- Digital Commons @ Otterbein

Howl
Volume 1, Issue 6
2016
Article 1
OTTERBEIN C OMMUNITY P ROFILES
The Howl: Otterbein Community Profiles
c
Copyright 2016
by the authors. Howl is produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress).
http://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/howl
The Howl: Otterbein Community Profiles
Abstract
The Howl is a magazine that is planned, researched, written, photographed and formatted by
Otterbein University’s English as a Second Language students.
The magazine serves to give them a safe space in which to use their voice to share their cultures, experiences and lives. Native English speakers are also encouraged to submit within the
theme of the magazine: multicultural and multi-language experiences. If interested in submitting
to the Howl, submit to our Digital Commons site.
Please enjoy Otterbein ESL’s contribution to the Otterbein community’s literary scene.
KEYWORDS: esl, international, student, publication, otterbein university, westerville, ohio, korean, korea, spanish, spain, japanese, japan, nepal, nepalese, culture, food, foreign, tradition, poetry, creative writing
Volume 1, Issue 6, 2015
The Howl
Otterbein
ESL Publication
Otterbein
Community
Profiles
Contents
4
3
Dogs: from Workers to Family Members
by Araceli Aranda
4
How to Solve the Refugee Crisis
by Hyunah Choi
5
9 Awesome Japanese Foods
by Rika Takemoto
15
The Great Gwen
by Eun Jin Jung
16
Richard Ji: Big Brother of International Students
by Mi Young Cho
17
7
5 Asian Noodles
by Sejeong Choi
8
Planning Your Next Trip to Nepal: Experiences and
Opinions
by Sandhya Mananshar
10
“I Want to Get Involved with Internation Students,”
She Said
by Elisa Martinez Sirvent
18
A Philosophy and Asian Culture Professor
by Rika Takemoto
19
An Interesting Festival in My Home Country: Moros
& Cristianos
A Korean-American Boy’s International Mind
by Elisa Martinez Sirvent
by Hyunah Choi
11
20
3 Kinds of Korean Restaurants in Columbus
Tutoring Foreign Children
by Eun Jin Jung
by Ji Sung Yun
12
21
Travelogue of Antelope Canyon
A Brief Chat with Geoffrey Barstow
by Ji Sung Yun
By Sandhya Manandhar
13
The Three Best Places to Travel in Korea
by Mi Young Cho
14
Front cover portrait photography by Sejeong Choi.
The Life of Lejla Maley: the Journey of a Refugee
Front cover design and back cover photography by
Araceli Aranda.
by Araceli Aranda
15
Who is the Most Energetic Woman at Otterbein?
by Sejeong Choi
1
My name is Ji Sung. I am from
Daejeon, Korea. I like to talk to my
friends with a nice cup of coffee at
good places. I also like to travel new
places with my family.
Writers
Hi. I am Sandhya Manandhar from Nepal. I
love travelling to new places and making
new friends.
My name is Rika
Takemoto. I'm from
Aichi, Japan. I will study
here for 1 year because I
want to speak English
fluently. I like traveling,
eating and experiencing
a lot of things! And I
love Sponge Bob!
My name is Miyoung Cho. I’m from
Incheon, Korea. I like travelling with
my family and my dog.
My name is Jin. I am from Seoul, Korea. I
like watching Korean TV dramas and
traveling.
My name is Sejeong Choi. I am from Seoul
Korea. I like to listen to music and watch
movies. Also, I like playing games with my
daughters. My interests are international
food, culture and people. So, I want to learn
about other countries and make friends. I
really want to go on a trip to another
country with my family.
Hi, my name is Elisa, and I’m
from Spain. I’m in the USA
because I want to learn English
and will stay here until April. I
like traveling to new countries,
sports, taking pictures and
making new friends.
Hello, I’m Hyunah Choi. This
picture is the view from my house.
If I were born again, I would like
to be a goose.
My name is Araceli. I'm a dog
lover and chocolate addict.
Editor
My name is Liz McMurray. As primarily a writing
instructor, I struggled for years with motivating nonnative English speakers to enjoy writing in English. I
found that there was a lack of motivation due to lack of
an audience and purpose for their written work. Writing
is a form of communication, after all. I wanted our
students to be able to communicate their experiences to
a wider audience and make an impact on the
community. I am extremely proud of our ESL and
international students here at Otterbein, knowing the
challenges that they face upon arrival in a (generally)
cold, foreign place like Otterbein. I have great respect
for their cultural and academic accomplishments. As an
editor of The Howl, I am honored to present their work
to you.
About the Howl
The Howl is a magazine that is planned, researched,
written, photographed and formatted by Otterbein
University’s English as a Second Language students.
The magazine serves to give them a safe space in which
to use their voice to share their cultures, experiences and
lives. Native English speakers are also encouraged to
submit within the theme of the magazine: multicultural
and multi-language experiences. If interested in
submitting to the Howl, please e-mail your writing or
photography to [email protected].
Please enjoy Otterbein ESL’s contribution to the
Otterbein community’s literary scene.
2
Dogs: from Workers
Family Members
to
By Araceli Aranda
Dogs are probably the most common pet in the world,
but even though today their principal role is as human
companion, many of the breeds were originally created
with a different purpose, usually labor as herding dogs,
hunters, retrievers or sled dogs.
Although, for most of them, their workings days have
ended, several characteristics and
abilities acquired over time remain in
their genes and account for their
temperament and the way the adapt
to family life.
Border Collie
This energetic dog breed is well
known for being the king in
competitions around the world, in
Frisbee tournaments for agility,
obedience and herding.
According to the American Kennel
Club, border collies are medium
sized dogs with a very athletic body
and are easy to groom. They make
excellent company. However,
because of its high energy level,
this breed is not for everyone.
Owners must be on the same level of energy and keep
their dogs occupied with interesting tasks or they will
transform all the energy into destructive energy.
Poodle
Poodles are one of the most popular dog breeds; they are
famous for their striking hairstyles, but in addition to the
obvious association of this breed with
beauty contests, poodles are also very
smart and easy to train. Additionally, as
stated by Animal Planet, they have a
great capability to adapt.
German Shepherd
It is very usual to see German shepherds
working with the police forces and the
military. These fearsome looking dogs
are recognized for their courage, and
they are very good at following
commands, which makes them
perfect for the job.
German shepherds are very
protective dogs, which makes
them great guardians who will
take good care of their families, but
they must be trained when they are
puppies since this is a large dog breed with one of the
most powerful bites (Animal Planet). Since this breed is
a natural worker, they require a good amount of exercise
(American Kennel Club).
Golden Retriever
Behind the look of this peaceful dog, there is a very
intelligent dog with an undeniable desire to please,
which makes this breed ideal to train as service dogs.
Along with poodles, golden retrievers are very
popular as pets. They have a reputation of being
obedient and well behaved.
Golden retrievers are large dogs and they need a lot
of space and activity since they are also very active.
They do not need a lot of grooming (American
Kennel Club) so they can be the perfect pet for families
with enough space for their needs.
These are just a few of the many possible breeds that can
be great for a family, but the most important aspects to
consider when planning to welcome a new family
member are the family needs and capabilities to have a
new dog, so they can both have a happy life together.
