Weekly What's Up at GUTS (3/3-3/9)

Well, the sun has started to shine a bit, the birds are beginning to do that chirping thing again, and its time for some fun and festivities at GUTS!

First, HIRING HAS BEGUN! Though most of us are graduating in May and will be very sad to leave for everything from the workforce to grad school, we can't wait to meet all the new people that are going to make GUTS even bigger and better next year! We have positions open in every single program, from Academic Match to Foreign Language Learners to a new Webmaster, so everyone is encouraged to apply!

If you want to meet our current staff or know more before applying, come to one of our Info Sessions:

Tuesday, March 8 from 6:00-7:00, SAC 3161
Monday, March 21 from 5:00-6:00, SAC 4201 (Hearing Room)

Conversational English Hour has changed from 6-8 pm to 7-9 pm today because...ITS MARDI GRAS time! CE has partnered with BRIDGE and the D-Squad to bring you a Masquerade Ball in the room across from the CCE! Don't miss out on tons of beads, masks and a whole lot of fun! Next week we'll be talking about language and returning to the usual time.
CE is also looking for more tutors and tutees, so if you're interested at all or know someone that might be, don't hesitate to drop by the office or check out our website!

Idiom of the week: To have two left feet.
Example: Tomorrow at the dance I'll definitely need to take advantage of the free dance lessons because I've got two left feet! My dancing is terrible!

Study Skills is continuing their weekly Study Skills classes. Tonight they'll be here in the GUTS office from 6-7 pm, so come by if you want to learn more or need help with things like note-taking, memorization, time management and more!


McBurney Study and Learning Skills welcomes McBurney students to set up an appointment before midterms. SLSS staff can help with multiple choice test taking, reading strategies, and exam anxiety. Students with a McBurney visa can set up a one-on-one appointment or simply stop by our drop-in session hours on Thursdays from 2:30-4:30, at the McBurney south conference room. Students can stop by the McBurney Center (702 W. Johnson Street, Suite 2104) or email SLSS (guts-slss@rso.wisc.edu) for more information.

Last but not least, the GUTS Conversational English Raffle is still going on! It ends next Thursday, so get your nominations in while you still can! One last time, here's the rules:

For every tutor you refer that CE can match, you will receive one entry into the Refer a Tutor Raffle! All you have to do take a minute to tell someone to join the fun. Anyone involved in any GUTS program is eligible, so don't delay!

Grand Prize: $15 gift card to Downtown Madison
Also prizes for the 2nd and 3rd names drawn!

Rules:
-References must be made between February 10 and March 7, 2011
-To be eligible for the drawing, you must be a tutor or tutee registered with any GUTS program.
-New tutors should record the name of the person who referred them on their registration form when asked "How did you find out about the CE Program?"
-Only new tutors who are matched with a partner can be counted as a recruit
-Raffle winners will be announced Thursday March 10, 2011

So get to it! You can also find out more on our Facebook page!

That's all for this week! Good luck on midterms everyone, and don't forget to go to our Drop In centers if you don't have a tutor and need a little extra help!

Weekly What's Up at GUTS (2/18-2/24)

Hello again everyone! We hope you have all been enjoying the amazingly warm weather this week! Even with the protests at the Capitol, GUTS activities are going on as usual.

In the upcoming weeks, we have some exciting activities from both Conversational English and Study Skills!

Conversational English continues to host their weekly English lessons and Conversational English Hour. Yesterday the Conversation Hour theme was Classic Movie Night. Next Thursday will be Board Game Night! Come learn some new board games like Boggle, Jenga, Charades, Catch Phrase and more! Feel free to bring your own as well. 6 pm under Gordon Commons, you don't want to miss it!

And don't forget about the Conversational English Refer a Tutor Raffle from now to March 10! Here's the deal:

For every tutor you refer that CE can match, you will receive one entry into the Refer a Tutor Raffle! All you have to do take a minute to tell someone to join the fun. Anyone involved in any GUTS program is eligible, so don't delay!

Grand Prize: $15 gift card to Downtown Madison
Also prizes for the 2nd and 3rd names drawn!

