W o r d T r a v E L S |

February 2016

Professors from Shanghai completed their APPEMI studies at the English Language School, Faculty of Extension.

ELS Newsletter, Issue 02

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English Language School

Executive Director’s Message

February 2016

Dear readers:

Word travels, but time flies.

It is hard to believe that we have already completed the

first term of 2016 here at the University of Alberta English

Language School (ELS), and what a busy and exciting seven

weeks it has been!

From Lunar New Year and Valentine celebrations to

impromptu soccer matches, activity levels and School spirit

have remained high through the tail end of winter.

Yet, even as we celebrated, many ELS students and staff

quietly went about their work, and in this issue you will

read and learn about their impressive achievements.

Indeed, it is with great pride and excitement that I invite

you to immerse yourself in the following articles,

photographs, and features and catch up and check in with

our talented students and tireless staff.

I am sure you will agree that, without a doubt, Word

TravELS!

We look forward to connecting with you again via our next

digital newsletter.

Sincerely,

Mimi Hui

Executive Director,

English Language School

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Contents

Lunar New Year:

ELS celebrations in

Enterprise Square

Student Achievements:

Ayed Almari and

Youngjun Kim

ELS Events:

Looking back at ELS

events from the past

semester

ELS in Japan:

Reflections on a week

-long visit to NUIS

ELS Student Corner:

ESL 110’s class-time

soccer game

APPEMI:

ELS announces an

upcoming Summer

Symposium

Final Words:

Upcoming events,

Top Ten column, and

more

10-11

@ualbertaels on

Instagram: a photo

montage of ELS

W o r d T r a v E L S | 3

ELS By The Numbers Lunar New Year

T he sound of drums filled the Atrium on Monday,

February 8, attracting onlookers from throughout

Enterprise Square to the spectacle of the lion dance.

Amidst the vivacious lion dance, the ELS Lunar New Year

celebration included a paper cutting station, tutorials on

how to use chopsticks, a photo booth, and an impromptu

student performance. Thank you all those who planned as

well as attended the event. Happy Year of the Monkey!

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ELS Student Achievements

From ELS to Engineering

A yed Almari, from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, first came to

study with the English Language School in 2011.

Determined to study engineering with the University of

Alberta, Ayed took classes with ELS to help him prepare

for those future steps. Now in his fourth year of

Mechanical Engineering, Ayed looks back on his

semesters with ELS.

Starting with Intensive Day Program and progressing to

the English for Academic Purposes courses, Ayed

supplemented his coursework with further part-time

classes, including English for Arabic Speakers. “As an

Arabic speaker, reading and writing are the biggest

problem,” Ayed says. He was also determined to increase

his English vocabulary. His technique? “I needed to read a

lot so I could invest in my word bank,” he says, and

recounts how he used to spend his spare time reading

short stories. “I didn’t like reading, so I started with small

books and stories. After reading a few stories, you have a

lot of words in your mind, and then writing an essay isn’t

that difficult.”

Ayed worked very hard to improve his English in a short

time span, complementing his four hours of class time

every day with four more hours of study and revision. He

often watched English movies – with no subtitles – which

exposed him to a broader range of English vocabulary:

the stepping stones for his continued success at the

University of Alberta.

“It’s true that engineering is more scientific and technical,

but we still have a lot of these academic words that I was

exposed to here, so the EAP program — 140 and 145 —

exposed me to a lot of academic words which really

helped improve my academic language.”

Ayed’s success from his hard work and dedication was

reinforced in the classroom setting, a truly diverse

experience for Ayed. “I met a lot of students from China,

Brazil, Turkey, Columbia, and a lot of other places. Here

you actually get the chance to meet a lot of people and

get to know more about the other societies, because the

students all come from international places. It’s a great

opportunity to learn,” Ayed says. Upon graduation, he is

considering working in Canada to gain both international

work experience and further understanding in dealing

with other nationalities and cultures before heading back

to Saudi Arabia.

By Tracey Hilden, Social Media Coordinator, ELS

Ayed Almari, former ELS student, is now in his fourth year

of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta.

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Ayed also took advantage of the English Language

School’s Homestay program, in which a student is paired

with a Canadian host family. “This was another big

investment which really helped,” Ayed says, explaining

how he would visit with his host family over dinner for an

hour each night, “talking and sharing stories.”

In the summer months, Ayed enjoyed the long summer

days that Edmonton boasts, pointing out Edmonton’s

beauty and liveliness with the multitude of festivals that

the city has to offer. The winter months failed to slow

Ayed’s enthusiasm, as he continued his fast pace even in

the snow and cold.