There are three different sizes of
poodles: standard, miniature and toy,
but they all share the same
characteristics, such as long legs and
an easy going personality which
makes them suitable for different
environments and spaces. However,
something to consider is that this dog breed
has hair that never stops growing, making them need a
lot of grooming.
3
How to Solve the Refugee
Crisis
By Hyunah Choi
Since 2011, countless refugees from Syria have left their
country during the course of the civil war. Most of
them fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq,
and more distant countries. Now the refugee crisis has
become a worldwide issue.
There is a famous Korean T.V program called ‘The NonSummit Conference’, which put together 12 foreigners
to talk about their cultural and social issues.
One time, there was an agenda about whether to accept
or reject refugees. Their opinions about refugee
acceptance have been divided into pros and cons.
Opinions of Pros

They are in desperate circumstances. Offering a
helping hand is the right action of humanity.

During the World War period, many countries in
American continents accepted immigrants from all
over the world. They have become productive
members of the new communities. We have to
give them a chance to live a better life. Every
human being deserves an opportunity.
Germany has become by far the
biggest host in Europe for those
refugees.
In the Washington
Post, Anthony Faiola wrote that
Germany is sensing a golden
opportunity. “This fast-graying
nation… with a morbidly low
birthrate
and
a
flat-lining
population” desperately needs
more young workers to patch a
big demographic hole in its
population.
In the Huffington Post’s highline ‘Interview with
International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde’,
she says that “the refugee crisis in Europe might end up
being a positive force for the largely stagnant European
economy.”
Opinions of Cons



There are too many refugees to accept and we don’t
know when to stop.
The first thing we should do is to solve the
fundamental problem-civil war.
They may cause social problems such as crimes,
robbing, and diseases because not all of them are
adjusting to new environments.

It costs a great deal but may not play a positive part
in the community.
Denmark is the first E.U country planning to run antirefugee advertisements in foreign papers that are
intended to deter potential refugees from Syria and
Northern Africa. In the New Statesman, Emmanuel
Akinwotu writes that “reports in the Danish press have
revealed that documents comparing the benefits of
several European countries are given to refugees by
smugglers. The suggestion is that the refugees are
making a calculated choice to travel to Denmark, to reap
the benefits not available elsewhere.”
A New York Times article by Gardiner Harris, David E.
Sagner and David M. Herszenhorn discusses how
President Barack Obama announced in August that the
U.S. would resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees
starting in October. Though,
U.S. leaders have focused on
their concerns about potential
national security threats. Yet
these claims weaken upon
scrutiny and how few Syrian
refugees the U.S. has welcomed
-roughly 1,500 Syrians since
2011-out of a global total of 4
million. “The refugee program
has always had safeguards in it,”
said Jeff Watkins, community
executive director of the YMCA of Greater Houston.
“The refugee resettlement program would be a very
inefficient way for individuals who want to cause our
country harm to enter.”
The world is in chaos of debates about how to handle the
refugee crisis. All of these concerns and worries are
not likely to end sooner or later. And the solution of
these fundamental problems seems impossible as of now.
Then what should we do for them? Which should be
first? Humanity? The security and interests of one’s own
country? I guess we can’t live a fertile life while
ignoring crises. On the other hand, in this global century,
neighboring nations couldn’t hold the burden all by
themselves. There should be a united organization to
overcome the situation. The matter must be settled
systematically and in unison.
4
9 Awesome Japanese Foods
By Rika Takemoto
Japanese food has various kinds of food such as deepfried food, boiled food, stir-fried food, rice, noodles
and rice cakes. Moreover, many ingredients like meat,
fish, vegetables and rice are used in Japanese food.
Japanese food is delicious as well as healthy. Sushi is
one of the most popular Japanese foods in the world.
In the US, the California roll, which is similar to sushi,
is popular, and you can buy it everywhere, even in
Walmart. However, other Japanese foods such as
teriyaki and ramen (noodles), are becoming very
famous in the world. Recently, ramen is a very
popular Japanese food in London, and there are many
ramen shops in there. Teriyaki is also getting popular in
the US. You can see many Japanese food restaurants
which sell teriyaki with rice or noodles. Besides these
foods, there are still many awesome Japanese foods that
Japanese people like to eat.
Tempura
Tempura is deep-fried seafood such as shrimp and squid
and vegetables. Normally Japanese people like to eat
tempura with sauce (soy-based dipping sauce) or salt.
There are also other ways to eat tempura, such as tendon
(tempura on rice with sauce) or tempura udon (tempura
on Japanese noodles). The coating of tempura is crispy
and, especially while the tempura is hot, it tastes better.
Tomomi Yamaguchi likes tempura because she likes
shrimp, and especially vegetable tempura tastes good.
Sukiyaki
doing so, she can enjoy eating different tastes. Yuka
Muramatsu likes sukiyaki because sukiyaki whets the
appetite for rice.
Nikujyaga
Nikujyaga is boiled meat and
potatoes and vegetables with
soy sauce, sugar, and sake.
Nikujyaga is the usual
Japanese food which mother
makes. In addition, as
training for homemaking, many women learn how to
make nikujyaga before they get married. Saki Shiraki
likes nikujyaga because her mother always makes it, and
it warms her up.
Stewed
Fish
Pork
or
Stewed pork or fish is
diced meat or fish boiled
down in soy sauce. This
is traditional Japanese
food and loved by many
people, especially elderly
people. Nana Kokubo likes stewed pork/ fish because
this fits in well with rice. In addition, she likes this kind
of food which is cooked with typical Japanese sauce
such as soy sauce stock.
Ramen
Sukiyaki is a hot pot dish of beef and many vegetables
and other ingredients such as tofu, and mushrooms in
soy-flavored sauce. This is a seasonal food, and we eat
this food in winter. Sukiyaki will warm you up from
the inside. Moreover, you can eat many vegetables.
Usually, we eat sukiyaki sitting around a one-pot meal
with family, so you can have a pleasant time with your
family too. Yuka Takemoto likes sukiyaki because
sukiyaki can be another food by adding udon or rice. By
Ramen is originally
from China, but ramen
has developed and has
been arranged in Japan.
Ramen is noodles in
hot broth with various
toppings such as corn,
pickled bamboo shoots,
roast pork and wakame
(seaweed). The standard taste of ramen is miso, soy
sauce, salt, and pork bone soup. However, you can eat
different tastes in different places in Japan. There are
many ramen shops in Japan, and ramen is loved by
5
many people regardless of age or sex. Shoto Esaki likes
ramen because ramen has many different tastes, and the
tastes of ramen are different from place to place, so he
thinks it’s interesting to try various tastes of ramen
depending on shops.
depending on each region. Some places have thicker
udon or other places have a stronger tasting soup. Risa
Yoshibayashi loves udon and she says she never gets
tired of eating udon, even if she eats it every day. She
also loves its springy texture.
Rice Cakes
Okonomiyaki
Rice cakes are made from steamed glutinous rice. There
are many ways to eat rice cakes. We eat it with bean jam,
grated daikon (Japanese radish), soy sauce, and soybean
flour. In another way, we eat rice cake as zoni, which is
soup with rice cake and vegetables. Emi Kobayashi likes
rice cake because of its soft and chewy texture.
