Simmy/ Place/ Tue 1pm

My hometown Xiamen is a peaceful city in the south of China. It witnessed the precious memories of my childhood and my middle school time, so it has special meaning for me.

There is a beautiful seaside in my hometown, whenever I feel depressed, I will go to the seaside for a walk. By looking at the sea with no boundaries, my mind seems also to be broadened and thus feel that my depression is no big deal. The seaside is always filled with people's joy and laughter, which seems to say:" Hey, don't worry, be happy!" Then I will be influenced to cheer up. I'm also fond of walking on the beach, touching the softness of the sands, as if they whisper a gentle song to comfort me.

There's a small island called Gulangyu in my hometown, which attracts a large number of tourists. Since it was once ruled by the western countries, the architecture is full of European style. The tourists are also impressed by various poetic gardens. They were elaborately designed, with elegant stone bridges and pavilions. The flowers' blossom and the birds' singing also add poetic flavor to the gardens. What's more, many of the shops on the island are decorated in a classical way, filled with retrospective atmosphere. Wandering through these shops, they seem to present old movies, and may remind you of the old days or the past sweet memories.

Besides the peaceful seaside and the poetic island, you may also find contemporary atmosphere by hanging around countless shopping malls, which will definitely dazzle your eyes. I always enjoy hanging out in these places with my friends to seek for relaxation and excitement. Not only loud music, different patterns of clothes that satisfy us, but the mixture of eastern and western delicious food also satisfies our appetite.

Xiamen is like a taste of lollipop for me, full of sweetness. Like many of my middle school friends, I have gone to other cities for my university study. But whenever Xiamen appears on my mind, it will remind me of my sweet memories and a smile will come over my face.

 

 

Lee Jungha/Place/Tue 1pm

Lee Jungha     - Flea Market  My mom and I often go shopping on weekends. We usually go to Dongdaemun. It's been a quite long time to shop in Dongdaemun since mom took me from childhood, because we can buy not only fine but inexpensive goods there. But its' not an only reason we go to Dongdaemun.    After we finish shopping in Dongdaemun, we walk along the Cheonggyecheon toward north, destination is near the Dongmyo Station. It's an old flea market. Mom loves that place, because she enjoys looking around, finding interesting products. That place consists of narrow alleys like spider's web but we usually look around the main street, which is not too narrow, not too broad road. That street is always crowded with a plenty of people. Most of them are middle-aged or old, I barely can see young people. I think it's because there is a park besides the street, so many old people take a rest there. Before long you start walking from Dongdaemun, you can easily find many market stalls and colorful parasols on either side of the road. Merchants are selling an antiques and exotica such as an elephant stature, a fancy painting. Also, I still remember that when I sometimes turn my head to the right side on the street, mom often prevented me from doing that. Actually, there were display of erotic videos with picture of naked women on their cover. It is still the same. One more, you can see crowded shop with many people. Maybe that store is showing the trial performance. For example, a merchant says "This knife can cut anything!" or "This mixer can mix everything. Look at this!". And whenever I visit there, I smell of cheap and strong scent of perfume from middle aged women who wore thick makeup. I also smell of cigarette from old guys. so I usually hold my nose tightly.    On the main street, a pile of clothes are sold at just 1,000 won each, because they are secondhand products. But if we look through piles carefully, we can find clothes with pretty high quality. However, for finding good one, it takes quite a long time. So when I was a small child, I became bored while my mom spent time to search through clothes. I started to grumble, then mom had to buy snacks to calm me down. Well, It's the same even now. Of course, as I grew up, I quit grumbling. But instead of complaining, I often visit an old bookstore that sells secondhand books. Black high bookshelves are packed with thousands books from light fiction to professional books. I pick a book I'd like to read and then go to a cafe located on near the 4th entrance of Dongmyo Station. At the cafe, I wait for my mom, reading a book.    This market is one of the popular flea markets in Korea, gaining even more popularity after Cheonggyecheon was renewed by government, and from being on the popular TV show recently. This place is precious to me, as I can spend time with my mom, making and having made memories from the childhood. And maybe looking around the market will be small happiness for old people. So I love there.

yeonsoo seo/ place/ tues 1pm

the rec center

 

A place I remember fondly is the recreation center at the American University I attended. Recreation center is wide concept of gym because not only it has basketball court or loads of finess equipment but also it has dancing rooms and rock climbing. I would go there after classes in the evenings with my friends both to exercise and also just to play ping pong. We called the building the "rec" for short.

Even now I become a little nostalgic thinking about the rec center because I spent quite a lot of time there whenever I got stressed. The facility was only a few years old, and had a black and red design on the flooring and walls that was simple and bold.At the entrance were three ping pong tables where I could hear ping pong ball bouncing and rolling on the table. On the way to fitness machine and indoor track, I walked down the hallway that is next to two basketball courts. Sounds of basketball player's sneakers squeaking against the gym floor and shouting of spectators still echoes in my ears. At the end of hallway were many tread mills, elliptical machines, and indoor track. I can still remember the smell of the fresh rubber flooring in the weight rooms and on the running track, and how it was firm but so pleasantly springy under my feet. Also, rec center didn't have stifling atmosphere at all because its windows were transparent. As I could see outside, I was never bored while working out. At the corner was rock climbing where people stretching their arms to the top slowly and griping another stone with their hands. My favorite part, however, was the coffee shop in the lobby that sold delicious iced mocha and bagels.