The English Language School is proud to have been

Ayed’s first steps to success and to have played a role in

Ayed’s academic career. When considering

recommending ELS to future students, Ayed says, “I’d

give them a push! The English program here isn’t

comparable. I haven’t been in other English programs,

but from what I hear from other students - here it’s really

intense and good, and if you’re putting the effort and

time outside of class, you’re going to benefit a lot.”

The English program here isn’t

comparable. I haven’t been in

other English programs, but from

what I hear from other students -

here it’s really intense and good,

and if you’re putting the effort

and time outside of class, you’re

going to benefit a lot.

Reflecting on his time with ELS, Ayed offers some advice

to current ELS students. “First, don’t panic. When I came

here, I had no English. I could say hi, hello, and that’s it.

Just try to interact with people, even with signals and

facial expressions, and it’s going to get easier. Watch

movies with no subtitles. Do a lot of readings – small

stories, and try to get the most out of it. Just skim

Now, on North Campus, Ayed has been part of the

administration for the Saudi Student Association for over

four years, as the Sports and Wellness leader. He

organizes biweekly soccer and volleyball training, and

also helps organize club ceremonies and festivals.

Academically, Ayed continues to succeed as the project

manager for his Engineering Capstone Design Project last

semester —a project where fourth year Engineering

students are given a real-life scenario to solve.

through and try to absorb the language; other words you

can just learn from the context. Talk with people, and

have some other conversations.”

Ayed’s final Capstone Project for Mechanical Engineering

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ELS and ETS

By Tracey Hilden, Social Media Coordinator, ELS

N ineteen years after his first studies with the English

Language School, Youngjun Kim returned to study

alongside an exciting new venture. Mr. Kim is back to

engage in English language training while also studying

with the Faculty of Extension’s Dr. Kevin Jones and Dr.

Rob Shields from January to September 2016. Mr. Kim

will undertake a position with the City of Edmonton this

coming September. As an engineering major in Universi-

ty, Mr. Kim was impressed with how Edmonton tries to

preserve nature during his first stay in Edmonton, which is

only one reason for why he decided to return.

On May 2, 2014, Seoul saw a train crash which resulted in

around 170 injuries (more details here). According to Mr.

Kim, the Mayor at the time emphasized the importance of

subway safety, which was a major inspiration in Mr. Kim’s

decision to pursue his professional studies. Having

worked with the Public Transportation in Seoul, Mr. Kim is

returning to partner with the City of Edmonton. His re-

search focus is on LRT and bus safety - in particular, en-

suring that the mechanics of the public transportation are

up to code and passengers are able to travel safely.

ELS Student Corner

By Tracey Hilden, Social Media Coordinator, ELS

The stage was set and teams divided. After a quick

tutorial on how to pass, the game was underway in a

flurry of laughter, light-heartedness, and friendly

competition. The first goal came after a few minutes, but

the score seemed irrelevant. The level of teamwork and

communication in English together exemplified the spirit

of the game and players.

D esks pushed the side, chairs neatly placed on the

peripheries of the classroom: this wasn’t an ordinary

class for ESL 110.

No, indeed it was another installation of student

presentations in which students taught each other how to

do something. I had the pleasure of joining the class for

several of their presentations—I learned how to cook

Saudi mandi, a rice and lamb dish cooked in a pot in the

ground (and correspondingly enjoyed a delicious lunch of

magloba cooked by some of our students); I learned how

to make South American kites; I even learned how to play

the guitar and wow a crowd with card and magic tricks.

Finally, I learned how to play soccer, leading to a class-

wide soccer game organized in an empty classroom.

No Yellow Cards Here

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A fter the soccer game, the class wrote paragraphs in

small groups about their experience of playing soc-

cer, and some even branched out to write about their

experience of playing soccer on North Campus at the

University of Alberta.

Here are some unedited recollections of the students’

experience playing soccer as part of the “how-to” presen-

tations.

“ We were learning about how to play soccer and

teaching our classmates in a big classroom. We di-

vided into two teams of men and women together. We

started teaching everyone how to save the net. After, we

made passes together and we attacked the other team.

Finally, we could score. We were there to laugh and

watch how the teams are playing soccer. We had fun in

the classroom. It was a great moment with the teacher

Maureen. In the game, some people took pictures too.

“ We went to the University of Alberta to play soccer.

We went to the university by train at 11:30 AM. We

were excited to play soccer because we couldn’t play soc-

cer last weekend. We arrived at the University gym at

12:00 PM. We saw a soccer field. We were surprised by a

large-sized field. We separated into two teams.

