The Islander Magazine, Issue 15 by North London Collegiate School Jeju

ISSUE 15

RELATIONSHIP

ISLANDER ISSUE 15 | COVER PHOTO | JUSTIN JAE HYUN CHO Y11 MULCHAT PHOTOGRAPHY SOCIETY ISO WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNER

ISSUE 15

RELATIONSHIP

2016 FW

CREDITS

ISSUE 15

THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS

MINSOL KIM

MINSUNG DANIEL SON

PARTICIPATED IN THE

NAHCKKYN AIDN KIM

NAKYUNG MARIE SONG

ISLANDER CO-CURRICULAR

SEO JOON JUSTIN KIM

GEUN-TAK DANIEL YOO

ACTIVITY OVER THE FIRST SESSION

SO YOUNG INNES KIM

SUNWOO SARAH YOO

WHERE THE ARTICLES FOR THE

SUNG-HEE KIM

YUNSOO ADRIAENNE YOON

MAGAZINE WERE WRITTEN.

YUNA KIM

OTHER STUDENTS WROTE FOR

DAIN AHN

DONGHYUN BENJAMIN KO

THE ISLANDER OR TOOK PICTURES

ENSLO ELLIE BAEK

NAYEON NANCY KWON

BUT WERE NOT PART OF THE CO-

KYUNGHWAN STEVEN BYON

EUNSEO JENNY LEE

CURRICULAR. THEY ARE CREDITED

HAYUN CHO

EUNSOO LEE

ON THEIR ARTICLES AND PHOTOS.

YUNBIN RACHEL CHO

HYUN JEONG CINDY LEE

JIWON SALLY CHOI

JINHWA JIN LEE

THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS

WON JUN RICH CHOI

KWANGEUN LEE

WERE ALSO INVOLVED IN THE

YEOMYOUNG GLORY CHOI

SEOHYUNG LAUREN LEE

PRODUCTION:

JUNHO BRIAN HA

YEOUNGWOO PETER LEE

SENIOR

JI HOON MICHAEL HAM

CHAEYEOUN MIN

JANE LEE

JUHEE CHLOE HAN

BOHYUN ERIN MOON

JINN PARK

JOONHYUK JOON HYUN

IHYUN NAM

CELINE TAE

KYUNG JOON JANG

SOO MIN ISABELLA OH

JUNIOR

TAE IL TAYLOR JEONG

YUBIN CLAIRE OH

MELISSA WOO

SU JUNG OLIVIA JO

JI HOON RYAN PAK

YOOBIN VICTORIA JOUNG

JEEWOO PARK

THE FOLLOWING STAFF WERE

WONG JI JUNG

JIMIN JIMMY PARK

INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION:

JIYUN KENNETH KANG

YOON CHELSEA PARK

RAMSEY CURTIS

HYUNGSUP KIM

SHUNTO SHIGETOMI

ANGEL LOZANO

HYUNSOO KIM

YEONJU SHIN

RAYMOND MAHER

JAEHYUN KIM

MINHEE SHIN

BEN BROWN

JOOWON SIMON KIM

SEO HYUN CHLOE SHIN

DESIGN :

JU HYUN KIM

YEONJU SHIN

KYU YOUN KIM

LINUS KIM

WOOSEOK SHIN

MIN SEO PETER KIM

JIN HO TOM SON

RELATIONSHIP

2016 FW

Relationships come in all shapes and sizes, in all facets of our life, in all interactions with people and objects and even in the non-interactions we are sometimes guilty of avoiding. At NLCS Jeju students across the year groups have been considering their relationships, how to make them stronger, how to build them constructively and the consequences of the decisions they make in their relationships during their Personal and Social Development lessons. The theme for the issue of The Islander, which, we hope you are now about to reestablish and enrich your relationship with, has been explored by a record number of attendees at the co-curricular activity supporting the publication. To include a growing number of writers, designers and illustrators in the gestation process we have expanded the sessions from one a week to three so the views you are about to read represent a much wider range of student writing than heretofore.

Contained within these pages are articles on how students see relationships between themselves and their peers, roommates, houses, and staff with a lot of advice for helping young people form healthy, workable connections and how problems can be overcome. Young writers have chosen to express their opinions on modern ways of dating, marriage and, I think for the first time, on political controversy currently engulfing Korea. Mr. Friend, in his blog, recently challenged staff to consider what impact it would have on their teaching if they knew they were teaching a future leader of the nation. We would consider that, in this publication, you might find the first stirrings of future creative writers amongst the wide range of fictional contributions to the magazine. The contributions of the Junior Islander group have nurtured talent that has now started to contribute as Senior Islanders. Previous Junior Islanders are now exploring the effects of Pokemon Go and our relationship with Ramen in this issue.

Relationships are odd. They are seemingly non-existent, but they are also often the basis on which many of us ground our lives.

In Issue 15 of The Islander, students have weaved complex and colourful observations, thoughts and imagination into a collection of written works that attempt to capture the essence of the strange â&#x20AC;&#x153;bondingâ&#x20AC;? we seem to share. We hope that this issue allows you, the reader, to tug at the invisible yet powerful string that attaches you to your world and perhaps even wonder what lies at the other end of the string.

CONTENTS

THE WOUNDS OF LOVE

ISSUE 15

HOLIDAY EXPERIENCES OF NLCS JEJU IB STUDENT ARE YOU A GIFT-GIVER

THE CASE OF NATASCHA KAMPUSCH

GROUP ARTICLES

INTRODUCTION

YOU WHO NEVER UNDERSTANDS

FALLING IN LOVE IS NEVER A PERFECT FIT

HOPE THE SUN STILL SHINES

AN EXTREME DECISION

COLORS

ITIOTS UNREQUITED LOVE OF APPLE

PHILOSOPHY-PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES PLEASE, FORGET ME NO

ALL ABOUT RAMEN

30 - 33

34 - 37

CHOI SHUNSHIL GATE HUMANS OF NLCS

38 -41 42 44

POKEMON GO: EFFECTS ON SOCIETY ONLINE DATING APPS IN THE DIGITAL ERA

46 48

RELATIONSHIP

2016 FW

JUNIOR ISLANDER

SNOW WHITE'S APPLE

MARS ONE

THE REAL MADRID FOOTBALL CAMPUS

WHAT IS UN?

THE TERRORIST PIGEON

ROALD DAHL

BLACK HOLES & WHITE HOLES

KOREAN

54 56

58 59

60 62

GLOBAL WARMING

IS SNS IMPROVING OUR SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS?

66 - 69

HUMAN ALLERGY, WHY DO WE DISLIKE EACH OTHER?

LIFE A S NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE – THE RED STORY THE BENEFIT OF LACKING RELATIONSHIP

72 - 79

DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS

HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR ROOMMATE IS MARRIAGE AN OUTDATED INSTITUTION? OUR ‘SECOND HOUSE IN NLCS’ WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE

88 90 - 92

NLCS JEJU IS LIKE A SMALL EARTH

93 - 95

TIPS TO DEAL WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF FRIENDS!

96 - 99

TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP, HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE FOR YOUR PROGRESS HOW DO YOU FORM A CONNECTION WITH YOUR TEACHERS THE WHEEL TURNS

102

104 - 107

WINTER FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

108 - 111

THE GOLDEN SECRETS OF THE CREDIT CARD AND OTHER GLITTERING FACTS IN SEARCH OF RELATIONSHIP PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

116 - 119

112 - 115

100

Written by Yoobin Joung, Year 7, Geomun

Illustration by Isabella Oh, Year 10 , Noro

On top of a frowning hill was a house. It sat, isolated from turmoil, lonely. There were no roads, no poles, no inhabitants; there was only one, lifeless apple tree drooping dead beside a coughing generator. The house was barely red, decolouring from sheer age as nature slowly ate it away, piece by piece. Two kids, Sophia, fourteen, and Isabella, seventeen, ragged, circled around the deathly tree, as if they were somehow worshipping it. The tree was their only fruitful plaything; nothing could stop them from dangling on its bare branches, hiding behind its gargantuan roots reaching desperately for help. Everyday, those kids were out on the endless stretch of land. Yelping, they were in a paradise of their own, in a empty utopia reigned by the two, lonely kings. Maybe that’s how Sophia has the scar, still scraping, digging into her forehead like an infection. One day, on a sunny afternoon, Sophia came home with anger in her face. Her mum asked, with worry, “is there anything going on?” Sophia said nothing. After a while, Sophia and Isabella and their mum, were sitting at table eating dinner. Sophia finally burst out, angrily, “why do I have scar like this? This looks ugly on my face!” Mum seemed like she was surprised. Isabella dropped her dish, pulled Sophia into the bedroom and shut the door quietly. Isabella said, “why are you screaming at her?! Are you crazy?!” Quietly, Sophia replied, “I was just saying that I hate this scar and why didn’t mum care about me to prevent this from happening?” Isabella seemed like she was going to reveal a secret. “Do you know about mum’s big scar on her sole?” Sophia replied, “yes, mum told me something stuck really deep in her soul.” Isabella asked,”then do you know how it stuck in?” Sophia said nothing, with her curiousity face on. Isabella said, “Do you remember when we were playing on the apple tree? Your scar came from falling off the tree. When you fell off the tree mum was washing dishes. When you started crying, she dropped the dish and ran towards you in her bare feet. The dish broke into many pieces and a sharp part of dish stuck in her foot. She didn’t think about her foot that was stained with blood and just ran to the hospital with a bloody foot”. Sophia started to cry quietly. Isabella continued, “Mum was crying just like you. Not because of her foot but because of your tiny scar. Mum did everything she could for you. Even though her scar was deeper than yours”. Sophia ran out and hugged her mum with tears saying “I’m sorry…” Mum replied, “I love you so much..”

Holiday experiences OF an NLCS Jeju IB Student Juhee Chloe Han, Year 10, Jeoji

Students in NLCS Jeju spend their holidays in different

to benefit his further studies in robotics, the camp

ways. Whilst some people-in fact most people-in

also served as a chance for him to try different things.

the school spend their time going to academies or

He is now definitely looking forward to studying in an

studying for upcoming exams, others travel to different

environment where he would access different and new

countries, spend time with their families, watch films,

material.

and in some cases, just stay at home wasting pointless hours. Chang Hun said of his experience that “I have expanded my knowledge about robotics very much. I The purpose of holidays is to have relaxation time, but

have also made many friends there and experienced

at the same time there are people who spend their

how the life in Cornell is like. It was like seeing my

holidays in much more meaningful and enjoyable ways.

future two years down the line. Even though I was really

The Year 13s, who are now applying to universities,

enthusiastic about my life in the US, now I am even

imbue special meaning into their last school summer

more excited.”

holiday at the end of Year 12 because they see it as an opportunity to do something “different” and perhaps However, his challenge did not stop there. He also

extraordinary that they would otherwise not do.

obtained a chance to work in an engineering company called “Autonics” through one of its internship

A robotics enthusiast, Chang Hun Park,

programs. This was a great credit for his studies as well

has spent his time studying robotics, but in a more

as his life after graduation. He said the internship was

international and interesting sense. Getting ready to

helpful because he was able to think about his future

go one step further, he took part in the summer camp

career and his studies.

held at Cornell University during in the Summer of 2016. Though the summer camp’s main purpose was

Chang Hun explained that “it is one of the biggest

Korean companies to develop industrial robot

As you can see from his summer activities, Chang Hun

components such as sensors and motors. The company

has always been studying hard and passionately even

makes a simple interface which allows anyone to easily

during the holidays. We can all learn from this. Rather

control a robot. For example, there was an industrial

than staying at home doing nothing, you should always

robot arm that can be controlled simply. What made

try to step out of your comfort zone and challenge

me most impressed was that Autonics wanted to

yourself to engage in new experiences.

develop a universal robot platform which can be used

There are lots of advantages of gaining â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;differentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

for various purposes with the help of serve items.

experiences. Going to camps abroad, meeting different people and visiting different places will all benefit you as a person; you will gain greater perspectives on

Today, each machine has a limited function, so people

the world, think in different ways, and broaden your

have to buy every machine when there is a new need.

knowledge. Your experiences all count to your future,

So,the company wants to make a universal robot

that is to say your further studies, your future dreams,

platform that people can spend less of their money

and your potential relationships with strangers around

buying machines. That is my lifetime goal as well. I am

the world. Your experiences will shape you into an

sure I have learnt a lot during the summer break.â&#x20AC;?

internationally minded person. You might feel confused, but this is what most of the sixth formers and some people of your age are doing for their better future.

He has been working passionately in the school as well, running the robotics society in which students are able to participate in different activities and challenge

Many of you might be afraid of stepping out of your

themselves in numerous robotics competitions.

comfort zone. You might find it much more comfortable staying at your cozy homes. However, those who go out there and achieve great things never waste their

valuable breaks at home. They do something!

Are you a good gift giver?

Sarah Yoo, Year 8, Geomun 12

Christmas is a great chance to improve or maintain positive relationships. Sometimes, Christmas seasons might make people instantly worry about all the Christmas cards they have to write, all the gifts they have to wrap, all the various patterned wrapping papers they would need, all the money they would have to spend on buying the materials, all the time they spend searching for suitable gifts, or even all the presents they might receive from Santa! However, as the main purpose of gift giving is to strengthen the relationships between the givers and the receivers, it is crucial to give gifts the receivers would ‘like’. Unfortunately, despite all the time and money people spend choosing, wrapping, writing and decorating, Santa seems to be one of very few people who purchase gifts recipients ‘actually’ appreciate. So how does Santa manage to delight most of his two billion recipients when U.S. citizens spend approximately $830 billion only on Christmas gifts annually and still worry about disappointing their recipients?

given gifts they requested, the majority of the receivers even feel that the givers have been more thoughtful and considerate than when the givers attempt to impress the receivers with unsolicited gifts. Therefore, when it comes to buying gifts, perhaps the gift givers should ask the recipients explicitly what they would like to get, just like children tell their parents what they would like to receive from Santa.

Furthermore, the gift givers’ other main problem that leads to disappointing their recipients is assuming that a higher price of gifts will be more appreciated than relatively cheaper ones. Unfortunately, although most gift givers assume a higher price of gifts would better represent their sincerity and thoughtfulness, it is often the other way around for the receivers. One of the main reasons the gift givers think more expensive gifts mean stronger feelings of appreciation might be that they assume more expensive gifts convey their sincerity and thoughtfulness stronger than the less expensive ones, showing that they care about their recipients. However, in reality, the gift receiver’s appreciation does not always depend on the price of the items they receive, but the thought and motivation matters much more.

The first main reason Santa is able to do so is because he knows what his recipients want, whereas most gift givers tend to overspend time guessing their recipients’ taste in gifts. Ironically, a recent survey completed in 2013 suggests that gift givers are more likely to please the “picky” recipients, because they usually give something they specifically requested, whereas the gifts the givers actually spent a lot of time choosing are probably not the kind of gift the less picky recipients were looking for.

Although the gift givers have been in the roles of the receivers themselves a lot of times, it can be quite difficult to express their sincerity and consideration. However, to attempt the goal of strengthening the relationships, thoughtful gifts have to be given. As much scientific research has proven that many of the gift givers’ assumptions are actually the reverse of what we might assume, maybe more people could apply what they have learned in being a gift receiver to please their recipients with their gifts, spending less money and time this Christmas because how much the gift givers care for their recipients is what really matters. Now, will the children perceive how much Santa cares for them?

One factor in this can be that people often avoid giving gifts their recipients specifically requested, believing that it would be seen less thoughtful and caring. Ironically, several studies published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (2009) have shown that when gift receivers are given gifts they requested, they appreciate them more than when they are given gifts they weren’t expecting or weren’t on their wishlist, which they gave to the givers. When the givers are

THE CASE OF NATASCHA KAMPUSCH On a hot August day, an agitated, pale, thin young woman frantically banged on the window of a house, and said, “I’m Natascha Kampusch.” She kept looking over her shoulder, anxious, and told she had been kidnapped by the owner of the house. Before this, she tried to talk to people on the streets a few times, but they all ignored her or didn’t believe her.

