Horn she took as a UTC undergraduate
with the UTC orchestra. All these with improving her English very
experiences helped me to grow much.
up and to be a better person. I
Congratulations to Yoonji Lee
am so happy because I have a
and the best of futures to this
fixed purpose which is to be a
outstanding young woman!
great orchestra conductor.
Photo by Jose Ruiz.

Page 22
Page Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Whatever happened to… Jongsik’s favorite word:
Peiman Sadrabadi is now living in

Super-
Orlando, Florida. He is a materials
engineer at Siemens. The new position is
perfect for him, as Siemens is a German

cali-
based company. Peiman lived for many

cali
years in Erlangen, Germany where he
studied and worked as a research
Peiman

fragil-
assistant. After living only one year as a
green card holder in USA, his new job

fragil
combines his experience in Germany
with his achievement in UTC’s ESL

istic-
Institute.

istic
Martha Marrufo is now studying in UTC’s

expi-
prestigious MBA Program. Instead of
grammar and vocabulary, she is now
studying topics like Finance and Business

expi ali-
Management.
Martha
Fashion diva Mane Gueye is at UTC
taking pre-nursing courses like chemistry,

docious!
ali
math, and theatre. Whoa! Theatre? Way
to go, Mane! You were always a star.

Sean Yoon continues to advance his

docious!
career as a teacher in South Korea. He,
his wife (also a teacher), and their two
Izumi, Mane, and Martha
daughters have readjusted to the busy
lifestyle in South Korea, working hard and
studying hard. They are happiest about
getting back to Korean food. They really
missed their Korean cuisine during their
two-year stay in USA.

Sean

The American Dream? by Maggie Corzo

American people and their culture are much different than my Peruvian culture. At first, I
did not understand a lot of things about America, but being married to an American and
also gaining a better understanding of the English language, I see Americans and
America in a new light. I appreciate many things about this great country, but in many
ways I feel that even though America is the richest and most powerful country in the
world, many Americans have lost their way. They have become poor in many ways. I
feel that American families have grown apart and they don’t show the love and warmth
to each other like in my country.
My husband tells me that many Americans have lost their way. They want more and more, never
Caption describing picture or graphic.
being satisfied with what they have. They are always thirsting for more. Many are suffering with the downfall
in the economy. But just maybe they will wake up and discover that their true wealth and riches have
always been right in front of their eyes, being each other. Just maybe they will go back to what made this
country great, their true values and morals. Just maybe we can live together in peace and harmony and
love again. I will be an American citizen soon and this is my hope and dream for all of us.

Page 3
Page 3
Page Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

AQUARIUM TRIP
by Oscar Crespo & Maria Hernandez

Oscar & Maria

Turtle or tortoise?

Preparing to observe underwater worlds. Photo by Jongsik Lee.
We had the opportunity to learn
The Aquarium Trip was a big experience for Crocodile or alligator?
by interactive activities like
all the ESL students because we could spend
feeding rays, touching sturgeon,
time with each other and also share with the
and catching butterflies.
exchange students from South Korea. Also we
could see a lot of wonderful kinds of fauna It was a fun day out followed
from the oceans, rivers and other bodies of by a fabulous lunch.
water.

A Luncheon of Fine Fare at 212 Market Street
Vertebrate or invertebrate?
After visiting the aquarium, the
ESL students had lunch at 212
Market Street. It is a chic place to
eat with a fine menu featuring
nouvelle cuisine.
Jane Womack arranged for a
delicious buffet of chicken or
prime rib with creamed potatoes,
steamed vegetables, and salad.
The desserts were scrumptious
Observers: Kevin, Minkyung,
too—a selection of creamy, light, Tess & Charles
puffy pastries. It was fine fare
after a day at the aquarium. Aquarium photos (above)
by Jongsik Lee.
Fun all around. Photo by Oscar Crespo.

Page 4 Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Exchange Students from South Korea
Page 4

by Sooyong An

At the Tennessee Aquarium.