Okonomiyaki is Japanese style pancake or pizza. We can
choose our favorite vegetables and other ingredients
such as seafood and meat, and make it on a hot plate.
Then, we put sauce on it. The most interesting thing
when you make okonomiyaki is that we make it by
ourselves. It is really fun. Ami Hayashi likes
okonomiyaki because she can make it by herself, and
she likes to eat it while it is hot.
Shabu-shabu
Shabu-shabu is a hot-pot dish, and we put sliced pork or
beef in boiling water and stir for a few seconds and then
dip with sauce , such as soy sauce with citrus juice or
sesame. Saori Saigo likes shabu-shabu because she likes
boiled meat and she can choose sauce, which she likes to
eat with meat.
Udon
Udon is thick white Japanese noodles made from wheat,
flour, salt, and water. We can enjoy eating udon both hot
and cold soup which is based in soy sauce or fish stock,
and with vegetables. Moreover, we sometimes add
tempura on udon. There are different types of udon
In conclusion, there are many awesome Japanese foods
which are not popular in the world yet. These 9 foods
are very popular and standard Japanese foods. Besides
these 9 foods, there are still many awesome foods in
Japan. I hope some other delicious Japanese food
becomes more popular in the world.
6
Five Asian Noodles
By Sejeong Choi
Noodles are known as one of the world’s most enjoyed
foods. Its origin began in the East. It introduces the long
history of oriental noodles as boasting splendid types
and tastes.
People often think about noodles when people don’t
have enough time to eat or people don’t have much
appetite. It was first made in china.
Noodle’s History
According to EunSook Lee Monthly Magazine, the
noodle’s history goes back to around 5000 B.C, but we
know it was first made in the third century. Noodles
were further developed in the East than the West. In
Asia, they are eaten mainly in China, Korea, Japan and
Vietnam. In the West, Italian explorer Marco Polo
visited China in the late 13th Century, and brought back
the noodle to his native land, where it became pasta.
Soba
Soba is made of
buckwheat flour,
and can be eaten
hot in soup or cold
with
dipping
sauce, which is
called Zaru Soba.
Thai Noodles
Thai noodles is made from rice. Thai people eat mainly
the rice noodle soup. Thai noodles have more meat,
seafood, and vegetables than other noodles. They put the
peppers and add vinegar for good taste. Thai noodles
are stir - fried rice noodles and they are made with
soaked dried rice noodles (Beer2Day). The Thai noodle
“… is a fast, delicious and nutritious dish, and has
become popular in many countries around the world”
(Wikipedia).
Chinese Noodles
Noodles in China are eaten for breakfast or are
considered more of a snack instead of a meal. Most
Chinese like to eat noodles rather than rice. Chinese
noodles are named depending on how you cook them,
what the ingredients are and what noodles’ shapes are.
Typical Chinese noodles are Ban mian, Beef chow fun,
Cart
noodle,
and
Zhajiang
mian.
Source:
http://egloos.zum.com/babnsool/v/3091769
Beef Chow Fun
Accoriding to Eating Well’s recipe, to make beef chow
fun, “brown sugar [is]
added to black beangarlic sauce, which
gives this stir-fry its
unmistakable Chinese
takeout flavor. The
recipe for beef chow fun
works equally well with
tofu for a vegetarian
meal or boneless, skinless chicken breast. Serve with
sliced cucumbers tossed with rice vinegar, sesame seeds
and a pinch of salt.”
Japanese Noodles
Japanese noodles have distinct characteristics depending
on the area. The Kanto region uses dark soy sauce and
dried bonitos or anchovies, so the soup is very rich and
dark. The Kansai region uses pale soy sauce and kelp, so
the soup is very simple in taste. Well known Japanese
noodles are udon, soba, and ramen. (Tokyo Metropolitan
Government)
http://www.menu-tokyo.jp/tradition/soba.php?lang=ko
Pad Thai Noodle
Vietnamese Noodles
Vietnam has the most famous rice noodles. Its name is
Pho. People can eat Pho anywhere and anytime in
Vietnam. “Pho is a popular street food in Vietnam and
the specialty of a number of restaurant chains around the
world” (Wikipedia). Pho has a few herbs, bean sprouts,
crown daisies
and meats or
chicken and
shrimp. Some
people eat it
with lemon
and chili or
spicy sauce.
Pho Beef Noodle
7
Korean Noodles
Koreans have enjoyed noodles for a long time, but
noodles are not an ordinary food because Korea has a
lack of wheat production. So, a long time ago, Korean
noodles were a special food for unique days such as
birthdays and weddings. As the shape of noodles is long,
people enjoy noodles to pray for a long life on birthdays
and happiness on wedding days. There are many Korean
noodles such as Kalguksu, cold noodles, spicy noodles,
and banquet noodles.
Naengmyeon
Planning Your Next Trip to
Nepal: Experiences and
Opinions
By Sandhya Manandhar
The land of Everest, the land of Buddha, the land of
mesmerizing mountains, the land of flora and fauna, the
land of eternal truth, bliss and natural beauty, the land of
typical culture and festivals, the land of Gurkha soldiers,
the land of temples and monasteries, and yes it is a
county called Nepal. Nepal enjoys eight world heritage
sites offered by UNESCO.
Cold noodles are made from the flours of arrowroot,
buckwheat and potatoes, and there are cold noodles with
soup and spicy cold noodles without soup. Cold noodles
have a boiled egg, sliced pieces of cucumber, radish and
Korean pear.
Nowadays, there are various recipes for noodles over the
world. Recipes have been developed. People enjoy
noodles for its simplicity and convenience.
Gopal Singh, Coordinator of Bachelor in Business
Administration in Pokhara University, says the best
place to visit in Nepal is Pokhara, which is a 6 hour
drive from Kathmandu. Pokhara is one of the beautiful
places to visit in Nepal, best known for boating, trekking,
paragliding, cycling, rafting and many more. What really
impressed him in Pokhara were the environment and the
people of Pokhara, as well as lots of delicious food and
hospitality.
I interviewed some people about noodles.
“ I went to the Korean Restaurant and I ate Kalbi and
Naengmyeon. It was very fantastic,” (April).
“ I went to the Vietnam Restaurant once a week with my
family because my family like vietnam rice noodle,”
(Yewon).
“ I like Jampong and Jajangmyeon. When it rain,or
when I drink alcohol, I usually eat jampong,”(Jin).
“I love cup noodles. So,I eat cup noodles twice a week,”
(Jiwon).
“I love noodles. Whenever my mom doesn’t cook dinner
for our family, I cook noodle and eat with my family,”
(Yeji).
