So it is late Feb. and there is a new student who is trying out my morning class. I can see that he is young in his mid 20's, in fact he is 26. I can also tell that he has a fairly good grasp of English. So I figure maybe he is preparing to enter some company, or going overseas.
I talk with him some more, some intro style questions that ESL teachers use to gauge a students basic range of English. I detect a very natural Australian accent. When I say natural I mean that it is mixed with a Korean accent. So I figure "this guy has studied, worked, or lived in Australia for some time". Well I was right. However, I quickly figured out that his range of English topics is very very limited.
After speaking him some more I figured out why. You see to learn a language in a foreign land you have to really get immersed in it. Make real lasting friendships with people. I found that this young man was working long hours in order to support his education. This is so commendable when you see so many young people leaning on their parents. However, even though it means that actually living life, for example making friends having a real social life, know what is going on in the world around you, is next to impossible. It is still pretty cool what he is doing.
In the future once he as according to his plans, settle and get a job in Australia, his English ability will develop just fine.
I meet so many people who have studied overseas, and I mean Koreans, they lean on their parents, get "tired" of working hard and end up coming back to Korea. The guy I met yesterday....hats off to you!!
/tata
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