The Islander // Issue 10

theislander issue 10

spring term 2015

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islandercrew editorial

writers

Mr Gray

Cion Choi, Y9, Geomun

Mr Maher

Kyung (Kay) Nam, Y9, Jeoji

Mr B Brown

Shunto Shigatomi, Y9, Noro

Jillian Chun, Halla

Yeasung Lee, Y9, Noro

Charlie Park, Halla

Nancy Kwon, Y9, Mulchat

coverart

Sarah Kim, Y9, Mulchat

writers

Gina Hooton, Y9, Mulchat

Selene Lee, Halla

Harry Lee, Y9, Sarah

Jiwon Moon, Halla

Ellie Baek, Y8, Geomun

Jiho Choi, Halla

Cindy Kim, Y8, Noro

Donghyeon Seo, Halla

Josh Lee, Halla

Sydney Kang, Y8, Noro

Justin Yun, Halla

Lily Kim, Y3

Sam Seo, Halla

Yejee, Hwang, Y3

The moment I heard the theme for this issue was ‘organisation’, this photo immediately came to my mind. This public library, in Paju Book City has a great name - “The Forest of Wisdom”. Each time I visit this place, I am always fascinated by the majestic amount of books arranged in such an orderly way.

Jackie Lee, Halla Ashley Park, Y11, Geomun

design

Jinn Park, Y11, Sarah

Mr Taylor

Celene Tae, Y11, Sarah

Jiwon Moon, Halla

Diane Lee, Y11, Sarah

Jiho Choi, Halla

June Song, Y11, Mulchat

Raina Kim, Y11, Mulchat

Jane Lee, Y11, Geomun

Justin Cho, Y9, Mulchat

Hannah Cho, Y11, Jeoji

Daniel Son, Y8, Geomun

Minha Kim, Y11, Jeoji Laura Moon, Y11, Geomun

contributors

Esther Song, Y11, Jeoji

Mr Monaghan

Joanna Song, Y11, Noro

Mr Long

Raina Kim, Y11, Mulchat

Donghyeon Seo, Halla

Chelsea Park, Y10, Mulchat

Jessica Baek, Halla

Gemin Bang, Y10, Geomun

Kiwan Hynu, Halla

Sharon Park, Y10, Geomun

Emily Suh, Halla

Gyuri Kim, Y10, Sarah

Andy Jang, Halla

Amy Cha, Y10, Mulchat

Sam Ha, Halla

Jimmy Park, Y10, Sarah

Gabbie Yu, Halla

Thomas Lee, Y10, Sarah

Kate Brown, Halla

Kyung Joon Jang, Y10, Jeoji

Heather Jung, Y11, Mulchat

Won Jun Choi, Y10, Jeoji

Harry Rha, Y11, Jeoji

Rachel Cho, Y9, Mulchat

Brian Baek, Y9,

Claire Oh, Y9, Sarah

TJ Kim, Y9,

Gabriella Kim, Y9, Mulchat

Wesley Kim, Y9

The geometry of the photo nicely illustrates the theme with its repeating patterns of square shelves. Your eyes are bombarded with parallel and perpendicular lines as if it was one of Mondrian’s works. If you were poetic enough, you would be able to see the theme within the books themselves. After all, a book is a thoughtful organisation of words chosen by their author.

The higher frequency of shades of brown and blue were digitally manipulated – these colours represent NLCS Jeju.

The funny thing about me taking this photo is that I am the perfect antithesis of organisation; you can even see it within the photo.

On the day of the shoot, I forgot to bring my tripod. With the combination of hand-held-ness and slow shutter speed, the photo came out a bit blurry. So once again, this photo shows you how important it is to be organised!

INTRODUCING THIS SPECIAL 10TH EDITION OF THE ISLANDER, MR MONAGHAN, VICE PRINCIPAL TEACHING AND LEARNING, TAKES THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON WHAT KEEPS OUR SCHOOL AND JEJU IN A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART.

It is with great pleasure that I write the introduction for the 10th edition of the Islander. When Mr. Taylor asked me, I jumped at the chance to contribute to this wonderful publication, which celebrates the extraordinary talents of the students at NLCS Jeju. The Islander has a very special place in my memories of NLCS Jeju and it will always hold that place. This is partly because it represents the time I have spent at the school but also because of the part Mrs. Monaghan played in its creation. This year I have been delighted to be able to support the expansion of the Islander brand with Islander TV and the Islander Gazette. With a total of 270 contributors so far, the Islander brand reflects the emphasis the school places on independent student leadership and initiative.

In September 2011, I arrived on Jeju Island with my family and so began a fantastic journey of experiences and personal change.

We call them “Jeju smells”. The smells that first met us still sometimes waft through the air, taking me back to the first few days and weeks when everything was so new. The humid air, the new classrooms and the wooden smell that always lingers in the PAC. It was a little bit like attending the first day at a new school. Emotions I had not experienced for such a long time were now an everyday occurrence.

We call them Jeju songs. Those songs that take us straight back to somewhere on Jeju, a time and a place. Whether it be driving to EMart, with the snow covered peak of Halla to the North and the dramatic coast to the South, with the endless Pacific stretching into the distance or descending from the crazy junction down to school after a long holiday with Sangbansan in the distance and the familiar tea plantations of O’Sulloc, they signify a return to school and another exciting term.