Rules:
-References must be made between February 10 and March 7, 2011
-To be eligible for the drawing, you must be a tutor or tutee registered with any GUTS program.
-New tutors should record the name of the person who referred them on their registration form when asked "How did you find out about the CE Program?"
-Only new tutors who are matched with a partner can be counted as a recruit
-Raffle winners will be announced Thursday March 10, 2011

So get to it! You can also find out more on our Facebook page!

Study Skills had a workshop last night and will be hosting another for the Women in Engineering floor in Liz Waters! If you live on this floor and need some study skills help, feel free to drop by! Also, Study Skills lessons start on the 24th! Need more help than just one appointment can provide? Now you can get help every week. Come learn about new techniques for time management, test-taking, staying on track for classes, concentration, note-taking and more! Swing by the office and sign up!

Study Skills McBurney has officially kicked off it's "SLSS Drop-In" sessions for McBurney students who are interested in stopping by for quick studying help at the McBurney Center. The sessions are held by Emily and Maria on Thursdays from 2:30-4:30 in the South Conference Room. Interested students should simply let the front desk know that they are there for SLSS drop-in, and they will be directed to the correct room. They've conducted many student appointments and SmartPen demos this week and are happy to help out any students preparing for midterm exams, so don't hesitate to drop by!

And last but not least, GUTS is going to begin hiring for the 2011-2012 school year by the end of February. Information will be both on the student job center and our website, so don't forget to check back if you're interested and tell all your friends! We have positions available for all programs and all types of people!

That's all for this week guys! Enjoy your weekend and the weather!

Speaking More Better!

Having spent a considerable amount of my time teaching English and learning Chinese, language (and the studying or learning of) is almost always on my mind. I find myself trying to think in Chinese or thinking about my own language in new and challenging ways when asked a good question about English (I’m surprised how often we know so little about our own languages because we rarely stop to think about them).

I would love the opportunity to study Irish (Gaelic), Persian (Farsi), Japanese, and Latin but I doubt I’ll have the chance to even nibble at any of them in my life time. But languages fascinate me--I think they should be pushed harder in the US curriculum. My accomplishments in the field are few and small: a few summers ago I became fluent in Pig Latin... And get this: my twin brother and I spoke our own exclusive language as toddlers before the outside world came in and tore it away from us, forcing us to switch to English. Because of my last name, we often jokingly refer to it as “O’Connish.” Even today, my friends refer to the peculiar way that my twin and I speak English as “O’Connish accents.” We have a tendency to speak very fast and slur our words together, and sometimes even pronounce words in our own unique ways. When we are very comfortable or excited we often switch to this fast-paced English and our friends often complain. Some of the friends we’ve had for a long time even claim to “understand O’Connish.” But I digress. Although the “original” O’Connish has been lost, some names remain: Doogan and Dogan, which were our names for each other; Nahna – my older brother Marty, and Gahk – my oldest brother Erik. I wish more of this “language” could have been recorded!

Anyways I think this blog post is supposed to have some sort of point, something for the reader to take away, so I’ll argue something: the most important thing to practice when learning a language is speaking, speaking, and speaking! What good is mastering the grammar of a language when you lack the confidence or ability to speak it (well it’s good for research and academics I suppose)? I would rather be comfortable speaking a language even if my grammar was subpar than be a master at writing or reading it while being a lackluster speaker. However, speaking a language is also the hardest part—it takes practice, patience, and courage. But as Nike says, swoosh. Oops I mean just do it.

-Michael O’Connor

Onward Bound

So here I am...I am in my last semester at the UW of Madison. I will soon graduate and be on my merry little way. In other words, I've almost succeeded in climbing out of the boiling pot and into the red-hot fire of El Diablo. Worrying about what to do after we graduate is something that eats at most of us. I, for one, am in dire need of finding a job this summer. Some of us dread leaving what may be the best years of our lives and might try to cling to any semi-advernturous opportunity that comes our way. But we still need to make money, right?

