1st Session

1. Introduce yourself.

2. How was your weekend?

3. How do you commute to school?

4. What country do you want to visit?

Why Adults Make Great Language Learners

You may have heard that the best time to learn a language is when you're young.

So if you're reading this and you're not in elementary school, are you out of luck?

Well, some researchers say that while children have their own strengths, adults are actually in a great position to learn new languages ― and it's never too late to begin.

"There is no magical point at which it becomes impossible to learn a new language," linguistics professor Alison Gabriele told Reader's Digest.

Children do have one big advantage: young brains are always making lots of new connections, while adult brains often use connections that have already been made. This is why adult learners often speak new languages with an accent ― their brains are trying to reuse the sound connections they already know.

Children are also better at learning a language just by hearing it ― without studying ― and they have more time to learn since they don't have to work.

But adults are able to choose what, when, where and how they want to learn ― and they often have a strong desire to do so.

They also have more experience with languages. As a University of Cambridge study found, adults are better at figuring out rules and making connections between languages they know and new ones they're learning.

However, some adults are afraid of making mistakes in a way that children may not be. And reading stories about how adults are bad at learning languages probably doesn't help!

As the carmaker Henry Ford said: "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."

It really is never too late to believe you can learn a second or a third language. And speaking another language can help keep adult brains healthier for longer too!

Do you agree that it is never too late to learn a new language?

2. What languages have you learned?

3. Is there any language do you want to learn?

4. What was the difficult part of learning a language?

2nd session

1. Introduce yourself.

2. How was your day?

3. What was the first thing you did when you came to school today?

4. What is your favorite restaurant near PNU?

Koreans will 'freeze to death' for iced Americanos even in winter

"I always drink iced Americano, even in winter," said Kim, an office worker in her 30s who identifies as an "eoljukah" person. Eoljukah is a portmanteau of the words for "Even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!" It refers to people who are die-hards for the espresso topped off with water and ice, no matter how cold the weather is.

The eoljukah trend has steadily grown among Korea's office workers, as iced Americanos are now ubiquitous in cafes and convenience stores in Korea.

Earlier this year, the global Agence France-Presse news agency introduced eoljukah as a unique coffee trend in Korea. The quickly orderable and drinkable iced Americanos align well with Korea's workplace culture, which values speed and efficiency, its Feb. 10 report said.

"I have an impatient personality. I want to be able to gulp down an iced Americano like water, but with hot drinks, that's impossible," Kim said, explaining why she identifies as an eoljukah person. "I like the taste of cold coffee. If it's hot, you have to sip it slowly, but with cold drinks, you can gulp them down immediately," she added.

Park, an eoljukah enthusiast in her 20s, pointed out the differences from drinking tea as one of the factors in being an eoljukah person. “Tea is usually consumed hot and in a leisurely fashion. But with coffee, it often feels like I need to give myself a caffeine shot immediately when I'm tired. Drinking coffee in Korea doesn't quite have the same relaxed feel as tea time in the UK," she said.

1. Do you drink coffee everyday?

2. Are you an eoljukah person? Which do you prefer, hot or iced?

3. What kind of drinks do you usually drink when you go to a cafe?

4. Is there a cafe you go to often near PNU?