Speaking Materials...

박웅걸씨의 책 "한국말로 영어한다"라는 책을 통해서 실천하게 된 것이다.

책에서 지적한대로, 일상/직장을 하다보면, 반복적으로 사용하게되는 이야기들이 있다.
자기 소개, 가족소개 등등...
그런데 왜 이렇게 이미 정형화된 주제들에 대해서 더 좋은 이야기를 하기 위한 노력을 안 하는지...

영어의 말하기 역시, 연습과 훈련의 산물이므로, 내 삶(일상,업무, 해외생활 등)에서 이미 정형화 된 주제들에 대해서
그 이야기의 틀을 만들어 놓고 말하기 연습을 하고자 한다.

동일한 주제에 대한 이야기가 반복됨에 따라, 말하기 내용 역시 개선 해 나아갈 것이다.
영어로 의사 소통하는데 전혀 어색함이 없는...
완벽한 이중언어자가 되기 위하여....

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By the book I read "Speaking English in Korean" I've learned and put in into practice.

As the author mentioned, there are certain patterns we are telling to people in our everyday life or at company such as introducing myself, my work and so forth.
Then why I haven't prepared the expected subjects before hand in order to make a better speech?

Since speaking English is also the byproducts of practice and training, arranging the foreseen issues in advance it will make a great deal of my practice of speaking, I hope. and I will be keep the sharpening the sentences while I using the same patterns over and over until I finally become the perfect bilingualism making myself understood in English without a flaw at all.

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Part 1 

1. What is your name?

 2. Does it have any special meaning?

My name is CHAN Donghwa,
Chan is my family name and Donghwa is my first name
The typical order of Korean name is opposite of the western way so the family name comes first and followed by the first name.

As of Korean customs, the more important thing comes first.

Even though Korea has its own language and characters we are using Chinese characters to make our name.

Dong means going to the East and Hwa means the brightness. So the meaning of my name could be the brightness in the East or sunrise.

In fact, all of my brothers have the same meaning in their name but only different sound.
That is the way of making sibling’s name in Korea.
My two sons have the same meaning in their name like “the jewel in high place”.

I don’t have English name I'm using my family name as my English name so you can call me "Chan"

 

3. Where do you come from?

I am from Seoul, which is the capital of Korea.
All of my family is living in Seoul both the family of my father's and mother's sides are also from Seoul, so I could say I am a city guy. I I don't have much experience of country life.
I think that is why if I go traveling to another country or new place, I prefer visiting country side rather than city. I feel refreshed and peace when I am in the county side.

 

4. What kind of landscape surrounds your hometown?

Talking about the landscape surrounding my hometown is mainly commercial buildings and apartments. In fact, one-fourth of Korean total population are living in Seoul. It is more than 10 million that is why Seoul is full of people and buildings. People need shelter to live and sleep. The land is limited to buildings so it is going higher rather than wider.
I could see the mountains far behind these buildings. Originally, Seoul was surrouned of mountains, but now  it is simply tall buildings.

 

Part 2

1. Describe a restaurant or café you particularly like

I like the restaurant which has a playing room for kids because my kids are young and they are not focusing on the food but rather playing around. It might cause an unpleasant and inconvenience to other people but if there is a playing room for kids then my wife and I can enjoy the food and kids also can enjoy their time. 

My  favorite restaurant is VIPs. It is a buffet style restaurant. You can bring the food you like to your table by yourself without any limitation with free soft drink.
There are many kinds of salad, fruits from all cultural back ground like Thai noodle, Italian pizza, and so forth. I especially enjoy salmon salad there.
I like this place because I don’t need to hurry at all. I can enjoy the food while talking. I can eat for a long time…


2. Describe your childhood

I was born in Seoul the capital of Korea and grew up all my life there.
In fact, the place I was born was my grandfather’s hometown so my grandfather, my father and I went to the same elementary school.

I am a native of Seoul, who is rare here.

When I was a kid, I played mostly army life but not like shooting or fighting but I like waking up in the early morning and train like the life the life in the barracks at certain period of time.
I mostly played with my younger brother and other younger than me. I was playing thier boss and order them

what to do and not to do.

I believe that was my personal character to be a boss. It seems it appeared in my early life until now.

I would rather be a head of a snake rather than a tail of a dragon like Korean old saying goes.

 

3. Describe your school days

 

My school days were not much special or adventurous. I was rather quiet, ordinary, good student obeying teacher’s words. Didn’t make any problems at school.

My mom said that she was busy with doing her business at that time of my entering elementary school that she didn’t teach me the Korean alphabet nor number counting. I only knew my name and the numbers from 1 to 10.

I was not good at study at the beginning but at 3rd grade at elementary school I felt a big shame that I didn’t get a high score at the exams.

I wanted to be a good student then studied harder and became a good student.

But the most important thing what I learnt from looking back my schooling is to have a dream!

Through my school years, I did not have a clear dream or passion what I really want to be or want to have. I strongly believe that was the main reason I could not enter the top Uni. In Korea

4. Describe your favorite subject in your school

 

My favorite subject was ethics, history and Korean.

Especially I got mostly 100 points at ethics exams. I am very sensitive to the words person is using, I would rather say choosing, I think people’s saying is totally reflected by his/her way of thinking or thought.

When I study or reading books of ethics or philosophy I could feel why the philosopher mentioned that words to people and what he is trying to say to people to have them realize things in their life.

And history it seemed that I could have felt the atmosphere at that time and the event in the history like Korean and Japan’s war at 1592.

 One day I thought maybe psychology is the subject would suite my character but the moment I had to choose either liberal art course or science course I chose science course only because that man with science or Engineering back ground would get a job easily.

I think that was a big, irretrievable mistake.

 

5. Describe your future career

If mentioning the future concering about my career, since I am working as HSE supervisor I am preparing all the safety related documents and giving safety training to company employees. Also considering deeply about safe operation to exploring, drilling and producing crude oil.

I would be the HSE expert and the General Manager of operating overseas company and eventually CEO of my company.

I strongly believe that I am the only person who can make the best CEO performance at my company^^.

 

Part 3

 

1. What do you think about the past, present and future of diet?

I strongly believe that a food culture of one county is totally depending on the economic state of the country. The necessaries of people’s life are food, clothing and shelter and above all, food comes first of them.

In the past the top priority of Korean diet was avoiding the hunger. There was no room to think of nutrition or foods are healthy or not. Not to be hungry was most important thing in the past.
When we are looking back the past diet at present, cooking oil was very rare at that time so that most of foods were cooked by boiling which was very health way than fried one. There were mainly vegetables not much meat that also healthy diet.

At present diet status of Korea, there are plenty of foods since Korea’s economical has grown a lot
Now hunger is no more problem at all and even pursuit of more tasty and healthier food. There is a new trend forming that healthier food come first than gourmets

The diet in the future is expected that chasing more tasty, more healthy and more beautiful.
It could be imagined that there might be some kind of artificial food that the joy of eating like chewing is remain same but the actual calories is a far less, almost zero.

 

2. Where do people usually go to eat these days? Any changes compared to the past?

In these days people usually go to restaurants to dining out. Compared to the past people tend to have meals outside much frequently than ever. It reflects that there are so many restaurants open every day even though there also are many of them close down.

Life has become very busy and complicated even women too, they don’t have time to prepare all 3 meals at home.

 

3. Are you at all concerned about your health? Why?

I am not very picky about my health but somewhat concern about it.

Recently I have realized that I gained a lot and need to lose some weight.

The gained one makes me feel heavy when I playing soccer at Saturday.

I have decided mind that every week day I will do a work-out one hour, 8km trade mill and a bit of push-up and sit-up.