Word TravELS 009 March - April 2017

ELS Newsletter, Issue 09
March - April 2017
EAP 550 students at the Completion of their Poster Presentations,
English Language School, Faculty of Extension.
W o r d T r a v E L S |

English Language School
Executive Director’s Message
April 2017
Contents
ELS Cultures
Showcase Series
3
Dear readers:
You may be familiar with the expression
"when opportunity knocks." In fact,
there are many interpretations and adaptations of this
sentiment, and nearly all deliver the same message:
recognize opportunities and capitalize on them before they
disappear.
The very clever and renowned business writer Idowu
Koyenikan had this to say: "Opportunity does not waste
time with those who are unprepared." Similarly, Matshona
Dhliwayo believes "when opportunity knocks, a pessimist
dials 911; when opportunity knocks, an optimist sets the
table." These are important ideas to live by, and I am so
proud of the many ELS learners and friends highlighted in
this issue who do just that.
Read on and you will meet ELS students who seized the
opportunity to discuss and showcase their countries and
cultures. You will meet world class scholars who took the
opportunity to develop their skills with us and share their
passions. You will meet intrepid international "explorers"
who realized an opportunity to experience a new country,
language, and culture.
All of these inspiring stories, and Simon too, lie just ahead.
I sincerely hope you "take the opportunity" to enjoy this
issue of Word TravELS, and we look forward to seeing you
again soon.
Student’s Story -
Dr. Akkad’s Journey
4-5
Photo montage of
ELS for the March -
April Term
6-7
ELS Events,
Your Voice
9
ELS News -
Gifu U visits
UAlberta
5
ELCS: Students
from Japan
8
ELS News,
“Bear with Me”
10-11
Mimi Hui
Executive Director
English Language School
Final Words,
Upcoming Events
12
W o r d T r a v E L S | 2

ELS Cultures Showcase Series
Middle East & North Africa
Cultures Student Presentation
S
yria is not all about war.”
ELS students from Syria opened their presentation
about their home country with a statement, powerful
and sensitive.
The presentation on Syria was one of many featured at
the “Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Cultures Student
Presentation.” Students from Egypt, Iran, Kuwait,
Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen currently
(March – April 2017) studying here at the English Language
School (ELS) spent the past weeks preparing for
the event. As ambassadors, these students shared the
many aspects of their respective home countries at this
event: their histories, cultures, traditions, and languages.
The presentations are more than simply visual guided
tours of the students’ home countries: they encompass
both the general and the personal.
The imageries and stories the students shared ranged from
things famous and iconic, to things personal and familial: photos
of locales where they grew up; of wedding ceremonies of
their families. Besides the dances and foods which the students
prepared, participants at the event—ELS staff and students,
members of the Faculty of Extension, other members
from the downtown community—also got to vicariously partake
in experiences in places and times far away.
Just as the Syrian students’ opening statement suggests, there
is much more to discover once we peer through preconceptions
and presumptions—deserts, camels, petrol, all men with
beards, war—and look deeper…not dissimilar, perhaps, to the
moment when you drink Turkish coffee for the very first time
and encounter the last sip that awaits you at the bottom of
the cup.
The MENA Cultures Student Presentation, held on April 20,
2017, is the first of the “ELS Cultures Showcase Series.” There
will be more presentations—more places to travel to, more
stories to share—in the coming terms.
Photos of the event can be viewed in our Facebook page album
here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1287486758033
750.1073742066.167449906704113&type=1&l=9b6f9fed80
A video recap of the event can also be viewed on YouTube
here: https://youtu.be/WZKR0Q-J-F8
W o r d T r a v E L S | 3