We have all changed in so many ways; we are calmer, more patient, fitter, healthier and more resilient. We know each other better and have enjoyed each other’s company more than ever before. There will be sights, aromas and sounds that will forever remind me of my time on Jeju.

A wonderful time on a wonderful island, with wonderful people, never to be forgotten.

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Welcome

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A letter from the Editor There was this song I used to love. I can recall a few seconds of the tune, a few vague, ghostly words that may or may not be the lyrics - something about snow being beautiful - and I know it is a Korean Christmas carol, that used to give me a Christmatsy chill of warmth. I still haven’t found it, but there is a peculiar sense of longing that wants to remember this melody, ringing faintly in my bones. That, I think, is a sense of nostalgia.

It is now with similar feeling that I think back on the very first Islander meeting, when even the name ‘Islander’ didn’t exist, when the library was full of empty skeletal bookshelves because books had not been delivered (that was the subject of my very first article), when Islander was a flimsy online publication and not the glossy, voluminous magazine bursting in its seams with creative energy. I can recall a few familiar faces, a few snippets of the words exchanged, but like everything else, the details slip from memory.

Apparently I am not alone in this. While many students wrote on the subject of ‘organisation’ for this issue, my small group wrote on the subject of nostalgia; towards a home-cooked meal, towards the early days of the school, towards old house competitions, the teachers who are not with us anymore, towards a home country or the people left behind. In all of the articles, there is a tinge of sadness, of regret maybe, at the lack of hindsight, at the inevitable passage of time, the lingering doubt that maybe we did not make the most of our past.

The articles, however, are hardly just soppy reminiscences that inspire ‘awww’s’. They are calm reflections, but they are also celebrations of what we have here and now, the baffling but impressive distance we have travelled between now and then. Nostalgic moments remind us of the importance of the presence, and tell us that even this, will pass. [You will find these words over the next few pages.]

Sooner or later, there will be a time when my future self will look back on the present me with the same nostalgia that I do upon the Year 10 student, sitting in a room that would later be christened GS28, scribbling down notes for a magazine that would one day be The Islander. There will be a time when The Islander celebrates its 100th edition, approximately in about 30 years, if my maths isn’t amiss.

When I think about that song now, the faint whiff of the melody barely graspable now, the details of its beauty are forgotten, and only the fact that it was beautiful remains. It doesn’t give me back any inspiring dialogue, any physical memory, but when I play the broken, scattered rhythms in my head I always feel a sense of being a seven year old child, waiting for snow and Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. We would never be able to remember the whole song, but maybe The Islander can be like that short, fading bar of melody we can hold on to. Maybe it could be a souvenir from a past, that would make us exclaim with nostalgic excitement one day when we find it inside old cardboard boxes, or cobwebbed bookcases. Maybe, for a few Da In (Diane) Jung, Halla seconds, it may play back the lost tunes inside us, reminding us that the child or the teenager is still alive, still here, nestled within us like Russian dolls, smiling.

Jillian Chun, Halla

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE HOUSE COMPETITION YAESUNG LEE, YEAR 9, NORO

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O

ne of the most unique features of our school, compared to other Korean schools, is the House competition. There are five senior boarding houses; Jeoji, Sarah, Mulchat, Geomun and Noro. Each house competes, exercising their creative flair and original initiatives to the best of their abilities in order to take the House Cup at the end of each year. Every Monday after school, all houses come together to participate in a special competition. The house competition plays a significant role in discovering the house identity and stimulating the spirit of the house, unifying every strong and talented individual to make the strongest teams. However, although it feels as if House competitions and House systems are such a part of our daily life here that we can’t imagine it being in any way different, the Houses have changed significantly since the birth of NLCS Jeju.

Just imagine NLCS Jeju when it was first built. Noro house, who as I write this are on the top of the House competition ladder, didn’t even exist then. Other houses also changed; Indeed, many of the current house mistresses and masters say that Houses went through an immeasurable improvement throughout the last 3 years. When I asked them “Do you think that the enthusiasm and passion of the students towards the House competition has increased over the last 3 years?” their answers went something like this:

Miss Breckner, ABHM

Yeah, definitely. I think most of the students have never done anything like it and didn’t quite understand really what the House competition was at the beginning. If you look at videos and pictures from the first year, everyone’s just like ‘Yeah... Go Mulchat…’, but they didn’t really feel that house pride that they have now. However, if you look at it this year, it’s really competitive, there is real passion, people get really defensive and there are a lot of arguments about it. Not just students, but staff? Really into it. When you hear those cheers when a house wins, it’s like they have won the lottery or something. So, I think they are much more passionate especially since they understand more about the House competition now.

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Jeoji improvising Year 1 House Karaoke

Mrs Taylor, BHM

I think the understanding of what is expected in House competitions has definitely improved. When we are doing well, we are enthusiastic and strong, but when we are not doing so well, it is hard to motivate the students to be enthusiastic towards House competition (giggle). In the first year I was in Geomun, we came third, and in the second year we came second, so everyone was like, ‘yeah, we can win the House competition this year’, and especially when we won the House performance, it really boosted the enthusiasm in the house, but right now, we aren’t doing that well and they are feeling really low and it is difficult to reenergise everyone. However, I do feel the difference from the first year. Everyone now knows what is required of them.

When I was in Jeoji in the first year, it was really difficult. Most people did not want to do anything, nobody really understood what House competition was, what they had to do, things that they had to plan. The first couple of competitions I remember were just crazy. We had to tell everybody absolutely everything about what to do in the competitions.