Geoff
Barstow,
from
the
Department
of Religion
and
Philosophy
at Otterbein
University,
stated that he
has visited
Nepal few
times, and he
has studied
Buddhism in
Nepal. The places he finds best to him in Nepal were
Kathmandu and Patan, but he also likes the Himalayas,
north of the middle hills: places like Khumbu, Manang,
and Dolpa
8
According to Ajay
Sharma,
medical
student at Lumbini
Medical College in
Pokhara,
Nepal,
explained
that
beautiful places to
visit in Nepal are the
Manang
and
Mustang Districts,
also called “Himal Pari ko Desh” (Country across the
mountains). The Mustang District is the pathway for
Mukthinath Temple. These places and Manang district is
famous for trekking. The trekking also explores Tilicho
lake, Annapurna Himal, Dhaulagiri Himal, Manasalu
Himal, Lamjung Himal, Machhapuchhre Himal, Nilgiri
Himal, Tilicho Peak, Tukuche Peak, Dhampus Peak,
Jomsom Valley, Thakali Museum, Mukthinath Temple
and Mustang Himal. Along with trekking in Manang and
Mustang, the locality is famous for culture and ritual
offerings. Marpha Valley welcomes us with a unique
apple distillery. The mesmerizing view from Manang
and Mustang makes him feel as if in heaven.
As reported by, Matt Hahnewald, Perpetual Traveler
from Canada, he has visited lots of places in Nepal
including Pokhara, Kathmandu valley, Lumbini and
many more, but among them, he finds Annapurna Base
Camp (ABC) is the one of the most adventurous,
exciting and memorable events of his life because he
was there with some
of his friends a day
before the horrible
earthquake in Nepal,
on the 25th of April
2015. Mt. Annapurna
is
10th
highest
mountain in the
world.
Before
reaching to the base
of Annapurna he
enjoyed cascading waterfalls, beautiful villages, terraced
farmland, rhododendron forest, and amazing mountains.
The best season to visit ABC is autumn (September to
November) and spring (March to May).
According to Sama Manandhar, living in Columbus, she
really wants to visit Ghandruk Village in her next trip to
Nepal. Actually she is from Nepal but she got no chance
to visit there while she was in Nepal. She further said
the idea to trek Ghandruk Village arises in her mind
because she was really amazed by the beautiful pictures
of her friends in Ghandruk Village on social media.
Suhit Adhakari , student of University of Findlay, Ohio,
expressed his opinion about best place to visit in Nepal
is Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pathan Durbar Square and
Bhaktapur Durbar square. Kathmandu, patan and
Bhakatpaur are commonly known as Kathmandu valley.
These three valleys are
famous for their typical
culture heritage and
unique life style. The
Kathmandu
Valley
includes seven groups of
monuments
and
buildings that display the
full range of historic and
artistic
achievements,
which includes Durbar
Square of Human Dhoka
(Kathmandu), Bhakatapur and Patan, the Buddhist
stupas of Swayambhu and Bouddhanath and the Hindu
Temples of Pasupatinath and Changu Narayan.
Kathmandu Valley is also listed in UNESCO.
Nepal is the destination of many tourists from different
parts of the world. According to the Tourism Board of
Nepal every year Nepal receives more than 800,000
tourists, from which it can be inferred that Nepal’s
highest income is through the tourism business. Not only
are the above palaces touristic destinations, there are
more places like Everest Base Camp (EBC), Chitwan
National parks, Khaptad national parks, Langtang Valley,
Rara Lake, Bhotekoshi for bungee, Dharan, Phoksundo
lake, Lumbini, Nagarkot and many more. Tourists also
come to Nepal for paragliding, rafting, bungee jumping,
skydiving, mountain flight, jungle safari, trekking,
canyoning, elephant polo and more. Nepal can be your
next wonderful best destination to explore mountains,
natural beauty and cultural heritage.
9
An Interesting Festival in My Home Country: Moros &
Cristianos
By Elisa Martínez Sirvent
What Is This Festival?
Moros & Cristianos is a
very important popular
festival in Elda city. It
commemorates
the
reconquest of the lands
of the region by the
Christians, their former
occupants being the
Moors. It has been
celebrated for centuries. At
present, this festival takes
place the last week in May for
5 days. This festival is very famous in my area and is
celebrated in honor of St Anthony, the festival’s patron1.
Wednesday night, Moros & Cristianos begins with the
local festival opening speech2 (normally some famous
person is the herald3). Many people who live in other
cities come to enjoy it.
During the days of celebration, events take place. Every
day there is a parade4 where people show their costumes
of each troupe5. They are very beautiful.
Today there are 9 troupes, divided into two groups, and
each troupe has festive charges that are renewed every
year, composed of captain6, flag bearer7 and child
captain and child flag bearer.
Troupe Members
“Bando Moro”: Group of people who represent the
Moorish kingdom
Realistas (Realistic)
Musulmanes (Muslims)
Marroquíes (Moroccan)
Huestes del Cadí (Hosts of Cadi)
“Bando Cristiano”: Group of peopl
e who represent Christian kingdom.
Cristianos (Christians)
Piratas (Pirates)
Estudiantes (Students)
Contrabandistas (Smugglers)
Zíngaros (Gypsies)
I interviewed some Spanish friends
about their feelings in Moros &
Cristianos festival. They are talking
about their favorite foods, events,
troupes, etc.
Typical Foods
“Normally, almost all festival
days I have lunch a soup. I
think is the best food for my
stomach”-Alma C.
“Before come back home
when I go out normally I
have breakfast barbecue,
sándwich, etc in party room’s8
friends. I enjoy and I have a
great time talking with my
friends”-Eva F.
“I think we don’t have very special food for this festival.
I love meeting with my friends in several restaurants”Sara S.
The Best Event
“The best event to
me
is
when
everyone goes to
the church and
sings a beautiful
song. All troupes
are gathered to
sing and dance at
the same time” Alma C.
“I don’t like any event specially but I think all of them
are very beautiful to see. This festival is very special for
us because it’s a meeting for friends and you can walk in
the streets without problem. They are
closed. You can walk free.”-Eva F.
“I don’t mind the troupe because I don’t walk in
line. My costume is Muslim because I like it”Jorge M.
Which Troupe Do You Like?
“I love zíngaros. They have a colorful
costumes and they are very bright. I
stay in this troupe since I was a child. I
have a really great time and I like
walking in file with my Friends”-Ona
C.
10
3 Kinds of Korean Restaurants
in Columbus
By Eun Jin Jung
Columbus has 10 different Korean restaurants. All these
restaurants sell Korean traditional foods, but I'll
introduce about 3 of the Korean restaurants.
San-Su is known as the best Korean BBQ restaurant.
There is a buffet section in San-Su where you can try
Korean style beef, pork, chicken and other Korean food.
Also there is a BBQ grill on each table so you can grill
the meat or vegetables you
got from the buffet and
cook it in the right style for
yourself. Also on the buffet
section, there is a station
called Bibimbob, which is
Korea's traditional food that
has all different kinds of
vegetables mixed with rice
and Korea's traditional
spicy sauce called gochu
jang.
Pictures by Marta Ortega
“I like Smugglers because they are the most colorful and
they are my favorites”.-Eva F.
“I prefer Students. I love them. I am in this troupe all my
life since I was a child. My family is this troupe, too. It’s
a small troupe but I don’t mind. It’s very special for
me”-Sara B
Glossary of Terms
1
Patron (Patrón): Patron Saint.
Festival openning speech2 (Pregón): Event to start the
festival.