Red team: Fatih, Burhan, Orhan, Mamdouh, Rabie

Blue team: Feras, Jong, Robert, Wissam

We were very happy and had fun. Our favorite sport is

soccer. We promise to play soccer every week.

“ Last Thursday, we were playing soccer in the class-

room with our classmates. We had two teams:

Maureen’s team versus the other team. We had so many

good players. We were serious to play the game. But, in

the end, Maureen’s team won, because Maureen wanted

to win and every student wanted to grant Maureen’s

wish. In the end, every person was very happy. We had a

very good time.

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ELS in Japan By Mark Bell, Program Coordinator, ELS

R ecently, the Niigata University of International and

Information Studies (NUIS) graciously invited a small

group of staff and students to participate in a cultural

exchange between our two institutions. The group that

happily attended were: Mr. Michael Viola, Bridging Pro-

gram Specialist at English Language School (ELS); Ms.

Danielle Griffin, 3rd year student in Bachelor of Science in

Human Ecology and Summer Student assistant in 2015;

Mr. Justis Allard, 5th year student in Bachelor of Science

in Environmental & Conservation Sciences and Summer

Student Assistant (2013 – 2015); and me, Mr. Mark Bell,

English Language School Program Coordinator (Seminars

& Events).

Our trip was held from Monday, February 8 to Friday,

February 12, 2016 and consisted of three full days of ac-

tivities, tours, and meetings in the city of Niigata as well

as other locations in the beautiful eastern Prefecture of

Niigata.

Our guide, Dr. Fujita, met us at our hotel early Monday

morning. We started our tour with a visit to the oldest

Sake brewery in the prefecture of Yoshi No Gawa Sake

located in Minami-Uonuma city. The tour allowed us to

visit the brewing and bottling facility and involved an ex-

planation of the fermenting procedure and of course, a

tasting. Niigata is home to over 100 Sake breweries and

produces the most delicious Sake for both domestic and

foreign enjoyment.

We then traveled to Nagaoka city and enjoyed a wonder-

ful 3D display of the famous fireworks display near City

Hall. This fireworks display is held in the city every August

on the banks of the Shinano River and is attended by

thousands of onlookers annually. We then enjoyed an

absolutely delicious traditional lunch at a nearby restau-

rant called Sichifuku.

The next morning, the tour took us high into the moun-

tains to Tokamachi City- home of the largest annual snow

fall in Japan- well over 10 meters each year! This city is

also home to the Tokamachi City Museum, which houses

the oldest national treasure in all of Japan: the famous

Jomon Fire pottery. In fact, this ancient vessel will be the

inspiration behind the Olympic torch for the Tokyo Olym-

pics in 2020.

We were then off to the Sanjo Blacksmith Dojo and the

Seisakusuo (Factory) where we had the opportunity to

W o r d T r a v E L S | 9

make our own letter openers under the guidance of the

skilled metal workers of the area. This area is famous for

their metal works and Traditional metallurgy technics.

On Wednesday we had yet another opportunity to enjoy

some of the local specialties of the area over lunch at a

delightful restaurant called “Meiwa Sunpia”. It was con-

veniently located near the NUIS campus and shortly af-

terwards we made way there to meet NUIS President

Hirayama and his wonderful staff. While we were there,

our group had an opportunity to present to future ELCS

students as well as hear them introduce local Niigata cul-

tural highlights. It was a very impressive presentation as

the students presented completely in English!

That evening, the staff and students of NUIS played host

to an entertaining reception at the Hotel REI. The event

included delicious food, beverages, words from NUIS stu-

dents and staff, and my favorite: student led games in-

volving English language skills and cross cultural commi-

nation.

Dr. Chikayama met our group on Thursday morning for

our final tour day in Niigata city. He accompanied us to

the Niigata Nippo Media Ship, one of the tallest and most

beautiful buildings in the city and home to the prefec-

tures most renowned newspapers as well as several art

and print galleries. On the observation deck, we enjoyed

a commanding 360 degree view of the city, Sea of Japan,

surrounding mountains, and of Sato Island. It was incredi-

ble!

We visited two other very impressive buildings that after-

noon, though much older: Old Kyu Ozawa-ke House, and

the magnificent Northern Cultural Museum, which is ac-

tually one of the largest estates in all of Japan. This mu-

seum is a very beautiful example of traditional Japanese

architecture and plays host to many visiting dignitaries,

including the Emperor of Japan.