Hyunsoo Kim, Year 10, Sarah

for help. Priklopil kept Kampusch imprisoned in a tiny 5 square feet, windowless, sound-proof cellar that he created himself in his house. The door was made out of steel, and it was impossible for Kampusch to escape. Priklopil even hid the door behind his washing machine to conceal the cellar. A business partner of Priklopil, who didn’t know the truth of Kampusch until her escape, told how Priklopil once asked him about the best way to soundproof a room, so that a hammer drill, for example, wouldn’t be heard from outside. He was later shocked that Priklopil used this information to build the cell.

This breathless woman’s name is Natascha Kampusch, and she disappeared eight years ago when she was returning home from school in Vienna, Austria. A twelve year old witness reported seeing her being dragged into a white van. Police searched hundreds and hundreds of mini vans but couldn’t find the kidnapper. There was much speculation, but none of this helped the officers to find Natacha.

The cellar Kampusch lived in was in a terrible condition. The secret room was dark, damp and barely ventilated. Kampusch said what most bothered her in that room was the humidity, and how it was so overpowering, especially in summer and on rainy days.

Why did Kampusch disappear? Who were the kidnappers? As she began to talk, the terrible truth was unveiled.

In the early days of her captivity, she was forced to stay in the cellar all the time. Since there were no windows to indicate what was happening outside, her inner clock stopped operating, and she wasn’t able to distinguish between day and night. Water sometimes leaked drop by drop into the cellar. In a documentary, she said “Every drop of water meant more humidity and more mould. It wasn’t

On the day when she vanished, Kampusch was walking back home from school. On her way home, communication technician Wolfgang Priklopil was hiding, waiting for her to come, and lifted and threw her into the back of his van while she screamed

nice at all with all the insects”. The cellar was always cold, damp and disgusting. She also described the fan installed in the cellar that was a further torture to her. It was so noisy and when it went on for too long the whole room became very hot.

But after a few years, it became harder for her to bear him. He made her call him as ‘master’ or ‘my lord’ and wanted to have full claim over her. And this was when he started to beat her violently and starve her. The only way to stop it was to mockingly punch herself repeatedly until he begged her to stop. Sometimes he would apologize and give her gifts, and talk about about his dream of their life together. She said he really seemed to trust her, and even went on a ski trip with her. Then when she became 18, she told Priklopil “You have brought a situation upon us in which only one of us can make it through alive. I really am grateful to you for not killing me and for taking such good care of me. That is very nice of you. But you can't force me to stay with you. I am my own person with my own needs. This situation must come to an end." He seemed defeated, and after a few weeks, she escaped when Priklopil was distracted by a phone call. Kampusch was vacuum cleaning his car, and Priklopil had to move to another place because of the sound. Kampusch saw her opportunity, left the vacuum cleaner running, and simply ran until she found someone to help her.

Right after the kidnap, Priklopil came down to see her everyday. The cellar door was sealed tightly so that it took him a lot of effort to come in. When he opened it and came down, she could sense him coming and felt very anxious. She said that every time her heart would start racing, her body on high alert, and she would break out in cold sweat.

At first, Priklopil didn’t gave her any chores or work to do, because he was afraid that if Kampusch was upstairs she would use the tools to attack him or try to escape. After some time, he grew certain that Kampusch wouldn’t run away because she was too scared to, and let her go upstairs but locked everything. He slowly integrated her more and more into his household and used her like a maid. But to make sure she wouldn’t escape, he always threatened her and locked everything.

Kampusch said it was possible that he resigned himself to let her escape. Priklopil was found dead on a railway track, hit by a train. It is most possible that he committed suicide. When Kampusch found out about this, she cried inconsolably. Because of this, many people considered conspiracy theories and even sent Kampusch rude mails. Some claimed she might have stockholm syndrome, but Kampusch denies this. She said people claiming these things are very disrespectful, and that they must allow her to describe and analyse the complex relationship she had with her kidnapper.

Priklopil was relatively wealthy, but he starved Kampusch. He very often denied her food and let her become very thin and physically weak so that she was unable to escape. She later revealed at one time her BMI reached a low of 14.8. When she escaped, she only weighed 48 kg, and she weighed 45 kg when she was kidnapped. Kampusch had grown 15 centimeters during her time in captivity.

In an interview with Kampusch, she revealed several things about her captivity. In the beginning, Kampusch and Priklopil had an uncomplicated relationship. 10 year-old Kampusch would ask him to read a bedtime story, and tuck her in, and Priklopil did. Priklopil would even buy her presents such as expensive croissants and toy sets. He also gave her books, which she used to educate herself. But as time passed, he started to give her things like scotch tapes and a bottle of mouthwash, and even told her to think him as an Egyptian god. She said she decided to regress to the psychological state of a toddler, because it was the easiest for her to play along with Priklopil.

Few years after her escape, Kampusch became the new face of PETA, an animal rights group to demand freedom of zoo animals. Kampusch wrote a book about her captivity titled 3,096 Days. In her book, she quoted “I feel more and more sorry for him, he’s a poor soul.” After his death, Natascha mourned for him but still felt relieved felt relieved, but still referred to him as a ‘criminal’. Psychiatrists believe that what Priklopil craved was her love, and the reason he starved and beat her was to make her dependant on him, which seemed to have a lasting effect on Kampusch. Even though Priklopil’s abusive deeds could never be justified, he had spent a very long time with her, which hugely influenced Kampusch’s life.

GROUP ARTICLE

Basing all our articles on this term’s theme “relationships”, we, the small group, decided to twist and tweak things a little bit.

When I say relationship, many of you readers will think of love or friendship, relationships that are most familiar to you. And yes, I believe it is reasonable to do so, judging from the fact that we humans base everything upon instinct and experience. That is why we chose “unrequited love”, or one sided love, as our theme.

A relationship is a bridge: there must be a start and an end. However, I ask, do you think there can be a one sided bridge? Can love be left unreciprocated, or must it be returned?

In this section of the Islander, the small group decided to answer this question. Linus Kim, Minsol Kim, Yeong Woo Lee, Woong Ji Jeong and I wrote short prose and fictional stories, each embellished with precious jewels many call life lessons, to portray the pain we feel upon betrayal. Additionally, Geun Tak Yoo, our only non fiction writer, decided to devise a piece that denounces contemporary tech moguls through clever legerdemain.

As the editor of the proudly standing small group, I sincerely hope that you, the readers, get to contemplate and ultimately enjoy the articles we present to you in this edition of the Islander.

Shunto Shigetomi

You who never understands By Linus Kim, Year 11, Jeoji

GROUP ARTICLE

For numberless times I walk past; Each step, mourning for my lost loveBut replenished with hope every morning; Yet to be led again, to the same road I took-

I wonder within a dream where I dance along my dear; An immaterial desire: How I eagerly wish, That you would embrace me, or to love me;

But I wake up cold, In a room where I do not see you; No matter how hard I search, No matter how hard I shout for it, Still I am standing in the midst of a room, Where no hint of you can be touched, found, or seen.

Although I am hurt, I am torn into pieces, and Woven back myself a thousand times. Burned alight alive, but holding my ground, Simply to Keep up the love that I ought to show, I still walk up to the road Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve brushed a million times, And to encounter you who never understands.

Falling in love is never a perfect fit By Minsol Kim, Year 9, Noro

GROUP ARTICLE

Alone for the last 5 years, I felt something invisible that

us; it was like a drama. Lots of people loved and

connected him and I, no matter how far away we were

congratulated us on our engagement, and it was at

from each other, no matter what crossed our paths.

that time I was able bathe myself in true love.

But when I found out that nobody was at the end of the invisible string that I held, I fell powerlessly. That’s only three weeks ago.

In couple of hours, everyone will start feeling sorry for me. But before that, I decided that I’ll endure the

The couple of hours passed faster than the speed

emptiness and the pain alone; I thought that it’ll give

of the SNS of today. His death didn’t end in peace.

me time to think over, to recover from my fall. Tears

He wasn’t just an ordinary, everyday man; no one

were on the verge of bursting out, but my mind kept

expected his death to occur so suddenly. The whole

tugging them in. I knew I could get over it in a hour or

world will be crying by now, and I’m no different from

two.

the others. Despite the endless stream of tears, disgust was the only emotion within me; I detest this feeling of contentment, of being more concerned about myself

I realized I was sitting on the same spot for hours

his death, but wasn’t able to deny it. I was sinking,

against the powerful, methodical ticking of the clock,

slowly, into abject helplessness.

drowning, suffocating myself in meaningless thoughts, feasting greedily on the happiest times of my life, when I had him at hand. All the lines that I acted out

The following week just went by. My schedule

as a loving couple only deepened our relationship. It

overflowed with interviews related to his death,

never stopped growing. After five years of pretending

responding to the SNS posts on how good of a person

and being in love at the same time, we announce to

he was, how everyone of them misses him. Once a

the public that we are getting married. The moment

glorious queen, seeing my throne burn down into

he got down on one knee with a nicely fitted suit on,

shreds, crackling at my heartache, branded me with

offering me an engagement ring, I was flustered,

humility. When you post something on one’s timeline,

scared, yet joyous. It was the most unforgettable night,

knowing that there would be no reply, when you know

but also a night that would never come back. Our love

that someone precious is no longer beside you, was

was fierce and the real-life chemistry was between

unrequited.

Hope the sun still shines. By Shunto Shigetomi, Year 11, Noro

GROUP ARTICLE

My beating heart, dredged, dropped like a lifeless body, plagued with the disease of true desire. No

matter how much she cleaves the flesh of loving to the bone, I stand, resurrect with a might unstoppable but with her shield. Impregnable. Feelings didn’t matter; I wanted the one I shall never have.

I was as helpless as a lost child, reaching ceaselessly for what he or she can never lay her hands on. I

miss the one who isn’t mine to miss, gripping fervently to drown myself into euphoria; it was a euphoria of scent, a scenery so vivid yet cruel. Black as it was, my feelings welled, flickering between sanity and lunacy. It was going to burn any second, a match that violently wields my mind.

A glimpse was enough to shred a painful smile. I would bite on my tongue till it bleeds to stop myself from speaking to her. I would turn a blind eye on every venom she would spit behind my back. I would kill my breath when she passes by, when she glares at me with placid disgust.

My heart’s grown brutal, savage from the fantasies it preyed upon. Among the millions of miracles, this was not one that would come true, for it was a dream too mellow and ethereal to vision again. Beauty was a mere facade. Perfection was mere flattery. It was unbearable: her long, entwining hair, gently sloping lips, a fickle figure more alluring than her tender, tainted eyes.

She would be the first, and she would be the last. I shall watch her, indifferent of my anguish, till she rips

into shreds from the turmoil that is to come. She’ll never notice me, of my existence; no matter how disapproving she is of me, I will always tell myself:

“Hope the sun still shines.”

An Extreme Decision By Woong Ji Jung, Year 11, Noro

GROUP ARTICLE

The bright morning sunshine greeted the drowsy

neighborhoods, it all seemed colourless. Perhaps

residents of Liverpool. Shaking, the streets outside

I’m the only who changed during those years. As

were filled with laughing pedestrians; everything

meaningless thoughts blew into my mind, a shop, a

seemed so exciting.

small flower shop, appeared out of nowhere. It was near our school, just around the corner, so I visited it. Except me.

Sweet, sweet memories. Looking around, I spotted purple, shriveled rose; a wonderful looking flower it is:

In my room, pensive pills lay scattered haphazardly on

the smell, gushing out of the petals, was as divine as

the floor. Will she know this damning pain? It’s about

the scent of her perfume. As I step out the shop, there

time; she’ll be shopping carelessly with her friends.

she is, with that innocent, painfully oblivious smile.

She might even be going out with a random dude, a senior, better looking and fitter than I’ll ever be. I get

I lost my world. I grasped her hands strong and

it: her lovely hair, charming eyes, and fascinating grin,

handed her the rose. She refused to make eye contact,

characteristics that no mere mortal can possess.

trembling terribly with fear and, without hesitation, shook my hand off. She tossed my rose like it was nothing; petals frantically fluttered away.

All the wasted time, money, and effort. Regret swelled like a tumor. Each breath stabbed me to the

I ran.

throat, blood guttering, cloying as I speak. But nothing changed. Her responses were as dismal as ever, no different than the heartless atmosphere of my room.

Death smiled high above the night skies, a crescent

Every time, her deathly eyes petrified my beating heart

moon. The mocking wind scraped my unmoving face.

without mercy. It hurts, yet someone keeps dragging

The clouds seemed dismal, heavy. It’s all because

me, screaming, a courage without foothold.

of her. I gave her my world, my life, my unwavering attention. Yet, she never smiled back once. Fear. Humiliation. Regret. Will my family be okay? Will she

The morning sunlight blinded me. Why is nature against me? What did I ever do to it? The freshening

even care about my death? All I ever wished for was

air whispers, painfully, of the filth I stayed amongst

a smile. I was a Don Quixote of my own: no love to

as time torpidly creeped by. My one and only

spare.

chance, now out of reach. Steps to my old school felt Next to the cold corpse was a girl, smiling.

heavy; I felt like a convict. Familiar roads, identical

COLORS By Yeoungwoo Lee, Year 11, Noro

GROUP ARTICLE

People can draw. There is none who cannot

As usual we met at the balcony. She was

draw. Paintings produced by these people can be truly

crying. There was nothing I can do other than draw

be considered as paintings by two conditions: whether

paintings. I squeezed the last of my fruits to cheer

it can be coloured or not. My paintings were outcomes

her up. I drew. My second work was a portrait of her.

of oblivion, manifesting my thoughts, of nothingness.

Her hair was entangled, winding along the curves

True artists must know how choose appropriate colors

of charming, emaciated shoulders. Her eyes were

that best fit their emotions. Ever since I majored art in

a bit swollen; she must have cried for a while, tears

college, my paintings changed.

trickling down her chin. Her lips weren’t the lips of a woman, losing the vivacious colors of life. She looked very natural having no makeup on her face. It rained.

The painting was realism, drawn just in my

I started to draw her miserable yet delicate face. The

room. I was stunned, almost exasperated. I was fired

blue brush strokes were unruffled and smooth, much

for a trifling blunder: putting excess sugar in my boss’s

like the tears running down her bare, lifeless cheeks.

coffee. Though I detested my early mornings, I was nevertheless enjoying it. But the moment I got fired, I wasn’t able to control my resentment against the

belligerence of reality. I looked pathetic, only to pity

that day. Everyday turned back into nullity. I spent

I wasn’t able to see her at the balcony after

myself for losing everything that mattered. Red. A new

my days doing nothing. In the mornings when I

fridge in the kitchen, an old, decrepit TV, a laptop on

opened my eyes, I wasn’t able to feel the beating of a

the table, the mountainous piles of books that I’ve

man’s heart, but only the desperate drumming of my

collected my whole life. I just sat down and drew what

wretched soul against my hollow chest. During lunch,

I’ve saw; the brush strokes on that painting was coarse.

the elation I used to feel when I eat was gone. Going to bed felt like entering a coffin; it was dreadful to think about the tomorrow. Drawing her was my only paradise.

I was fired again. I stayed home drawing the view from my window: the dull, boring grey of encroachment, of industrialization. It was that day I got close to my neighbor. She was also jobless, so we stayed home all

the time, the only difference being that she wasn’t an

amusement in my life. She was like a lighthouse

artist. She lived next door and we met at the balcony

lighting a way to erase the gloom that plagued every

of our homes everyday, chatting away endlessly about

second of my future. But her absence only gave birth

our lives and our long lost jobs. As time slept away, I

to despondency. Black. I’ve never painted a portrait

began to feel a passionate candle flame bursting in my

with only black, but today was a fit day: black was the

heart, but destiny wielded the snuffer.

last color I saw, and the only color I’ll ever see.