Compared to now, it is very different. Now, I just have to say to the IGCSE drama students, ‘Here you are.

This is the brief for House drama. Have fun!’ But in the first year, for the exact same competition, I had to be everywhere, helping with the script, the acting and everything. In House karaoke, the Jeojians just went up and improvised things, jumping around like crazy people. Now everyone is so serious about it, just look at all the time and preparation that people put into it. In House cross country people almost died in the first year because no one had run so far in their entire lives. Now at least people know what to expect.

Mrs Sale, BHM Definitely. In the first year, the students did not know what House competition was about and every competition was a new one for them. Especially because our house was a new house, they could not do as well as they would have done if they were prepared and knew what everything was like. However, in the years that followed, they got stronger and stronger as they knew what they were expected to do and by winning a few competitions, they got a sense of pride and self-esteem, realising that they are not different from the others and that it was just because they were inexperienced. That has given them a lot of enthusiasm about the House events. It is a lovely feeling to feel strong and proud of yourself.

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Noro winning the 2014 House performance

All the houses have put in an enormous amount of effort into the past house competitions, trying their best and achieving amazing results that reflected the hard work all the houses had put in.

The standards of the results are just continuously getting higher, making the following competitions to be even more competitive and exciting, as each year the students attempt to surpass their previous performances as well as the achievement of other houses.

The house competitions has become an essential part of NLCS Jeju that give the students chances to try out new challenges that they have never faced before, develop teamwork skills, learn about one’s own talents and interests, and to have a lot of fun in the process. The houses Jeoji, Sarah, Mulchat, Geomun and Noro are the second homes that is an important part of students’ identity in our school. All of us are proud of our houses, and feel safe and belonged in our houses.

This sense of house spirit stems from the unique character that each houses possess. All houses are different and special in their own way, and students identify with their houses’ strengths or individual quirks. I asked different people, student and staff included, what they thought the greatest strength of their houses are, and received many interesting answers.

“What do you think is the greatest strength of your house?”

Jamie Park, Year 9 Sarah House is different from the other houses. It just has a different atmosphere.

Every single one of the students in the house cares for one another, and treats each other with respect. There is no hostility or tension between the age groups, as well as between boys and girls. I am confident that if an outsider came and watched us interacting, they would definitely be impressed by the warm, friendly atmosphere in the house - we are the friendliest house!

Miss Breckner, ABHM They just don’t give up! Last year, we were in first place for a lot of the competitions, but now we are mostly last. However, the students are still volunteering to take part in the competitions and they are putting a 100% effort into the competitions. If you just look around, you can see all the students practicing. Some plays chess, some writes eloquent speeches for the house public speaking, and this goes on in the students’ own free time. Even though we are losing, they understand that there is ample opportunities to win other competitions. So, I think our strength is that we never give up and we are always optimistic. Go Mulchat!!!!

Mrs Sale, BHM The greatest strength of Noro house is teamwork. From the first year, we always tried to give everyone a chance, even if they weren’t our best players. Now, even though we’ve gotten more competitive, we still try to make everybody take a part, however small, in major house competitions, so we value inclusion over being just the best team out there. That is the strength of our house and we always follow our motto that the strength of the wolf is the pack and the strength of the pack is the wolf. I think that is the best thing about Noro house.

We don’t value winning at all costs. It’s taking part that is very important for us.

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Mrs Taylor, BHM We are quite lucky that we are an all-round house. We are quite good at sports but we are equally strong in the arts. We did once think we weren’t really good in more academic competitions like general knowledge or the spelling bee, but then this year, we did a good job in them too. This again relates to the point about students becoming better with practice, but our year 11s have really grown to become great leaders. They come up with refreshing ideas, they have a strong sense of responsibility and the sports leaders are very motivated and energetic. In the first year, for instance, I had to do most of the job, but now the students have taken over the job, which is an impressive show of initiative. Everyone really works hard together, collaboratively.

Miss Brandon, BHM I think it’s the house unity and the support that our students give each other. They believe in themselves and they stretch themselves to do well. They just give it a go. Even if they think they are going to lose and they know that they are not good at something, they just give it the best effort and support each other and cheer each other on. For example, even if someone spells something wrong on house spelling bee, they still cheer to encourage the student. Sometimes we don’t win at all, we lose sometimes, but students just don’t really care at the end of the day. They have this really positive attitude, saying something like ‘Yeah it’s okay, we’ll win the next competition.’

And they will just get over it. Every house has strengths and weaknesses, but… I think the unity and strong teamwork in Jeoji, gets everything and everyone going.

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Just the sense of pride glowing from the House mistresses as they praised the independence, teamwork, and excellence of their student body is a living proof of the great progress our houses have made. The quality of the house competitions are still on the run, breaking records with each new competition. The participants’ enthusiasm and passion are now incomparable to the first year when house competitions initially began.

Sometimes it is easy to take our House and House competitions for granted, because there seems to be so much achievements and wonderful things to celebrate that goes on. However, when we look back with a sense of nostalgia towards the beginning, we actually appreciate just how long we’ve come to create and craft a special House full of great memories.

Think back to all the wonderful moments in your house. Instead of feeling sad because they are in the past, celebrate the memories we’ve made and look forward to all the future ones we will make together.

Remember, the house competition continues!

