Mentors and mentees of EKLES visit Minsokchon, the Korean folk village. Photo provided by EKLES.
EKLES shares knowledge about Korean language
International and foreign exchange students would not experience much difficulty on campus because the majority of students and faculty can speak English. However, outside of campus, it may turn out to be tough for them to enjoy the day to the fullest without knowing Korean. 
 
Ewha Korean Language Education Society (EKLES) teaches basic Korean to international and foreign exchange students in order to help their daily communication. While the Ewha PEACE Buddy supports foreign exchange students adapt to Ewha by communicating through English and other foreign languages, EKLES do so by giving Korean lessons. Moreover international students as well as students of Ewha Global Partnership Program can also apply for EKLES. 
 
Every semester, approximately 50 Ewha students become EKLES mentors. The number of participants varies from year to year. Even though EKLES basically connects one mentor for one mentee, the number of mentees one mentor has to help can vary. EKLES tries to match mentors and mentees according to the common language they speak so that both can benefit by exchanging knowledge about their own cultures. 
 
“EKLES was a very good supplement to the basic Korean course I took at Ewha,” said Elliott Chen (French Ecole pour l’Informatique et les Techniques Avancees, 3) who studied at Ewha for the fall semester of 2013. “Conversing with the EKLES mentors helped me apply what I have learned during the Korean course.”
 
EKLES provides Korean lessons according to the needs of the mentees.  However, Chen believes that the best way to learn the language is to get along well with the Korean mentors.
 
“I had feeling that some mentors were shy. Many of my international friends’ mentors were too introverted to meet outside of the class,” Chen said. “Luckily, my mentor was one of the most outgoing ones and we hung out quite a few times. Those ‘out-of-the-class’ experiences were as much important as taking courses in school for me.”

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지