With the desire to have more students enjoy the Korean language, four students from Korea organized the 'Korean Language Café' event, also known as 'Fun Korean,' at the Surugadai International Lounge on December 18th. Not only Meiji University students but also exchange students from Europe and America attended in large numbers. The conversation books prepared in advance were quickly sold out, and some students had to participate standing due to space constraints.
On the tables in the venue were various Korean snacks prepared by the Korean students beforehand. Each Korean student wrote the names of the attendees in Hangul on name tags and exchanged them, filling the entire venue with Hangul characters, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of being in Korea.
First, Kim Noah (majoring in Political Sciences and Economics, 3rd year) and Bae Kwanwoo (majoring in Law, 4th year), acting as instructors, explained expressions useful for immediate application during travels, mixing in cultural introductions and humor, following their self-made text. Kim Jamin (majoring in Political Sciences and Economics, 3rd year) and Lee Seungmin (majoring in Commerce, 4th year) then joined, demonstrating pronunciation examples. Later, the participants divided into four groups and engaged in practical conversation exercises.
Feedback from participating students included statements like, 'I want to go to Korea and try using it in real situations,' and 'It was enjoyable.' As everyone bonded well, even after the scheduled end time, many students continued enjoying social interactions at the venue, creating moments filled with laughter.
This event was organized by four students from Korea. Kim Noah expressed, 'It was a great opportunity to teach Korean. I would like to organize it again.' Bae said, 'It was a very valuable opportunity. Thank you.' Kim Jamin mentioned, 'Many friends showed interest in Korean, making it a fun and rewarding day.' Lee Seungmin, shared, 'I was a bit nervous. I was unsure whether teaching grammar and such from scratch was appropriate. However, since we had rehearsed beforehand, it turned out to be enjoyable.' They seemed to have felt a sense of accomplishment from the participants' responses.
Furthermore, this event was conducted in collaboration with the weekly Monday lunchtime social event for casual interactions, and it received support from Yamada Toru, the Director of Japanese Language Education Center, and Kawamura Maika, a Teaching Assistant from the International Student Center.
(Contact: KAWAMURA Maika, Teaching Assistant of International Student Center, and MIMAKI Junko, Associate Professor, Organization for International Collaboration)