23 March 2014

Joker

Points

1

Jeoji

Played

102

1

Noro

Played

97

3

Geomun

Played

78

4

Sarah

TBP

77

5

Muchat

TBP

63

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Many of you may know that I was born in Japan.

However, my parents have different nationalities, which makes my life very complicated. I have two passports, one for Korea and one for Japan, and due to this fact, I often feel like I am neither Japanese nor Korean, and this is made more difficult since the two nations have drastically different cultures, worldviews and national personas. In fact, Japan and Korea still retain hostility towards one another due to the lasting historical feud between them.

However, as I have lived life in Japan and now in Korea, I can tell you that for me, this has created an innate longing for aspects of the culture from where I started life. A nostalgia, if you will, and something which many NLCS Jeju teachers will identify with.

The things I feel nostalgic about are numerous. My stress instantly dissipates as I step into the lands of Japan, and the air, atmosphere, smell, taste, sight, everything just thaws into my mind like syrup. I do not know if it is the language or the culture I feel comfortable with, but something just loosens me up. When I visit Japan I am transported to a place of absolute relaxation and I feel like I have entered the deepest part of my comfort zone. Of course, Korea is an amazing country in its own right, including the stellar information technology and virtues like kindness and loyalty that Koreans celebrate.

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I also miss the food in Japan, which is what I used to enjoy immensely. The smooth and tender “takoyakis” (cooked potato and flour with an octopus leg), the thin, luscious “yakisobas”(thin noodles cooked in soy sauce and Japanese traditional spices), and the delectable, silky “shabu shabu” (beef boiled in traditional Japanese sauce and dipped into egg yolk). I miss them all, and even now I longingly picture the taste and the smell of these appetising dishes that are available only in Japan. I think this is one of the reasons in which I enjoy Japan so much, the memory of the delicious food that haunts me.

Lastly, as I have more experience in Japan than I have in Korea, I have found it difficult to get used to the environment and the communities which exist all around me.

Because I’m from Japan I am often treated differently to others. Whilst I find Korean culture polite and considerate, I have not always been (am not) able to adjust and adapt to Korean society easily. I often find it hard to differentiate between what is polite and impolite in Korean culture as this isn’t always the same in Japanese culture. On the other hand, in Japan, I know how to act and what to say and can understand the Japanese language more fluently and naturally than I understand Korean. It goes without saying that I believe I could adjust and adapt quicker in Korea if it were my first language. In Korea,

I am still unaccustomed to the standards of what is appropriate behavior, and that means often I end up in uncomfortable situations that arise from my lack of experience with the Korean cultural context. This is the reason I focus on improving my attainment in my korean subjects.

Korea is certainly a wonderful place, and often I am charmed by great aspects of South Korean society. However, I cannot help but feel nostalgic towards Japan, because it is the nation I grew up in. I thank you, the readers, for listening to my opinions as a Japanese person. It is not always easy to be a foreigner in a school where one ethnicity makes up the majority, and I hope that more students would come to accept and appreciate diversity and understand the nostalgia that non-Koreans sometimes feel in this school.

Do-Omo Arigatoo Gozaimasu!

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HANNAH CHO. YEAR 11, JEOJI In the first year, we were given a piece of paper. It was called the “Language Card”. In it, there were two columns, one for “Good use of English” and one for “Inappropriate use of Korean”. The rule went like this: If we were caught speaking Korean during school time, the teachers had to put their signatures on the column for “Inappropriate use of Korean”. If we were seen using English, the teachers had to sign on the “Good use of English” column. If we had three signatures on the Korean column, we would get a green slip. Also, if we got caught using Korean, and did not have out language card, we got a green slip as well.

As a result, the students had developed their skills of quickly changing from Korean to English in a sudden presence of teachers over the past two years. In fact, we became such experts at this that as time passed, the number of signatures we got decreased gradually, until the school finally realised that there was no use for it any more. Through the language card policy, the school had learnt a big lesson: Learning English cannot be forced, it must be encouraged.

In the third year, the big six introduced a new system of encouraging use of English around school. It was called the Language Games. Basically, each student had one language card per day, and if they were caught speaking Korean, the teachers ripped their language cards.

A prize of a sumptuous pizza lunch was awarded to the house with the most language cards, or ‘survivors’.

The Language Games was a new excitement for all of us. Especially as it was based on the successful movie franchise, The Hunger Games. The language card was the symbol of life and students had to survive in a tense environment, avoiding their opponents. The opponents were obviously the teachers. Every time the teachers caught someone speaking Korean, they gave a victorious whoop as they smilingly ripped a language card. In fact, it seemed that some of the teachers had competition amongst them, competing who will destroy the most language cards. However, the students had immense fun, and this time it was the students, not the teachers, who had the initiative. As students also had to avoid other students who were assigned to catch Korean-speakers, students quickly adapted and English use became more popular among the students.

Overall, so many things have changed over the past four years and it is true that these systems of “improving use of English” have worked to some extent, gradually creating an environment in which students feel more comfortable using English. I predict that many other systems will come and go as the school develops. Students will always adapt to new systems, sometimes evading it, other times learning from it.

For now, welcome to the Language Games, and...

‘may the odds be ever in your favor!’

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Do you Remember?

JOANNA SONG, LAURA MOON & RAINA KIM, ALL YEAR 11, INTERVIEWED STUDENTS TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY REMEMBER ABOUT THEIR TIME AT NLCS JEJU AND WHAT HAS CHANGED WITHIN THE SCHOOL.