The more I got to know her, the more

iDiotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Unrequited Love for Apple

By Daniel Geun Tak Yoo, Year 11, Geomun

GROUP ARTICLE

Apple was always popular: as the world’s largest information technology company, Apple holds great pride in its products that range from the revolutionary iPod to the universal iPhone. Unfortunately, that is not the case any longer. The philosophy behind Apple’s recent keynote was nothing but nonsensical, filled with all sorts of fancy-yetout-of-focus distractions like Tim Cook’s ‘carpool karaoke’ session with James Corden and Pharrell Williams; Sia’s funky performance of her new song ‘The Greatest’; or Shigeru Miyamoto’s presentation of the game ‘Mario Run’ that is soon to launched on the App Store. However, regardless of all the honeyed packaging, the content was all a big disappointment to the many buyers around the world.

On 7th of September, Apple held its ‘Apple Special Event’ keynote in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco. There were some minor updates such as Nintendo’s new mobile game ‘Mario Run’ or the new Apple Watch Series 2, with water resistance for up to 50 metres, a built-in GPS, and a new dual-core processor. But, despite all that, the star of the keynote was, as always, the new iPhone 7.

Two new models were unveiled; iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Nothing has changed. Same old design, higher price. The new

iPhone 7 is the same price as the iPhone 6 Plus, and the price gap between iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 6 series is $220. Yet, the increase in price did not lead to any major changes. Of course there were a few changes: the camera now has 12MP of resolution (which Samsung had already imbedded in their Galaxy series since 2012), the jet black iPhone edition starts from a capacity of 128 gigabytes, and it is said to have the longest battery life ever ‘in an iPhone’.

But even the almighty Apple seems to be running out of ideas, so they simply removed home button and got rid of the headphone jack.

What the consumers were enraged most about was getting rid of the headphone jack. Apple’s standing on this issue was that they removed the headphone jack because there is a lightning port which was more “versatile”. Phillip W. Schiller, the senior vice president of global marketing at Apple, even announced proudly during the keynote that the dongles, which enable devices to connect with a regular 3.5 mm headphone jack, comes along with iPhone package.

Yeah, as if Apple was being so generous.

Apple then gave another solution

this problem, and that was making consumers buy a pair of wireless earphones, also known as “air” pods, that are specially customized to be easily lost and look like pair of cotton buds when using it. These airpods have infrared sensors to allow music to play only once the user has plugged them into their ears, and when the user is speaking, the voice accelerometers tick in to filter out external noise. They even have their own chip, the W1 chip, which users can connect to Siri when they tap it twice. They have their very own charging case that has a battery life of 24 hours, and the earphones have a battery life of up to 5 hours with a single charge. But do we really need all that in just a pair of earphones? In my opinion, Apple went way too far with this one.

We all know how this will end. People complain about it for a few weeks, and if people who use iPhone 7 series increase, they just tend to become content to go on and praise the iPhone 7 as the best phone in the world - because by far it is the newest iPhone they’ve got - and in just a few years people will start thanking Apple for getting rid of the headphone jack, just like they did when the macintosh got rid of its port for floppy disks; the ultimate paradox.

Oh but who cares; it’s all about the iDiots’ unrequited love of apple.

PHILOSOPHY PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES CHELSEA (YOON) PARK YEAR 12, HALLA EAST

I took a course in philosophy at Stanford this past summer, and, to tell you the truth, I went there with an open mind to explore a new branch of academic discipline not knowing exactly where this road would take me. While this experience has proven to be engaging and fulfilling, albeit challenging to say the least, it has certainly encouraged me to contemplate the questions of our existence, knowledge, and, by extension, truth. In fact, I enjoyed the class so much that, much to my peersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dismay, I decided to sign up for IB Philosophy back in school. Now, I do want to assure you the readers that this piece will not be some pretentious academic regurgitation of what little I know about this subject at large. Instead, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some simple and interesting insights that have come my way as of late all in the hopes of reintroducing philosophy in a more relevant and user-friendly light.

ENTER THE MATRIX So what is philosophy? According to our very dear and “user-friendly” Wikipedia, philosophy, whose term is purported to have been coined by the well-renowned Greek philosopher Pythagoras, is “the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, value, reason, mind, and language.” Classic philosophical questions include “Is it possible to know anything and to prove it?” More practical questions include “Is there a best way to live?”, “Is it better to be just or unjust?”, and “Do humans have free will?” The first question may come across as very dry and pedantic, but the second set, I believe, still possesses to this day the magical power to stimulate our mind and conscience. In fact, the blockbuster movie Matrix is completely based on this simple question of free will, “in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called the Matrix.” This is where it gets a bit bizarre and, for lack of a better word, creepy. Not only has this sci-fi action film touched the psyche of an entire generation of moviegoers by entertaining the notion that perhaps our reality is no different from that described in the movie, but we now also have some high-profile credible luminaries from various professional fields that actually subscribe to and advocate the very concept. I’m sure most of us have watched Avengers and/or Iron Man. Apparently, there exists a “real-life” version of Tony Stark by the name of Elon Musk, an American business magnate, investor, engineer, and inventor with an estimated net worth of roughly $12 billion. Only a few months ago, he asserted that the odds are "a billion to one" against us living in "base reality". Similarly, an American author, computer scientist, inventor, and Google's machine-intelligence guru Ray Kurzweil has suggested that "maybe our whole universe is a science experiment of some junior high-school student in another universe". Even an American theoretical physicist and cosmologist Alan Guth, who currently serves as Victor Weisskopf Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “has suggested that our entire Universe might be real yet still a kind of lab experiment - that our Universe was created by some super-intelligence, much as biologists breed colonies of microorganisms.” As if such Matrix-esque consensus alone weren’t enough to shake our basic understanding of reality, a second scenario below completely shatters what we understand to be true about our reality: Musk and other like-minded folk are suggesting that we are entirely simulated beings. We could be nothing more than strings of information manipulated in some gigantic computer, like the characters in a video game. Even our brains are simulated, and are responding to simulated sensory inputs. In this view, there is no Matrix to "escape from". This is where we live, and is our only chance of "living" at all.

And the debate goes on and on.

REFLECTION AND CONTEMPLATION Humanity has certainly come a long way since the days of Pythagoras, and science has been very instrumental in helping us understand how the world works. But the central question still remains: Does it lead us to truth, and who determines what is true and what is not? A German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who himself was a science enthusiast and is famously known for saying “God is dead”, also recognised that even science had its limitations. Although science has allowed us to describe the world in greater detail, we are still clueless as to the meaning behind it all because “science… has no consideration for ultimate purposes.” The danger, then, lies in instinctively clinging to familiar things and wishing to stay within our comfort zones by worshipping science as a kind of new religion, for worshipping knowledge for knowledge’s sake can lead to dire consequences. This brings to my final thought. The main reason I study philosophy is to find intrinsic value in reflection and contemplation because “Man shouldn’t be the servant of knowledge. Knowledge should be the servant of man.”

Adrienne Yoon Year 10 Sarah

YOU

run a shop. It’s a jewellery shop, with all the personal adornment made with precious metals and gemstones. One day, you realise that the most expensive necklace in stock is gone. It is so precious that you feel like you’ve lost your raison d’etre, the reason for your existence. You try everything to catch the person who stole your necklace, but you don’t. Then you forget about it slowly; it fades but it never completely goes away. But fifty years later, an old man confesses that he was the one who stole the necklace. What will you do? Will you turn to the law to punish him? For something he has done fifty years ago? Don’t you think it will make you an unforgiving miser who holds a grudge? But what about the years you have spent mourning, thinking about the precious necklace? And the money you have lost? If someone had done something wrong a long, long time ago, should he or she be punished for it? Who and what determines the statute of limitation when it comes to crime? Recently, President Park of Korea has accepted ten million yen from Japan, putting an end to the conflict about comfort women, or sex slaves, as it should be properly addressed. However, this negotiation with Japan has only raised the voices of discontentment of the people of Korea. What is happening between Korea and Japan? For thirty-five years from 1910 to 1945, Korea was under the control of Japan. During that period, countless numbers of people in Korea were slaughtered and exploited just because they were Koreans. Comfort women

were one of the worst victims of Japan’s coercive

The Korean government have been asking for a proper

policies. From 12-year-old girls to women of the age of

apology from the government of Japan for decades, for the

24 were forced to serve as sexual entertainment for the

inhuman savagery.

soldiers of Japan. They were locked in small rooms, not

Let’s look at things on Japan’s side. In 2001, the former

even provided with the least amount of food they needed,

prime minister of Japan, Koizumi, wrote a letter of apology

praying that the nightmare will come to an end, someday.

for the comfort women problem. He claimed, in the politely

They were tortured in ways you probably can’t even

written letter, that Japan will not turn away from the

imagine. The pain they had to go through is inexpressible

problem about comfort women and that they will educate

in words. Those young girls, most of them being about the

their people so that the same mistake is not made ever

same age as you, had to face soldiers who had nowhere to

again. Prime minister Koizumi also offered 2 million yen

take out their primal instincts. Every single day, they had

to each victim. Most importantly, a number of Japanese

to cry in fear and shame. Even after the women came back

people, as individuals, have made proper apologies towards

to Korea, they were looked down on, being called ‘sluts who

Korea, admitting to the crime. One might wonder why

hung out with the Japanese soldiers’.

are Koreans still so obsessed with the problem, when the

Design by Daniel Son

prime minister of Japan has written a letter of apology, and

the responsibility of the Japanese people as individuals,

even tried to compensate their wrongdoings with money?

since it was they who brought all the women to Japan and

The apology was just for show and lacked sincerity; the

made them sex slaves. On the other side of the coin, people

government of Japan has tried to conceal the crime they

of Japan don’t understand the Koreans still gripping onto

have committed, unlike what Koizumi had promised,

something that happened ages ago, when they have already

denying the whole problem of comfort women. The apology

made apologies and offered compensation.

made was to show the world that they have officially

Let’s go back to the question I asked you in the

said something. In reality, it was saying something like

beginning: If someone has done something wrong a long,

‘Sowwy...So there. Are you satisfied now?’ to a crybaby

long time ago, should he or she be punished for it? The

who won’t stop grizzling. From the Korean point of view,

second world war ended, and the women who were forced

the government, not the people, of Japan is just trying to

into Japan returned to Korea more than 70 years ago. Are

conceal and get over a problem that will only give Japan

the people still just tied to the past, not even trying to move

a bad name. Meanwhile, the Japanese government is just

on, or is it a brutal crime that should never be forgotten?

passing the buck to the general public, repeating that it is

최순실 게이트.

Choi Sun Shil Gate

Yun Bin Cho, Year 11, Mulchat

“History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise, we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done” to quote Sydney J Harris. From 1903 to 1911 Rasputin, a monk, has manipulated Tsaris Alexandria and finally led to the fall of the Russian monarchy. More than a century past and South Koreans are now horrified to realize that Choi Sun Shil, the daughter of a religious cult leader, has been getting access to classified information from the Blue House, and has allegedly been making decisions on behalf of the president during the four years of President Park’s presidency. Korea now faces one of the biggest challenge to prevent this situation from ever happening again and find the best way to punish those who are responsible. The Choi Sun Shil incident cannot be understood as “innocent” as President Park has said in her national apology. The incident is being portrayed as the president is no more than a puppet of a religious cult leader, and is incapable of making a proper decision on her own. As a result, Korea’s reputation in international politics has been severely damaged especially at a time when Korea was about to make a contract with Japan to share military information as the tension with the North has been heightened. Not only Korea’s position in the Far East Asia has been lost, but President Park also lost people’s support rating less than 10% in the national poll published by JTBC in October 26th. This illustrates how it is impossible for President Park to remain in her position as president representing the country. Thus, this incident should not be taken lightly, but it is crucial to find a way to rebuild the trust from the people with the Korean government.

Choi Sun Shil gate is not just simply the fault of the President. The affair is just the tip of the iceberg of ‘corruption of Korea’s politics’. President’s Park’s relationship with Choi Sun Shil has not been temporarily, but continued for more than 40 years. This means that those who closely aided the President must have known the alleged misconduct of the President, but continued to keep the clandestine relationship a secret for their own benefit. Even more than just keeping it undisclosed, the fact that the Saenuri party has failed to inspect the President and that some, known as the ‘door knob threesome’, allegedly helped to pass the classified files to Choi shows that this issue cannot be overcome by simply impeaching the President. It shows that the problem also lies in the Blue House security situation and those who closely served the President.

The drop in Korea’s reputation shows that this event should not be understated. There are some who still advocate for President Park, claiming that she is the ‘victim’ and that she is also ‘hurt’ and there are also people like the Presidential Secretary for Petition trying to restrain the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) from investigating the Blue House; however this is only aggravating the situation. President Park has already crossed the line of what is acceptable, and trying to move on from this situation without taking full responsibility will only do more damage to her. More that 30,000 protestors are shouting for the President's impeachment, and the least thing that the President can do for them is to go through a proper investigation and make a sincere apology for her actions. The first step to deal with this national crisis, is to go through a proper investigation. Nixon’s Watergate scandal also revealed the faulty relationship of the President, FBI and CIA during the investigation process. This incident can be turned into a chance to reveal the alleged corruption of the government and have a new start. However, currently the SPO is taking suspicious actions such as reporting Ms.Choi’s return to Korea late, and also giving her a day to rest at her home before properly investigating her, which could have given Ms.Choi the time to destroy some of the critical evidence. Therefore, it is essential for the SPO or other

최순실 40

force to go through an efficient and transparent investigation promptly before all the evidence get delayed and the root of any corruption remains. If this cornerstone of the affair remains, it would be only a matter of time for them to find a new puppet to become their next President, and the history would be repeated again. After the truth of the Choi Sun Shil gate is disclosed, the next step is to prevent it from ever happening again by altering the constitution. The government system gives extraordinary power to the President, and the consequences that it brings when the President leads to a sort of problem. Especially in the current situation when it’s a lame-duck for presidency, it is creating more chaos, as both the potential presidential nominees and citizens are not ready to elect the new President in 60 days. Therefore, getting rid of the outdated system from 1980s, and adopting the system that let’s the country operate properly no matter what happens to the President is necessary. The US had been able to promptly deal after the Nixon’s forced resignation as they had a Vice President to replace him. However, Korea’s prime minister is appointed by the President, thus lacks the support of the people to represent the country. Hence, in order to prevent this chaotic state when President cannot fulfill his/her duty, the constitution should be renewed. Nevertheless, this should be done under control of Theminju party and Gukminyi party, not under control of the President to guarantee the transparency and meet the people’s reaction to the outbreak of the affair. The President has crossed the red line and the alleged inefficiency and corruption of those who served her shows that she cannot maintain the role of President. The President should stop hiding away from the angered citizens, but to go through a proper investigation and take responsibility to her actions. “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” is what Winston Churchill said. Our nation should take the Choi Sun Shil gate incident as the opportunity to create a more transparent and stable government.

게이트. 41

HUMANS OF NLCS Yeasung Lee, Year 11 Noro & Justin Cho, Year 11 Mulchat A STUDENT TO A TEACHER OF AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Mr Cox The majority of our school staff have come from the UK, having attended British schools there. However, Mr Cox has attended an international school, the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore when he was young, once, like all of us. From a student to a teacher in an international school, hear about his experience and how he became who he is today!

Q: How long did you stay in the

here and I wanted to be part of a school

Singapore?

that offers those opportunities.

lots of positives that keep me going.