Whenever I got bored or stressed, I went to the rec center sometimes with my friends or by myself. I could relieve stress there and eased my mind. It's a shame tha college's gyms are not as luxurious in Korea, but I'll always fondly remember having fun and keeping in shape at the rec center.

Young-Lee Seo/Place/Tue 1pm

Young-Lee Seo

201201620

 

Playgrounds

 

In my younger days, there used to be a playground that I would play in. The equipment were relatively new but often used by the students that came to the school grounds every day. The only time we were allowed to use the playgrounds were after lunch, where we were given 1 hour of freedom.

 

On the left, next to the grassy soccer fields, was where the playground was situated. It was a sandy area, where we could shape the dirt and get our hands dirty. The fine sand would always shine in the sun, and if you looked at it closely, you could see that there were slightly larger chunks of crystalline rock particles mixed in that gave off a pink hue.

 

In the playground, the two yellow and red colored straight slides were always being occupied, but the blue spiral slide was by far the most popular. In order to get to these slides, there were several obstacles to overcome, which differed depending on the route. One way was to go up the stairs, and simply climb to the top. But next to the wooden steps, there was a net made out of white, coarse rope that was just the right size to grab and climb up. From there, there were two choices. One was to crawl through the large, plastic tunnel, and another was to go across 'the plank', a wooden bar that was only connected with rope. The ropes made it unstable, so the utmost caution was needed to maintain balance and get across. From there, it was a confusing path of ducking and weaving through the complicated wooden panels that you had to hoist yourself through in order to slide down to the bottom and start again.

 

To the side of the sandy field, there was a small wood, made of a few grand, aromatic pine trees growing next to the fence. In one place, the wooden planks made a corner that was slightly hidden from view, which soon became a great meeting place. When we found this place, we gathered the brown, fallen pine leaves in the vicinity and formed it into a nest shape, big enough for four 3^rd graders to sit down and be comfortable in. The inside of the next was generously strewed with leaves and pine needles as well, so that we wouldn't feel the cold seeping up from the ground. The bright yellow rays from the sunlight filtered in through the vivid viridian canopy, which gave us plenty of light to work by. Once we finished our work, it became our regular meeting place after lunch.

 

Now, the playground that I remember is occupied by other students who are just as eager to use this playground as their area of freedom. But even so, it will still be an important place to me because there were so many precious memories tied into this place, where I spent most of my childhood at.

 

 

 

 

 

Lee Seung-Hwan / Place / Tue 1 p.m

What Makes a Place Special?

 

There are some places which feel different without certain circumstances. if you visit your high school, you can feel the remaining scent of the feeling of your student days, but you cannot feel the joy and happiness as it was at that time. That doesn't mean the place changed. It is you who changed. After immersed into a different world, you are already dyed with a different color. There is a place which gave me the same lesson.

 

When I was a middle school student, I suddenly came to move to a different school, which was located near by my original school. When I entered the school, I noticed that there was completely no one I was familiar with. Everybody was a stranger to me. However, other students were not strangers to each other. Everyone already got someone to hang out with. I worried about failing to making any friends there. Obviously, I was not so popular one. Students there showed little interest to me, and then got back to their original groups soon. I felt lonely at that time.

 

One day, I found a student I hadn't noticed before. He was reading a book, and the title was one of my favorites. I talked to him, and we had a short conversation. The first impression I got from him was that he was very innocent. He seemed to be he was right out from the cradle. Soon I got acquainted with him. We walked together after the school ended. The path we walked through was always same because it always led to the same place. The place where we talked over and over.

 

That place was basically a playground. The speciality it had was that it was a playground without kids - at least no kids any younger than us. The playground seemed to be completely ours. We talked about many things going around our little world. We talked about books we read, about classes, about exams, about teachers, and about ourselves. There was a little sculpture made out of steel at the middle of the playground, and to us, it seemed like a tower of wisdom under which famous philosophers talk about life. There was a little weather cock at the top of that, and it moved pleasantly as quite breeze tickled our face.

 

What was really good about that place was that, the ground there was made of many flat stones on which we easily could step. As we walked around there, the flow of our talking corresponded with rhythm of stepping stones. Each time we talked something, our feet moved along with our words and sentences. We moved from one stone to another quickly when we talked fast. We moved slowly when we talked slowly.Therefore, every stones there could be said that it contained every word and idea we talked about. The grass between each stones made the ground much artistic and unique. No one could notice us. That place was a complete isolation. The fence was high, and some trees and thick grasses also made good fence out of themselves. I came home late often because I did not want to leave that place.

 

As time passed, I went to a high school which located far away from my town. Me and my friend tried to keep in touch, but it was not easy. Eventually, we lost the contact. Despite that, I went to that place several times more. However, I could not feel that original joy of that place. I looked forward to visit that place with him again. As I grew up a bit more, I became an university student. I got more time, so I decided to meet him again. He did not changed a bit. He was still innocent as he was in his middle school days. However, I changed. Unlike him who maintained his original color in a different world, I strayed so much from the road I walked with him when I was younger. I visited that place with him again, but I still couldn't feel the joy. It was like trying to catch a scent with my bare hand. Now that playground is just one of the common places without two 14-year-old boys.