2011

YEAR 10 GIRLS, T AND C

T: “ I remember there was no double lesson. I used to fear double lessons because it is a privilege (?) of older students. I feel old now.”

C: “Yes, right. But I like double lessons though, I don’t have to move around much. It is more fun, too.”

YEAR 11 GIRL, R R: “I remember we were all standing, soaking wet on the first founders day when we were watching the time capsule being planted into the patch of earth near of the tower. I remember we put in our house’s weekend routine sheet and a copy of The Islander in the capsule.”

YEAR 11 BOYS, A AND J A : “There was always ‘Thomas and Friends’ turned on in cafeteria TVs during breakfast. I still have no idea why they did it. Perhaps to make us less unruly.”

J: “The prep system was quite different. There were two prep times and a short break in between. I used to go to gym during that short break. There were lots of couples hanging around.”

J: “I remember I got all excited for the first school snack and was completely shocked at that ridiculously small cookie. That was 1000 won for God’s sake. I guess I got used to it. I actually miss those cookies.”

YEAR 11 GIRL, C C: “Disco Inferno! - still the very best production we ever did.

‘Ceeeeeellllllllebrrrrrrrrate gooooooood times come on!’”

YEAR 11 GIRL, L L: “We didn’t have as many people as now in cafeteria back then. Seriously, every time I try to eat a meal it is like queuing up for a new iPad or something.

It is a disaster. The only thing that has not changed is the consistent and persistent effort to cut queues.”

YEAR 11 GIRL, L L: “There was no Mrs. Zhang. She always livens up my day. “You good girl but you don’t try!”

YEAR 11 GIRL, M M: “I got caught trying to take my electronics out through the small window connected to the outside. Sorry Mrs Taylor!”

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2012

YEAR 11 GIRL, E

T: “Noro girls expected Band Night to be a HUGE event in the school, and we wore leather skirts and heels for our first Band Night. Turns out that everyone else wore their trainers and sagging pants :(“

YEAR 10 GIRL, T T: “We used to have those ‘bread crumbs’ at the salad bar. What were they called? Right! Croutons.”

YEAR 11, ANNONYMOUS A : “When I first came to this school, I used to hand in my electronics.”

YEAR 9 BOY, G G: “The first House Competition was deciding our House Mascots and House Chant. Geomun used to be Penguins.”

Interviewer: “Wasn’t it Dolphins?!’

G: “Oh yeah. That’s even worse. LOL”

YEAR 10, ANNONYMOUS A : “There was a time when Chanwoo Bang was a star at the school. Every Band Night there was a crowd of girls taking videos right in front of him.”

H: “You were one of them.”

B: “Shut up.”

2013

YEAR 10, ANNONYMOUS

T: “One day, my dream came true. We didn’t go to school because of a bad storm!”

YEAR 10 GIRL, Y Y: “Tuberculosis” - that was our hope. We could get out of classes to get injections.”

YEAR 11 BOY, R A : One of our school’s pride - Rugby - we won the nationals! It was an absolute chaos when TV broadcasting companies came to our school to take photos and videos of the rugby team.

School Myths What is the purpose of the tower?

Is it true that there is a secret bunker under Geomun?

Is a new house going to be built next to the medical center?

Why did the school deny the offer of filming a sensational drama series at our school?

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CultureShock!

Jeju

TEACHERS’ ADAPTATION TO KOREAN CULTURE AND NOSTALGIA FOR WHAT THEY HAVE LEFT BEHIND

Esther Song Minha Kim Year 11, Jeoji 20

A

lthough the students of NLCS Jeju often complain about living as boarders in a school in the middle of nowhere on a detached, isolated island, the truth is that the real ‘victims’ of this school are elsewhere: the teachers.

After all, the teachers are the ones who have come to this tiny, remote island of Jeju far away from their homelands, and they are the ones that have been separated from all that they are familiar with in the process of doing so. It really isn’t that hard to imagine the amount of distress and problems the teachers might have gone through, especially in their first few years in Korea.

Now, with NLCS Jeju in its fourth year, and the Islander on its 10th edition, there are teachers who have adapted miraculously well to Korea, others that are still struggling to do so, and of course, the group of new teachers that has joined us every new year, including the most recent academic year of 2014-2015. In this article, we look into the teachers’ side of the story on the subject of their adaptation to Korean culture, and correspondingly, their nostalgia towards what they have left behind.

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WHAT ASPECT OF KOREAN CULTURE DO YOU FIND THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ADAPT TO?

The hierarchy system. My previous experiences have always been working in a meritocracy, and I find working in Korea to be a very different experience to that of working in a Western environment. Generally, I feel that the Korean working system is relatively less mobile, with in-built rigid system that discourages originality sometimes. And in a modern global society, I believe that this may not necessarily be the best thing, so maybe Korea needs to adapt this way of thinking in order to move onto the next stage.

MR CLANCY

When I started driving in Korea, I found the driving style quite different.

There are two different types of drivers in Korea; the overly cautious ones and the reckless ones. I find it difficult sharing the road with drivers like that. But now I’ve gotten much more confident.

I find the language really difficult and even when I think I am saying something right, no one understands me!

MR MALLEY

MR TAYLOR

MR FOWLER

I am not sure if it is a cultural thing but I am tired of people walking in front of me in the road thinking my car won’t hurt them!