However, I've discovered a sly little loophole in the whole "get a job" thing after college. My answer for those who still don't know what they want but want to do something new? Teach English abroad. And somewhere different than here (i.e. not Western Europe). South America, Asia, etc. Although it's not necessarily or always easy to qualify for such a position, it's certainly obtainable if you put effort towards it...especially in less picky schools in China. In some places you can make a solid income compared to the locals around you. It'll be different than what you're used to but that's the point. Break your confort zone...it'll be healthy for you. Do it for a year, enjoy the local culture, and daddle a little into the local language. Develop your skills well enough and you create resume gold. Successfully surviving this sort of experience builds confidence and a more open mind. Most importantly for me, it forces us to become more independent.

The path (or loophole) that I personally am seeking involves not teaching English abroad but studying a foreign language (Mandarin Chinese) through a scholarship that allows me to enrichen my coffers, not drain them. I'm a sly dog like that. However, that kind of opportunity is not guaranteed so my Plan B is to do as I perscribed above. Spending 1-2 years in China or Taiwan? Yes please.

Until next time,
Michael

Let's Not Snow This Out of Proportion But...

Hello again! This is Michael from CE and I am here to rant about the winter. So we had our first blizzard of the season and the first full snow day since 1990 and I can't help but smirk at this. Although the Farmer's Almanac predicted that we will have a pestilential winter this year, many more "scholarly" sources said that this winter, in comparison the past few, will be more mild. The score thus far: Farmers: 1, Meteorologists: 0.

During my high school years (2001-05) we never had white Christmases. It never snowed until January. Seasonal snowfall was meager, never reaching 50 inches. That changed however when I migrated on over to the UW to attend college. How lucky was I to discover that as soon as I needed to start walking outside all day between classes, the weather of Wisconsin decided to berserk and deviate from its previous behavior. Thanks, Badger State. The past few winters have been record-setting in snow volume and frequency (snow in November was not uncommon). Last year, we broke the previous record of seasonal snowfall: ~79 inches. The new record to beat: a whooping ~101 inches. Wow. Although it makes for a nice white Christmas, it also makes for a hassle-filled end to first semester.

Because Wisconsin's change from autumn to winter can happen very abruptly, it is important to be prepared for winter and have everything you'll need. That said, I have prepared a list of things to have/keep in mind in order to properly prepare you for the advent of winter.

1) A massive, thick winter coat. In the midst of the Ice Age fashion should be the last of your concerns. Not everyone needs a $200 North Face parka (and a nice-looking peatcoat might not cut it during the most savage days of winter). Dress thick and warm. It is okay to walk around campus looking like a giant blob of coats. Besides, the more fashionable you look the harder I laugh when you slip on Bascom Hill.

2) Warm pockets to keep your iPod or cell phone in. People, including myself, like to walk between classes whilst listening to tunes. The cold, however, likes to suck out the battery power of electric goods like iPods or cell phones. Last year, my cell phone even broke simply because I was walking around outside too often with it in my pocket. The coldness scrambled my ability to get new voicemails. Likewise, my iPod was want to die and think it was out of battery even if I had just charged it 100% a few hours earlier. My advice is to keep these things in internal pockets if you have them.
3) Girls should never, never wear high heels. If you need them for something, bring them but don't wear them out on the ice. I don't pity the girls who slip on Bascom Hill's ice while during high heels. I laugh at them.
4) The warmer your coat, the less you need to wear underneath. This is benefitial for when you go inside places that have the heat pumped sky high. Too often my freshman year I made the mistake of trekking to class in long underwear and thick sweaters only to find myself sweating profusely in the middle of Feburary. Gross.

5) A scarf. On the coldest of days, this should be worn around your face, not just around your neck. Who cares if you look like a winter ninja, at least now your snot won't be freezing in your nose.

6) Wool socks. These are not necessary if you will not be outside for long. However, if you intend to find yourself outside for an extended period of time, wearing wool socks is heavenly. There will be no cold toes for you!
7) Hot chocolate is eternally delicious.

See you next semester!

GUT's CE Program Travels to Eagle Hts!!!

GUT's Conversational English (CE) program is making plans to bring its services into the community of Eagle Heights. This month we visited the community center and presented at the monthly International Potluck. We received a great response, and viewed some amazing cultural talent.