Being a HM in Halla would probably be I stayed in Singapore for 9 years. I went

Q: Do you have a different view of an

different in the sense that I need more

to junior school in Tanglin junior school,

international school now as a teacher?

responsibility on safeguarding and all

then at the age of 11, I went up to the

measures must be in place to secure a

United World College and finished my

student’s full potential. I have some add-

IGCSEs. I first moved to Singapore

No, it is pretty much the same. NLCS

ed pressure as all the students are worried

because my dad was a teacher at United

is really a unique international school

about IB and are stressed out by exams

World College and he applied for a job in

having mostly Korean, some Chinese and

coming up. I will have to find a balance

1987. It was that summer when I was 8,

staff children attending. However the

in making them do what they need to do,

that I moved to Singapore.

ethos behind, and what the teachers want

but also in making sure that they aren’t

to impress upon, is the same.

stressing themselves too much.

I believe that an international school

Q: What is your opinion on Jeju, hav-

broadens students’ horizons. The Year

ing stayed here for so long?

Q: Did you have any difficulties moving from Europe to an Asian international school? My school was very different from

13s here are heading off to universities

NLCS. It was more of an “international”

all over the place to leave their home

school with about 42 different nationali-

country and experience the world out

I love Jeju. To start off, so many days

ties. There was no one dominant nation-

there. In the UK, students will generally

are sunny and beautiful compared to the

ality and English had to be the language

just leave school to a UK university.

UK, where I come from. This is an enor-

used by everyone. Singaporeans were not

mous advantage because I love outdoor

allowed to attend an international school

activities, climbing mountains, going

and had to go to Singaporean schools,

Q: How was your experience as the

into the sea and riding the bike. I also

so only small pockets of students used

AHM of Mulchat and moving to

have three children and I can’t imagine

certain languages at school. Everyone

Halla as a HM?

anywhere else in the world that is safer

used English.

and cleaner for them to grow up in. Jeju is just fantastic for children and brilliant

Q: Did your childhood in an interna-

Being the AHM of Mulchat was brilliant

tional school affect you in deciding to

because I made closer relationships with

work in an international school?

students and enjoyed spending time with them. They really make me enthusiastic

It definitely did. When I started teaching

about my job and bring me energy. The

in the UK, I always wanted to move

only difficulty would have been the

abroad at some point. The school that I

non-stop hours that we work. We only

went to as a child was fantastic and the

have 2 days off after 19 days of work,

trips and opportunities to Nepal, Ma-

so we have a long time to spend with

laysia, Thailand were amazing. The trips

students and to carry out responsibilities.

were very similar to to the trips they offer

Although we get really tired, there are still

if you like outdoor activities.

Find Mr.Cox, who is both an amazing biology teacher and HM of Halla North, to find more about him or if you have any questions! We will be asking you questions later.

ALL ABOUT RAMEN By. Lauren Lee Mulchat , Cindy Lee Mulchat & Eunice Lee Geomun, all Year 7 Illustration by. Isabella Oh, Year 10 Noro

For this article we conducted a survey, looked at the history of Ramen and came up with some tips for you to help you make your Ramen taste nice. We hope you enjoy.

NLCS Students Ramen Survey

A survey about Ramen revealed lots of different eating habits. The survey was only for the Year 7s and there were twenty one of you who responded. First of all, shock horror, there was nobody who had never tasted Ramen. However, the response for the question that asked you if you liked it or not varied. Seventeen of you answered yes and one brave soul said no. The rest said it was okay. The favorite Ramen varied but most of the answers were between ‘Snack Ramen’, ‘Hot chicken Noodles’, ‘Shin Ramen’ and ‘Neoguri’. However, the spiciest ramen Year 7 have ever eaten didn’t vary that much. Nine people, out of fifteen, answered ‘Hot Chicken Noodles’. When I asked you when you first ate Ramen and why, few people remembered. Most of you first tried it when you were young. The youngest age was one years old! I asked you if you have anything you like to eat with Ramen.

Out of fourteen responses, four answered no, six went for kimchi, four of you said egg, two people said cheese and one person said rice. Some people said multiple things. Eight people eat Ramen twice a month, five people eat it occasionally every week, two people eat it very rarely, and only one person said he eats it every day. The reason for eating ramen was often because you don’t have time to eat a proper meal or just because you want to because it is tasty. On a scale from 1 to 10 as to whether you liked the noodles, six people voted 10, which was the highest percent. There was the same amount of vote for 9 or 8. There were also the same amount of vote for 7 or 4. There was one person who said 5. There was no one who voted under 4. Year 7 like Ramen, have a fairly healthy relationship with it but they do like it hot!

History of Korean Ramen

Lots of Koreans eat ramen these days. But do they know its history? Ramen was actually brought in from Japan because of food problems. Many Koreans were starving because there wasn’t enough food. Ramen was first introduced to Korea in 15th of September, 1963. Mr.Maher (Islander Magazine Teacher) is as old as Ramen in Korea! A Korean company called “Sam-Yang” inherited the Ramen production techniques from a Japanese company, “Meo-Joe”, and made the first Ramen, chicken noodle. They saw how many Koreans were starving and how poor Korea was because the economy was bad. However, the Koreans were very reluctant to try Ramen because they had never heard of it and also because they thought it was a kind of a thread that the “Sam-Yang” was trying to trick them with. The “Sam-Yang” didn’t give up and they advertised Ramen more than before. Koreans started to taste Ramen and realized that it wasn’t a ball of thread and the word spread out. After two years a company called “Lotte” created “Lotte Ramen” encouraging the Ramen market to expand. We can say that the reason why the Ramen businesses are so big now is because of the Korean businessman’s will. Even though incomes have increased since then, people still noisily suck Ramen with gusto because it tickles our taste buds as it slithers down our throat like a snake shimmies through a tunnel.

Tips on Making Tasty Ramen

These days, a lot of people want to find out how to make tasty Ramen. Here are some easy ways. Some people add just a little bit of sugar to make the Ramen tastier and some people who want their Ramen to be spicier, sometimes add black pepper. If they like clear Ramen, they put in a drop of vinegar. Somebody who doesn’t like spicy Ramen can add a slice of cheese. People who want healthy Ramen can add onions, because onions absorb fat lard. It is also tasty if you eat with kimchi, cheese, rice and radish. Sometimes people add mushrooms and carrots. Some people fry their noodles to make it more crispy. These recipes are very popular around Korea. 45

EFFECTS ON SOCIETY By Hayun Cho, Year 7, Geomun & Justin Kim, Year 7, Jeoji

‘Gotta catch ‘em all’.

player is required to walk 10 km in real-life distance.

“Pokemon Go”, a recently developed mobile game

of getting a unique pokemon increases as the number

Pokemon will then hatch from these eggs. The chances attached to the egg increases; players have to walk

that involves the user’s movement, allows people to

long distances to acquire better pokemon. This creates

interact with the surroundings. Although the game can

a healthy walking habit and forces the users to walk on

deliver multiple benefits to users, it can also damage

a regular basis.

them as well as the people around them. Pokemon Go is an evolutionary game using Augmented Reality (AR) to catch pokemons around the world. Because of this

Moreover, the game helps tourism. The ‘Pokestops’

revolutionary technological advancement, many users

feature involves historical monuments and landmarks,

are already addicted to this AR game. As not many

attracting ‘Pokemon Go tourists.’ For example, there

games use AR technology, Pokemon Go users naturally

are pokestops at Stanford University, Google, and

seek a new experience and are therefore forced to

many more important places. If tourism increases

play it. This “Pokemania” wave was further fueled by

across the world economies will expand and everyone

renown youtubers: Pewdiepie, Ssundee, Crainer and

will acquire wealth (and health and happiness).

BajanCanadian, just to mention a few. While this game

Tourists themselves benefit from the free game items

is very popular in some parts of the world, there exists

distributed at Pokestops and will enjoy the tourist

numerous problems with the game. We will explore

attractions, some of which they might not have been

the positives and the negatives of playing Pokemon

aware of without the game.

Go. First, the benefits. The first obvious benefit is exercise.

We will tell you a funny/frightening experience

Pokemon Go was intended to encourage users to

involving a woman, a dead body and, of course,

walk. The developers introduced ‘collectable eggs’.

Pokemon Go. A woman was going to Wyoming River

The players must walk a distance in order to hatch

to catch a Pikachu, but instead what she found was an

the eggs. For instance, for a 10 km egg to hatch, the

unidentified male corpse floating in the river.

Another disadvantage is a disadvantage for the player themselves. After the release of Pokemon Go in

"I was walking towards the bridge along the shore

Brazil, thieves have been able to steal phones easier

when I saw something in the water. I had to take a

by taking the phone away from the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands

second look to realise that it was a dead body.â&#x20AC;? The

snatching it quickly. This behaviour has been recorded

police identified that there is no evidence of foul play

several times, and a man claims to have stolen four

and that the man drowned in the river.

phones from people playing Pokemon Go which he posted on facebook. This has become a problem because thieves are using peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment

While many people see Pokemon Go as a fun game,

to forcefully take their personal belongings. For

it also carries disadvantages into the heart of human

example, during the Rio Olympics, some people got

society.

their phones stolen by bikers when they were playing Pokemon Go. The thieves posted the stolen phones on facebook, saying that they earnt several new phones

First, Pokemon Go might threaten the safety of both

from Pokemon.

the player and people around them. Pokemon Go is a highly addictive game, so the players are likely to stare at their screen while playing the game. This means that

In conclusion, we determined the positives and the

they will not be aware of their surroundings and could

negatives of the new AR game, Pokemon Go. This

physically injure themselves or someone else. Once, a

game increases danger of pedestrians as well as

woman was fatally wounded on the car road because

drivers, and adds a higher risk of white-collar crimes.

the driver had been playing Pokemon Go. This shows

However, should we let a few nasty people spoil our

that Pokemon Go could threaten the lives of innocent

fun?

people just because players are not careful about where and how they play.

O n l i n e dat i n g apps & r e l at i o n s h i p s i n t h e d i g i ta l e r a

Ellie Bae Year 9 Geomun

APPS

It is a widely accepted view that the quick advance of technology has deeply influenced all parts of our lives, even the ones that we might like to think are not. Even the sacred area of love, has been inevitably and dramatically altered. Just imagine not having your phone with you all the time, exchanging messages on social media with your significant other. Instead you might have to wait until the end of the day to try and get hold of the home telephone, which, by the way, would not be so easy when all the rest of the family are trying to do the same. Or even further back, when you would have had to wait for days, weeks and months for a letter to arrive. The hand-written letters exchanged between Romeo and Juliet might sound romantic, but give them each a smartphone or the internet and none of the tragedy would have had to happen.

It would be fair to say that, along with the digital revolution, the shape of romantic relationships has also gone through a major revolution. And here comes the next stage: online dating. From being restricted to having to meet physically or write letters, then to being able to communicate with them through telephone and later the internet, the next stage takes the process almost completely into the digital world. Whereas before â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even though you could have done all the chatting and calling with your

O n l i n e dat i n g apps & r e l at i o n s h i p s i n t h e d i g i ta l e r a

phone and computer – you would still have met

bisexual and gay women. Many apps and sites,

that person in the real world, now you get to meet

including Tinder, also provide separate user pools

complete strangers, but without the risk of them

for people of different sexual orientations. For

being murderers or horrible people and you having

these people online dating could be the solution

to deal with them. Instead, you simply go through

to their small community, where most of the

looking at people’s faces and what they say about

people they meet in real life are most likely to be

themselves, on your phone, sitting in your room,

heterosexual.

on your bed, or even on the toilet. The classifications used in these apps do not stop at sexuality. Depending on the service you are Being a relatively ‘new thing,’ people’s opinions

using, they might require you to upload photos

vary. Some people see a negative connotation

of yourself, your religion, profession, income, and

to it, that meeting people online would only be

in one example, if you are male, the size of your

for people looking for short term relationships,

genitals. These pieces of information do not only

perhaps only for sexual purposes, instead of finding

play into the choices of the people at the other

love. Others see it as a great opportunity to find

end, but some apps also do not even allow you to

someone, especially when they are struggling to

become part of the service unless you pass some

do so in the real world, being too busy all the time.

form of criteria.

Dating websites and apps are also in wide use by

A very well-known social dating app in Korea called

the minority in terms of sexual orientation; the

“Amanda,” for example, does not permit you to

non-heterosexual people. A popular online meme

become a user unless your appearance (based on

shows what a revolution this might mean to them;

the photos you upload) passes a score of ³/5, the

it jokes about how it is impossible for a lesbian to

scores being given by the people who are already

find someone who is also lesbian, but is not your

users of the app. Another example is an app called

ex, your friend’s ex, or your ex’s friend, without

“Major,” which sets limitations on the jobs of its

using the internet to find new people. “Grindr”

users, only permitting government officials and

proudly calls itself “the world’s largest gay social

members of a pre-recorded list of around 300

network app,” and “Her” is an app open for queer,

companies to use its services.

O n l i n e dat i n g apps & r e l at i o n s h i p s i n t h e d i g i ta l e r a

Again, opinions vary. Some say that these

salary and over a certain standard of beauty seems,

restrictions are necessary for practical reasons;

somehow, intrinsically wrong and unnatural. Has

people naturally tend to like people of a similar

technology led us to losing our ability to find

background and status as them. The assurance that

and dream for true love, or have we always been

all of the app’s users have been “accepted” into the

thinking this way, and now we just have the tools

system, after going through whatever test you,

that make it more apparent?

too, would have gone through, is also comforting compared to when you have absolutely no idea who the person you are talking to online may be

New technology has always brought forth new

in reality. In the end, every online matching has

questions about what is human and what is not,

its objective in bringing the relationship tino the

how far we should or should not let robots take

physical world, and there is, inevitably, a degree of

over our lives. Maybe dating through mobile

uncertainty to the process. The argument is that

applications and the internet is just a passing

these criteria help reduce that level of uncertainty.

fad; or maybe it will stay and grow to take up a significant part of people’s lives. Nobody knows, but even if it fails and quickly becomes a thing of

But would it be right to set so many specifications

the past, it certainly would have challenged and

in the area of love? Surely, love must be the one

changed many conventional ideas of love and

thing that surpasses all social norms, all rules

relationships, posing questions for us to consider.

that bind us – the prince falling in love with poor Cinderella, the star-crossed lovers, a Montague and a Capulet. Looking for love exclusively within a certain pool of occupations, a certain range of

SNOW WHITEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S APPLE By Jane Ok and Alessia Kim, Year 5

Do you know the story of Snow White? It’s about a princess with hair as black as ebony, lips as red as a rose, and skin as white as snow. The evil queen, who Snow White lived with, was very jealous of Snow White’s beauty and often mistreated her. To escape the evil queen Snow White ran away into the forest where she met seven kind elves as well as many different forest animals. The evil queen, still jealous of Snow White and angry that she escaped, disguised herself as an old woman and when to find her. Upon finding Snow White, the evil offered her a poisonous apple. As soon as Snow White bit the apple she fell to the ground. The evil queen, now satisfied that there was no longer a girl more beautiful than her, asked her magic mirror who is the most beautiful women in the land. However, unknown to the evil queen, Snow White was not dead but in a deep sleep. Therefore the mirror answered that Snow White is fairest of them all. A handsome prince who had heard that Snow White had run away, came to the forest to search for her. When the prince finally found the sleeping Snow White, he gave her a kiss of true love which woke her up. Then Snow White went with the Prince to the palace where they lived happily ever after.

