When we have aspirations to learn English we go to English club. Many universities have English conversation clubs. There are two English clubs in Ajou University: AJESS and FRIENDS. This issue, the AG (Ajou Globe) interviewed AJESS.
Q. Please introduce AJESS!
Choe Joon Yong (C): Hello, I am president of the first English conversation center of Ajou University, which was founded in 1978. Nice to meet you. Our club is the oldest English conversation club at Ajou University, and it is still a club with lots of supporters and passion. We are made up of many foreigners and Koreans, and have regular meetings every Thursday.
Q. Please let me know if you have any goals for the club.
C: Our club is focused around conversation. The goal of our club is to speak English freely through various content activities, rather than resorting to conversation in a coercive atmosphere. Also, if you use the conversation you know, and if you don’t correct it correctly, you’ll find a foreign friend or a Korean friend who can fix it. I try to make sure that my friends are not afraid of speaking English, so friends can find it easy and fun to use English. This is our ultimate goal.
Q. What is the merit of your club?
C: It creates an atmosphere where we can speak English naturally. Moreover, in the English conversation club, there are many different kinds of affiliates and friends, so we can promote friendship. It seems that a lot of people joining and studying together in a more enjoyable school life is the advantage of our club.
Q. What was the hardest thing about managing an English club?
C: To do any activity, we need to consider all the people who are participating. The process was very complicated. And I have to think about whether to go easy on my friends with the English. So I always felt anxious and worried that the contents of the contest were too little or not interesting.
Q. What benefits do you gain when you join a club?
C: If you join the club, you will get access to the club room with an air conditioner and a refrigerator. Also, you will be able to study with many students.
Q. What impressed you most about the English club?
C: At the beginning of the semester, we created a video from the Ajess opening session in front of about 70 to 80 people. I thought that my friends who were interested in listening to English were interested in our club. That was the most impressive thing to me.
Q. What happens as the president of the Ajess English club?
C: I was interested in the club at first, so I participated several times. Then I was asked to take the position of the president. So I became interested in the club, and I am confident that I will be more interested in acting if I become president.
Q. Finally, please give a message to Ajou University students.
C: I’ll give you a short and bold word. If you are interested in English conversation, I think our club won’t radically develop of your English skill. But I’ll promise you one thing. By providing an atmosphere where you can speak English naturally, we promise to help you with our best effort and best passion. You can talk to foreigners about speaking English and to speak with fluent English speakers.