CE: Coffee hour @ ISS

CE is going to the ISS International Conversation and Coffee Hour

Friday April 3^th 12-2 pm

Meet at GUTS office at 11:45 am

· Please Come to join us in ISS’s International Conversational Coffee Hour from 12-2pm!

· CE staff will meet with you at the GUTS office at 11:45am on April 3 and we’ll walk to Memorial Union together.

· It’s a relaxing time to meet new people and enjoy the conversation.

CE: Movie Night

Come and enjoy a heartwarming comedy with the GUTS-CE staff on on

April 17, 2009 (Friday)
6:30 - 8:30pm
333 East Campus Mall
Hearing Room, 4th Floor

We will have a discussion after the movie. This is a great chance for you to have a conversation facilitated by the CE Coordinators on American culture.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Take the day off and watch John Hughes's uproarious ode to skipping school! Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) knows every trick to faking an illness (and offers a point-by point primer). With everyone convinced he's at death's door, Ferris grabs his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best friend (Alan Ruck) and hits the streets of Chicago! But will the evil Dean of Students (Jeffrey Jones) put a premature end to Ferris's mental health day?

CE: ISS Coffee Hours

Please Come to join us in ISS’s International Conversational Coffee Hour from 12-2pm! CE staff will meet with you at GUTS office at 11:45am on April 3 and walk to Memorial Union together. It’s a relaxing time to meet new people and enjoy the conversation.

CE: ISS Events

ISS Events GUTS will Participate in:

Interviewing Skills
Getting a job depends a lot on the interview. Learn how to prepare well and stay confident through tough questions.

Thursday, March 26, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
On Wisconsin Room, Red Gym

Taste of Cultures
Learn about cultures and customs while enjoying authentic food. All for FREE! Space is limited to the first 150 people. Thursday, April 2, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Tripp Commons, Memorial Union

Global Dialogue: Environmental Racism
Join American and international students for a dynamic discussion on the topic, “Who is expendable and at what cost?” Great refreshments and food provided. Monday, April 6, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Pine Room, Carson’s Gulley

Applying to Grad School
Most grad school applications are due in December or January, so now is the time to start planning ahead. This workshop will cover the application process, the search for the right graduate program, general information on assistantships, and an opportunity to ask questions and hear from current graduate students.

Media Room, Red Gym
Wednesday, April 15, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Intercultural Night
Join the Wisconsin International Student Association, ISS and others for the sixth annual Intercultural Night. Cultural performances from around the world will grace the stage, providing audience members a unique opportunity to experience the global diversity that exists on campus. Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Union Theatre, Memorial Union

International Student Graduation Reception
Hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, along with ISS, this farewell reception celebrates the achievements of international students graudating at the end of the semester. All graduating international students are invited and welcome to bring guests. Watch for registration information in Access ISS.

Wednesday, April 22, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
AT&T Lounge, Pyle Center

CE: New Drop-In Program

The Conversational English has started a new program this semester called CE Drop-In! All international are more than welcome to stop by during any of the listed times below to sepak with one of our CE coordinators, who will prepare a special topic to discuss each week. Feel free to utilize CE Drop-In as an additional resource to practice English and increase your understanding of U.S. culture, or simply to take a break from your study and have some fun!

CE Drop-In is located at:
Student Activity Center,
Office#4413

Drop-In hours:

Tuesday
11:00am - 1:00pm
2:00pm - 3:30pm

Wednesday
2:30pm - 5:00pm

Thursday
11:00am - 2:00pm
3:30pm - 5:00pm

CE: You've Been Matched!

Conversational English (CE) is the biggest program at GUTS. The CE program matches UW student volunteers with international partners for whom English is a second language.

The program is a free opportunity for international students to practice their English conversation skills as well as meet people from the campus community and increase their understanding of American culture. Matched pairs are expected to meet for two hours weekly until the end of the current term.