Jeong Doyoung/ place/ tue 1pm

  Charming China

 

 I was feeling a bit apprehensive on my first day in China. I came to tianjin as an exchange student, but did not speak a word of Chinese. Upon leaving the airport and looking at the dull and grey sky, I panicked. Everything looked so strange and unfamiliar, I was as good as deaf and worst of all, I was on my own. I somehow managed to grab a taxi, only to find the smell inside nasty and the taxi driver rude. I finally arrived at the campus and after every arrangement was made, I was served with a meal but really didn't felt like eating. After dinner, I arrived at my dormitory and lied down on my cold bed, and thought of home. I was supposed stay at china for a year, but I wasn't sure if I could live that long. Little did I know that I was not far away from realizing that china is actually interesting. In fact, China is a place full of charm. 

  For one thing, the city is dynamic and bustling. My gloomy heart vanished instantly when I first saw the overall view of the campus. There is long row of trees lined up with the lake of sparkling waters by the side. The greenness and the glint fill the place and spread its bright energy to everyone in the place. Some are pouring over books by the lake enjoying sunshine and fresh breeze, some are talking animatedly to their friends, and some are scurrying about so as not to be late for their classes. You can literally feel the lively spirit of youth. Outside of the campus is lively too, so much so that the word 'lively' doesn't suffice. It is like a jungle. The big wide road is always packed with automobile, lorry, taxi, bus, motorbike and sometimes even people jaywalking all swarming in disorderly fashion. Some might think this is an absolute mayhem, but I thought it was powerful and full of life and soon joined in the massive parade of drivers on my bicycle.

  Also, the food is amazing. True, it does takes time getting used to, but once after that, you wouldn't miss Korean food for a while. Being a gourmet, I tried every food possible within my reach during my visit and soon found my favorite, which is hugguo, translated as 'hotpot'. You are given a steaming pot of stew, which can be plain or spicy according to your taste and you dip thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, dumplings, and seafood for a moment then enjoy with a dipping sauce. It has a scrumptious taste, and I miss it dearly.

  But what made my stay in china most enjoyable was the people I associated with. There are people everywhere I go, and I learned that I could be friends with anyone. They can be a street vendor, a caretaker of the campus building, bicycle repairman and just about anyone you encounter. They can look a bit hostile at a glance with their booming voices, but they are actually quite eager to get to know you. The most unforgettable person is a unlikely company I met during the train journey. He was a small boy with shaven head and twinkling eyes. He was a playful child and taught me all the card tricks. When I asked him what was his summer was like, he chatted happily about all the funny episodes involving his sister, dogs, grandma and a lot of other things besides. I never had such a delightful conversation with a nine-year-old boy.

 Even though much time has passed, I can still vividly recall the days spent in china. Being in a foreign country, you were always expected to find surprise or bewilderment every now and then, which is a very reason that I find China attractive. Everyday was exciting, like an adventure to the unknown world . There is still much about china that I have not yet discovered. China is a fascinating place indeed.



Ju Ye-lam/ A place that has meaning for me/ Tue 1pm

An Oasis of Vitality                                                                                      Ju Ye-lam

             Lots of people nowadays are pressed for time to accomplish something visible and wonderful. They just go on to the goal they set and have no time to take a breather. Among those busy people, high school students in Korea live a really tough life. They cannot get out of the school from the early morning when even the sun does not appear to dark night when everything is silent. I also lived that kind of hard life during my high school days. Actually it was fun and pleased time with my beloved friends and teachers. Nevertheless I felt tired of staying in the same place and studying all day and night. But one place I went almost every day at that time was like a ventilator that blew fresh air to my stuffy life.  

             I was walking around the place with my friends after eating lunch at school. It was a playground surrounded by my four-story, white high school, a similar form of middle school, a cafeteria crowded with people and a small mountain. The sweet perfume of red royal azalea blossomed along the playground and pleased my nose. Because the school was high on the hill, it seemed that I could touch the deep blue sky whenever I stretched my hand. A cool, soft breeze brushed my hair and the warm sunshine made everything in that place twinkling. All I got from outside was alive and breathing. As I was strolling as feeling that vitality, I thought the reason I am studying. Because I was so concentrated on my studying that I could easily lose the direction of my life. In that place, I and my friends took a rest, shared our sad or happy feelings and talked about our future together. It was there that gave us the time of relief and rest like home during my high school life.

             When I went there after graduation, it still was giving me animated energy and time to rest. Some girls were chattering away like twittering birds and laughing loudly as they walk. Several boys from the middle school were gasping as playing the soccer ball. Same flowery smell stimulated my brain to recall my friends, hard and happy times of my school days. As I sited on the bench in that playground, I thought again about my vision, what I was doing and where I was going. Until now, It still remains as a shelter where I can refresh myself.  

Wonpil Lee/ Place/ Tue 1pm

In the right place at the right time

Sometimes we learn something precious in an unexpected place at an unexpected time. A year ago I was in Mainz, Germany as an exchange student. At that time I was very nervous about the new life in the country because I had studied German for only three semesters. From the beginning of the new life, I was faced with a difficult mission: I had to register at the resident registration office. That means I had to make an appointment with a public officer who is in charge of that work, find the way to the office, and carry out the registration process with my poor German. That's why I was nervous, nervous, and nervous.

There were my colleague students who had already done the challenging task by themselves, I asked one of them to draw a detailed map of the office. He did, and I was satisfied. I felt as if I had been King Arthur who carries the Excalibur at his side. Then I went toward the registration office like a brave knight. However, against all expectations, my Excalibur was dull: the map was incorrect. I was moving from place to place for an hour, but I could not find the office. Yes, I was lost.