Herald3 (Pregonero): Person who starts the festival.
Parade4 (Desfile): Lined up in formation or in order.
Troupe5 (Comparsa): Group of people who are dressed
in costumes of the same class.
Captain6 (Capitán): Person who is leading his troupe.
Flag bearer7 (Abanderada): A Girl who is wearing the
flag. (In each troupe there are a captain and a flag
bearer).
Party room (Cuartelillo): A place where friends are
meeting. It’s similar to a club.
If you are interested in knowing more about this festival,
you can find information at the following link or you
can feel free to ask me.
http://www.morosycristianoselda.es/
Poongmei is a Korean style Chinese restaurant, which
means they changed the Chinese food to the way
Koreans like it. Chajangmen and Jampbong are the most
famous Korean style Chinese foods. Chajangmen is the
noodle that has sweet
black sauce that is made
with black beans. I love
their Jampbong; which is a
spicy noodle soup that has
all different kinds of
seafood and vegetables
with red spicy broth.
Silla was the first Korean
restaurant opened in Columbus. It
has been 30 years since they
opened, and the first owner still
owns the restaurant. Since this
restaurant is the first Korean
restaurant in town, they have all
different kinds of Korean food. It
is good to go with friends so you
have varied choices of food. This
restaurant usually doesn't open
their store during breakfast and
lunch. It mostly opens during
dinner time, which is like 5 to 1
o'clock in the morning. So if you want to have a late
dinner but all the other Korean restaurants are closed,
Silla is the best place to go and eat. Silla is also known
as the drinking, bar area. Because there is a karaoke spot
in the front so people can sing whatever they want and
have fun with their friends while they are drinking.
11
Travelogue of Antelope
Canyon
By Ji Sung Yun
We went to Antelope Canyon one time when we
made a reservation. This is the place where a
Native American girl found a cow. She is 88
years old now. This is located in the park of the
Navajo. The Native Americans of the Navajo
Nation are authorized to guide people through
Antelope canyon. So nobody can go inside the
canyon, which is divided into the Upper Canyon
and Lower Canyon, without them.
Dragon’s Eye
This shows the fierce eye of a
dragon and an angular eyelid
with the eye in the middle.
Sunset
Valley
of
Monument
This looks like a flaming
sunset around Monument
Valley.
Eagle
The guide drove a 4 wheel drive car in which 9
people can ride. The sign that read, “tips will be
appreciated” in many languages was above the
driver’s sheet. We stopped at the entrance of the
canyon and the entrance was a little bit smaller
than I expected. The canyon was formed due to
water erosion.
This is the place photographers from all over the
world come to take artistic photos. Light comes
through openings in the top of the natural caves
and this makes art. So the picture condition is
different depending on the time and season.
Winter is not good and noon is best to visit. We
went there at noon in summer when the light is
best.
When I entered the canyon, the picture we saw
through the camera was so wonderful because the
colors to picture changed as the angle of light
changed on the spot where the guide explained,
“Sunset of Monument Valley, Eagle, Lincoln’s
face, Dragon eyes” and so on. These were
amazing and beautiful.
This is a shape of an eagle which has an eye, nose and
mouth and tries to take off with flaps of its wings.
Lincoln’s Face
This is a silhouette in which
Lincoln is looking at the sky.
It shows Lincoln’s unique chin and
nose.
Beautiful Cave (top of page)
When light through an opening
meets a camera, silhouettes are
taken as various colors.
12
By Mi Young Cho
Jeju Island: the Hawaii of Korea!
South Korea is a beautiful place filled with mountains,
temples, amazing food, kind people, and ultra-luxury
stores. Also, the easy access public transportations, such
as buses, taxis, and subways, can take you anywhere and
everywhere. With the easily accessible transportation,
available twenty-four-seven, travelers can eat and drink
all night at many of the restaurants and clubs.
Stated by CNN’s “Top 10 Places To Visit in South
Korea”, “a semi-tropical island of the mainland, Jeju is
indeed a beautiful paradise” (CNN). Travelers can visit
the crystal clear blue
oceans,
enjoy
the
wonderful beaches and
hike high mountains like
Hallasan. Also, travelers
can visit the mysterious
cavern, “Manjaggul Cave.”
This cave is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. It’s
one of the finest lava
tunnels in the world.
I would like to talk about the three best places to travel
in Korea.
Seoul: the Capital City of Korea! (shown above)
According to CNN’s “Top 10 Places To Visit in South
Korea”, Seoul is a city with fascinating mix of ancient
and modern characteristics. Travelers can visit old
historical temples and places of long history. Also, they
can taste amazing food. Because of these characteristics,
there are lots of foreigners who visit Seoul. Seoul also
contains one of the best public transportation systems in
the world like bus, subway, train, and airplane.
Female divers, called
haenyeo, collect many
different kinds of seafood
by diving into the deep
water. This traditional
method is very unique in
Korea, especially Jeju Island.
Seoraksan National Park: a Park Filled with
Beautiful Seasonal Colors.
Seoraksan National Park is Korea’s most famous
mountain. Seorak is famous for its colorful fall leaves.
In winter, there are some ski resorts in the area. In
addition, you can find some luxurious gambling resorts,
rafting rivers, bungee jumping, and beautiful beaches.
13
The Life of Lejla Maley: the
Journey of a Refugee
By Araceli Aranda
Lejla Maley was only
seven when she and her
family had to move
from Bosnia to the
United States, and by
that time, she had
already undergone more
than most people can
imagine. Nevertheless,
all the difficulties she
had to overcome during
the Bosnian War in the 1990s, far from holding her
back, turned her into the woman she is today.
Before the war, Lejla lived in a big metropolitan city in
Bosnia with her father, mother and sister. She
remembers that they used to spend the weekends on
their families’ farms learning how to milk cows and
collecting eggs. However, most of her memories from
Bosnia are during the war, which started when she was
five. During the two years they lived in the war, they
had to move from their home to an apartment because
the building where they lived was hit by a grenade. Soon
after, the apartment was also hit and they had to move to
the capital until they were relocated to Italy where they
waited for the documents to come to the United States.
Even though she was a child, she was very aware of
what was happening. “We couldn't play outside for too
long. There were restricted hours. You heard bombs, and
you see people die, and that’s really hard.” However,
even though that was hard, Lejla thinks
that having been a child made it easier to
overcome the situation and heal
emotionally as she said, “Children are
very resilient.” She thinks that as an
adult, that would have affected her for
the rest of her life, so she is thankful that
she was a child. Adults may be angry
and feel resentment towards the enemy,
but being a child, she did not have to
think about the politics of the war so it is
easier to live with that.
After the death of her father in 1992 and her sister being
injured in 1993, Lejla and her family got “medical
refugee status” to come to the United States. They
finally moved to the United States in 1994. For her, the
journey was in some ways exciting, she tells me as she
tries to illustrate the movements and size of the army
airplane in which she traveled with her hands. It was a
cargo plane, so the back was open, and it was
frightening but thrilling at the same time.