In the story of Snow White ,the apple that Snow White ate she was poisonous. However in the real world, only seeds in apples are poisonous. Did you know that apple seeds could be poisonous? Well, they can be if you eat lots of them. Apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide, which is a chemical compound and a lethal poison. Usually apple seeds pass through our digestive system relatively untouched. However if you chew the seeds then you will be exposed to the chemicals. Most of the time though, your body can easily detoxify them. To detoxify is to remove a poisonous or harmful substance from something. So, this means you can easily stop the apple seed poison from harming you. Even so, it is best to try to avoid eating apple seeds, or you might be the next Snow White waiting for a prince's’ kiss to wake you up.

MARS ONE. By Claire Jo and Kelly Jo, Year 6

Do you think that people can really live on Mars? Why would we need to live on Mars one day? Many scientists have different opinions about this topic. Therefore, the scientists at NASA are working very hard to investigate this question.

Life on Earth may become harder and harder due to such things like climate change, global warming, and excessive smog. Did you know that cows are causing the most trouble? When cows digest their food and pass gas, the gas become Methane. Methane is a contributing factor to global warming. Global warming could be one of the many factors that could cause humans to potentially need to leave earth one day and live on another planet such as Mars.

Other scientists say that it is impossible to live on Mars. Mars is extremely cold, with an atmosphere that has no air. Air is the main problem because that is what we all need to survive. Also, Mars has intense radiation that can cause a lot of problems to the human body. Lastly, there is no air pressure on Mars. We would just be floating around the surface.

On the other hand, some scientists say that we could live on Mars, because of the spirit of exploration. For example, the spirit the Apollo Astronauts had in the late 60s and early 70s. Moreover, some scientists believe that because of our technological improvements, one day we could live on Mars. To achieve this, many scientists are working hard to make our life easier in the future.

THE REAL MADRID FOOTBALL CAMPUS By Frank Fang, Year 5

I participated in the Real Madrid Foundation Campus Experience football Camp from Saturday July 23rd to August 6th at NLCS Jeju. It was absolutely fantastic! We lived in Jeoji, one of the five boarding houses at NLCS. The duration of the camp was 2 weeks. When I first came to the summer camp, I was so anxious, but later on, I made a bunch of new friends. Two Real Madrid coaches: Jaime and Ricardo ( Ricky ), came all the way from Spain to Jeju to teach us how to play football like a professionals. They even gave everyone a Real Madrid football kit! We mainly practiced dribbling, passing and shooting. Sometimes we also had football tournaments. We also also made our own football teams. If we were too hot, we even could go swimming at the school swimming pool! The canteen also provided delicious snacks.

Of course, there were loads of other exciting activities going on. For example, phone time, where you can phone your parents. C&U and GS25 time, where we could go out of the school to either meet our parents or to buy snacks. And finally, bed time. You must sleep when it’s ten’ o’clock at the latest.

On the last day of the football camp, we had a final football match. Our parents also got to come and watch. After the match had finished, we had a huge feast and certificates were given out. The next day morning, we were dismissed and our parents came and picked us up. Since then, the two weeks of camp is always on my mind. The most remarkable part in the camp was the last day, when we had a snack party with the coaches. I hope I have the chance to attend the camp again!

WHAT IS UN? By Claire Jo and Kelly Jo, Year 6

Have you ever heard of the United Nations? The United Nations is an intergovernmental organisation that was founded on October 24, 1945 in New York. It has 193 Member States and their goal is World Peace. When World War II ended in 1945, the World wanted peace. The presidents of every nation came to San Francisco, California where they agreed to not to attack other countries. Soon after, the UN made programmes and funds like ‘ UNHCR ’ and ‘ UNICEF .’ Since 1945, the UN votes for a Secretary General every 5 to 10 years. Proudly, the eighth Secretary General is Ban Ki-Moon from South Korea. He was elected on October 2006 and started his career in January 1, 2007. Sadly, he has to leave his position in 2017. UNHCR ( The UN Refugee Agency ) was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981. The UNHCR helps people by providing then with food and shelter. A few weeks ago, Miss Cunningham ( Assistant Head of KS1 ) talked about the UN and its goal this year which is ‘Gender Fairness”,which means to treat both genders equally.

THE TERRORIST PIGEON By Ryan Kim, Year 5

In 4th October 2016, the Indian police arrested a pigeon with a threatening note on it. They realised that it was from Pakistan. The people in Pakistan were using pigeons to send messages across the Indian-Pakistan border. The message was written in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan. It contained a Pakistani number according to the BBC and said “Modi, we’re not the same people from 1971. Now each and every child is ready to fight against India”. Modi is in reference to the Indian Prime Minister whom has been increasing spending on India’s defense. This was the second pigeon found and taken into custody in a year. Due to the deployment of these pigeons, they have been given the joking name of “terrorist” pigeons. The area it was found was is an area in great dispute between the two countries and as such has been the cause of more speculation from both sides. Of course, pigeons have been used to deliver secret messages across enemy lines for decades, most notably during the Second World War. For example, in 2012, a man had found a long deceased pigeon with a message attached to it, which had been sent from Nazi-occupied France during the war.

ROALD DAHL By Yuna Cho and Emily Jo, Year 5

Have you ever read a book by Roald Dahl? He was a well known author, especially by children. Roald Dahl was a world best seller novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Born in Wales to parents from Norway, Dahl worked in the Royal Air Force during World War, which helped him rise to the rank of acting wing commander.

Roald Dahl was born September 13th 1916. From 1929, he went to Repton School in Derbyshire. Dahl didn’t really enjoy school and wrote about his unpleasant experiences in his books. He was never seen as a particularly talented writer in his school years. Dahl was very tall (198cm) and excellent at sports. As well as admiring literature, he also had interest in photography and often carried a camera with him. During his years at Repton, Cadbury , the chocolate company, would sometimes send boxes of chocolates to the school for students to rate. Dahl always dreamt of inventing a new chocolate bar that would get the attention of Mr Cadbury. Thus the inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was born.

Throughout his childhood years, Dahl spent a lot of time with his mother’s family in Norway and wrote about those many happy memories in his book Boy: Tales of Childhood, such as playing practical jokes on his sister. After more than 50 years of hard work , Roald Dahl became the world’s number 1 bestseller author, and there was hardly anyone who didn’t know him. Unfortunately, on 23 November 1990 (aged 74) Oxford, England, UK he died. Even though our beloved author Dahl is gone, his work is still admired and always will be.

BLACK HOLES & WHITE HOLES By Hyeon Moon and Jonathan Gim, Year 6

Do you know about black holes or white holes? Black holes are space vacuum cleaners. Black holes are so enormous and strong that even light and stars canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t escape them. A black hole is a region of spacetime. If a human went into a Black hole he/she would be ripped into pieces. At the center of our Milky Way galaxy, is a supermassive black hole of about 4.3 million solar masses. The first proper black hole was founded by Karl Schwarzschild in 1916, however its interpretation as a region of space from which nothing can escape was first published by David Finkelstein in 1958. Stars normally live for 10 billion years and when it is time for a start to die, if they are very large, some become a Black Hole. A White hole is a hypothetical feature of the universe. It is considered to be the opposite of a Black hole. As black holes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let anything escape from them, White holes are eruption of matter and energy and nothing can get inside them. White holes are a possible solution to the laws of General relativity. This law implies that if eternal black holes exist in the universe, then a white hole should exist. It is a time-reversal of a black hole. They are expected to have gravity, so they attract objects.

한글 KOREAN By Lily Kim, Year 5

한글. 세종대왕.우리말

Do you know who is the best king in Korean History? I would say king Sejong is the best! He was famous for his his warm heart. He loved his people and his land. He did anything for them and respected them. But one of the most famous things he did was creating a new written language for the future. When Han-gul (Korean) was created, it was popular with people who had less money. Before Han-gul they couldn’t read or write because everyone used Chinese characters which took a long time to learn, they were very difficult and it would cost money to attend school to learn. Korean was seen as easy to learn and there are a lot of benefits if you try. First, Korean can be used by both poor people and rich people. Korean is being taught in countries that do not have a written language. Secondly, Korean can be written vertically and horizontally. English is hard to read if it is written vertically. However, Korean can be read easily whichever way it is written in. Thirdly, you can write Korean in any way you want, there is no worry about cursive handwriting. Korean is the language that our ancestors tried to protect and use during the Japanese Occupation. Some people gave up their lives to protect this language. That’s why we are still using korean today. We really need to thank our great great great grandfathers and grandmothers. Korean was made by the warmest heart on earth, King Sae-jung. The king who loved everyone, made this for the people. I love this language because this is our country’s language and it fills me with great pride.

GLOBAL WARMING By Soohee and Yejee, Year 5

Global warming is the change in our atmosphere to containing too much carbon dioxide which traps heat and warms up the planet. Global warming causes problems because when the planet gets hotter, the ice at the poles melt. Therefore, the ice that melts becomes water, which causes sea levels to rise, making islands like Tuvalu, in danger of becoming submerged. It also causes problems for some animals like polar bears. Polar bears live on ice so if the ice melts they no longer have a home.

The main cause of Global warming is the burning fossil fuels, which emit Co2. However there are other causes, like agriculture, pollution from vehicles, and deforestation. If you look at the causes carefully, you will see that they are because of human activities. So, we need to be more aware and do our part to help to stop Global warming by doing such things as planting trees, taking shorter showers, and turning off electrical devices when not used.

Now, I want to talk to you about the effects of Global warming. If you look at the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Global warmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, you might think it means that the Earth is warming up and you would be correct. Even if the temperature only rises by one degree it can make an enormous difference. In fact, if the global temperature rises between four and five degrees, all of the ice at both poles (North and South) will melt! Also, if it rises by six degrees, we would not be able to live on the Earth anymore! Even if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rise up by 4 more degrees, one third of all living species will face extinction, and new super hurricanes will destroy cities.

I have briefly outlined what global warming is and some of the causes. If you want to know more about

Global warming we suggest doing some research and considering ways in which you can help protect our earth.

Is SNS improving our social relationships?

Ryan Ji Hoon Pak, Year 10, Mulchat & Kwangeun Lee, Year 10, Geomun

Human Allergy: Why do we dislike each other? Innes Kim ,Year 12 , Halla East

I detest communal life. Once I feel hatred towards someone I can never stop it. I think that successful people were just lucky enough. I do not get treated and praised for my ability and my contribution. I rarely show my weakness to other people. I have number of relationships that I started quite nicely but ended up real bad. It’s easier to find someone’s flaw than their merit. I am 100 percent sure that my closest friend/co-worker will turn against me one day. As soon as I find someone’s fault I start to hate everything about them. If more than 5 of these apply to you, you might be suffering from Human Allergy.

At some point in your life, you may have confronted someone you just hate for no reason at all. Yes, for no reason at all. From your best friend to a complete stranger, your inner hatred starts to grow immensely in a split second unconsciously. Someone who is on the same wavelength with you can suddenly turn into a person you loathe the most. Someone who you just met for the first time can give you a somewhat uneasy impression- an impression that someday you will have to broach your innermost feeling of aversion.

Those who suffer from Human Allergy tend to store their concerns and resentment inside and they burst them

out at one point; they are mostly generated from lack of affection, mistreatment or sometimes even physical abuse. This triggers the internal anger when the patient experiences denial or a backlash from someone else. Anyone can be taken by the negative emotion, however it is part of the numerous emotions that we get to feel and has enough potential to further maturate our lives. Patients of Human Allergy, on the other hand, have quite a narrow range of emotional change. They may look relaxed on the outside but completely burnt out on the inside.

To be honest, I sometimes consider myself to be incapable of controlling my own emotions with anger bubbling

from the very bottom of my stomach. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve read books to overcome my difficulties, wrote journals to deliver of how I truly feel and tried my very best to face myself. It felt like I was going to explode if I accepted my feelings as they stood, so I had to force myself to concentrate on other things.

The author of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Why do I hate that personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; states that to overcome Human Allergy requires empathic ability along with self-examination. I, without myself noticing, was striving to recover my empathic ability by reading and went through self-examination while writing journals.

Society today lacks in time for us to empathise and reflect on ourselves. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we are to compete with others just to achieve an outcome. When the atmosphere in the room pressurises you to turn your friends to enemies, do we really get to make a choice as to whether or not to grow aversion? Naturally, as soon as you start to hate, your ability to empathise, atrophies. So take control of yourself and, if you think you suffer from Human Allergy, do something about it.

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE :THE REAL STORY Introduced below is an interview conducted by Cion Choi, Year 11 Geomun, with a North Korean refugee, currently living in South Korea. His words have enlightened and inspired a lot of us. Our motivation to help North Korean refugee settlement in South Korea is lit up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the story has moved our hearts. I hope by reading this, you will be able to feel the same. Please note that these sentences are translations of his words, which were delivered in Korean. The interview explains his journey and his experiences, as well as the emotions that this resilient man has felt along the way. These are his words.

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE : THE REAL STORY

My name is Lee Seung-Joo and I am a North Korean refugee. I escaped from North Korea in Year 11 (1998) and lived in China for 9 years. I’m currently living in South Korea, working as a teacher in Yeo-Myung school, a school for North Korean refugees in South Korea.

Q. What was it like when you were living in North Korea? When father passed away, mother spent long hours away from home selling goods to feed the family. But the business didn’t go well. One day, my brother and I went to the marketplace because we were so hungry. When we arrived, there were many kids just like us. We spent time with them together. Q. Were there any difficulties along the way? In North Korea, children without homes are called ‘Kkot-Jae-Bees’, and the government doesn’t

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE : THE REAL STORY

let them roam free on the streets. They capture them and put them in concentration camps. I have spent time in that camp too. There were around 80 of us and, more or less every day, around 5 people died. The reasons were several. First was from malnutrition and starvation, because they rarely gave us edible food. Second was from stealing and eating food that was on the ground, which made our bodies weak and vulnerable to disease. I realized what the last reason might be after thinking about it for a long time – it was because the ‘Kkot-Jae-Bees’ didn’t have dreams. They didn’t have family, no place to go, and no hope. This might have been the real reason for their young death. Q. Why do many North Koreans escape North Korea? The reason for escaping is simple - they are hungry. Many people think that legislative solutions such as the ‘UN declaration of human rights’ will help the North Korean people, but actually, the declaration has no effect in the country itself. Although the most basic human right is to eat, during the mid-90s, a huge number of North Koreans died from starvation – including my father. That is when I decided to escape to China with my mother. Q. How did you learn about the world outside North Korea? I didn’t learn about the world before escaping. There was no outside connection, and I had no idea what the world was like. I initially planned to get out of the country, earn money, and return. However, when I actually escaped, I realized that earning money, as a refugee, is not as easy as I thought. After one or two years, I wasn’t able to return at all. Q. Where do most North Korean refugees come from? Most refugees escape from areas of North Korea that touch the Chinese border, because it is impossible to travel from the Southern region or PyeongYang without being caught at checkpoints in places like train stations. Roaming around freely using public transport is not allowed in North Korea.