I was exhausted and deadly hungry, so I looked around and found out a small bakery. I burst into the bakery. There was crowded with many customers, and clerks bustled around. I stood in a corner and smelled sweet coffee. My strained mind and body were relaxed. There were several standing tables, and people were eating and drinking. I slowly looked into a showcase, in which a variety of bread, pastry, pie, and cake were displayed. I became happy and smiled unconsciously. "May I take your order?" A clerk said to me in German. I was embarrassed because I lacked confidence in my ability to speak German. "Umm," I hesitated. All customers and clerks in the store looked at me. I was suddenly pressed because I felt as if everybody had been evaluating my language skill. Anyway I thought, "So what? Who cares? I am just deadly hungry, and I have money enough." Then I plucked up the courage to say loudly in German, "This and this and this, and a cup of coffee, please." Fortunately the clerk caught my words exactly and gave me the things quickly. I felt relieved. Although that was just a small success, I am proud of myself. That's because this was, indeed, my first time to try to order something in Germany. In addition, this was my first time to eat Apfelstrudel (apple strudel in English). It is a kind of pastry that includes sliced apple in it. I cannot forget the taste. I fell in love with the Apfelstrudel of the bakery.

When I was eating the fantastic piece of Apfelstrudel at a standing table there, an old gentleman asked to me, "Where are you from? China? Japan? Korea?" I quickly answered, "Korea." To my surprise he knew about Korea very well. He even talked about several sports stars. We continued talking, while we were there. From this talk I gained confidence in speaking German. "Wow! I did it. I did talk with a German on my own."

I became a regular customer of the bakery. When I felt like eating Apfelstrudel and drinking strong coffee, I went to the bakery. This place gave me courage to survive the challenging life in Germany. Now I think of the bakery, and I wonder what would have happened if I had found out the registration office soon. I think I might not have improved my German due to a lack of confidence. But I reached the bakery at that time, earned courage from the happening, and studied well in Germany.

Sometimes we come across an unexpected event in our life, and we experience a magical moment that gives us a precious lesson. This lesson can only be acquired in the right place at the right time.

Jina Park/blob jump/Tue 1p.m

Everyone has a place that they want to visit. That place may be abroad or in your country. I also have a place where I want to go is Gapyeong, because there has a game I really want to play, it is blob jump.

Maybe there has a little bit people know it, because it is a new game. But I think most people saw an advertisement. Zongsuk Ri's advertisement about the beer named Cass. You could see the game in this advertisement.

It looks very interesting and exciting. I really want to go there with my friends or parents. For the blob jump I have made a plan. It is too cold to play blob jump, so it must be next year. I want to go with my friends, 4or 5 is the best. First day we are going to stay at pension, because if we arrive there, it will be night. And we can have a barbecue party, also do some games or drinking at night.

In the second day, we will go to the blob jump and enjoy it. We can try one by one, also a couple by a couple. We can enjoy flying and it will be so cool in the summer. When a people jump on the sponge, she or he will stay at the end of sponge, and when another people jump on the other end of sponge, she will be catapulted.

After that, we can go to a hot spring to relax and rest up. I very expect this plan and also hope that the summer coming soon, even the winter has not arrived.

So Young Park/ Task 4/ Writing Class

      Let Me be Me

 

      As  soon as you take a step out of the car, you are able to feel it within your body. It may automatically be recognizable    with the smell of this. The saltiness is very clearly recognized and you can feel the difference in the air. The air seems to     be  more humid than usual and you can feel it on your skin. It feels very sticky. You know that this is one of the signs that tells you   that you have finally arrived. Wanna try to guess what it is? Well, before you do, let me give you a few more details so    that you  may be able to get a clear picture. You hear a strong crashing of waves against each other. Sometimes, it can be  very violent  but other times it is very steady. Imagine that two little boys are playing wrestle. Most times, this is what it feels      like; very genuine but nice to watch because you know that no will be hurt since it is a gentle at times but rough at other.  The view from where I stand is truly amazing. You can see how wide this place is. It feels as if I have so much more freedom        looking out at this view,   instead of being stuck in the city life. You might already have guessed, but my place is the ocean.

           When I was young, our family had lived in tropical countries. They were the Dominican Republic and Mexico.            

Both of these places  have got amazing beaches and views. Going to the beach amd speding time alone just looking at the  vast ocean made my heart feel at peace. There was nothing else but the sound of waves crashing aganst each other as if    they were playing tug of war, the birds flying and singing to their melody, the warmth of the sand being heated from the sun,   the taste and smell of the salt as the wind blew in the saltiness from the lake, and just the calm, relaxing aura that this           

place     brought. I have always called these places my so called "comfort zome". I am able to clearly think and look back upon my life and actually  focus on my thoughts without being distracted from the crazy city life. At times, I enjoy just having      some time for myself therefore I would have to say that the ocean is a very special place for me. It feels as if I can tell her     anything and she will just be there    for me just to listen to what I have to say. I guess at times in life we just need to let go of our burdens in some way that they will be totally released and we will be able to take another step into life without too much  burden in our heart.

             Also, one of the reasons which why I really like this place is because I love the feeling of my toes in the warm sand.  It  brings a calming effect on me which makes me be relaxed and not worry about anything. The ocean just does that to me.  It  makes me be consumed by its greatness that I do not have to worry about anything and just see what I have in front of     me and enjoy it. Therefore, the ocean is place where I can call home because I know that no matter how many times I do go back. It will remain the same.