Student’s Story
A scholar’s new
beginning
G
oing from teaching in Arabic
and Syrian and working with
hundreds of students every week in
his home country, Syria, to studying
in EAP 550 here at the University of
Alberta, then to lecturing in English
at the university itself, Dr. Rami Akkad’s
story could easily fill up all the
pages of this issue of Word TravELS.
We will leave that to Dr. Akkad if he
so wishes to write his autobiography
someday. For now, we would
like to share what might become “chapter 1” of his
autobiography: his start in Canada at the University
of Alberta.
Dr. Akkad brings with him 5 years of teaching experience
in areas including chemistry, biochemistry,
and clinical analysis from his former university in
Syria. “Teaching in Syria is very different,” comments
Dr. Akkad. “I used to teach and work with 600 undergraduate
and graduate students every week.”
Facilities were far from ideal at
the time. “Companies left Syria
[after the Syrian Civil War
broke]. These were companies
that supplied universities with instruments,” Dr. Akkad
adds. No one was left to repair/replace the instruments
after they were damaged. “We still had to
make the university ‘work’ during the war…I dreamt
of a suitable place to do research.”
It seems that dream is becoming a reality. Dr. Akkad
will be lecturing two courses (one undergraduate
and one graduate level) in the Faculty of Agricultural
Life & Environmental Sciences (ALES) in the up-
W o r d T r a v E L S | 4
coming Spring term. This would be his first time
teaching in English. “I speak Syrian, Arabic, and German.
(I did my postdoc in Germany.) But I have never
taught in English.” This is where EAP 550 comes
into the picture.
“I am learning everyday.
Every minute”
Because EAP 550 was already halfway through the
term at the time we learnt of Dr. Akkad, upon meeting
with University of Alberta International (UAI)—
UAI arranged for Dr. Akkad to come to UAlberta
February.
through the “Scholar Rescue
Fund”—the English Language
School (ELS) agreed to waive the
tuition fee and arranged for Dr.
Akkad to join EAP 550 in late
Time was of essence: there was only a window of 2
months between the start of his English language
training and the start of him lecturing in English. “I
had to work on my vocabulary and pronunciation. I
needed to learn the language to teach.” And time is
a luxury Dr. Akkad does not have in abundance. His
mornings begin at ELS with his EAP 550 class; his

afternoons continue on North Campus at ALES; his
evenings conclude with EAP 550 assignments and
other studies. “I have lots of homework.” offers Dr.
Akkad with a chuckle.
When asked what he thought of EAP 550, “I would
recommend this course because of its academic
[focus]…I had the opportunity to learn from the
other students…about sociology and other sciences…I
am learning everyday. Every minute.”
Just as Dr. Akkad is learning from other EAP 550
students, it seems that the other students are also
learning from him. Dr. Roula Salam, the EAP 550
instructor explains, “In the short time he is spending
with us, I have gotten to know Rami not only as a
quick learner and a very promising student, but also
as a remarkable human being. He has shown courage
and resilience in the face of many odds, and is
a great source of knowledge and expertise in the
class. He [shares] valuable insights on his areas of
research.
“His research, which involves the study of essential
oil from herbs and certain vegetables, lent a particularly
flavourful aspect to our classroom discussion,
as he contributed tips on how to use herbs and
spices in cooking. He worked a lot on his poster [for
the EAP 550 presentation], which reflects his research
from a more professional and scientific aspect.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Akkad hopes to continue teaching
at the University of Alberta, and to eventually
make Canada home. “I am in Canada now. I need to
catch [my future] with both hands and go forward.”
We would like to thank Dr. Roula Salam (EAP 550 instructor)
and Ms. Dina Shamlawi (UAI program coordinator) for
their contributions to this article.
ELS News
Gifu University Delegation Visits UAlberta
T
he English Language School (ELS) was delighted to
welcome a 5-member delegation from Gifu University,
Japan, in late March, led by Dr. Fumiaki Suzuki,
Vice-President and Executive Director for International
Affairs & Public Relations. Besides meeting
with ELS, the delegation also met a number of UAlberta
staff members during their two-day visit.
ELS has an interesting tie with Gifu University: one
of the visiting Gifu delegates, Mr. Raymond Co,
Associate Professor and International Affairs Coordinator,
is a former instructor at ELS, then English
Language Program. (It’s good to see you again,
Ray!)
ELS will be welcoming the very first cohort from
Gifu University this summer to our English Language and
Cultural Seminar (ELCS).
W o r d T r a v E L S | 5

W o r d T r a v E L S | 6
Follow @ualbertaels on Instagram for more!