I feel there is still a lot of racial tension and gender inequality in Korean society. I have witnessed this on several occasions outside of school. In terms of culture, parents seem to have a big influence on school and decisions in school, which is something I wasn’t used to.

MISS JONES

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2

WHAT SURVIVAL TIPS AND/OR TACTICS HAVE YOU DEVELOPED THROUGH LIVING IN KOREA AS A FOREIGNER?

Learn a few key Korean phrases such as “새해복 많이 받으세요~(Sae-hae Bok Mahnee Baduesaeyo./ Happy new year)”, “얼마야(Ul-mah-yah?/ How much is this ?”) “두 개 라떼 주세요.(Doo gae latte jusaeyo,” / Two cups of Latte please). You can get away with not knowing lots of Korean if you know a couple of good phrases, and the locals are often very impressed if you use them well.

MR FOWLER

MR TAYLOR

To expect the unexpected when driving my car.

You have to know enough Korean to give directions to taxi drivers and to order food in restaurants (오른쪽, (Oh-reun-jjok/right) 직진 (Jik-Jin/Go straight) 여기 주세요 (Yogi Juseyo /give it here please etc.)

MR CLANCY

Oh and I only go to restaurants that have pictures of food on their menus looking out for those kind of restaurants is also important.

MR MALLEY

Eat kimchi. It cures everything!

Share - everyone shares things here which is great! Also, be open minded to Korean ways, since we are living and working in the Korean culture.

MISS JONES

ANY THINGS THAT YOU FOUND SURPRISING OR DIFFERENT ABOUT THE STUDENT BODY IN KOREA? It is clear just how important education is for our students and for the nation as a whole. In a book called <Korea, the impossible country>, I read an interesting example that supported this idea: After the disastrous Korean War, something like 25% of the population was homeless, suffering a really harsh day to day existence. Even so, in the mountains, they set up tents that acted as makeshift schools such was the importance of education… This example fascinated me and is really evident with our students.

MR FOWLER

MR CLANCY

I was surprised at how open, warm and accepting the students have been.

It is sometimes difficult to know how much the students understand in lessons because of their different English levels.

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MR TAYLOR

I have never run a boarding house where the major problem is students not going to bed after lights out because they want to continue working.

The students’ internal motivation to learn is different to English students.

In general, there is a lot of apathy from teenagers towards their learning in England, when compared to Asians.

MS KENNINGTON

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MISS JONES

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WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST ABOUT YOUR HOME?

MR FOWLER

I miss Europe and being able to travel easily to France. I miss British food including Indian restaurants!

My family and friends, and I miss watching football at a decent hour, (because in Korea, to watch a game taking place in England, you have to watch it at about 2:00 in the morning).

MR CLANCY

Good cheese, but if you are resourceful enough, you can get access to it, even in Jeju.

MR MALLEY

I consider Jeju my home now, but I miss friends, family and Marks&Spencer from England.

I miss playing competitive sports on a regular basis, as well as my friends and family. But I have made new friends and I’m really enjoying my time here.

MR TAYLOR

MISS JONES

My family and friends.

Simply from the teachers’ answers to the four questions above, it is evident that all the teachers have learned to adapt to Korea in their own distinct ways. Learning some key Korean phrases seems to be the most prevalent ‘survival tactic’ out of all. At the same time, they also have different objects of nostalgia, predominantly friends and family, as can be expected.

Although it is often quite easy to overlook the teachers’ harsh situations in face of our own problems and complaints, paying just a little bit more attention to the teachers’ lives, or having even a short conversation with them on such subjects, almost immediately brings forth the realization that their lives are just as hard, if not more, than ours.

So next time you talk to a teacher, why not offer them a word of acknowledgement of their hardships, and appreciation for their presence at NLCS Jeju? You might also be able to give a big help by simply helping them with indecipherable Korean text messages, some necessary phone calls to non-English speakers, or even helping them learn a few ‘key’ phrases.

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introducing our NEW LOGOS DANIEL SON, YEAR 8, GEOMUN, DESIGNED A NEW FAMILY OF LOGOS FOR THE ISLANDER, ISLANDER TV AND ISLANDER GAZETTE.

If somebody says to me that Facebook is not a good information platform, I would probably laugh at them, for I get most of my information about the school, such as society noticies, there. As I scroll down the ‘NLCS Community’ menu of Facebook, I get to see surveys, adverts for fundraising events and recruitment notices.

It was also on Facebook where I happened to see a recruitment notice for the newly launching Islander TV, posted by Charlie Park in Year 12. I wasn’t really interested in the recruitment itself, as I am not that good at editing and taking videos. However, I felt that the concept of the school’s official video making organisation was a great idea, and wanted to contribute to it in some way (so that I could brag about it to my friends).

The best contribution that I could provide the Islander TV team was

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designing their logo (or at least I felt that way), as I enjoy designing, and had some experience related to design. So, I designed the squareshaped Islander TV logo and sent it to Charlie, not having any assurances that my proposal would be accepted by him.

Some days later, Charlie contacted me back and recommended me to meet Mr. Taylor. At the time, I was rather baffled, as I had no idea about his position in Islander TV, and further, The Islander. Anyway, I met him on a Friday lunchtime, and it turned out that he was the director of The Islander Media Group. He told me he really liked my design and asked me to use it as a basis to devise logo designs for The Islander, Islander TV and Islander Gazette, the school’s news service. He requested I build on my logo with two things, and two things only. To include characteristics of the school, and to include characteristics of Jeju Island.