Park Hyeonbae / 2nd draft of character sketch / Tue. 1-3 p.m.

Character Sketch

- My Old Best Friend -

Park Hyeonbae 200801424 

I remember one of my friends. He is now a second lieutenant. I and all of his friends worry about him because he is not the guy for military. But, I can't deny that his appearance is very mannish. But only that can't be the element for military. Actually, he likes neat things and he is very sensitive. So, all of the friends including me are very apprehensive about him in military service. But at the same time, we all believe him to do it well because he has a good endurance.

 He is not tall. He has a rather big build. As I heard, his height is just as the same as that in his elementary school time. In that time, maybe he was the biggest child among the kids, but now he is just one of the ordinary guys.

 

 He is one of my old friends. And I think he and I are the best friends. He is usually laughed because he is fat, but I think he just have a big build, not fat; of course, he is rather heavier than common people. His entire appearance is like a bear with a big build, but also a relaxed atmosphere. Also he is gentle, not wild and aggressive. Rather, he likes emotional and small things like fancy designed stationery and he put the emotions of people in great importance.

 

 He likes to take pictures with his cameras. He used to say "A film camera is much more emotional than a digital camera and I like that. It needs to concentrate on the very moment to take a good picture, but the digital camera needs just to push the button." Yes, he is a kind of mania. He likes analog more than digital, so he used to collect chronometric watches, film cameras once. Also he even could make a cup of coffee from roasting to dripping! He is such a romantic guy.

 

 He usually seems to be lazy. Usually he doesn't hurry in anything. And he is rather skeptical about life. He usually sighs for what he didn't and couldn't do. He used to think that he has nothing special nor fun in his life. He thinks that he let his life flow by itself so he doesn't get any meaningful thing. Then his friends around him just have nothing to do for him but encourage and cheer him up. We-his friends- already got used to it. It's a kind of regular pattern. He sighs, then his friends cheer him up, but he keeps going blue, then the friends accept it as usual.

 

 He likes to listen to music, especially pop song and rock music. I also came to like various kinds of music, thanks to him. He presented a gate of a broad world of music. When we were in high school, we talked a lot about music. We listened to many songs and talked about what music and songs are good during break times. At the first time, we used to listen to Japanese songs, and then we got to like western rock music, including the Beatles and so on.

 

 He is very kind to every person. He cares about the people around him. He likes to talk with people. Even if it's just about tiny things, he doesn't mind to share with people. He isn't stubborn with people. He doesn't force anyone with anything.

 

 

 I think he is a great guy, and I'm so lucky to have this good man as my best friend. I think there's scarcely a person like him, and it might be hard to find anyone like him as a friend. He is my good old friend.

Park Hyeonbae / Bio Inf. / Tue. 1-3 p.m.

Biography Information

- Jimmy Wales, the Founder of Wikipedia -

Park Hyeonbae 200801424 

I want to introduce Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia.

 

 

 

a.      When and where was the person born? How would you describe the person's childhood or early life?

 

Wales was born on 7th August 1966 in Huntsville, Alabama. He had a keen interest in general knowledge since he was a child. He accredits the Montessori Method of his schools education that was to spend a lot of time reading the Britannica's and the World Book Encyclopedias.

After his student period, he worked as a study director at Chicago Options Associates, and after that he ventured into a web portal named 'Bomis' that featured webrings generated by the users and erotic pictures. With this money, he could finance Nupedia, the first web version encyclopedia that he invented. While struggling to devise the supplementation for Nupedia, he finally created Wikipedia.

 

b.      What accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous?

 

 When Wales decided to start Wikipedia, the project was already his second '-pedia' project. He first started Nupedia in 2000, which was his first web version encyclopedia project. In 2001, Ben Kovitz, an extreme programming expert, introduced the wiki concept to Wales. Wiki, made by Ward Cunningham in 1995, is a kind of web application which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in collaboration with others.

 At first, Wikipedia was just a backup site for Nupedia; but it got more prevalent than Nupedia. Then Nupedia disappeared in 2003. Wales founded the Wikimedia Foundation Inc. in 2003 and he created a company called Wikia with Angela Beesley in 2004.

 He was listed in Time 100 'Scientists and Thinkers' section in 2006. Forbes named him as one of 'The Web Celeb 25' and as one of the 'Young Global Leaders' in 2007. He has been honored with the 'Pioneer Award' and the 'Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize' in 2011. He has received other awards such as the '2009 Nokia Foundation' annual award, the 'Business Process' award and 'the 2008 Global Brand Icon of the Year Award'. He has also been awarded honorary degrees from Stevenson University, Amherst College, Knox College, MIREA University in Russia and Universidad Empresarial Siglo 21 of Argentina.

 

c.       What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you?

 

 He is a pioneer. I think it's not difficult to have the same idea with him, but actually it's very hard to move on action. Everyone can be the editor of encyclopedia! What a brilliant idea! It's a kind of innovation of thought and ideology, and it already changed our lives totally different from the past. Once we used to say the internet gave us so much information, but actually there were scarcely creditable, scientific and specialized information. However, from the birth of Wikipedia, we became able to get those kinds of information.

 Furthermore, Wikipedia is operated without any advertisement. It's managed by the donations since Wikimedia Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization.

 

d.      If you were asked to write a brief biography of this person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize?