W o r d T r a v E L S | 7

English Language and Cultural Seminar (ELCS)
Toho University - Meiji Pharmaceutical University joint ELCS group
March 5 - 25, 2017
J
apanese students from the Toho University - Meiji
Pharmaceutical University joint group participated an
intensive 3-week full-time program here at the English
Language School.
We wanted to
know what they
thought about the
university, the city,
and everything else
they experienced.
So we did a casual
Q&A with them
over lunch one day. This is (some of) what they said.
Question: “What’s your first impression of Edmonton?”
Cold! (No surprise there. When the students boarded
the plane in Narita, it was about 12°; when they alighted
in Edmonton it was around -12°.)
Question: “OK. Let’s try second and subsequent impressions
of Edmonton and Jasper.” (The students spent one
weekend in the Rockies.)
The LRT is easy to use.
There aren’t a lot of convenience stores…I expected to
see a lot of shops around like in Tokyo. (Note: There are
LOTS of convenience stores in Tokyo…convenient in the
truest sense.)
Question: “How/Why do you study English? What are your
goals?”
I participated in English Camps in Japan.
I joined an English Club at my university.
I watch YouTube videos. There is this YouTuber called
“Bilingirl Chika.” It’s a fun way to learn.
I watch TV shows by Jamie Oliver and Martha Stewart.
(Food + English…why not?)
I can use English often on SNS, like having Skype conversations.
Using English, I can learn about other cultures and human
nature.
I am studying English so that I can travel.
When I watch the news, I only find out about bad things.
But when I went overseas and met people, I understood
that there are things that I won’t understand unless I actually
lived there, e.g. the differences between Canada and
USA.
I find it easier to learn another language using English instead
of Japanese.
I can use English in lots of places. Of course, there’s the
upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Everything’s big! The cars, the people, the city…
all big! Even the people’s hearts are big.
(Awww…)
The university (North) campus is big. It feels like
a town.
Everyone’s friendly on the ski hill. Even people I
don’t know. I’m not very good at skiing, but the
others (who were better skiers) helped me.
We saw elks!
W o r d T r a v E L S | 8

ELS Events
EAP 550 Poster Presentations
T
he 12 members of the EAP 550 class (Jan - Apr
term) held a successful poster presentation
event, which was well attended by ELS students and
instructors, Extension staff, and members of the
UAlberta community. Congratulations to the EAP 550
students and best wishes to their academic
endeavours!
DST or no DST?
Your Voice
D
aylight Saving Time (DST) kicked in just one week after
the beginning of the March - April term. For some of the
new students who arrived a week before classes began, their
internal clocks were finally about to synchronize with Mountain
Standard Time (MST) when DST made it necessary to re-adjust,
even if by only one hour. We went around and asked our students
what they thought about this seasonal time shift. Here
are some of the reactions we got, including one that came as a
comment on Instagram as shown here, unedited.
Causes problems for
the parents…kids
can't sleep well.
We already have a
long day. We need
more time to sleep.
First time experiencing the
change to DST, though not
confused…time changes automatically
on my phone.
I come from a
country near the
equator. I am used
to more even day
and night times.
Falling back to
MST was nice.
DST is the same in
my home country.
I used to sleep at 11:00 (before DST).
Now I sleep around midnight.
W o r d T r a v E L S | 9

ELS News
Conversations & Activities a Hit
I
t’s been another action-packed term at
the Student Centre (and beyond) with the
many weekly activities. We always see a full
house at the Conversation Club, and the Social
Activity Club is a
blast. There’ll be
more in the coming
terms!
We’d like to give all
student volunteers a
shout out for enthusiasm
and good
vibes!
Glad to meet GALD
E
LS is glad for the opportunity to be involved with the Spring
2017 cohort participating in the Global Academic Leadership
Development (GALD) Program, organized by University of Alberta
International (UAI). The current cohort consists of over 40 senior
administrators and educators from China.
W o r d T r a v E L S | 10

Wo or rd d TTr ra av vE EL LS S | | 11 11

Final Words
Top Ten...
Upcoming Events
S
tudents new to Edmonton may find it cold
here during the March - April term. Truth be
told, it’s a cool time (no pun intended) to be
here.
Here are the Top 10 reasons why March - April
is a cool time to study in Edmonton.
10. 0° degrees in April feels warmer than 0°
degrees in October.
9. You get to experience time travel…exactly one
hour into the future…once (aka changing to
Daylight Saving Time).
8. Stanley Cup Playoffs
7. Stanley Cup Playoffs
June 26
July 1
July 6
August 7
August 14
August 23
August 24
August 30
Placement Test
Canada Day
First Day of Class (IDP & EAP)
Heritage Day—No Classes
Last Day of EAP 550 Class
Last Day of IDP Classes
Last Day of EAP Classes
Returning Student Registration (IDP & EAP)
6. On occasion, you can experience all four
seasons in one day.
5. Oh, did we mention Stanley Cup Playoffs?
4. The Lyrid meteor shower (one for the avid
astronomer)
3. Orange Crush Is The New Black.
2. The Canadian Geese couple returns to your
balcony for the season to lay lots of eggs.
1. Because Simon says so
H
ave a photo or story to share? Want to subscribe
to our mailing list?
Please contact Karen: kblum@ualberta.ca. View all our
newsletters at https://www.ualberta.ca/faculties-and-
programs/english-language-school/about-us/word-
travels-newsletter.
Stay connected! Find us here:
facebook.com/UAlbertaELS/
twitter.com/UAlbertaELS
instagram.com/ualbertaELS/
Remember UAlbertaELS!
W o r d T r a v E L S | 12