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

June 2016

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

ELS Newsletter, Issue 04

ELS student Mwinja Habamungu Josue from Congo enjoying Alberta’s Badlands

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English Language School

Executive Director’s Message

June 2016

Dear readers:

When I look out my kitchen window and notice beautiful

flowers blooming in my garden, I know that summer has

finally arrived. Other sure signs of summer in Edmonton

include long, bright days, short pants, and the start up of

many wonderful summer festivals and activities.

I am happy to see that many of you are already enjoying

the pleasant weather and exciting opportunities summer

brings. For example, along with out regular features on ELS

student achievements and profiles, in this issue we are

pleased to provide words and images that recount last

month’s trip to Drumheller.

At the English Language School, summer is also a time

when we welcome Language and Culture groups from all

over Japan, Mexico, Colombia, and many other countries.

As you will see in this issue of Word TravELS, these students

have already begun to join us, and we are so very excited

to include them in our classes and introduce them to life in

Canada during the summer months.

Finally, for many of our students at the English Language

School, summer is also a time to relax, visit friends and

family, and prepare for the coming academic year. For

those who are planning to travel home, we wish you safe

travels and will see you soon.

Sincerely,

Mimi Hui

Executive Director,

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Contents

Language and

Cultural Seminar:

Welcoming our

international cohorts

ELS Student Corner:

EAP 550 student

Hamed Khojh

Drumheller:

Reflections on ELS’

trip to Drumheller

ELS Student Success:

Celebrating Mother’s

Day with Rehab Alhaj

Suliman

ELS Student Success:

Celebrating Father’s

Day with Jorge Daniel

Grock

Final Words:

Upcoming events,

Top Ten column, and

more

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ELS Events:

Fort McMurray

Fundraiser and CSA

Workshop

@ualbertaels on

Instagram: a photo

montage of ELS

Language and Cultural Seminar

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ELS By The Numbers

Language and Cultural Seminar

D uring the summer months, the English Language

School welcomes student groups from around the

world. While we prepare for over twenty more groups to

arrive in Edmonton, we are pleased to welcome a cohort

from Universidad Central in Bogota, Colombia. The group

arrived on June 6 and will stay for 7 weeks.

English Language and Cultural Seminar (ELCS) students

participate in English classes as well as lectures or faculty

activities in their own subject area. In addition to studying

English in a university setting, students participate in vari-

ous cultural activities, such as visiting the Canadian Rock-

ies, Fort Edmonton Park (as seen below), and the Alberta

Legislature.

Welcome to our Colombian cohort, and we’re looking

forward to seeing the rest of the cohorts from Japan, El

Salvador, and Mexico here in Edmonton soon.

ELS’ cohort from Colombia goes back in time at Fort Edmon-

ton Park, visiting a classroom from 1905.

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Engagement English for Community

By Hamed Khojh

O ne of the most important languages around the

world is the English language. For me, learning

English at the University of Alberta was a life-changing

decision, and it has opened my eyes to a new world.

Increasing my knowledge is my priority, and I started this

journey by learning English. Though I am only beginning

to better my English language skills, I have already

noticed improvements: I used to have difficulty with

presenting in English, and now when I look back, I can

see that I learned a lot of new skills and developed my

ability to present any subject in an academic way, which

is not something you can learn from a book. When you

are thinking about getting a job in your field, you need

the skills for that position, and one of these skills is the

ability to communicate. This is what learning English

does: it puts you on the correct path by increasing the

number of people you can communicate with.

I took the first step in my career by developing my

English, as I already had a part-time job in writing for an

online newspaper, translating global news from English to

Arabic. This job taught me a lot about different kinds of

writing styles and how it changes according to the reader.

By learning English, I have the chance to learn what is

important for both the Western and Middle Eastern

reader. This skill helped me when I wrote about the

recent fire in Fort McMurray. I was asked to translate the

news into the Arabic language, and therefore I had to

choose the most interesting and important information

for the Arabic reader from the large volume of news

about the fire.