 

Once before, at the very first time of the birth of Wikipedia, Wales himself financed Wikipedia, so it shows his passion, action and courage. Nobody wants to spend money for no gain. But he just wanted to make a totally new knowledge paradigm. That's what he dreamed about, so he poured all of his passion into it. In an interview with Slashdot in 2004, he once said "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing." I think he is a kind of dreamer with passion, boldness (quite same with action) and courage.

 

 

Simmy/ Bio info/ Tue 1pm

Steve Jobs

a.       When and where was the person born? How would you describe the person’s childhood or early life?

Steve Jobs was born on February24, 1955 in San Francisco. Steven Jobs spent his childhood in Silicon Valley. He was interested in electronics and gadgets, and he would spend a lot of time in his neighbor’s garage, who worked at Hewlett-Packard Company (a computer company). He attended Crittenden Middle School, but the area that the school is in is a poor area where kids were bullied. Steve was bullied at that school. It must have been too much for him because one day, he came home and told his adoptive parents that he wanted to transfer schools or he would never attend school again. Then the parents agreed and the family moved to another city, which was Los Altos.

 

b.      What accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous?

In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak formed Apple Computers and built their first personal computer. The next year Apple released the Apple Two which became the first widely-used personal computer in the world.

In 2007 Apple introduced the iPhone, the first phone with a touch screen and no keyboard. It revolutionized the cell phone industry.

 

c.       What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you?

Jobs dropped out of Reed College after only one semester, he thought he didn’t see any value in it. I appreciate him because he took value as the important element when he decided to do sth. He knew clearly what he wanted to do and what he could make value for. He chose to deal with the computer and it turned out to be a great success.

 

d.      If you were asked to write a brief biography of this person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize?

Courage, creativity, leadership

Lee Jungha/Character Sketch 2nd draft/TUE 56, 1PM

What figure comes to your mind when you imagine grandmother in fairy tale? I think it will be very similar to my grandmother's appearance. She is 81 years old. Even though my grandmother is a little overweight, she is very stylish, having appropriate dress code. She has curly, short grey hair, but she sometimes dyes her hair. So under the sun, it shines in dark red color like wine. She is also wearing glasses and when she takes a close look through leaflets distributed from grocery stores, she often uses magnifying glass, too. She compares and checks the price of groceries from different stores, calculating what store offers more cheaper one, and then go to shopping.  When I was young, as my parents both had to go to work, I've been raised by my grandmother most of time. Of course she still inspires me so much, but in childhood, she was my world. And actually, now, my grandparents and I'm living in the same apartment. Their home is 4 floors below from mine. Whenever I visit her, she widely opens her arms and gives me a hug. She always gives me warm smile and stares me with full of love. After hugging me, she always asks me whether I ate meal. This kind of conversation became my daily life.  Whenever someone asks me who is the most respectable person, my answer is my grandmother. The reason why I respect her so much is not only she is "my" grandmother, but she gives a lot of lesson to learn for my life. When I have troubles with someone from my family, I ask for my grandmother to judge who are to blame. Sure enough, I want her to say the other person is accountable. But she always say "I stand on the right person's side." When I heard this at the very first, it was very disappointing because I thought she would stand on my side. But now I understand. She is fair with anyone.  She also considers all people around her. Although it's a little thing, she always say "Thank you" to clerks, after we finish shopping or eating in shops or restaurants. And on special national holiday like Choosuk or New Year's Day, she visits lonely and old relatives, giving present and soothing them instead of their son and daughter, even my grandmother is almost same old as them. Then relatives highly praise her. One of them once said "How kind she is! I think she will be the one who comes up to my mind when I'm dying."  At last, when some guests visit my grandmother's home, she treats them with gracious hospitality. As she is too old to move quickly, she prepares visits 2 to 3 days before. My aunts say "You just have to seat and take a rest. We can prepare to treat the guests. You are the very person who be served." But grandmother doesn't listen.  I'm sad when comparing pictures between 90's and now, her wrinkles is increased and she became a little stubborn than years ago. But her eyes to stare me have not been changed. I hope she lives more longer life, staying with me long time.

Lee Jungha/Bio Info/Tue 56, 1PM

BIO INFO a. When and where was the person born? How would you describe the person's childhood or early life? He was born in 1889, in London, United Kingdom but the place is unverified. His childhood was defined by poverty and hardship. His parents were both actors of music hall, but they agreed to get a divorce. His father died soon, and his mother was committed to a mental asylum with losing her voice due to laryngitis. So Chaplin was the one who had to make money for himself. He was sent twice to workhouse before he became 9 years old, the place where young boys unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment in early England. But as Chaplin was gifted in acting that was given by his parents, he began his performing act from very young age, touring lots of music halls. This experiences made him become actor and comedian in later life.   b. What accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous? Even he was paid attention from the early age, when he was on tour in America, he attracted attention or a film company in Hollywood. He signed a contract with that company and was decided to act in some movies. From the first movie, his character with baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat was imprinted to viewer's mind. After he gained popularity, he started to direct his own movies and in 1921, even if he was treated as good actor before that time, when his first full-length film 'The Kid' was released, he treated as a master. He became the most popular actor in that era.   c. What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you? Because he is imprinted on people's mind as a comedian and excellent actor, I didn't know that he had an unhappy private life including childhood and marriage life, as he got married four times even after he become a famous actor. Moreover he was disported from States, blamed as a communist. So it's surprising and a little sad, thinking that while the audience watching his somewhat ridiculous face, his real life was not that happy.   d. If you were asked to write a brief biography of this person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize? Creativity, Overcoming hardship, To make people attention to himself

yeonsoo seo/ character sketch 2nd draft / Tues 1pm

Unforgettable friend

"Hi, can you guys ride boogie board?"