Once she landed in New York City, she remembers it
was the first time she saw people that were not from
Bosnia. All the diversity she found made her more
immersed. “Even just different looking children, like
different hair- that was actually really interesting.” The
transition was not as hard for her as it was for her
mother or her sister. At the beginning, they had a
translator that made the transition easier for them. As a
child Lejla was more interested in being “Americanized”
than Bosnian. That seemed an easier option since no one
at her school spoke Bosnian and she did not want to be
different from the rest of the kids.
It wasn’t until college that she realized that she was
missing some part of her essence, after many years of
lost interest in her native language and culture. When
she started to learn about linguistics and culture and
language identity, she became motivated to come back
to learn some parts of the literature and culture that she
had forgotten. After graduating from college, she started
teaching Bosnian.
Lejla earned a major in linguistics at the Ohio State
University and then studied Spanish, even though she
did not know that she would become a teacher, she was
very interested in studying languages and in diversity.
Becoming a teacher was something that just happened.
She started teaching in a high school and felt in love
with it, but her true passion is to ensure that language
learners have equal treatment and opportunities to
education.
After teaching at Ohio State, she became more interested
in teaching at a university, and she wanted to teach ESL,
so she came to Otterbein two years ago. She has also
taught English in Mexico, Rwanda and neighboring
countries in Eastern Africa. Now as a PhD student, Lejla
is very interested in studying reforms in education,
particularly in what kind of
Access
to
education
language learners from
minorities have.
Her love of travel has taken
her back to her native
country three times, but
now, as an adult, she sees
things differently. Seeing a
divided country makes her
feel that it is unfair. “You
are easily upset by things like seeing a lot of poverty …
seeing the political injustice.”
This is the reason why she is now very sensitive to
refugees, and feels very emphatic to people who are
forced to leave their countries, because now at an older
age, she is affected by seeing people going through what
she lived. “People are not showing compassion to people
that need it, so that's really hard too.”
14
Who Is the Most Energetic
Woman at Otterbein?
By Sejeong Choi
I met Erin Johnson,
ESL teacher and
Coordinator, who is
everyone’s favorite.
Kind and generous,
every single student
loves
her.
She
understands
international students’
hardships well and
always tries her best
to help them. She
always thinks of others first and is very careful.
“I am always really impressed by what an empathetic
and considerate teacher Erin is.” Elizabeth McMurray
said. She is an Otterbein ESL teacher.
She has two daughters; Lucy is 5 years old and Adele is
3. Her husband, Jonathan, works at Otterbein as an
Otterbein Professor. His parents are Asian.
Her degree is in English Linguistics. She likes languages
and her favorite thing to study is endangered languages.
She loves to travel. She likes to teach pronunciation and
she likes to explain pronunciation.
Her job has two parts; one is teaching and the other one
is administrative. She likes to teach ESL students who
are from different countries. Also, she started organizing
ESL Programs and she met other administrators. She
spends a lot of time trying to make sure the program is
the best that it can be for how small it is. She is trying to
improve the program. Also, there are lots of different
parts to her job, from recruiting students and figuring
out how to get more students to learning about some of
the legal aspects in some of the rules, as well as learning
about some developing curricula in the university.
“…and what does the university need from us for our
students to be successful when they go on to have a
degree, what do they need to do, what skills do they
need to have.”
“It is very fun job because there are lots and lots
different things.” Erin said.
ESL Instructor Elizabeth McMurray has observed Erin’s
work as a coordinator and teacher. “During observations
and lessons, she makes an effort to really facilitate the
discussion as opposed to directing or telling you what to
do or think.”
“What was your most memorable moment while
working?” I asked Erin. “…I enjoyed most recently was
…the TED talk … and how great students were. The
presentations were wonderful as you know, and then
we’ve been working on students’ pronunciation...” She
was also effusive of students who “…go to on to become
degree seeking at Otterbein.”
She said coordinators or ESL teachers need to get as
many experiences that they can meeting different
cultures and people in order to understand and accept
different cultures. Also people who have studied
linguistics are very helpful for teaching ESL students.
She thinks the most important thing to keep in mind is
the need to respect others. They should understand that
everyone is different and accept others the way they are.
What Are Your Plans for Otterbein ESL?
“We would like to do more things [with the] Otterbein
ESL program. I need to do more things to prepare
students to become degree seeking. With the Art
Department last year [in a] class that I co taught, we
learned content and language at same time. At the same
time, we focused on language. I am planning to do more
programs like this.” said Erin.
She want to live other country with whole family she
think it is very fun. I said visit Korea, I will guide for her
family.
The Great Gwen
By Eun Jin Jung
Not too hot, but not too cold, it's beautiful weather to
chill, walk and enjoy this time of the season: fall. On
this beautiful day, I interviewed Gwen DeRosa, current
English as a Second Language Instructor at Otterbein
University.
Gwen DeRosa has taught ESL class at Otterbein
University about one year, but she has been teaching
ESL students for three and a half years. She said her
original plan was to be a writer, but after she taught a
family from Korea, she really enjoyed teaching them. In
addition, when she looks back to her high school years,
she always wanted to be friends with foreigners. After
she compares the economic (money) issues and
everything, Gwen truly knew that she wanted to be an
English teacher to foreigners.
I asked Gwen "What is your hardest thing overall
teaching?"
She answered "Grading, especially grading essays."
She also talked about cultural differences between her
and her students, because some of these students aren't
used to American ways of teaching. She gave the
example of some of her past Middle Eastern students.
These students aren't used to having homework and
outside of school work because it isn’t common in their
countries. They give students time to finish activities in
15
class. Also, these students think writing is not as
important as speaking. This gave a hard time to Gwen to
teach students from the Middle East because their
cultures don’t necessarily value writing as much.
However, there are more positives than negatives to
being an ESL teacher. It might be hard to teach English
beginners, but Gwen said even the English beginner
students, they can still communicate. And that's what she
aims for, making her students feel comfortable and easy
to thinking in English rather than speaking English with
correct grammar. Teaching adults or college students
seems less exciting than teaching little kids English. But
she said when she teaches adults, they have more
experiences and maturity to discuss about various topics
than with kids. And she can learn about different and
new cultures from mature people, which is one of reason
she loves to teach international students.
I asked a formal ESL student named Sejeong, "Do you
like to be in Gwen's class?" Sejeong answered, "She is
very nice and make me comfortable to the class. I also
loved how she is prepared for everything!" Her students
seem to enjoy Gwen's class. Gwen DeRosa seems like
she loves her job. And when I asked her "Do you like
your job," she answered, "yes," straight forward. Gwen
wants to stay being a professor at Otterbein University
due to her love of her job as well as her love of
Otterbein campus. But she also said she doesn't know.
It might change like how she changed her mind being a
writer to become an English Second Language Professor.
Looking for Someone You
Can Rely on?
Richard Ji: Big Brother of
International Students
By Mi Young Cho
I interviewed Richard Ji, the Coordinator of
International Admission and Student Support Services.
He is also the Coordinator of the International Student
Association (ISA). The ISA promotes cultural diversity
and works to foster meaningful
relationships among its members
and Otterbein students through
social and cultural activities. ISA
organizes events throughout the
year to provide members and the
whole campus opportunities to
interact with each other and to
experience a variety of happenings
during their time at Otterbein.