Moreover, I am now preparing myself to pursue a

Master’s degree in management by taking the EAP 550

(Preparation for Graduate Studies) course. I am truly

surprised by the amount of data I can access through the

university library – there are literally thousands of books,

online articles, and more. I can search and find any article

about new technologies and keep track of the latest

studies in my field through the UAlberta libraries. Also,

while learning English increases my career potential, it

also gives me the chance to learn about the customs and

traditions of the nations which speak English, and in par-

ticular, the North American society.

Personally, the English language introduced me to one of

the most significant experiences in my life. Many Syrian

refugees recently arrived in Canada, and I had the chance

to be part of this great community helping these people.

I volunteered to teach some refugees basic computer

skills, and I know that helping them to learn English is

necessary because their future in Canada depends on

how quickly they learn the language. I had the chance to

tell them about my experience here and how, though it

can be hard at first, it will get easier. There will be mo-

ments in the person’s life when they look back and think

about the most exciting and useful experiences in their

life. For me, my first day at the University of Alberta is one

of these moments I will never forget – how much I

learned here not only about different sciences, but also

about life, friendship, and humanity.

ELS Student Corner

Hamed Khojh is an EAP 550 student from Jeddah, Saudi

Arabia. He is aiming to further his education in a Master’s

program at the University of Alberta.

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ELS Student Achievements

Mother’s Day as an ELS Student

By Tracey Hilden, Social Media Coordinator, ELS

F or the past 8 years, Rehab Alhaj-Suliman had her

hopes set on studying in Canada. Originally from

Miscurata, Libya, Rehab completed her undergraduate

degree in Libya in Medicine and Surgery, and received a

scholarship in 2008 to study abroad as one of the top ten

students in her field of study. While many Libyan students

who receive this scholarship often choose to study in the

UK or Germany, Rehab put her scholarship on hold until

she was able to study in Canada. “It was a dream to come

to Canada,” Rehab says. “Here there is freedom, a good

quality of life, and of course, Niagara Falls!”

Mother’s Day is celebrated in Libya on March 21 with

similar traditions to Mother’s Day here in Canada, which

we celebrated on May 8. “There are children’s parties

where they dress up in costumes in Libya,” Rehab ex-

plains. “This year Sanaz celebrated Mother’s Day at

school here and made crafts and small gifts.”

Rehab just completed Preparation for Graduate Studies

(EAP 550) and plans to pursue a graduate degree in Med-

ical Science at the University of Alberta. Rehab’s husband

Mustafa works in Edmonton as a physician, and they have

two children: Sanad, 5, and Jad, 2. Rehab faced many dif-

ficulties in balancing her duties as both a mother and a

student. “I could only study at night, after the kids were

asleep. I would usually start studying around 10 pm, and

finish around 2 or 3 am. EAP 550 is very challenging,” Re-

hab says. “But my husband was my biggest source of en-

couragement. He always encouraged me to continue with

what I had started.” Rehab emphasizes how she wouldn’t

have been able to balance her tasks had it not been for

her husband’s support.

When Rehab initially came to Canada, she had to delay

her English studies due to her son’s health. Faced with

the challenge of not having family support, Rehab under-

took her studies again when her son was well enough to

go to daycare. Rehab’s instructor Yvonne Breckenridge

commented, “Rehab is a hardworking student that man-

ages to keep on top of her studies as well as care for her

family. As a working mother, I appreciate how difficult it

is to find a work life balance. Even when her son was ill

she came to class, with her assignments completed so

she could quickly get feedback and return to her family.”

Rehab’s children play a significant role in her decision to

pursue her academic studies. Her son fell ill often, and

this presented a challenge as he has to be in daycare

where infections are

common. As a re-

sult, they have

worked with various

physicians, allergy

specialists, and res-

piratory specialists,

to try to try to alle-

viate his condi-

tion. She is opti-

mistic about advancements in this area. During her EAP

550 final project, Rehab researched and presented on

how Vitamin D has a substantial impact on the immune

system and can yield positive results. This project and

research remains very close to her heart. “Rehab's passion

and work ethic shone through during class,” Yvonne says.

“It was rewarding to see her improvement throughout the

term. She ended the term with a memorable poster

presentation that highlighted her confidence and com-

munication skills.” Rehab says with a smile, “It is difficult

being a mother while studying, but it is definitely possi-

ble!”