"No, but it looks exciting"

"I will show you guys first how to ride boogie board, and just take a shot with my board"

I met this boy whose name is Arturo at Puerto Escondido in Mexico last summer vacation. My friend 'soyoung' and I were staying in Mexico City learning Spanish last summer. Since both of us wanted to escape crowded and precarious city at least just for several days, we tried to find a place where we could feel breeze blowing soft and fresh from the ocean where less famous to tourists. 'Puerto Escondido' was the place we were looking for, and even its name meant hidden port. Since the weather was so scorching, as soon as we arrived at Puerto Escondido, we headed to the beach and sat on the sand under parasol.

Surprisingly, many Mexican boys were riding boogie board, and some guys were windsurfing. By then, I realized I came to the town well-known for surfing. Waves that lied before us were so high that it looked like it would swallow us. When we were thrown into that scenery, one Mexican boy came to us asking our name, age and nationality. He said his name is 'Arturo', and when we didn't pronounce his name very well, he scribbled his name on the sand with his fingers. Also, as he was my age, I felt comfortable talking with him. He was small because his height almost looked similar to mine. He had straight black hair and his skin was darkly tanned. He was wearing swimming shorts holding a boogie board on his right hand and flippers on the other hand. Since he just came out of water riding boogie board, beads of water were standing on his hair and body. Because of the blazing sun, he was pulling a long face but his big bright eyes looked nice and warm. And then he suggested to us, saying "have you ever tried boogie board?" As we shook our heads, he said "first, I will show you how to ride a boogie board, and I will come back and teach you how to hold breath under waves and then let's ride boogie board together."

He wore flippers, and strode ahead getting far from the beach. After that, he disappeared into water right before high waves stroke him, and only his boogie board could be seen with his one hand. Once high waves passed above his body, he appeared onto water again leaning his body towards boogie board. He stuck his body to boogie board swinging his hands and feet with flippers to move forward. When he got into deep water, he was floating on waves like a duck. He was waiting for waves high enough to ride. Arturo was turning his back on big waves that would come soon, and when high waves came, he rode the waves from the top to the bottom keeping his upper body erect and fluttering his feet. Staring Arturo riding the waves was so amazing that I saw him wide-mouthed in astonishment. I learned from Arturo how to hold breath under big waves which was terrifying but exciting, and how to ride the waves with boogie board. Actually learning how to control breathing was very useful few weeks later when I got drowned into the ocean when it rained.

After riding the waves, Arturo brought his friends to us sitting on the beach. Since none of them couldn't speak English at all, we communicated using body language and writing on the sand, which was funny in some ways. Despite language barrier, Arturo and his friends were so friendly and welcoming. They also introduced us restaurants serving delicious tacos and cool beer, and took us to more beautiful beaches nearby. Since I had such a great time at that day thanks to Arturo, I decided to stay at Puerto Escondido for another two months during that vacation.

Lee Seung-Hwan / Bio Info / Tue 1 p.m class

 



 

 

Liam Gallagher

 

a. When and where was the person born? How would you describe the person's childhood or early life?

 

Liam Gallagher was born on September 21st, 1972. He was born in Burnage, Manchester. He had a bad childhood. He had two older brothers, and his father usually abused his children. Though those two older brothers took most of the abuse, the relationship between Liam Gallagher and his father is still unresolved. His mother took her children from her husband moved away from him. Liam Gallagher had a bad tamper. He was suspended from the school for fighting. He would often steal a bicycle from shops. He also fought a lot with his brothers. In late teens, Liam became confident in his musical abilities and started to listen to some famous bands including The Beatles. Liam wanted to be John Lennon, and that obsession was continued throughout his life. He started a band called 'Rain', but he debuted as 'Oasis', as one of his older brother, Noel Gallagher joined the band.

 

b. What accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous?

 

Basically, Liam Gallagher was really a good singer. His voice called the revival of british rock scene. His amazing voice, with his brother's genius songs, led Oasis to huge success. Other than this, he also became famous for his abrasive attitude and erratic behavior. He made many headlines with fights he was engaged in. This was a big helping hand to make him even more famous.

 

c. What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you?

 

I was really surprised and motivated from him for that he is always so confident to himself. That does not mean that he does not fail. Sometimes he fails on many things - like musical achievements, or competitions. However, he seems that he always prepare next things to do with a full-charged confidence.

 

d. If you were asked to write a brief biography of this person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize?

 

1. Confidence

 

2. Arrogance

 

3. Determination

 

 

Liam Gallagher

 

a. When and where was the person born? How would you describe the person's childhood or early life?

 

Liam Gallagher was born on September 21st, 1972. He was born in Burnage, Manchester. He had a bad childhood. He had two older brothers, and his father usually abused his children. Though those two older brothers took most of the abuse, the relationship between Liam Gallagher and his father is still unresolved. His mother took her children from her husband moved away from him. Liam Gallagher had a bad tamper. He was suspended from the school for fighting. He would often steal a bicycle from shops. He also fought a lot with his brothers. In late teens, Liam became confident in his musical abilities and started to listen to some famous bands including The Beatles. Liam wanted to be John Lennon, and that obsession was continued throughout his life. He started a band called 'Rain', but he debuted as 'Oasis', as one of his older brother, Noel Gallagher joined the band.