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE : THE REAL STORY

Q. What was it like when you finally escaped to China? Once I escaped to China, I couldn’t return to North Korea. In North Korea, I couldn’t live because of starvation, but in China, I couldn’t live through the fear of being discovered. In China, deportation of North Korean refugees back to North Korea is not uncommon. When sent back, you are not welcomed. You are put in prison, tortured, and forced to do things that cannot be expressed in words. Q. How did you manage to escape so many times and still survive? It was because I am talented at lying. I am in my thirties now, but because I am neither tall nor sturdy, I could pretend to be younger when the North Korean soldiers interrogated me. At that time, they couldn’t identify my age exactly because there was no family to ask and no home to visit. There was no way they could find out my real age. Q. What is most memorable to you from your experiences in China? There was this one person that I am very grateful towards. It is because of his kindness that I survived in China for nine years without starving to death. This person waited for me even when I had been deported back to North Korea. He didn’t move house or change his phone number for me, so that I could find him again. Q. It seems that human trafficking is a serious issue for female refugees. Is this true? Many women are captured and taken to rural regions of China against their will. Because there is not much transportation through those areas, it is very difficult for them to escape once they are taken. I met my sister after 10 years when I came to South Korea in 2008. After being separated in 1998 when we escaped, she had also lived in China. I wanted to ask her what life was like, but I couldn’t, because I knew very well what they do to female North Korean refugees in those isolated rural areas. These women, who live in China against their will, suffer because of unwanted pregnancy. If

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE : THE REAL STORY

they ever get a chance to escape to South Korea, some people take their children with them because they can’t leave them behind. Yeo-Myung school is the school for these children. We teach them Korean and help them adapt to South Korean society. Q. Speaking of Yeo-Myung school, what are your experiences in that school, working as a teacher? When I first came to Yeo-Myung school, I was 25 years old. I graduated college and became a teacher. Many students in our school ask me: “Will I be able to hang out with South Koreans even if I am a North Korean refugee?” It is hard. It is challenging. That is because the society still has resentment towards people who are different from ‘us’. It is because there is prejudice towards North Korean refugees. They are considered as uneducated and weak. On top of all this, they lack self-confidence themselves. We must look through these walls of prejudice and aim to recognize the similarities we share as a nation. Q. What was it like to see South Korea for the first time? Was it very different from what you imagined? When I was in China, I watched the 2002 World Cup and the presidential election of President Noh Mu-Heon, as well as Korean news and drama, so I was a little aware of what it would be like. At first, I didn’t try imagining what it would be like at all. I just simply wanted to be somewhere safe, where I could feed my family and myself. So, I didn’t expect much. When I first arrived, I was quite shocked by the amount of air pollution in Seoul and the way urban people paid little attention to their neighbors, since in North Korea, community spirit is very strong even though people are poor.

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE :THE REAL STORY

Q. How does the South Korean government support North Korean refugees? The money given for settlement is 4,000,000 won. If the refugee has a family, a small home is given as well. However, since most refugees escape North Korea through the help of Chinese brokers, they have to pay the fees, and four million won isn’t enough. They get educated, for the first time, in ‘Hanawon’, a public centre for North Korean refugee education. Most refugees shed tears on their first night back from ‘Hanawon’ school, because they are able to express their emotions for the first time. The sense of relief and sadness all comes out as tears that they have been holding back. Q. Why do some refugees want to return to North Korea? Personally, I have never thought of going back. It could be because some Chinese brokers who are looking to get the money trick some people into escaping North Korea. Also, for people who had power and wealth in North Korea, they regret escaping because they have to start all over again in South Korea, fighting the prejudice that exists towards refugees. However, the biggest reason for the majority of the people who wish to return would be because they miss their families back in North Korea. Q. What do you think will happen to the current North Korean regiem? If it were to collapse, it would have collapsed in the mid-90s when almost half the population died of starvation. The current regime isn’t afraid of living standards declining at all. There are extreme levels of punishment and supervision so that civil protest is near impossible. Propaganda to portray the Kim dictators as heroes is so widely and deeply integrated into the people’s minds that most North Koreans think that protesting equals betraying the country and lowering the country’s national pride. Brainwashing is prominent throughout all years of education – which is why I think education needs to change first for the North Korean society to change.

LIFE AS A NORTH KOREAN REFUGEE :THE REAL STORY

Q. Are there any novels or films about life as a North Korean refugee that you would recommend? There is a movie called ‘Crossing’ that shows the journey of North Korean refugees. It is so realistic. It shocked my heart when I first watched it. It makes me wonder how they portrayed the journey so realistically. Q. Lastly, what is the ultimate message that you would like people to recognize and remember? North Korean refugees are also known as “an early step to unity”. These 30,000 North Korean refugees still have a family back in North Korea and they wish to return. They could play a pivotal role in unifying South and North Korea. Although life as a refugee is hard to endure, with the help and support of the people who are confident and open-minded, I believe that we will be able to step up into the world of modern globalization with gleaming self-esteem.

The Benefit of Lacking Relationships Jihyun Youn, Year 11, Mulchat

In modern society, ‘relationship’, or the network that connects one with other people, is often regarded as the key to achieving success. This is because one who easily makes relationships with a large number of people, or in other words an extrovert, tends to be more influential. They have a wider network with which to do business. However, being influential and extrovert do not necessarily mean having the best idea or the best ability. However, there is a growing ability to spark ideas off one and other. But then, is it not the case that extroverts are somewhat overvalued due to their sociability, which is a trivial factor compared to their capability?

Before answering the question above, let’s make sure that we fully understand what ‘extrovert’ and ‘introvert’ actually mean. According to Susan Cain, the author of the famous book ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’, introverts are defined as people who get their psychic energy from quiet reflection and solitude. Extroverts are defined as people who thrive in crowds and have long been prized in society for their ability to command attention.

As society has changed to an industrial society from an agricultural society, people now have to work in large corporations with others whom they have never met before. In such circumstances, being sociable and charismatic, the quality that extroverts tend to have, are valued, whereas the potential that introverts have are often underestimated due to their quietness.

Furthermore, today, people tend to have lots of group discussions almost about everything to come up with various ‘creative’ ideas. But the reality is that people instinctively start to mimic others’ opinions, especially the most dominant and extroverted person’s, when they talk as a group. In fact, people can be more creative and innovative by generating ideas solitarily and free of outside distractions. This is the reason that innovative and ingenious ideas that change the world often come from the introverts, who prefer to be by themselves. To spread the idea may well take an extrovert. To enhance the idea will, increasingly, take a network.

For example, Steve Wozniak, who invented the first Apple computer, confessed that the reason he became such an expert in his area is that he was too introverted to spend time outside his house when he was a child. Furthermore, he was again alone in his cubicle when he actually invented the first Apple computer.

Apart from Steve Wozniak, there have been lots of other successful introverts in our history, including Gandhi and Einstein, who preferred to be on their own. Considering the fact that introverts constitute at least one third of our society, it is important that we give space to let introverts come up with their own creative ideas in an environment that they feel the most comfortable with. Without such consideration for introverts, we will not be able to get ingenious and creative ideas that the introverts have the potential to come up with. This will be a huge disadvantage not only for the introverts, but also for all of us. This is why I believe being introverted and having less relationships need to be equally valued as being extroverted and having lots of relationships.

Different Relationship Problems Sung-Hee Kim, Year 11, Sarah

Humans all have people who they are friends with, but we also have people who we are not in a good relationship with. There are lots of examples of relationship problems and issues, some of which some are below.

Mistrust and Misunderstanding

People usually communicate easily to each other but, sometimes, there can be misunderstood situations. Since people are self centered we think that others will understand our words since we ourselves understand them. However, the other person might not get your point. We need to think once more before we speak to each other. Think about whether your sentence makes sense. Are there any words that might cause misunderstanding? If you make just one more thought, your conversation will never cause others to misinterpret it. If they do, you can just kindly tell them about what you actually meant to talk about.

Broken Promise

Promises are very important in all kinds of relationships: between friends, couples, and families. People tell their secrets and sometimes gossip about somebody else to their friends. However, there are times where your friend tells those secrets to others, which makes most, if not all, people angry.

How will we determine whether each relationship is a healthy relationship or not? There are different aspects from different peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspectives but, usually, people think about four main things. Trust, mindfulness, mutual respect, and good communication.

Relationships are built on trust, since it is needed for truthful communication and strong bonds. It helps people to easily talk about their secret. Without trust, relationships are unlikely to survive. Moreover, mutual respect holds strong and supportive relationships, and fosters understanding of each other’s needs and values. Most importantly, relationships will be richer if two people are connected by good communication. Being honest and open with others allows a deeper and long lasting connection.

When trust is broken, it is a huge blow to the friendship. You start to hate your friend. Often, misunderstandings arise due to lack of clear communication. Before you conclude, wrongly, about your friend, think of the all good things they have done for you. Think of all the ways they have helped you, before you jump into a conclusion, for one mistake. Revenge is no good. We should forgive our friends for their mistakes. Even though it is difficult to talk about something unpleasant, we must make it a point to apologize sincerely, for our mistakes. The key is to talk and resolve a way out! Not being open will make the issue worse. A slight misunderstanding shouldn’t give way to havoc. Sometimes, we may feel that our friend hasn’t always been there for us. They are being selfish and hang out with us only to fulfill their purposes. Being selfish is not a good trait in a friendship. A true friend is there for support and help, during difficult times. Never back away in helping a friend in trouble. If a friend talks of their problems to you, listen! Do not think of it as meaningless cribbing. Think that you’re a refuge to what they are seeking.

Going behind your friend’s back and talking bad things about them to resolve the differences between you both, does more harm than good. If you don’t like something in your friend, tell it directly to them, instead of directing it through someone else. It increases transparency in the friendship. Besides, criticizing your friend in front of other people is not a good thing to do! Pointing out your friend’s flaws to others is not being respectful towards them. A secret shared is a friend accepted. If you start keeping away from friends and being very secretive, it means you don’t confide in them. You won’t open up because you think they won’t understand you and may judge you. This leads to a lack of trust and understanding. It may lead to problems in getting along with them. It starts to appear as if they don’t any longer form an important part of your life. In fact, talking to them might change your view about them, and you may get a solution to your problem too.

HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY REL ATIONSHIP WITH YOUR ROOMMATE STEVE BYON, YEAR 10, JEOJI

Ever wondered how to keep a healthy relationship with a roommate? Well here are some helpful tips learnt through experience. HONEST Whether your roommate is a complete weirdo or your best friend, always being honest and having a truthful conversation about what you want at least as a roommate before you settle in is a great way to prevent any friction with your roommate. Having an open and honest conversation before moving in will help you avoid any surprises and ease tensions after you’re settled in your new home. RESPECT Ban Ki Moon of the UN said: “Best wisdom of your life is to be kind.” Like Ban Ki Moon said, respect is what can make every single person in the world adorable. If you respect others, others will respect you back. Living with respect. CONSIDERATION Very small problems can lead to a serious conversations with your roommate. Always try to think what will happen after you do something before you do it! Think of the result. If you think of the result with appropriate consideration, there will be no aspect that will lead your roommate and you to fight. FIND A TOPIC BOTH OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN If you and your roommate both have a similar interest, you will be able to make huge progress in your relationship with your roommate. Same interest will lead you to have more conversation and be a closer friend.

Is marriage an outdated institution? Written by Ihyun Nam, Year 10, Sarah

Illustration by Isabella Oh, Year 10 , Noro

Some people think of singles as going against the social norm. However, is having a husband or wife so

arriage has been the most authorised way of

important? In the modern world, people are more

forming a family, both legally and culturally, since time

independent than they have ever been in history. In

immemorial. It has been regarded as one of the most

addition, individuals form complex and wide social

important milestones of one’s life. However, the world

relations of their own and having a single spouse

now views the predominant concept of marriage as

extremely close to them may not be necessary in their

anachronistic. An increasing number of people remain

lives. Thus, as each person earns their own living and

single, and the divorce rate is rising globally. So let us

forms their own social network, the significance of

question: is marriage now an outdated institution?

having a permanent partner does not seem great.

Several decades ago, people married very young. In

In the past, not only did people start their matrimonial

Korea, for example, girls and boys became parents at

life very early, but also their marriages lasted; divorce

around 17. Early marriage was not singular to Korea.

was socially unaccepted. Therefore the death of a spouse

It existed in almost all cultures. Thus, marriage was a

was the only available means to end wedlock. However,

cornerstone of people’s lives, a commitment by which

today, the world’s divorce rate is no lower than 37%,

they had to abide throughout their lifetime. However,

with Belgium leading with 71% and Spain, Portugal, and

such culture has long vanished in many parts of the

Hungary with rates higher than 60%. As the statistics

world. More and more people are pursuing careers over

suggest, divorce is certainly no chimera today, if not a

marriage. Especially owing to emancipation of women,

trend.

they now lead much more independent lives without having to be married to men. This phenomenon is

Considering all these, marriage is not so much of a “big

evident in statistics. In Korea, for example, the average

deal” as it used to be. It can come to an end. And when

age of first marriage is 32.7 years for women and 35.8

we really think about why marriage only is supposed to

years for men.

be everlasting while all other types of relationships, such as friendship or business partnership, are changeable, it is quite ironic. All relationships are meant to change

In fact, in Korea, the term “single-jok” has been created

and end at some point. I think this should be the same

to refer specifically to people without a romantic

when it comes to marriage. After all, it is just another

partner. It is estimated that 26% of Korean families are

type of relationship. If people are not happy with their

families of one, and various industries are now targeting

marriage, they should have the freest choice to end it.

members of single-jok: there are household appliances

I do not mean to argue that marriage is trivial. Yet, it

for one person, such as mini refrigerators and mini

seems rather absurd to demand permanent commitment

washers.These are indicative of our society’s change

between marital partners, which I believe leads to the

toward accepting the lifestyle of singles.

conclusion marriage has become an outdated institution. Perhaps we have been simply overestimating the significance of marriage all along.

Our ‘Second house’ in NLCS Bohyun Moon, Year 9, Jeoji

◆ On the 24th of June, 2016, right before the summer break, there were a lot of crying in the assembly at Jeoji house. It was for their housemistress and deputy housemistress who were leaving the school. Some people may wonder if it is truly a reason to cry. However, to students, especially for boarders, they were more than just a housemistress. There were actually deeper relationship between the housemistress and the boarding students.

Morning registration, afternoon registration, evening registration, prep time. These are the list of schedules that we spend with our housemaster and housemistress, which is most of the time except for the school hours. Since the boarding house is used as a house for the boarders, housemaster and house mistress play the role of the parents. They help us with our studies, check our condition, talk about our grades, and they always care about us. We call it the ‘second house’.

The time when housemaster, housemistress, and all the boarders spend most of their time together is at the weekend. House staff think about some special events that could be prepared for the boarding students in house, so that they won’t be bored during the weekends. They also consider whether all boarders can enjoy and develop themselves by doing the activity. Activities gives a chance for boarding students and housemaster to get to know each other more and to be closer. In Jeoji, there are some weekend activities such as ‘short walk to Osulloc’ and ‘swimming’ which we can spend more time with our housemaster and housemistress. According to the survey, 84% of students answered that spending time with their housemaster/mistress helps to make for a better relationship.

However, it is always hard to maintain the relationship. Sometimes, housemaster or housemistress may misunderstand students, or some students may be rude. Mrs.Tamlyn, house mistress of Jeoji said “the biggest conflict that occurs with the boarding students are when the trust is broken”. As a solution she suggested, “both teachers and boarders should work hard together to rebuild the trust, and students should show their demonstration in their behaviors”. ‘Trust’ is what a relationship relies on, and ‘being trusted and trusting each other’ is working very importantly in a boarding house.

As time goes by, we all have to leave our house and say farewell to our housemaster and housemistress. We could be the person leaving the house to go to Halla, or our housemaster and housemistress could be the person to leave the school. Everyone regrets their inappropriate behavior when a person is not beside them anymore, even they know that regretting afterwards is no use. We have our housemaster and housemistress everyday every time, right next to us, and we may have forgotten about the importance of them because it was the usual thing for us. I want the readers to think again about the relationship we maintained with our housemaster and housemistress, and to keep a healthy relationship together.

◆

WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE? Relationship with your house: Now and Then, Then and Now Jaehyun Kim, Year 10, Jeoji

WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE? Relationship with your house: Now and Then, Then and Now

If you are a border, and you are in year 7 to 11, you will

his neck) in Junior House Volleyball.

live in one of the five house: Geomun, Jeoji, Mulchat,

There were many different stories when I asked about

Noro, Sarah. When you become a sixth form student,

the relationship with their HMs and AHMs. Yuna Kim, in

you leave this house and move your house to either

Geomun, said that they are very good to her and they

Halla East or Halla North. Though they live in a different

have become kinder to her. In Noro, Jihwan Kim thinks

house, sixth form students still visit their old houses to

that they have helped him solve personal problems and

meet the younger students or their old house master,

they can and do do everything to their house to make it

and sometimes participate in the House Competitions.

a more homely place to live - a home from home.