Rehab with her husband, Mustafa, and children, Sanad (5) and Jad (2)

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Father’s Day as an ELS Student

By Tracey Hilden, Social Media Coordinator, ELS

F ather’s Day in Bolivia is celebrated on March 19 an-

nually. Similar to Canada, this day recognizes the

contribution of fathers and is celebrated by giving small

gifts and cake. Jorge Daniel Grock Pereira, from Sucre,

Bolivia, is accustomed to these traditions, and celebrated

his first Father’s Day in Canada this year. Jorge’s first lan-

guage is Spanish, but he also studied German and French

in Bolivia before coming to the University of Alberta.

Now pursuing his Master’s degree in Land Reclamation

and Remediation in the Faculty of ALES, Jorge moved to

Edmonton with his wife, Paola, and son, German, in Sep-

tember 2015.

Studying under a scholarship from the Ministry of Educa-

tion, Jorge took part in a new initiative through the Bolivi-

an government to send 100 graduate students worldwide

to the top 100 universities. Jorge came to the University

of Alberta as part of the first 100 students. The goal of

this program is to send graduate students abroad to re-

ceive further education, and then later return back to Bo-

livia with newly acquired skills for advancement in natural

resources.

Jorge completed his English training with ELS in Decem-

ber 2015, taking both Writing for Academic Purposes and

Preparing for Graduate Studies (EAP 550). “Jorge is a con-

scientious, hard-working student. He puts his best in the

completion of class work and home assignments. His

submitted work is always of good quality, which is cer-

tainly proof of the serious commitment he has to his own

learning,” EAP 550 instructor Laura Oliveras says about

Jorge. “Jorge is a very dedicated student. He was very

involved in my class - asking questions, voicing his opin-

ion and leading discussion groups. His pleasant personal-

ity made it easy for everyone to get along well with him,”

Writing for Academic Purposes instructor Reggie Stefan-

iszyn adds.

Jorge’s decision to pursue his academic studies came

partly from the desire to provide the best life for his fami-

ly. “Being a parent motivates you to try harder, coupled

with a natural instinct as a parent to want to be the best

provider for your family.” Jorge mentions how, as a grad-

uate student, he has a limited amount of free time. “If

you take away from family time in one respect, you have

to make it up in another respect. Being a student and

father are both priorities for me, and therefore I cannot

sacrifice one entirely for the other. To achieve my goals, it

requires that my wife and I are flexible and supportive of

one another.”

Raising children in Canada is different from what Jorge is

used to in Bolivia. Parents face different challenges, but

Jorge and his wife have found ways to overcome these

obstacles. “It can be difficult being both an international

student and parent, studying away from family, friends

and our support system. Having family in close proximity

adds wealth to the child’s experience and relationships.

We do our best to form support groups with those

around us in Edmonton, as well as remain in contact with

family back home. “

Jorge’s English language training extends to his son as

well. “Prior to arriving, we felt it was important to expose

our son to the English language. We were planning on

moving here, so we felt we should help prepare him. At 6

Jorge and his son, German (6)

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years old, he is absorbing English incredibly fast as he is

exposed to English television, movies, and books at

home.” The Grock family speaks Spanish at home so Ger-

man retains his native language, but Jorge jokes that,

“there is a competition at home between German and

Daddy to see who speaks better English.”

Reflecting on raising children while studying, Jorge says,

“You can’t use your child as an excuse to not do anything:

it’s a motivation, and requires energy and time. You al-

ways want the best for your child, so you have to find a

balance. It’s really a blessing and a beautiful thing. If

you’re considering pursuing further education, do it now!

Postponing such a decision means you will only be older.

Yes, you will face obstacles, but through perseverance

and dedication, you will master these.”

ELS Events

Karaoke for Fort Mac, May 19, 2016

T hank you to the students and staff who came out to sup-

port our Fundraising Karaoke for Fort McMurray event

last month. From this event, we were able to raise $317.95 for

the Red Cross fire relief efforts.

Aside from our previously selected songs we chose in English,

students sang songs in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

It was a festive and merry event, and something we hope to

duplicate again in the future.