We then went to visit Lake Hyoko, which is an important

resting place for migrating birds, including the majestic

Siberian Swan. It was a great way to spend the early after-

noon with our gracious hosts and many local Japanese

bird watching enthusiasts.

A big thank you to NUIS for their generous invitation and

hosting. What a fantastic experience!

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@ualbertaels on

Instagram

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@ualbertaels on

Instagram

W o r d T r a v E L S | 12

APPEMI Summer

Symposium 2016

“ Hi. I’m interested in coming to the U of A to take the

APPEMI program, but I’m the only one from my uni-

versity who can attend. Can I still take the program?”

“Our university would like to send 4 professors to take

APPEMI. But the profs can only be out of the country for

a week. What courses could you offer them?

The APPEMI office often receives these types of e-mail

inquiries. In the past, we have offered some shorter, cus-

tomized versions of the program to small groups of inter-

national professors. But, primarily, APPEMI has been de-

signed to address the needs of larger professorial co-

horts, whose universities support their participation in the

full program, which takes a minimum of one month to

complete.

This summer, though, all that will change, as APPEMI

gears up to offer its inaugural Summer Symposium. Pro-

fessors will be invited to UAlberta between July 25 and

29, 2016, for a few APPEMI appetizers, a week-long sam-

pling of some of the program’s most popular modules.

They will also have the opportunity to network with inter-

national colleagues, make presentations, and experience

the best of Edmonton’s summer activities.

Watch for more information about the APPEMI Summer

Symposium in future newsletters.

ELS Events

“Say What?”: Another Noon-Hour

Seminar

ELS Valentine’s Day Party

A s a response to campus demand, the second instal-

lation of “Say What?” ran on February 3, and was

another huge success! Assistant Professor Dr. Jennifer

Foote had a full house for the noon-hour seminar.

Around 85 participants gathered in ECHA on North Cam-

pus as Dr. Foote discussed pronunciation techniques.

ELS will offer more workshops in the future, so stay

tuned.

Thank you to all those who attended ELS’ love-ly Valen-

tine’s Day party! Student volunteers lined the tables with

homemade cookies and cupcakes and ran games for all

to enjoy.

APPEMI stands for Advanced Professional Program in

English-medium Instruction.

By Dr. Pam Young, Academic Team Lead (APPEMI)

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ELS Staff Q & A

W e interviewed one English Language School staff

member. Based on their responses, who do you

think this is? *The answer is at the bottom of this page.

Upcoming Events

Top Ten...

Final Words

H ave something to share? Please

contact Tracey Hilden at ESQ

Room 1-004 or hilden@ualberta ca.

We are always looking for contribu-

tions, whether you have a piece of

writing, artwork, poetry, or photog-

raphy. Contact us!

*Answer: James-Dean Sauter is this

issue’s Q&A staff member.

March 2: Placement Test

March 7: First day of EAP and IDP classes

March 13: Daylight Savings Time begins - turn your clocks

one hour forward

March 14, 15: First day of part-time classes

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day

March 20: International Day of Happiness

March 25: Good Friday

March 28: Easter Monday

April 5-9: Bonfire Festival - Join the Rapid Fire Theatre in

this five-day improve comedy festival.

April 25: Last day of EAP and IDP classes

April 26, 27: Last day of part-time classes

S tay connected! Follow the

English Language School on

social media. You can find us on

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

using the handle ualbertaels. It’s a

great way to stay up-to-date with

events and announcements from

the English Language School.

facebook.com/UAlbertaELS/

twitter.com/UAlbertaELS

instagram.com/ualbertaels/

...Iconic Monkeys

10. Curious Geroge

9. Bubbles the Chimp

8. That creepy monkey that sat on Da-

vid Schwimmer’s shoulder in the hit

90’s sitcom “Friends”

7. Davy Jones

6. Sock Monkey

5. Mr. Teeny

4. Dr. Zaius

3. Albert II

2. Grape Ape

1. Those scary Flying Monkeys from the

Wizard of Oz!

Q: What is your favourite place that you have visited?

A: Thailand

Q: What is your favourite food?

A: Chocolate

Q: What is the last book that you read?

A: Inside the Desert Kingdom—The Saudis

Q: What was your favourite subject in school?

A: History/Political Science/Social Studies

Q: What is your favourite pastime?

A: Listening to music

Q: If you could go back to any historical time, when would

it be?

A: Anytime before recorded history

Q: If you were a superhero, what power would you have?

A: I would be telekinetic—or the Last Avatar.

Q: Tea or coffee?

A: Coffee every day