I asked Ji about the ISA’s recent
activity called International Night.
“International Night was a great
success. We had 11 performances
this year, and about 220 people
joined us. I asked some people about the program, and
all the feedbacks I got were positive,” he said.
I also asked him when he felt proud of his job. “When
international students smile. Every time I see them smile,
I feel happy. That’s the time I feel proud of my job,” he
said.
Photo of a mural Gwen's husband did. Can you find
Gwen (top left corner)?
Lastly, I asked him about what his plans are for
Otterbein’s future. “Currently we have 97 international
students representing 19 countries. I hope we could have
more international students and visiting scholars come to
Otterbein. Also, I hope more and more domestic could
study abroad. World is so big. Everyone should go and
take a look,” he said with a warm smile.
16
“I Want to Get Involved with
International Students,” She
Said.
By Elisa Martínez Sirvent
Dana Viglietta works as
Assistant Director of
Alumni Engagement at
Otterbein University.
Some days ago, Dana and
I met in her office. The
environment was quiet
and relaxed. I was very
calm because I felt
confidence with her. She
talked to me about her
studies and job at Otterbein.
By the time to go to university was coming, she had to
where she had to go. At the beginning she was looking
at the University of Dayton because she liked it, but one
day, a representative from Otterbein came to her high
school and she was surprised with the name of the
university. She was invited to spent the night on campus,
visiting students’ classes. She also liked Westerville and
she knew she could continue practicing sports she liked,
so she decided to study at Otterbein.
“I just felt very comfortable
you know it’s a beautiful
little town,” Dana said. “I
played tennis in high
school and I knew I would
be able to keep playing
tennis in Otterbein.”
Dana
studied
public
relations, and she always
really
liked
graphics.
“After a while I was in
school, I worked on the yearbook, and I worked on the
newspaper doing a lot of design-oriented work.” She
said.
She thinks people make Otterbein special because it is a
small university and everybody is very willing to help
out. Moreover, people who work here are great. “I can
remember when I came to visit and just when I started as
a student, everybody you know... was friendly, helped
me...” Viglietta said.
When she was graduating she had the opportunity to
work in the admissions office, and she was lucky to get
the job before finishing her major. She traveled to
northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania to go to high
schools to get students. “I was finishing up my senior
year. They said... you know... we have a position
available if you want to do that after graduation... and I
said sure... Why not?” “My first... My first job was in
Otterbein,” Dana said.
She worked here about couple of years, and after that,
she married and went to work at Ohio State University,
but she knew she really wanted to work at Otterbein so
when she saw her spot accessible she emailed Otterbein
to explain her the job. She wanted to come back because
her future was here. She had many great experiences
that influenced her to continue working here to make it a
better place. “My boss, Becky, when I was a student, I
worked for her as a student, so I knew her already, and
when I saw this position, I emailed her, and I said, ‘I see
you [have] this position available. What's it all about?’
And we had dinner and she explained to me what it
entails and I was looking to get back into this type of
work, so it all worked out,” she said.
Despite of her first job at Otterbein and after that, her
job at Ohio State University, she also worked in two
different places. One of them was in a National College
Senior Honor, named “Mortar Bored,” which is for
students who are seniors and very Smart, and the other
one was in a TV and radio station for 11 years at the
university. “It was really fun,” Dana said.
Nowadays, she enjoys her job because she never knows
what will happen. “I love my job,” said Dana smiling.
“[I] have the job of serving people who had gone to
school and graduated and [am] always trying to find
ways to keep them
informed about what's
going on at the university,
engaged so they can come
back to do something or
getting involved” she said.
She really likes social
media, marketing, Twitter
and Facebook.
Finally we talked about
international students. She
has been interested in them
since she was in high school. There, she had exchange
students as classmates, and she wondered who they were
and what their background was. “We can share culture
and share our experiences,” she said.
She told me that when she was in high school, she had
an exchange student from Switzerland in her home, and
she had a wonderful time. “The best experience of my
whole life,” she said, so “I want to get involved with
international students,” Dana said.
She thinks to have an international students is a great
opportunity that Otterbein offers, and she confirmed,
“You are... you are my first international student...
Hopefully the first of many!!!”
17
A Philosophy and Asian
Culture Professor
By Rika Takemoto
Dr. Jeremy Smith is a professor of the English
department. He has been teaching at Otterbein
University since 1988. Now he teaches the First Year
Seminar class “Transitions through International
Comparisons,” two INST classes, “The Search for
Meaning in Western Literature”, and “West African
Cultures and Colonialism”, and freshman composition
and African Literature. His way of speaking is not
quick, so it is easy to understand for international
students. During the interview, he seemed to be
relaxed with something to d
rink. He seemed to be ha
ving fun while he was talki
ng about philosophy.
Career
While he was an Indiana
University student, his major
was philosophy. He had some
interest, but none of the
classes had started, so he
became
interested
in
philosophy, religion, and
literature, and took “ideas and
literature”, and “comparative
literature” classes. Then, he
was impressed by one of the
professors, and “I finally realized what I want to do,” Dr.
Jeremy said. After he graduated the university, he went
to Indiana university graduate school, and studied
comparative literature and got a PhD. Then, he became a
professor.
Why He Became Interested in East Asian
Philosophy?
While he was a university student, there were many
international students from all over the world. He knew
many people around the world and learned many things
through interaction with international students. In his
program, there were many international students and
American students who studied Chinese, and one of the
professors from whom he took a class was also Chinese.
His Chinese professor introduced him to East Asian
philosophers like Confucius, so he became interested in
Asian philosophy and Confucianism. He was influenced
by such surroundings, and started to read about
Confucius and Mencius.
About the FYS Class in Otterbein and East
Asian Philosophy
Now, he is teaching Transitions through international
comparisons in FYS (First Year Seminar) class for
international students which is about comparing the
philosophers of East Asia such as Confucius, Mencius
with Western philosophers such as Jesus. It sounds
difficult to teach Asian philosophy in English to
international students, but he seems to have fun to teach
them in the class. He enjoys hearing student’s response
during his class. “I want them to respond to one another
and become involved in a discussion. That’s the most
rewarding thing,” Dr. Jeremy Smith said. He thinks East
Asian students, as a good point, they respect professors
more, but as a bad point, they hesitate to ask questions.
Because of this cultural difference, while he is teaching,
he sometimes feels difficulty during
the class. “…getting people to really
ask questions and discuss more,
which is harder,” Dr. Jimmy said.
He likes East Asian philosophy in
that the value of family is taken
more seriously than in western
philosophy. His favorite teaching
from Asia is “Study without thought
is labor lost, thought without study
is dangerous,” by Confucius which
means ‘if you just accept something,
without thinking and questioning
about it, how can you think about
something? You can’t find [if] that’s
[the] answer or not. True or not,
there should be argument.’ So he
wondered
why
international
students don’t participate in the
class actively, and he hopes international students do
that more actively. His favorite person from Asia is
Confucius because “he actually understood human
nature, what human beings really are, and there are some
things new that people hadn’t really understood before,”
Dr. Jeremy Smith said. Western and Asian philosophy
look different, but he thinks Christian thoughts and East
Asian thoughts are quite similar. Now, he also tries to
study Chinese language, but he feels difficulty in its
pronunciation and Chinese character
What Does He Think about Otterbein?