CE program emails a monthly newsletter to turos. The newsletter provides conversation ideas, interviews and activity suggestions. We also proved many worksheets on topics such as idioms, slang, American culture, vocabulary, and pronunciation through Learn@UW

BE A Conversation Partner:
Volunteer with GUTS and be a conversation partner. Tutors do not need an ESL or teaching background to volunteer. Tutors benefit from this program by learning about other cultures and countries. Many students find the program to be valuable preparation for studying or traveling abroad. Volunteers gain valable experience working with people from other countries.

Register online at http://guts.studentorg.wisc.edu or in person at the GUTS office. You will be matched with one or two partners and will meet for two hours per week. There is no need to prepare a lesson plan; the only requirement is a willingness to communicate and an encouraging attitude.

GET A Conversational Partner:
Register for a CE partner at the GUTS office. We will match you with a native or advanced English speaker who will assist you in improving your speaking ability in everyday situations, as well as assist you in learning more about United States culture. Groups meet two hours per week in order to practice English conversation.

CE Interview: Michael O'Connor, Dalong Geng & Yu Chen

This week Michael O’ Connor, Dalong Geng and Yu Chen shared about their tutoring sessions with us.

The three usually meet at Russell Lab on Sunday afternoons. With snacks and drinks, the conversation begins.

“There is so much to talk about. Michael and I both like WWII histories and we like to talk about related movies and our opinions.” Dalong said.

Dalong also told me how his English had improved because of the CE program.

“Had it not been for my tutor’s help, I would never have passed my Speaking Test for becoming a TA. He helped me understand the material and did a mock test with me. Practicing my English with him really helped me a great deal. Also, I got to know America better [working with Michael]. For example, last semester we talked about the U.S. Election.”

“This is a great chance not only to improve language, but also cultural understanding,” Yu Chen agreed. “It’s an amazing way to have an American friend! Like Dalong, really look forward to the tutoring sessions every week.”

Yu Chen mentioned how he really enjoys the different activities the three do together, including canoeing on Lake Mendota. They both expressed great appreciation for their tutors.

Michael has been a CE tutor since the summer of 2007. He has enjoyed working with different international students and is now very interested in teaching English abroad in Asia.
“Through CE, I met students from China and Japan. It’s nice that now I have built up the network of friends in these countries.” I get to know the different cultures and meet people from totally different backgrounds to enrich my campus life,” Michael said.

It is always nice for the CE staff to hear how much students enjoy meeting with their conversational English partners! Clearly, it is definitely a learning and rewarding experience for both sides.
If you would like to share your experience in the CE program with others, please contact us at guts-ce@rso.wisc.edu.

CE Interview: Tamara Casper and Yoona Kang

Here’s a little something to brighten up this very rainy week- another Open Conversation. This week we interviewed Tamara Casper and Yoona Kang.

Tamara is a second year undergrad student studying chemistry and French, who also enjoys volunteering. In fact, the very day of the interview, she cut her hair for Locks of Love, an organization that uses donated hair to create hair pieces for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions.

Tamara’s partner, Yoona, is a second year graduate student studying cellular and molecular biology, she spends most of her time working in the lab. Yoona also enjoys playing frisbee.

Yoona and Tamara have now been Conversational English partners for three semesters! They especially enjoy talking about cultural topics.

Yoona says, “I ask [Tamara] many different things about American culture, like football or the university life in the US, and some kinds of English usage.”

On the other side, Tamara said, “I didn’t really know anything about Korea until I met Yoona, and now I know quite a bit!”

Tamara has learned about how you have to press three different keys to make one character while creating text messages in Korean. Additionally, Yoona explained to Tamara how addresses are written in Korean. Instead of starting with the most specific information as in addresses in the United States, addresses for locations in Korea begin with the name of the city. Next the district and sub-district are listed. Finally the apartment and the apartment number are listed.

Although it is easy to point out the cultural differences between people, it is also important to find similarities too! A similarity Tamara and Yoona have found is related to games they played when they were children.

Yoona said, “Actually, there are lots of similar games, of course the name of the game was different, but it was really similar.”

Aside from continuing to learn about the similarities and differences between US American and Korean culture, Yoona and Tamara hope to continue enjoy their time together. In the future they plan to try Ian’s pizza and hope they can go to Camp Randall to watch a football game together.