I completed the devising of the logos a while later, changing the main colour of the logos from yellow to blue, and adding some design features showing the key identities of Jeju. In the logos of The Islander and Islander Gazette, circles of three different colours, blue, green and orange, are shown. Of those, blue represents the sea of Jeju Island.

It also represents NLCS Jeju, as it is the same shade of blue as the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Green stands for the oreums (mountains) and forests of Jeju, while orange symbolises the Sun and Jeju tangerines. The logo for Islander TV is a slight variation to this, still sharing the key principles of the design language but in only two colours. The curve above the letters represents an analog TV antenna.

theislander islander

Gazette

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Hola Ebola JIMMY PARK, SARAH, AND RICH CHOI, JEOJI, BOTH YEAR 10, INVESTIGATE THE RECENT EBOLA EPIDEMIC IN WESTERN AFRICA.

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In 1976 the world said hello to the Ebola Virus. Hola Ebola! But why are we talking about it now? Well, because it’s the cause of a current epidemic in West Africa, which has resulted in at least 21,296 suspected cases and 8,251 confirmed deaths as of January 3, 2015, according to Wikipedia. The current outbreak in West Africa (first cases notified in March 2014), is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. There have been more cases and more deaths in this outbreak than in all the others combined.

The virus is named after a river in the area that the virus was first encountered. The Ebola virus first came out in Sudan and Zaire in 1976. The first outbreak of the Ebola virus infected over 300 people, with a fatality rate of 53%. A few months later, the second outbreak emerged from Yambuku and Zaire with a mortality rate of 88% infecting 320 people. The third strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston, was first identified in 1989 when infected monkeys were imported into Reston, Virginia, from Mindanao in the Philippines. The last known strain of Ebola, Ebola Cote d’Ivoire, was discovered in 1994 when a female ethologist performing a necropsy on a dead chimpanzee from the Tai Forest, Cote d’Ivoire, accidentally infected herself during the operation.

Today, there are numerous countries that suffer emergencies with the Ebola virus.

The Ebola Virus

A brief history of the Ebola Virus

What is the Ebola Virus?

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a very fatal and calamitous disease for humans. The virus spreads to people from wild animals and multiplies in humans through humanto-human transmission. We can’t get Ebola through air, water or food. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, etc. There is a very low possibility of getting infected in a public space. The incubation period for Ebola is approximately 2 to 21 days.

During the incubation period a person who has the virus but no symptoms is not infectious. The average Ebola case fatality rate is around 50%, but case fatality rates have diverged from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks. The first Ebola outbreaks occurred in villages in Central Africa, around the tropical rainforests. However, the most recent outbreak in West Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.

Community engagement is the key to successfully governing outbreaks. Successful outbreak control is based on how well the authorities apply a package of interventions. A good laboratory service, timely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, social mobilisation and safe burials are all essential in the fight against the outbreaks. Early supportive care with symptomatic treatment and rehydration improves survival. So far, there is no proven treatment to neutralise the virus but a variety of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development. Two trials for an Ebola vaccine have begun in Liberia, however many Liberians are skeptical about it because of the announcement made when the epidemic started, that the “Ebola virus doesn’t have medicine or treatment.”

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How does Ebola relate to organization?

Another way the Ebola virus exhibits the traits of organization is how the disease itself spreads. The natural source host of the Ebola virus has not been determined yet, making it very difficult to figure out how it first appeared in humans. Nonetheless, scientists are hypothesizing that the first patient got an infection through an infected animal, for instance a fruit bat or primate.

After that, it spreads very rapidly personto-person leading to large numbers of affected people. When contacted, the virus spreads by direct contact, for instance through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth. As we said in the beginning, it spreads by blood, body fluids, and objects. Ebola is not spread through air, water, or in general, food.

Also, there is no evidence of mosquitoes or insects transmitting the disease, but it is proven that mammals such as humans, bats, monkeys, and apes can become infected and spread the Ebola virus. Another fast way it can spread is within healthcare settings.

It may be exposed to the Ebola virus and, without the proper PPE we discussed earlier, there is a huge risk of getting infected. A person fully recovered from Ebola can no longer spread the virus, but the virus has been identified in the patient’s semen after the recovery.

The last way organization could link to Ebola is the medical organizations engaged in curing Ebola patients. The organizations are involved in infected areas, mainly in West Africa. Monetary donations by the community are very important. Even a small donation could help the groups save lives.

There are new developments including supplying transit centers for children, distributing infection prevention materials to schools, and reuniting children with their biological families which are helping cure the scars left by the virus.

The world’s largest Ebola virus outbreak is now showing some signs of abating.

According to the World Health Organization, who declared Ebola a global health emergency, the Ebola virus is coming to and end. The world, including organizations and volunteer workers, are trying their best to help fight against Ebola. Vaccines are not far away from succeeding, and more people are volunteering. We hope to say goodbye to the Ebola virus soon. Adiós Ebola..

United States Center for Disease Control

You might have wondered how Ebola links with organization, but there are a few ways.