Special events for the
students from
Gangneung:

VISITS
•Coca Cola Company,
Figure 1
Visiting students from Gangneung.
Aquarium, Zoo, Lost Sea,
How Did They Come to Chattanooga? and CNN in Atlanta.
•Panama City, Florida for
On January 13, 2009, thirteen is one special project that is to Scuba diving, shopping,
Korean students came to select thirteen students from and relaxation.
Chattanooga to study English, as Gangneung and invite them to •Teachers’ house, Rock
exchange students. These Chattanooga to exchange culture City in Chattanooga.
students are from Gangneung , and life style.
acity in Korea. Gangneung is a INVITES
sister city with Chattanooga. •Dinner party with Sister
From January to February there City friends.
•UTC Orchestra
•Lunch with UTC ESL
They Experienced Many Things in America student.
•Farewell dinner at Asia
They experienced many opportunity to socialize and get to Buffet Restaurant.
differences between Korea and know the ESL students. We took •Visits to private homes.
America such as, life style, food, many pictures together and
and leisure time activities. A few discussed about cultures of
of them have visited America different countries. Even though
before, but they did not get the they are in Korea now, we can
same experience. They were keep in touch with them on the
invited to many places around Internet. We will never forget
Chattanooga so they could see and them.
experience many things. One
example of a place they visited
was the Aquarium. They had the
Sooyong An: Balloon sculptor.

Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/
Page 5

Wes Moore
and the
Lady Mocs
by Phillip Choi
I had a small project which I had to do during a
whole semester. It consisted of six steps; choose a
topic in which you are interested, justify your
topic, meet an expert on this topic, interview the
expert, transcribe the interview, and invite the
expert to the class to speak. When I heard the
Coach Wes Moore visits ESL Level 5 students.
project from David, who is the teacher in my
class, it sounded very complicated. Even though I Fortunately, I got approval very easily. Mr. Wes
agreed with his purpose that is improving our Moore consented to my interview suggestion by
English skills in many-sided ways, I was email. To make questions, however, was not as
concerned if I could do it or not. easy as I had thought it. I had to spend one whole
night-time to confirm a couple of questions and to
practice for my interview.

“You should find a job you
love. Do something that
you love doing every day.
If you’re unhappy five
days a week and trying to
get to the weekend for
your two days of
happiness, that’s not a
Phillip focuses on his project.
good deal.”
I chose as my topic the UTC Lady Mocs, which is
-- Coach Wes Moore
the women’s basketball team of the University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga, because I like all kinds
of sports, especially basketball. The UTC Lady
Mocs are very famous and one of the best teams
I had emailed a list of questions to him before I
in the Southern Conference. After I chose the
interviewed because I would like to give him some
topic, I tried to search for information.
time to prepare for answering. The interview day
came to me, and I went to Wes Moore’s office, room
I realized that the coach of UTC Lady Mocs, who is
400 in McKenzie Arena, on time. When I saw him, I
Wes Moore, had been leading the team for 8
was surprised. He wasn’t tall as much as I had
years. Moreover, since he came to coach the UTC
thought. I had thought he was very tall and big
Lady Mocs, the team has maintained an excellent
because he had been a basketball player before.
record. I focused on him and determined to
However, he was as tall as I am.
interview him.


(Continued on Page 7)

Wes Moore, continued.
“My People Are…”

by Nihan Gurer

Nihan reports on how
students see their
compatriots.

He was so kind and had a smiling face. I introduced
Benny: ”Chinese people are honest, friendly,
myself briefly, and we started to interview. All of a
family-oriented, loving, hardworking and
sudden, I got so nervous that I forgot everything I had
responsible.”
prepared. It was embarrassing. He gave me
Olga and Natalia: “Colombians are happy,
consideration, thankfully, then I could continue
friendly, hardworking, and hospitable.”
interviewing. I asked him several questions: When
Jose: ”People in Ecuador are friendly,
did you start to play basketball? How was your life
hardworking, helpful, and happy.”
when you were a player? What do you do the rest of
Claudile: ”We French love our beautiful
the season?
language.”
Gyeongyong, Minkyung, SungSu, Heecheol,
What is the most difficult thing as a coach? And when
Miseon, Kwangtak, Sooyong, Phillip, Jongsik:
was the best moment in your life? It took one hour
”Koreans work hard and take responsibility;
and I recorded everything he said. We had a very
we are shy, independent and respectful.”
interesting time with each other. We made an Maggie: ”Peruvian people are friendly,
appointment for when he could come to my class. happy, hard-working, honest and helpful.”
Tatiana: ”Russians are strong, emphatic,
After a few weeks, on March 26th, Mr. Wes Moore forceful, hardworking, smart, lighthearted,
came to my class to speak about his life and UTC Lady hospitable, and inventive.”
Mocs. David, Jane, students, and I could share a Kevin: ”Thai people are very respectful, shy,
memory of his life and have a discussion with each friendly, and always smiling.”
other. It was fun. Everybody liked him and he liked Nihan: ” Turks are favorable, impatient,
us. He gave us amusement, enjoyment, and a good smiling, and hospitable.”
lesson. I remember one thing that impressed me in Thali: ”We Uruguayans are friendly,
his speech; “Do something that you love. You should hardworking, easygoing, and helpful.”
Maria, Oscar, Sabrina: ”Venezuelans are
find a job you love.” He was working at his favorite
friendly, hardworking, strong, smiling, and
job, which is coaching basketball. “If you’re unhappy
love to party.”
five days a week and trying to get to the weekend for
Khang: ” Vietnamese are kind, simple, and
your two days of happiness, that’s not a good deal.”
independent.”
I am sure that this project is not only good for me, but
also every student. I could check my entire English
skills: writing, listening, and speaking. Sometimes I
was confused, and sometimes I got depressed.
However, I have done my project, I am proud of
myself. I really appreciate David who gave me a
chance to improve my English skills and encouraged
me when I expressed doubt. Also, I thank Mr. Wes
Moore for his participation. This project is the best
assignment I have ever done before.