CE Interview: Farrell Ougheltre and Il-Youp Kwak

This week Farrell Ougheltree and Il Youp Kwak are our featured partners! Farrell, from Rhode Island, is a senior majoring in English and creative writing and Il Youp, from Korea, is a PhD student studying statistics.

Farrell and Il Youp like to keep things interesting- they vary what they do from week to week. They have enjoyed playing games like ping pong and air hockey in Union South and last week they went to Henry Vilas Zoo together (unfortunately a lot of animals were hiding from the cold and rain!).

Besides exploring new places in Madison, Farrell and Il Youp have been learning from each other too. Coming to the U.S. this past August, Il Youp was initially really worried about what to eat! He had no clue what was good since everything was so different compared to Korean food.

“Farrell told me about cheddar cheese and… I tried some steaks, and New York and rib-eye steaks are good; I tried both of them and I think rib-eye is better for me because New York is too chewy.” Il Youp said.

Farrell also learned a lot about Korea. One thing that amazed her was that all men in Korea are required to complete two years of military service. Il Youp completed his in-between his sophomore and junior years of his undergraduate education.

Also, Farrell thinks that being a Conversational English tutor increases your awareness of your own language

“It’s a learning experience for me because your brain has to work in different ways when you explain things- its almost like doing a Sudoku.” Farrell added.

Il Youp thinks that the CE program is a great opportunity for him to practice his English skills. Of the fifteen other people in his department, only two speak English as their native language, leaving a very narrow opportunity to speak with high level English speakers.

“I can talk with international students because our English is limited but when I talk with American guys they are really fast and they use some expressions that I don’t know. This is really nice chance for me to learn how they use some words in some situations.” Il Youp said.

Farrell and Il Youp, are just one of the 210 CE pairs, who continue to develop their friendship and learn from each other during their weekly meetings.

CE Interview: Tae-Joon Moon & Emily Piehl

This week Tae-Joon Moon, 2^nd year graduate student studying Journalism and Mass Communication, and Emily Piehl, a sophomore studying Spanish and Portuguese, are the featured tutee and tutor of Open Conversation! Tae-Joon and Emily meet Thursdays at the Rathskeller and enjoy talking about food and movies and trying new food together.

Before the pair met, both were nervous and not sure what to expect. Emily thought that she would have little in common with Tae-Joon, but after the initial meeting, they found that they really enjoy the meeting time.

“Tae Joon has opened up Korea to me,” Emily said.

In fact, Emily now plans to learn Korean and would feel comfortable going to South Korea.

Tae-Joon has also had a positive experience with the Conversational English program.

“For international students who have no difficulty in class, but have a hard time expressing themselves in everyday life, [this program] is very helpful.” Tae-Joon said.

By working with his tutor, Tae-Joon can learn about pop culture and American history, which are two helpful areas to know when trying to understanding the context of a language.

This pair has been meeting for over a semester and look forward to learning more about each other's languages this school year.

CE Interview: Jeonghwa Lee & Alex Ostromecki

This week’s featured partners are Jeonghwa Lee and Alexandra Ostromecki. Jeonghwa is a visiting professor with a degree in Family Studies and Alexandra is a junior majoring in Biology.

Jeonghwa and Alex were matched in Spring 2008. They have so much fun learning from each other. One of their most memorable experiences they had was when they went to each other's houses.

When Alex went to Jeonghwa's house, Jeonghwa made her a delicious Korean meal.

“While I was enjoying the amazing Korean meal, I was able to learn a lot more about Korean food and life style, it was a great night.” Alex says.

Jeonghwa and Alex both were able to learn about the similarities and differences between their cultures. Also, Jeonghwa mentioned that she was able to learn a lot of American expressions and idioms through Alex. Both women really enjoy being involved with the GUTS CE program because you get to both share and learn so much about cultures and best of all, you get to make great friends.

This semester, Alex and Jeonghwa hope to continue to learn from each other and to strengthen their friendship that will last even after Jeonghwa goes back to Korea next semester.