 

b. What accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous?

 

Basically, Liam Gallagher was really a good singer. His voice called the revival of british rock scene. His amazing voice, with his brother's genius songs, led Oasis to huge success. Other than this, he also became famous for his abrasive attitude and erratic behavior. He made many headlines with fights he was engaged in. This was a big helping hand to make him even more famous.

 

c. What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you?

 

I was really surprised and motivated from him for that he is always so confident to himself. That does not mean that he does not fail. Sometimes he fails on many things - like musical achievements, or competitions. However, he seems that he always prepare next things to do with a full-charged confidence.

 

d. If you were asked to write a brief biography of this person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize?

 

1. Confidence

 

2. Arrogance

 

3. Determination

Lee Seung-Hwan / Character Sketch 2nd Draft / Tue 1 p.m class

Unique Luke

 

His name was Luke. I saw him first when I was 16 years old. It was the first day of my high school. Everybody was nervous, and so was I. All the classmates were strangers to me. Luke was also one of those strangers. Actually, he was an arrogant stranger. His desk was at the very back of the classroom, and he was leaning himself to the chair like a king. His hands were in his pocket. Shiny earphones were stuck in his ears. His mp3 player was a quite expensive one. Looked like he was obsessed with fancy devices. His face expression showed everything about his feelings. He was completely bored. His face was not just a plain bored face. It looked so bored that it was like he came from other world, and not aware of what was happening in our world. Because his face looked like a bit caucasian, that impression was even more emphasized. He had a sharp nose, and his eyes were big and loose, so it gave me a sleepy impression. Also, he was very tall. He seemed to be the tallest among the classmates.

I thought I would never be able to get close with Luke. However, strangely, I became a friend with him very quickly. He was way different than I thought. First, he was quite talky. I thought that he would have very heavy mouth, but the reality was the exact opposite of it. He talked about everything, and most topics he was talking about were so worthless that I usually forgot all of those after few hours. Sometimes he came to me and talked about some classmates he wanted to beat in the face. He said things like, "I want to punch that bastard to the ground." At first, I was completely frightened when he talked like that. Each time I asked the reason why he hated certain classmates, he gave me reasons I could not understand. Those reasons were so trivial. However, soon, I came to realize that there was no serious meaning included within his hatred. He just had a fragile mind, so a single word could make him hate someone so easily. Corresponding to that, he also got back with classmates he hated so quickly, like nothing happened. He actually did not harm any classmates physically.

However, the fact that he did not punch anyone does not mean he had a weak body. Actually, he seemed perfect when it comes to sports. Especially, he was really good at basketball. His grades in the P.E class was the best among us. Nevertheless, he never pulled any punches. He never wanted lose. Whenever I played basketball with him, he never allowed me to shoot a single ball. The problem was, he also never wanted lose in trivial things. I do remember one story. One day, his friend asked him to bet on which one of those could pretend asleep longer during the class. "I will make you want to take back the bet.", he said. Therefore, they both pretended they were asleep in the class. Finally, the teacher scolded them to wake up. The classmate who suggested the bet woke up right after that. However, Luke did not want to wake up till he could be sure of his victory. He woke up a while after the teacher scolded them. He was punished for that, but he just satisfied to the fact that he won, just saying "I won!" However, nobody cared for his glorious victory.

All those characteristics were so different from what I had, but it somehow corresponded well with mine. I still meet him. I actually meet him frequently. Because I am small and he is tall, some people say we look strange. They may wonder how we two hang out together so well, because we just look different. Maybe they got the same impression that I felt from Luke on the first day of my school. Like I did, they might easily presume that Luke and I will never meant to be friends. However, I don't feel any strangeness from him anymore, because I know under the peel of the strangeness, there are so many unexpected characteristics that fit me.

yeonsoo seo/ bio info/ Tues 1pm

Ban Gi-moon

a. when and where was the person born? how would you describe the person's childhood or early life?

Ban Gi-moon was born in a small farming village in North Chungcheong Province,  in June 1944. Since he was always interested in learning English language, in 1962, Ban won an essay contest sponsored by the Red Cross and earned a trip to the United States, and met U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

b. what accomplishment or event caused this person to become famous?

In 2004, he became a foreign minister of South korea under president Roh Moo-hyun, and he played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. Also, in 2007, he became Secretary-General of the United Nations as the first Korean, and his new five-year term as Secretary-General commenced last year. 

c. What was one thing you learned about this person that surprised you?

Ban Gi-moom has always done his best no matter what circumstances he got through. Even thought his family got into bankcruptcy, he consistently studied and did chores at the same time. He always didn't waste his time, and was not lazy, instead just moving towards his dream of being a diplomat. keep moving on and not giving up towords his own dream was very impressive to me. Also, I was surprised at how Ban Gi-moon has been such a man of a high integrity. He never got bribe, and he was also not on the talk of corruption or preferential treatment. For example, he paid for everything what he privately used because he thought it is not right to use public fund for private purpose. keeping modesty and uprightness even after he got into high position was impressive.

d. if you were asked to write a brief biography of tis person, what three personal characteristics would you emphasize?

passion, perseverance, uprightness