Workshop for CSA

U Alberta’s Chinese Students' Association (CSA) invit-

ed Assistant Professor Dr. Jennifer Foote to give a

workshop. Dr. Foote addressed ways for students to im-

prove their pronunciation, and especially pronunciation

practice techniques. The workshop was held in Tory on

Main Campus, and 42 people attended.

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@ualbertaels on

Instagram

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@ualbertaels on

Instagram

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Drumheller Trip

Horsethief Canyon

By James-Dean Sauter, Program Coordinator Sponsored

Students

O n Friday, April 29 2016, approximately 50 students

and staff from the English Language School arrived

bright and early at Enterprise Square and set out for the

Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Upon arriving at the Museum, we embarked on our tour

of the historic and highly interactive world famous dino-

saur museum. Students were fascinated and amazed with

the all the museum had to offer; it was like no other mu-

seum experience they had before. We learned about var-

ious dinosaurs and the time periods in which they

roamed the earth. We saw plenty of dinosaurs of both

mammoth and minuscule portions—those who lived in

sea, those who took flight, and even those dinosaurs that

lived not far from where we are today!

After this adventure, we took a short lunch break and set

out for Horsethief Canyon. Horsethief Canyon is a sight-

seeing and hiking landmark located just west of Drumhel-

ler, and is well-known as the site of over 35 dino-

saur fossil discoveries—some dating back to nearly 70

million years ago!

The Canadian badlands boast a unique landscape formed

from sea deposits. It was sculpted through centuries of

glaciation and erosion, creating a landscape of coulees,

hoodoos and river valleys. Horsethief Canyon offers a

panoramic view of the badlands, with plenty of hiking,

climbing, and sightseeing for the adventurist.

Students were amused to learn the legend of how

Horsethief Canyon got its name: Horsethief Canyon used

to house thousands of free roaming horses who were

owned by individual ranchers. It was reported during this

time that many of the roaming horses would leave the

Canyon bearing a different rancher’s branding mark, and

thus the name Horsethief Canyon came about.

Hiking and climbing through the badlands is physically

challenging and demanding, but the sense of accom-

plishment seen on the students’ faces makes it all the

worthwhile.

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Upcoming Events

June 21 - July 17: Freewill Shakespeare Festival

June 23 - July 5: The Works Art & Design Festival

June 24 - July 3: Edmonton International Jazz Festival

July 5: First day of IDP classes

July 7: First day of EAP classes

July 8 - 17: International Street Performers Festival

July 21 - 30: Taste of Edmonton

July 22 - 31: K-Days

July 30 - August 1: Heritage Festival

August 4 - 7: Edmonton Folk Fest

August 11 - 21: Edmonton Fringe Festival

August 17: ELCS Faculty Social

August 19 - 21: Dragon Boat Festival

August 24: Last day of IDP classes

August 25: Last day of EAP classes

Final Words

H ave something to share? Please contact Tracey Hil-

den at ESQ Room 1-004 or hilden@ualberta ca. We

are always looking for contributions, whether you have a

piece of writing, artwork, poetry, or photography. Contact

us!

S tay connected! Follow the English Language School

on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Twit-

ter, and Instagram using the handle ualbertaels. It’s a

great way to stay up-to-date with events and announce-

ments from the English Language School.

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 on the right of this page.

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

A: The Great Wall of China

Q: What is your favourite food?

A: Chicken wings

Q: What is the last book that you read?

A: Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine

Q: What was your favourite subject in school?

A: Drawing, Management Science and Management In-

formation System

Q: What is your favourite pastime?

A: Reading ebooks

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

it be?

A: Around 220 CE. It's the very end of Han Dynasty of

China where the famous Three kingdoms period started.

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

A: The power of Monkey King

Q: Tea or coffee?

A: Fusion

Top Ten...

...signs of summer in YEG:

10. Festivals every week

9. The smell of BBQs and cut grass on every block

8. Flip-flops thwacking en masse

7. Cold climates are now found indoors

6. Bug spray is the new Chanel No 5

5. Brain Freeze epidemic reaches seasonal high

4. Moisturizer is traded for sunscreen

3. Every field has a sports event every night

2. Children braving outdoor pools at all hours

1. Evening thunderstorms

*Answer: Dapeng Li is this issue’s Q&A staff member.

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