Also, many students who are now living in those five

Fortunately everybody I interviewed had a very good

houses, are all having a fair relationship with their house,

relationship with other houses. Elizabeth Peck said that

and have a passion to contribute to their house. To know

she used to go to other houses and play with them since

more specifically, I’ve interviewed five students from both

she is very friendly with many friends in different houses.

Year 10 and Halla. First of all, let’s hear Year 10 students’

Also, Seunghoon Lee said that he is very friendly with

story.

various houses, and he has many friends in the other

At first, I found some points students felt were unique to

houses.

their house they thought were superior to other houses.

I heard some pleasing and bright answers to the ques-

Jihwan Kim in Noro said that, unlike other houses, Noro

tion, “Would you come to your old house if you go to

was established one year after other houses so their

Halla house?”. Jace Jeon said “definitely”. He answered

facilities are better than any of the other houses. On

that Sarah can dominate the whole house competitions

the other hand, Elizabeth Peck in Jeoji said that there is

when he comes back to Sarah! There were specific plans!

less of gap between different year groups, and it make

Yuna Kim said that she would help younger friends with

people more comfortable to live with.

Glee performances when she revisits Geomun later.

I heard of some interesting contributions to the house. Seunghoon Lee, in Mulchat, said that he went to NLCS

Now, let’s hear about some stories of Halla students,

UK as an exchange student as representative of Mulchat

who have already moved from their old houses and,

last year. Jace Jeon looked very proud to say that he

what I wanted to know was, how is it different from their

contributed greatly in achieving four wins in Junior

previous house?

House Basketball and three wins and one tie (not around

I started the interview by asking about the saddest point

WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE? Relationship with your house: Now and Then, Then and Now

when they transferred their house. Martin Yun, from Ge-

All of the students show happy and well-made relation-

omun, thought that it was apparent that everyone cared

ships with their friends. Wonseo Cho said that he made

for one another and he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to leave Geomun

many fruitful memories with friends, though they often

because of the house and community spirit of the house.

broke house rules, and did something inappropriate that

Wonseo Cho, from Mulchat, said that the saddest thing

Housemasters will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;amazedâ&#x20AC;? with. Kyungjoon Jang

was that he had to face the IB but he is now loving it,

said that he and his friends had fun and made memories

lots of interesting subjects, the chance to be of service to

together. He said that since they lived under the same

your old house, nothing like the scare stories other Halla

roof for five years, despite the occasional fights, their

students have put about. Be organized and you are fine.

relationship was a symbiotic one.

Just like Year 10 students, I also asked to the Halla stu-

These interviews reflect just a part of the school, but a

dents about their contribution to their house. Kyungjoon

very valuable one. We all have to move on and leave one

Jang, from Jeoji, said that he was the deputy house cap-

House for Halla, one study phase for another and, one

tain and worked along with many community members

day set up our own house. We may feel nostalgic and

to make their years in Jeoji. Juyong Sung, from Noro,

sad moving on but, as everyone has their own dreams,

said that he participated in many house competition

people can still have enjoyment and fun in their lives.

such as swimming, spelling bee, and general knowledge.

The most interesting part from these interviews was that

He also added that he participated in spelling bee again

students wanted to come back to their old Houses to

this year as a Year 12 Halla student.

help out. I want all the readers to re-think about your

Unsurprisingly, many students show nostalgic feelings

relationship and overall feelings towards your house, and

for their old HMs and AHMs. Juyong Sung remembered

remind you that though house is like a place where you

that his housemaster always told him to tidy his room

are restricted, it is still a place where you can live and

and to do his homework, and he does value the advice

learn about how to live in society.

they gave him and he enjoyed his year and half in Noro. Martin Yun said that he knew that they wanted to make him more mature and give the best experience, though they would moan at him and tell him that he needed a more mature demeanor!

NLCS Jeju is like a small earth Jeewoo Park and Seohyun Shin, both Year 9 Jeoji Photo by Ji Hoon Ham

NLCS Jeju is like a small earth By Jeewoo Park and Seohyun Shin

When you watch TV or read a newspaper, there are stories

other that much. It is simply “dating, but not dating”. After

of many people suffering as they don’t have their rights

months of having a ssum relationship, either the boy or the

respected. All people have rights to be respected. If they

girl proposes to the other and they start dating. However,

don’t get these rights there may be several problems, such

the proposal only happens if they both think that they like

as bullying or fighting. To avoid a bad situation, we should

each other. If the girl thinks that the boy who is in ssum

keep our good relationships with other people.

with her has a crush other than on her, or thinks of her just as a friend, the girl will give up on him and try to finish

On the earth, there are about 7.125 billion people. Half

their ssum. For this kind of happening, it wouldn’t really

on the earth are males, and the others are females. There

be a ssum because the boy already has a crush elsewhere.

are “solos”, and boys and girls fall in love, get married and

So this will be just a misunderstanding for the girl, which is

spend half of their lives together. Couples don’t always last

really sad. A ssum doesn’t always turn out to be a couple,

forever, they break up if they do not get on well together.

because there is a misunderstanding between the boy and

Sometimes, people fall in love with a member of same sex.

girl.

However, people get in good relationships whether they are friends, family, students, or lovers. In the microcosm that is NLCS Jeju it shows the same pattern. There are

It is much easier for the couples keeping their relationship

people from other countries, they have different ages,

healthy if they have something in common. For example,

sexes, and even some people who are homosexual and

if they are in the same house or in same year group, or

have a relationship with a member of same sex.

have same CCA or Bryant, their relationship will continue for more than half a year. From a survey we conducted at NLCS Jeju, twelve couples got to know each other through

There is a school policy that doesn’t allow students to be

social media and nine got to know each other through

in exclusive relationships. It can encroach on students’

school activities. In addition, people also blind date by

freedom so it shouldn’t exist.

getting introduced through their friends. Blind dates have a 50% failure rate in our survey but this also means they have a 50% success rate!

There are people who are in a special relationship called dating. Before dating, Korean girls and boys have “Ssum” happening between them. Ssum is a relationship between a

Over 86% out of the 135 student responses in the

boy and a girl other than being friends, or when a boy and

school think in a positive way about dating in school.

a girl are showing each other that he/she likes the other,

Unfortunately for the couples, there is a policy that

but they also have to pretend like they do not like each

students cannot date (have an exclusive relationship) at

the school. Some parents and teachers think that dating

you are getting to know new people and get into new

at school does not help student’s academic work. Even if

relationships. We should always think of others and think

parents tell students not to have boyfriend or girlfriend,

before we talk about something. For example, when you

some of them are in a relationship. According to the

are talking with friends and if you have to respond to the

survey, there are only 18.5% of our responders at NLCS

question, you have to think how your friends will react to

Jeju, dating.

your response. Say the respond out loud and try to listen to the person who is talking really carefully, because a few people don’t have great listening skills and some people

The school policy, which discourages students forming

could misunderstand and think: “Oh, is she ignoring me?

exclusive relationships at the school, may violate student’s

I hate the person who ignores me! So I will ignore her

“rights”. At school however we do not have a charter of

from now on.” To avoid this kind of situation, just try to

rights for students. It’s not the way we work. But, whether

listen to your friends, tell them to say things very loud and

they date or not, it’s their freedom, and the school policy is

clearly! This way, you will not get into trouble or have any

reducing this freedom.

problem with friends or other people.

There are reasons for the school policy. Being in an

If you make a bad situation, you and the person will both

exclusive relationship cuts people off from other healthy

be upset, get tired of everything and sometimes you can’t

relationships and it is more advisable, at a young age, to

even restore the relationship back to normal. It would be

be open to a wide range of people to have relationships

awful if you make the relationship worse. However, if you

with. Also an exclusive relationship can exclude others.

behave well and think before you talk, you can make the

Remember that student relationships will break down

relationship better or make it constantly good.

and where are you left with your other relationships if you have devoted too much time to one person? Doesn’t the school policy help you from cutting yourself off from

Keep healthy relationships with others whether they are

others in the community?

your girlfriend, boyfriend, family, teachers, or friends.

The theme of this term is relationship. Other than dating in the school, there are relationships between friends, teachers and students, family, etc. We should keep our good relationships with others. Some people said that the first month of the school is the hardest time when

Tips to deal with different types of friends! JunHo Brian Ha & Tae Il Taylor Jeong, Year 10, Sarah

Looking at the dictionary meaning of the word “Friend”, “Friend” is a person who has a bond of mutual affection with you. Yet, is the term “Friend” used correctly in our society? In the real world, the adults and the elders usually have contacts with five to six people. Sometimes one or two might have business relationships. However others have strong friendship between each other; they mutually rely, trust and care. As we narrow into school from the outside world, several types of friendships appear. In normal school-life, there are usually four types of mates: a bully, a classmate that pretends to be my friend but actually gossips about me behind my back, just my classmate, and my best friend. In this article we will be talking about how to manage wisely those kinds of friends.

I will start by introducing my classmates. Aaron, Chris, Isaac, and Joseph.

Aaron, Bully - He completely frustrates me by both verbal and physical bullying. - He also bullies me in on-line; Facebook or Twitter. - He usually borrows my money or possession and never returns them back. Or sometimes he just steals them from me. Chris, A classmate that pretends to be my friend - He lies and spreads rumors when I am not with him. - However, if he is with me, he acts even if we are a best friends. Isaac, A classmate - We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk or hang out together a lot. - However, if I have any difficulties or if he has any difficulties, we try to help sort them out together. Joseph, Real friend - We talk a lot, we hang out together a lot. - We share all our secrets and never tell to any one. - If we have trouble or difficulties, we try our best to help sort them.

Second, do not talk about your friend in a negative Now, how you should deal with these kinds of

way when they are not around to hear it. It’s likely they

friends?

will find out because gossip spreads very quickly and their feelings will be hurt. Third, always keep secrets

Aaron (bully): Tell him not to behave in a way that

safe. If they tell you it’s a secret then they clearly trust

makes you frustrated. If he doesn’t listen, just ignore

you. If you don’t treat it as a secret then the trust will

him.

be lost.

Christian (gossip): Keep your secrets safe from him.

Q2. In our school, how can we get the counseling

He might embarrass you in front of your friends by

related to friendships?

spreading your secret. PSD lessons are of course where we learn to develop Isaac (classmate): keep a good relationship. If he

our social skills such as showing empathy, being active

require your help, please try your best.

listeners, having an open mind, agreeing to disagree and championing the thoughts and opinions of others

Joseph (real friend): Do not lose the trust from him.

because they help us learn more about a topic.

Also do not try to avoid an arguing situation or a fight.

Some groups have even looked at what personality traits they look for in a friend, therefore determining what people want and expect of them. PSD lessons

Fortunately, our Sarah housemaster, Mr. Malley

contain everything you need to develop the social

contributed to our interview. We asked a few

skills required to gain and maintain friendships. If a

questions about our topic “relationships between

friendship breaks down the boarding houses offer a

friends”.

great support network, which is of course supported by the school counseling team when necessary.

Q1. How can we keep a healthy relationship in between friends?

Theses are a few pieces of advice for you to

maintain a healthy relationship with your friends. To recap the information that we have presented, in order

Friendships are built on trust, amongst other things,

to keep a healthy relationship with your friends, you

but trust is very important. It's very easy to lose

should build up a trust between you and your friends.

someone’s trust and very difficult to earn it back. Here

Try not to lose the trust. It's because “trust” is very

are some top tips to build and maintain trust. First,

easy to lose but extremely difficult to earn it back.

you should always keep your promises. It can be a big promise or something small such as arranging to meet at a certain time. Breaking promises must break trust.

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - Helen Keller

TEACHER STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS how important they are for your progress YUNA KIM, YEAR 10, GEOMUN In school life, relationships with teachers is one of the most crucial aspects for students. The majority of students even think that the relationship with teachers must be prioritized over relationships with anyone else. Relationships with teachers affect the future lives of students and their studies. However some students tend to struggle with how to make a positive relationship. I thought that it was important to discuss the issues students are curious about. Unlike other forms of relationships, relationships

between students and teachers have to respect the different status and professional obligations of the teacher. This means that even if teachers and students form a close relationships, they always have to keep to the appropriate limits of closeness. For example, students should not suddenly become ill-mannered or rude to teachers and teachers should not exhibit favoritism towards certain students. Positive relationships between students and teachers means teachers being supportive 100

to students not only in areas of studies, but also contributing to social areas, individuals’ problems and concerns. Teachers have the unique opportunity to support students’ academic and social development at all levels of schooling. They can help students with studies, careers and even personal issues regardless of academics. If students establish positive relationships with teachers they can have these opportunities easily. Also, the classroom will likely be a supportive place for students since they engage in their studies and use the class time productively. Moreover, teachers can improve their teaching skills by communication between students and discharging their duty as a teacher. School is a place where students spend a long time. By having positive relationships with not only friends but also teachers, students can gain more of a sense of belonging which is essential for development in life. For teachers, inducing positive relationships with students is their responsibility. School is a place for students to learn about ways to adapt to society. By forming positive relationships, students are able to learn about socially appropriate behaviors as well as academic studies. This proves that forming positive relationships leads to the improvement of students’ overall ability. Since enhancing students’ ability is the main responsibility of teachers, teaching can be defined by the relationships with students. Relationships are not destiny. This means that based on how we form relationships, it can always change. We should always put a lot of effort trying to form a positive relationship. This also means that being timid is not a good idea. So, here are some ways to establish positive relationships with teachers. First, respect others. This has to be applied to anyone, but for teachers being respectful and polite is the best way to form a good impression. Even though, teachers have the responsibility to establish the good relationship, if students are not behaving well, the relationship might turn sour. Being polite is basic manners so if we break this fundamental rule, teacher would likely have a bad impression of a student. Also, interact with teachers in class. When students show the teachers that they are interested and engage well in class, teachers would want to give them more opportunities. For example, when

a student is participating well and putting a lot of effort in mathematics, teachers would likely to give the student more opportunity with out-ofschool activities related to maths. This will certainly form positive relationships later on. Moreover, ask any questions you have and show that you are interested in broad areas. It is important for students to make their own pathways to universities and other future aims. Teachers should be the assistant for the students, meaning that they should not do everything for the student. If students ask questions they don’t know or show that you are interested in activities and you are a risk-taker, teachers would have positive image of you. This will help you later on by teachers offering some good opportunities for the student. Teachers should also work on improving relationships with the students. They should fulfill the requirements above in order to form positive relationships. Teachers must be respectful of the students and listen to their voices. Also, they should work hard to maximize learning opportunities for students. Teachers should always attempt to interview their students. Teachers sometimes spend a lot of time talking about students to their colleagues or to students’ parents but minimal time talking to the student themselves. When teachers listen to the students’ individual concerns, not only can they form positive relationships but they also improve their teaching strength by applying a lot of different strategies in class. Relationships between teachers and students improve a lot as time passes by. In the 20th century, there were number of teachers who had too much authority. They didn’t communicate with their students but rather dominated the class. However, right now, relationships between students and teachers are enhanced remarkably. Students are allowed to freely give opinions in class and ask any questions. Teachers also try to form good relationships with students. We should do everything we can to maintain this very important trend so that all the relationships between teachers and students are productive, positive and purposeful.