I Like I like to study English, but I am
not good at English. I need to
English
study, study, study. So I hope
by Kim
everyone will say to me, “You
speak English very well!”

So I go to ESL school. There
people are kind to me. They are
To My ESL Friends
my friends, sometimes they are
by Kwangtak Noh
my teachers. So I always thank
them. I go to enjoy the ESL
Hello ESL Friends. This is Kwangtak Noh and I come
school.
from South Korea. It’s an honor to write my article for
Poem the ESL newsletter. I came here to study English like
by MiSeon Kim you. I have been majoring in English Literature and
language in Korea.
Morning is present
Start smile I needed to read some novels and textbooks, which were
written by native English people; so my major required
Family is present high level English ability. When I was a freshman, I
Say I love you couldn’t feel it because I just listened to the liberal arts
and an optional subject. But after my army service, I felt
Friend is present much difficulty from the major subject and from other
Say thank you students who had studied in a country using English. So I
decided to come here.
Miseon
Figure 2
Lover is present
Brings me rest Actually, on the first day, I worried so much about
everything because I feel some difficulty when I meet
Figure 3
Nature is present someone for the first time. In addition to this personal
Enjoy the nature problem, the language is another problem. Despite my
anxiety, I have made many good friends and enjoy my
Life is present life in this city. I like this city, the ESL class, my teachers
Enjoy your life and friends. Maybe I will study about one year.

Everything is present During a given period of time for me, I will keep going
We are happy people with every effort toward my goal and will accomplish it.
I hope you guys will succeed too. Thank you.

Bogota
by Natalia

Bogota is the capital of Colombia. There are great restaurants, events, businesses, places and history.
The city of Bogota has a great many tourist places with a combination of colonial buildings and skyscrapers.

Some of the places are as follows: La Candelaria Zone, La Plaza De Toros, La Santamaria ( Bullring Santamaria),
Bolivar Square, churches, museums, art galleries, Rosa Zone, Planetario, Botanical Garden, and shopping centers.
Bogota is just one of the beautiful cities that are in Colombia because Colombia has a lot of variety of climates,
plants, cultures, music and food.

.

My Mentors
by
I am Min Kyung Park from South Korea. I like Chattanooga in the USA.
Min Kyung
I have been studying at this school for two semesters. I have been here
for almost seven months. I have gotten a lovely family: uncle, aunt, my
cousin Kim, as well as teachers and friends. So I have gotten mentors
who are excellent, kind, and awesome.

They always make me laugh, give hugs, and give advice and teach me.
My English has improved better than last semester. When I had
problems, they helped me a lot. I do not miss my family and friends
because I have many people around me. I think they are giving me
support and knowledge.

These are just little things, but I thank them so much for everything. I
love them, my Mentors. I hope they have the good luck always.