He likes Otterbein University because faculty members
care about students. He also likes students at Otterbein,
because he thinks students focus on family, not
competition, like in cities. Most of them are from Ohio,
where, as a kind of rural area, they put value on family.
So, in a way, he feels they are similar to East Asian
people. Moreover, he also thinks they are welcoming to
international students.
18
Photo: “Shooting Candids around School” by Danny Santos
A Korean-American Boy’s International Mind
By Hyunah Choi
‘How sweet and cute the boy is!’ When the boy came
by to sell popcorn in a Boy Scout costume, I saw him for
the first time. He was shyly smiling and speaking with
an awkward Korean pronunciation that he was raising
funds. Nobody could have rejected an offer to the face
of the innocent young child.
He is a 5th grade boy living in a suburban area. His
parents moved to America 15 years ago and gave a birth
to this sweet boy, Young, which is his pseudonym. His
parents didn’t want his name and picture to be released
for the protection of their son from any unpredictable
cases.
“Science is fun and interesting,” said Young with eyes
full of curiosity. “I want to be marine biologist.” He
often goes fishing to the pond nearby. He loves the
water, animals and sports like soccer, tennis and
swimming.
He doesn’t seem to have any confusion over his identity.
He just thinks he’s half American and half Korean
without any hesitation. He loves to be surrounded by
various races in his class. “I like it because they have
different ways of doing it and it feels more universal
so…,” said Young.
The two nationalities he belongs to don’t seem to be a
big concern to him. Experiencing different cultures
attracts him more than a restricted identity.
Young is a normal boy, enjoying outdoor activities,
loving pure nature and sometimes being frustrated by his
older brother’s joking.
“That we go on more vacation, we get more pets and go
to the ocean for fishing, like go on boat. Get an X-box,
a new soccer ball, P.S. board… It’s all…a new fishing
pole…,” said Young with a shy smile. The wishes to his
parents don’t seem to get to an end.
Cheerful Rose, his pet dog, rushed to Young’s open arms
and vigorously licked his cheeks and lips with its tail
wagging. How lovely they are! The world seems to be
hopeful by the time this sweet boy with open arms
becomes a productive member of our globe.
19
Tutoring Foreign Children
By Ji Sung Yun
say to the girls “I'm going upstairs”. She went upstairs
and went to bathroom. She came back downstairs, and
they finished their lesson. Two hours later, the mother
called her very upset because her girls told their mother
she had taken a shower while tutoring. “Am I taking a
shower? My goodness, no!” she said. She was very
surprised. She didn't understand what the mother was
talking about. In Japanese culture, when someone uses
that bathroom, that means they are taking a shower. So,
the girls thought, when she was upstairs, she was taking
a shower. Really she was using the restroom. Now she is
very careful when she says to children “I’m going to use
the restroom”.
She loves to tutor her students. Her future plan is to
continue to tutor her students until her children go to
university. After that, she is not sure if she will go back
to the classroom. If she did go back to the classroom she
would teach ESL. She is sure at some point she will
have to stop, but there is something about working with
people because she is very much a people person. We
finished her interview with a hug.
She greeted me with her vibrant and happy smile when I
arrived at her house. Her house was big, warm and clean.
I started to interview her, drinking a cup of fresh coffee
and sitting at the living room table together.
Melissa Murthy is a private English tutor. She loves to
tutor.
She couldn’t help stopping her regular teaching career
because she married and had to move to another distant
state, Ohio. But she had a chance to teach a Japanese
family at the tutoring building of a Honda factory in
2001. Most of her students are Asians because her
students need English as a second language. She had a
very hard time saying “no” to her students who need her
help. When she first started, she expected to tutor for
five hours a week. But now she is tutoring 27 to 39
students a month. She is tutoring various students from 3
and 1/2 years old to 56 years old. The hardest thing of
tutoring is scheduling.
All her students like her and are interested in her lessons,
I asked her the knowhow. She told me that “I try to be
completely honest”. If she is happy, sad or upset, her
students know it. If she is honest about who she is and
she takes a true interest in them, then it helps that
relationship with the students. And she told me that
sharing true communication between her and her
students is more important than any kind of grammar
book or storybook. Just speaking about everyday
activities or being outside taking a walk talking about
what's out there help to express what students are
thinking, their ideas.
I asked her to relate one episode related to the cultural
differences at the beginning of tutoring. Several years
ago, she had some new students in her home, and they
were young twin sisters. The downstairs bathroom had a
leak, so she was not able to use that restroom. She had to
20
A Brief Chat with Geoffrey
Barstow
By Sandhya Manandhar
Geoff Barstow is an Assistant Professor of the
Department of Religion and Philosophy in Otterbein
University. He was born in Connecticut. Then he moved
to Texas when he was 10 years old.
His Undergraduate degree was from Hampshire
University in Massachusetts in 2001. There he took
some classes on Buddhism; he found it was so
fascinating. Then in his last semester of graduation, he
went to India for a study abroad program to study more
about Buddhism. But for his research project, he went to
Nepal. “That was the first time I went to Nepal,” said
Geoff. He was really motivated by the Buddhists there in
Nepal.
After that he came back to US and completed his
Graduation. Then he went back to Nepal. “I knew
already that I wanted to go back,” said Geoff. He joined
Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery to study his B.A. in
Buddhism which is affiliated with Kathmandu
University. He studied Tibetan Buddhism for four years
there in Nepal. Through Buddhism, he came to know
about how we see life from a different prospective. His
primary research interest is in the history of
vegetarianism in Tibet across all time periods and
regions. As a part of his research, he has performed
extensive fieldwork in Tibetan areas.
After four years, he came back to US when he joined his
graduate school (as a Master in Tibetan Studies) in
Harvard’s Divinity School in 2008 and got his Ph.D.
from the University of Virginia in 2013.
He was really interested and motivated by some of his
professors to study about religion. According to him
studying religion means studying our own and others
culture for instance when we stud y about Buddhism we
came to know how it is socially created, how it is
dependent on society around, and how it can change
overtime then we came to know about our own tradition
as well.
“I feel like studying Religion is [the] study of people. It
is not just a study of collections of beliefs, but how do
people live their life, and what [role] does religion play
in real people’s life, so the more we understand that, the
more we understand ourselves,” Geoff explained.
He said his goal in his life is to be a good teacher and
continue to teach students by improving his classes.
“Through teaching I want to have impact in the world,”
he said.
He was planning to take some students to Nepal with
him last May, 2015 but due to the horrific earthquake,
they couldn’t go; however, he is planning to go to Nepal
with his students in June, 2017. At Otterbein, he
primarily teaches Buddhism, but this semester he is
teaching Religion in America, and next semester, he is
going to teach a course related to Islam.
“I feel like studying Religion is
[the] study of people. It is not just
a study of collections of beliefs,
but how do people live their life,
and what [role] does religion play
in real people’s life, so the more
we understand that, the more we
understand ourselves.”
21
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Cover Photo by Araceli Aranda