101

How do you form a connection with your teachers? Nakyung Song, Year 9, Jeoji

102

students who are not good at certain subjects were the other reasons. Relationships also result in students’ social issues. Students who have formed a good relationship in their classes tend to be more confident than those who haven’t formed a good relationship. Assuming that students have a good relationship, they are more active in class and they are able to communicate with subject teachers more. One student in NLCS Jeju replied that a student who is known well by teachers has more opportunities to join the football team, compared to a student who is also good at football but not known well. On the other hand, students who are in a bad relationship are relatively more discouraged and feel uneasy participating in class. Some students mentioned that if they have a bad relationship with teachers or students, it is harder to be free in school, due to the pressure of thinking of those bad occasions.

Occasionally, there are some issues caused by poor, or even inappropriate relationships between a teacher and a student. It has been reported that one teacher has fallen in love with her 15-year-old student, and a student who has spent private time with her professor in order to receive her diploma. Is the relationship between students and teachers so important that people even try to make a relationship even though they are inappropriate? NLCS Jeju has a very complicated relationship between students and teachers. For students, teachers play an important role in students’ education. Teacher’s main job is to educate students and help them to find their aptitude as well as areas they are confident at. This is why the teacher’s role is so important. The majority of students’ favourite subjects are influenced by the relationship between students and subject teachers. According to a survey conducted among Year 7, 8 and 9 students, 84.9% of students replied that the relationship is quite influential on their favourite subjects. These results show that there are quite a huge impact of the relationship on students. Differences in learning methods can lead to lack of interests for students. All teachers and students seek different teaching and learning methods, and not all of them can fit each other well. Conflict in methods is normal not only in NLCS Jeju, but also in other schools. If a student forms a bad relationship with his/her subject teacher, he/ she is more likely to lose interest in the subject. If the student loses interest, his/her effort within the subject will decrease, which will then lead to decline in grades. Luckily, most students in NLCS Jeju have a good relationship between them and their teachers and boarding housemasters, according to the survey. Nonetheless, there were some reasons suggested by students who have failed to form a good relationship with some of their subject teachers. The biggest reason was a bad treatment towards themselves and high standard of expectation from teachers, discrimination, frustration towards

Due to the fact that NLCS Jeju is a boarding school, teachers are the only adults around students, though there are some day students. Boarding housemasters and housemistresses ought to have their responsibility upon the students because for boarding students, they are playing the role of “parents”. Not only boarding housemasters, but I believe tutors also have to be as responsible as them. Even though they are not very bonded to the house or students as much as housemasters, they are one of the only adults students can see and learn from. It will be beneficial and good for students if the staff members in NLCS Jeju care more about the students and take responsibility for them, since they are the only adults that can both protect and educate students in this school. It is natural for discrimination to happen in school life. Nevertheless, discrimination towards students can lead some students to a lack of interest not only on certain subjects but also their entire school life. A teacher’s single smile and compliment can encourage students, and those can be a stepping stone for students to enjoy their school life.

103

THE WHEEL TURNS

Written by Nancy (Nayeon) Kwon, Year 11, Mulchat Illustration by Isabella Oh, Year 10, Noro

The bright blue sky was no more. Red, as dark as wine, fell like a curtain over my vision, covering everything with its blotch. The spot, which was growing rapidly around my entire world, then swallowed me as a wholeâ&#x20AC;Ś

104

THE WHEEL TURNS

Hello, everyone. I’m Murphy Brown. I’m currently six years old, and I live with Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Our house is the one with the bright blue roof at the edge of the street. My owners always take care of me: washing me every morning, feeding me nutritious food three times a day, tucking me in bed every night, and combing my luxurious golden fur whenever they have time to.

Mrs. Brown, my mistress, loves telling me the story of her first meeting with Mr. Brown. She keeps on telling me the same story over and over again while she combs my hair, looking straight at my light green eyes. Although I am near the verge of being able to reiterate every part of her story, it’s still always a joy to hear her delighted voice whisper to me.

“... So you know, Murphy, Tony had been such a pleasant surprise. His smile seemed to absorb everything around him. The universe seemed to turn like a merry-go-around, swirling around just me and him. And as I looked at him in those lovely eyes, I knew that I had fallen in love with that person, whoever he was. Luckily, he came to me saying the same thing, and since then I believe in destiny. “

I wag my tail at her in agreement. Master and mistress are a perfect couple, one that might come from a fairy tale. I love the way they are so endearing and caring for each other. Yet they can’t spend as much time together as master works day and night, going to work at dawn and coming back long after the sun goes over the hill, far away from our home. Til he comes back, mistress and I stay tucked in our house, a bit less active, but still, happy with the company of each other.

Actually, I should’ve put all that in past tense. It’s the story of the past, one that can never come back. Let me now tell you about the day that destroyed everything that I loved.

A man barged through the door. His face was masked with a white mask that hung low below his eyes, concealing his identity. His black cap covered everything else that could make his face distinguishable.

105

THE WHEEL TURNS Sensing the abnormality, I barked at the stranger. He

entire world, then swallowed me as a whole… The last thing

ignored me, running past with a sharp metallic object in

I saw was my mistress running away from us. Her escape

his hands. My mistress came out the door, alarmed by my

made me feel much better as I fell into an endless dream.

barking sound. The intruder’s bloodshot eyes blunted as he confronted my mistress. He said something under his breath.

“ I have no feelings against you as an individual. You just had no luck. Don’t blame me for that.”

I couldn’t understand his words. But as I saw his hands going up, I had to act. My instinct told me that he was going

Many years passed since Murphy’s death. The day still

to kill my beloved mistress. I had to stop it. I knew I had to.

remained as a shock to the Brown family. Mr. Brown had

Just hoped that my mistress would be safe by my death, I

come straight back from his work as Mrs. Brown called him.

threw myself over the knife that was headed towards my

He came to see two corpses lying on his grass mown. One

mistress’s neck.

was that of a serial killer that had come up on the news multiple times - the reason for his death was an overflow of blood from the wound. The other was that of a small dog,

It hit my eye, it felt like burning. Blood started to drop from my left eye. I tried to win over the pain and bit the

whose body was scarred and brutally damaged by harsh blows from an adult man.

intruder on his neck. The same amount of blood came out from him. He scowled at me, screaming inaudible words. Then, as though trying to get rid of a nuisance, he kicked

The police soon took the body of the serial killer away.

my belly three times. I fell over by the last blow. As I hit

After all the fuss, the Browns grieved Murphy’s death and

the ground, I felt the knife being pushed deeper into my

praised his bravery and loyalty, burying him at the back of

body.

their house. A tree was soon planted on top of the burial ground. It grew taller and taller each day, and after a few years, it grew as tall as the house.

The bright blue sky was no more. Red, as dark as wine, fell like a curtain over my vision, covering everything with its blotch. The spot, which was growing rapidly around my

106

THE WHEEL TURNS

As the tree grew, so did the belly of Mrs. Brown. Her pregnancy was evident as her stomach widened every day. After 10 months, on the same day as the death of Murphy, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Astonished by the date of birth, they named the young child Murphy, in memory of the brave dog.

Murphy grew each day. His eyes were light green like the shade of fresh grass. His hair was in a luxurious golden shade, which settled on top of his head like lumps of silk. When he got old enough to crawl, he began to go everywhere around the house. But his favourite place was under the giant peach tree, where he spent most of his days sleeping. The fruit was getting lustrous, and its flesh gave a delicious scent that lured the ones that came around it.

A fly was seen flying around the peach tree. Its bodice was totally black, except for a white area that covered part of its face. It landed on top of the peach that Murphy was trying to eat. It rubbed its hands onto the peach and took a bite through its scrupulous flesh. Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand flew across and slapped hard onto it. The fly was blown down to the ground by the slap. It gave a final tremble. Then it stopped moving.

107

Winter Festivals around the World Mina You, Year 11, Mulchat

Winter often reminds one of the days of bleakness and extreme coldness. A number of you might even choose winter as your least favorite season of the year. It is true that winter sometimes could be frigid and dull. However, you must not let this estrange the relationship between you and your family members. Family trips could help you recover the stale relationship or cement the loving family relationship. How about using the three weeks of long winter vacation traveling with your family members, rather than staying stuck indoors? Set out on a journey to exuberant festive destinations, absorb the vivacious vigor of the festivals, and interact with your family throughout the trip? No matter what continent you travel to, you will be able to experience rare exoticism filled with excitement. Here are some suggestions for winter festival breaks.

Others North America : Snowglobe Music Festival (US), Burlington Festival of Lights (Canada), Quebec Winter Carnival (Canada) South America : Reveillon (Brazil), Tapati Rapa Nui (Chile) Australia : Dreaming Festival (Australia), Woodford Folk Festival (Australia), World Buskers Festival (New Zealand) Asia : Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (China), Sapporo Snow Festival (Japan), Dubai Winter Festival (UAE)

108

Winter Festivals around the World

Europe ‘Burning the Clocks’

The United Kingdom truly is a cold country, as much as Korea during winter, but there is no need to be reluctant to travel to the UK this winter. Breathtaking festivals such as Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Winter Lights Festival, London Ice Sculpting Festival, and Burning the Clocks await to make you loosen your curled up body. Brighton, a seaside resort area located in East Sussex, hosts ‘Burning the Clocks’ festival. ‘Burning the Clocks’ capture lights to celebrate the winter solstice which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Local people make their own paper or willow lanterns that carry their reflection of the year and hopes for the next year and march all across the city. Visitors could also merge into the harmonious, meaningful parade that not only culminates at the peak of the winter but also rebels against the modern commercialism regarding Christmas. Lively music also accompanies the marchers all the way to the beach. When they reach the beach, lanterns are passed one by one into the blazing bonfire, creating the most ecstatic scenery.

109

Winter Festivals around the World

Africa ‘International Festival of the Sahara’

Are you sick of the bitter winds that penetrates even through your heavy duck-down parka? Are you afraid of catching another awful cold that would torment you for a couple of weeks? Then, how about leaving for the Southern Hemisphere? Africa would probably be the last place in the world most people might imagine winter festivals to take place. However, there are boisterous festivals that reflect Africa’s colorful and vibrant characteristics. For instance, Tunisia holds an ‘International Festival of the Sahara’ every winter. Nomads of the Sahara desert and visitors from all over the place flock into a sand dune area called Douz. There, they relish the winter in their own style - by mingling with the vast desert. Sand hockey competitions, rabbit hunts, camel wrestling, camel races and Miss Sahara competition take place for four days. The camel race event, in particular, is the most prominent event that countless visitors are fanatical about. When the myriad of stars embroiders the night sky of the Sahara, traditional Tunisian, Algerian and Palestinian dance extravaganzas grandly adorn the finale of the festive day. The International Festival of the Sahara would load you with a bizarre Christmas-time sight. The trip might not be the most smooth of journeys due to the unusual desert climate, but it is, needless to say, definitely worthwhile to experience the Africa in winter. 110

Winter Festivals around the World

Korea â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ganghwa Icefish Festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Even if you are staying in Korea for the holiday, repeating the treadmill of Hagwons and revision, there is no need to be downhearted by that fact. There are plenty of lively festivals nearby, once you start to look for them in every corner of Korea. Just spare one or two days for yourself. Ganghwa Icefish Festival, which is perhaps the best-known winter festival in Korea, is held annually at Ganghwa Island, a small island located next to Incheon. The festival itself officially states the theme of family and, therefore, various activities are prepared for men and women of all ages; kite-flying, ricecake making, migratory birds observation, traditional ice sledding, and ice slides. However, the most intriguing activity would be ice fishing, as implied in the name of the festival. The stiffly frozen reservoir provides the tourists a wonderful fishing area. You feel the thrill of landing a fresh big fish that has been withstanding the freezing water. While waiting for the fish to snap at the bait, families genuinely relax, engaging in lively conversation about this and that. By blowing away the stuffiness of the hectic city life in your lungs, you easily fill your mind with precious family memories.

111

The golden secrets of the credit card & other glittering facts Minhee Shin, Year 11, Sarah

112

People use a credit card everyday in their lives, taking it with them everywhere they go. It can be held with one hand without difficulty making it convenient. You might have noticed that every credit card has a size exactly the same as others. Why are credit cards all in the same size? The answer is the golden ratio. Y

Y-X

Imagine there is a straight line divided into two parts. When the ratio of the length of the longer part to the shorter part is equal to the ratio of the whole to the longer one. This is called the golden ratio. X/(Y-X) = Y/X = 1.6180339887498948420 … The golden ratio, also known as “phi”, has been applied in our daily lives from credit cards to buildings. It is everywhere around us in any form of art, architecture, and nature. The arts of Leonardo Da Vinci, the building known as the Parthenon, the pyramids of Egypt are all created based on the golden ratio.

By looking at them, people feel comfort and at peace. People recognise the golden ratio as the most idealised and balanced ratio, and the celebrities with the face matching the golden ratio are often selected for being some of the most beautiful in the world.

The golden ratio has a close relationship with fibonacci numbers. It is the sequence of numbers : 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8…… Each number in the sequence is the sum of two numbers before it.

113

The fibonacci sequence, as well as the golden ratio, appears everywhere in nature, art, and even in music. Look at the pineapple patterned into spirals. Each pattern is in a hexagon shape, which means three sets of spirals can be observed on a side of a pineapple. Five parallel rows of scales ascends, and each 8 and 13 parallel rows forms spiral shapes. You would notice that 5, 8, 13 correspond to the fibonacci sequence. A pinecone is another example. There are 8 spirals in a clockwise direction, 13 in an anticlockwise direction.

Other than that they both appear frequently in our lives, the fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio are closely related mathematically. One fibonacci divided by the preceding one

Answer getting closer to the golden ratio

1/1

2/1

3/2

1.5

5/3

1.667

8/5

1.6

13/8

1.625

21/13

1.615

34/21

1.619

55/34

1.617

89/55

1.618

A number in the fibonacci sequence is divided by the preceding number. As the value of two consequent numbers increases, their quotient gets closer to the golden ratio.

114

We can also verify their relationship using equations. As is mentioned above, when the numbers get large, the quotient of two consequent fibonacci numbers approaches a steady number. Therefore, when n is a large number, Because , it can be driven that

When we substitute

with Y, and

with X,

It is equal to the golden ratio, X/(Y-X) = Y/X. The golden ratio and the fibonacci sequence are two completely different concepts in mathematics. However, they still have a close relationship, which can be verified by calculating the quotient of two fibonacci numbers. It is interesting that they are both found in our daily lives, ranging from man made creations to organisms in nature. Judging from the fact that both man and nature pursue the golden ratio and the fibonacci sequence, it can be concluded that they have a similar standard for beauty. Men themselves are also a part of nature. As a portion of nature, it may be inevitable for us to feel the beauty of the golden ratio. The golden ratio, the fibonacci sequence, man and nature. They are all interconnected, influencing one another in a great extent.

sources http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt668/emt668.folders.f97/norton/Final/Fibonacci.html http://www.livescience.com/37704-phi-golden-ratio.html https://realworldmathematics.wordpress.com/biology/plants/

115

PHOTOGRAPHY SOCIETY ISO WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

IN SEARCH OF: RELATIONSHIP

by Mr. Youell

116

by Mrs. Usher-Clark

by Mrs. Choi

On behalf of the photography society, I would like to introduce you to ISO and the initiative we took. ISO, In Search Of, was established in 2015 with the ambitious aim of encouraging photography in NLCS Jeju not only as a medium of recording but also as a tool for communication. With the hard works of our members, we have successfully ended our first action week with the grand â&#x20AC;&#x153;ISO X Islander Whole School Photography Competitionâ&#x20AC;? under the theme of relationship.

The exhibited photographs feature works of students and staffs, those that have made to the finals. I hope you enjoy the exhibition, and please stay tuned for all the wonderful opportunities we are trying to enrich in our community.

Dayna Shin, Founding Chair of ISO

117

by Mr. Youell

by Mina You, Y11, Mulchat

118

by Jackie Yang, Y8, Mulchat

by Yeonju Shin, Y8, Noro

119