Former AAC scholar Myunghee Lee(Rachel) came to MU with her daughter in December, 2008 and stayed  for 7 months. It was her first visit the USA, and the initial culture shock was quite a challenge.  It was also the first time for Myunghee and her daughter Chaewon to be together for such a long time in such an unfamiliar place.
 
Unlike her life in Korea, here in the US, Myunghee had to take care of her daughter all day long . In Korea she rarely had time to cook at home because of her heavy  workload.
 
“In the beginning my daughter cried a lot and did not want to go to kindergarten. She couldn’t speak English and she’d never seen those who had different eye colors and skin colors. She even suffered from a stressful virus and nightmares. I was so nervous and I felt so sorry that I couldn’t do anything for her.”

In time, Myunghee and Chaewon overcame the difficulties, owing to the help of good neighbors and new friends. Myunghee found a babysitter who had a two-year-old daughter of her own, and although they had some initial problems in communication, Chaewon and the babysitter’s daughter soon developed a close friendship.
 
”My daughter is so lovely and likes drawing and dancing. She loves pink stuff  and she is good with words for her age. She has a good memory for the past things. When someone asks her about her future job she says , ‘I want be a doctor,’ without hesitation.”

Myunghee says her program at the AAC and MU was “the time of her life.” It was a chance for her to broaden personal relationships with her classmates, make many new friends and acquire a greater understanding of other professional jobs.
 
“I   learned many things beyond English,” she said.  “I loved my EPAC classes. The teachers were all wonderful and passionate for teaching. I think the Global Leadership Program is very useful for understanding American culture and getting accustomed to American life.”

Even though her stay in Columbia was short, Myunghee says she improved her English including writing, speaking, pronunciation, and presentation skills. “I got more than what I expected. Especially the accent modification class helped me speak more clearly. I had never learned English with a native speaker phonetically and phonologically.”

Some of the most popular programs the AAC offers to scholars are the ‘Conversation Partner’ program , cultural ‘field trips’ and ‘the internship’ component.
 
“My conversation partner was a graduate student majoring in English Literature. We talked about novels and authors. And whenever I met her, I always asked many questions about American’s life and English expressions. She was a good teacher for everything. She became my best buddy.”

Myunghee did her internship at the MU International Center—always a popular site for AAC students and scholars, who work the front desk with Kay Henderson and get the opportunity to shadow the IC staff. This was especially useful to Myunghee, who is an adviser at Chonnam National University in Korea. As a result of her internship, she was able to learn about new systems which she could help adapt to the CNU system.

“It was a great experience from day one! Every staff member was tremendously helpful and especially my supervisor Kay was excellent in broadening my work insight.”
 
The AAC Internship component is well known for being one of the most exciting times for international students and scholars. At the International Center, Myunghee got the chance to meet many other international students /scholars, answer phones and transfer calls, participate in J-1 orientation, make  appointments for students & scholars looking for Study Abroad opportunities, provide information and  assist  students with the check-in procedure at the International Center. The internships coordinated by the AAC are always intensive and although they are overwhelming at times, they never fail to be rewarding.
 
“The funny thing is that during first three weeks, I was too nervous whenever the phone  rang because I wasn’t good at listening to fast-speed English,” Myunghee said. “So whenever the phone rang, I pretended to be too busy to handle it. But Kay encouraged me. It was stressful for me but after several mistakes, I was able to handle most things proficiently. I think It couldn’t be better place to learn “Live” English and to shadow American’s working style.”
 
Myunghee is an advisor for the CNU Study Abroad program. She has worked for Chonnam National University since March 2000. She started her career at Yosu National University. When the two universities merged,  she took on the role of advisor of international exchange programs including international students affairs. As an advisor, her department focuses on sending many students abroad and making various plans to bring exchange students to CNU.
 
After returning to Korea, Myunghee suggested CNU adopt some systems such as Walk-in Advisor and Advisor appointments. She shared her Columbia life by giving a presentation to 300 staff members .

 Myunghee credits her internship experience for encouraging her to be a more professional and systematic advisor for international affairs at CNU, and she thinks that the Global Leadership Program was a good opportunity to recognize why the U.S has the most international students in the world.
 
 “Especially, I always try to acclimate international students to a new life. I’m quite active and I like to make friends with them. It’s so funny for me. When I undertook the job the first time, I had taught Korean language to them. And I also learned Chinese, Japanese and Uzbekistan from them. It was a very happy time. Those times made me decide to study abroad.”
 
After returning to Korea, Myunghee found she had an additional responsibility, helping students find good jobs. She now provides students with the latest job information, job recommendations and gives them appropriate tips related to their image making including their attitude, dress and language. “It’s very challenging position for me. I love the job and I feel encouraged as some students find good jobs.”

Myunghee says she has many dreams yet to fulfill. She would like to be a specialist in international exchange affairs and make efficient programs for inbound  and outbound  students. She has been interested in English Education for a long time too.
 
“Whenever I met graduate students majoring in TESOL in MU, I was envious and I’d like to apply for graduate school at MU. I’m not sure when the best time for this but I’m keeping my dream in my mind, and I think it  will come true within 2 or 3 years. As for what I gained from AAC I think it was a lasting passion and the chance to meet a difficult challenge. I love the AAC and MU!”