1/30/08

My conversation partner is Heyejin Kim from Korea. I did not know what to expect since the first time I met her at the Conversation Party she was so shy! I have not met someone so shy before! It's really cute though because she gets so shy she covers her face with her hands and puts her head down. She gets very nervous about the amount of English she can speak. 

Our first meeting was at Chili's for some lunch because we were both starving. I helped her pick something to eat since it was her first time there. She ended up eating a burger and I had some soup and a salad. 

We kind of scramble for things to say because there is a limited spectrum of things that she knows. Usually i'm the one who brings up a topic because she gets frustrated and stays in her thoughts. 

At this meeting I really just wanted her to be comfortable and understand that I don't mind that she has broken English, that I understand what she's doing and that i'm patient with her, willing to work with her and wait for her to gather her thoughts. 

I gradually broke the ice, asking about family and friends, seeing if she had a boyfriend and discussing some interests so we can find things in common. I asked her a lot about Korea. I know it sounds naive but I never thought that she was literally going to be a student from Korea the way our students go abroad, the difference being that she simply wishes to learn English. 

I asked why she even wanted this, she explained how it would be better for her career as she will be graduating soon as an Environmental Engineer and it's better to know English. 

One of the things I have always been curious about was the situation in Korea with the complications of North and South Korea. She didn't have the capability to translate her thoughts to me..

So this is a conversation for another day. She promised she'd tell me once she learned more.