Baseball Game
by
Sung Su Park
Where to Go in Cartagena

I watched the baseball game on TV
by Olga
yesterday night. Japan vs. Korea.
Cartagena de Indias has many interesting places which all year long
In this game, two countries showed
are visited by international, national and local tourists, due to its
good play, especially Iwakuma’s
historic, architectural, cultural aesthetic and recreational
There are many places to go in Cartagena de
pitching was amazing. Also, the
importance. Some of the most visited places are: La Catedral,
Korean relief pitcher Jeong’s fast Indias, Places where you will find history,
Church of Santo Domingo, Gold Museum, Castle of San Felipe de
recreation, rest, culture, pleasure and more. A
ball made many Japanese hitters
Barajas, Aquarium San Martin, and the Rosario Islands.
great varieety of places are waiting ofr the visitor
frustrated. Anyway, Japan won due
willing to spend an agreeable and unforgettable
to Ichiro. However, the Korean
In Cartagena de Indias there is a very interesting confluence of
time.
players did the best play. I am really
cultures happening for more than 500 years, starting with the
proud of these two countries. I think
natives, Spaniards, Africans, and Arabs. All this framed in one of the
that these two countries did such a
most beautiful cities in the Carribbean, where the visitor is
great thing.
attended as he/she deserves, with the happy and uncomplicated
style of the people of Cartagena.

Page 9

ESL Voices:
“ I like…”
by Jose Ruiz, Nihan Gurer & Tara Kerr

Living in Chattanooga
by Tatiana

I have been living in Chattanooga since October of
2008. Originally I am from Moscow in Russia. Moscow
is a very big city; the population is about 20 million
people. Moscow has a huge metro system and good
public transportation, so you could get everywhere
without driving in your own car. Also, Moscow has a
lot of museums, theaters, cinemas, parks, historical
places, cafes, and restaurants.

So at first look, Chattanooga was a really tiny city and
still seems very small to me. But Chattanooga has some
outdoor attractions that we do not have in Moscow like
white water rafting, many nice-looking back roads
where you can ride on a bike, and beautiful mountains.
Also, there are a lot of historical and touristy places
near here like Gatlinburg, Savannah (Georgia), and
Biltmore (North Carolina). So Chattanooga has just a
different kind of beauty than Moscow.


My Country
Ecuador
by Jose Ruiz

Ecuador is a small country located in South America. The Oriente region is a poor region although
The borders are: north with Colombia, south and east there is a lot of oil in there. The access roads
with Peru, and west with the Pacific Ocean. The official are so bad and sometimes are difficult to
money is the US dollar and the official language is travel on these roads. Tourists love to see
Castilian, which was the only language spoken at the native people who still live in this area and
beginning of Spain, but this name was changed to the huge quantity of nature that they can find
Spanish which has brought discrepancies between here.
people who study the language.
Nature
Four Regions The reason there is a lot of nature in this area
The predominant religion is Catholicism. Most people is because it is part of the Amazonas. The
in Ecuador are friendly and especially with the main characteristic of this region is the
tourists, but there are some people who steal. weather which is very variable, typical
Ecuador has the privilege of having four regions: Costa, Amazonas weather. The last region is
Sierra, Oriente, and Galápagos Islands. The Costa Galapagos Island, a heritage of humanity.
region has weather with an average temperature of Galapagos is one of most famous tourist
77°F all year. places in the world because of its special
kinds of animals.
Beaches
There are a lot of beaches in this region and tourist places. Galapagos
The second important city, Guayaquil, is located in this Sometimes people know and talk about
region. The Sierra region has weather with an average Galapagos, but they do not know that it is part
temperature of 53°F whole year. In this region there are of Ecuador. This region has a problem with
three volcanoes and one of them is actually active, the
overpopulation and the Ecuadorian
Tungurahua volcano.
government is trying to bring back these
people to the continent because the
overpopulation threatens the ecosystem in
this region. Ecuador is a perfect place to visit
and enjoy a lot of diversity.

Snow
In highest places of this region you can find snow. The
most important tourist places in this region are the
mountains, which are part of the Andes chain. People
from the Sierra region are more polite than people
from the Costa region. The capital, Quito, and the
second most important city, Cuenca, are located in this
region.


More ESL
Voices:
“I like…”
by Jose Ruiz, Nihan Gurer & Tara Kerr

The ESL Globe Staff

Oscar Crespo
Editor-in-Chief
Jose Ruiz
Copy Editor
Maria Hernandez
Graphics Editor
Nihan Gurer
Star Reporter
Sooyong An
Chief Reporter
David Van Ingram
Editorial Advisor
Tara Kerr
Student Advisor

DEDICATION:

This very humble
edition of the ESL
Globe is dedicated to
the Director of the
ESL Institute,
Jane Womack,
who makes all things
ESL, great and small,
happen.
Thank you Jane!

Page 12

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