Being a doctor working in an Ebola infected area, you need organizational skills in order to keep safe. For instance they have to receive training in Ebola related procedures as no skin can be exposed when treating a patient. There is a remarkably long list of the things doctors working with Ebola have to be aware of. One major thing is how they are donned or dressed. Doctors have to wear the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) throughout the duration of their exposure to contaminated areas and perform disinfection of gloves frequently. It isn’t any different when doffing or taking off the PPE. The process itself is so high-risk that it requires an observer, a designated area and time as it is a very slow and carefully controlled process to divest yourself of the PPE.

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Weird Organisations Amy Cha, Year 10, Mulchat Gyuri Kim, Year 10, Sarah

“Organised” is defined as “[being] arranged in a systematic way, especially on a large scale” by our dear old friend, the Oxford Dictionary. However, there are eccentric organisations all around the world. There are also teachers at NLCS Jeju with eccentric hobbies, so we decided to introduce them to those hidden organisations. Kindly, Mrs Waterson and Miss Breckner accepted our request to interview them about their hobbies; making sausages and juices.

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Mrs Waterson & her Sausages

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When did you first get intp sausage making?

Three and a half years ago when I first came to Jeju. I couldn’t get any decent Englishstyle sausages in South Korea, so I thought to myself “why not make your own?”

How did it feel when you made your first sausage?

It was disgusting and exhausting at the same time. The first sausage making process was incredibly time consuming, and it was quite physical. I had to handle huge quantities of raw meat (about 65 ~ 75 kg of meat) which I found absolutely gross to touch. And also, in the beginning, I used a type of casing which was really smelly. We had to rinse and soak them which took lots of time.

What is it about sausages that really inspires you?

I love the taste of them - real English Sausages. As well as our family there were lots of other staff who missed English Sausages, and it was worthwhile to create something which let everyone have a taste of home. Along with that, I’ve really enjoyed selling sausages to the staff in other schools such as BHA and KIS Jeju, I have met lots of new people and we have a common ground - all of us missed our hometown.

How important is sausage making in your life?

Not that important as in terms of my whole life, but it dominates us for two or three days during the short time when we make them - every couple of months or so.

Did you know there is an organization called ‘Sausage Making’?

www.sausagemaking.org

I think we’ve seen this before; to use them as our guidance.

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When did you first get into juicing?

Last summer. I wanted to feel really healthy and was looking for a way to detox. I came across a book, which said ‘5 juices for 5 days, you’ll lose 5 pounds.’

How did it feel when you made your first juices?

I first made apple and ginger juice. I was really excited. After I made my first juice, I gave them to my family to taste; they loved the taste. Once I tasted that first juice, I knew that I would carry on for a long time.

What is it about juice that really inspires you?

The juices are made out of freshly extracted juice from fruits and vegetables. Also it affects the whole state of mind as well as the way I feel physically. My quality of sleep has improved and my skin has become clearer. I know lots of people drink juice from shop-bought bottles but those juices have so much added sugars in them. The ones I make don’t include added sugars, just the nutrients from the fruits and vegetables.

How important is juicing in your life?

It is the first thing I do in the morning. I drink at least a glass of pure juice everyday.

Also, I want to motivate people with juicing, and introduce them to this great habit.

How would someone learn about juicing?

There is a documentary called ‘Fat, Sick, Nearly Dead’ (it’s free to watch on YouTube).

The general plot of the documentary is about a man who is really unhealthy. The doctor told him that he’s going to die if he does not change his lifestyle. So he started to drink lots of pure juice and finally he became healthy.

Either watch the documentary or you can follow the juicing group on Facebook which is like a small community where people share and discuss ideas about juicing.

All the members give lots of advice and whenever I want to find a new recipe or if I want a juice for a specific reason (eg if I feel sick) I ask this group for suggestions.

Did you know there is an organisation called Juicemaster.com?

Yes I did. That organization has lots of information I needed. And also, this site inspired me to continue to make juices.

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According to the interviews with Mrs. Waterson and Miss. Breckner, both of them were aware of the unusual organisations that we were planning to introduce them to. At first glance, we thought that the organisations would be rarely used by people and only a very small group of people would participate in them. However, we quickly found out that many people are using them as their advice sources as well as sharing their thoughts through them. At the start of the second term, when we chose our topic of ‘weird organisations’, the main idea was to share some hilarious organisations among the readers and to move the readers to laughter. However, while we were interviewing Miss. Breckner and Mrs. Waterson, we thought that it was hard to define what is weird and what is understandable. Actually, it was just our opinions that it might be weird! From Miss. Breckner and Mrs. Waterson’s perspective, those hobbies are how they really enjoy life, and gain memorable experiences.

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Mathe Magicians THIS TERM, PHD STUDENTS FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY, DANIEL MARTIN AND PAUL TAYLOR VISITED NLCS JEJU. THE SELF STYLED “MATHEMAGICIANS” INTRIGUED STUDENTS ABOUT MATHEMATICS THROUGH THE USE OF FASCINATING GAMES INVOLVING PROBABILITY AND LOGIC. DANIEL AND PAUL FURTHER EXPRESSED THEIR INTEREST IN MATHEMATICS AND INTRODUCED OXFORD UNIVERSITY. words Josh Lee, Halla photography Jessica Baek, Halla

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Oxford What is so special about Oxford?

“There are two special things about Oxford; the collegiate system and tutorial sessions. Oxford University consists of 38 colleges and within each college they form a secure foundation. The colleges have substantial responsibility for student teaching and undergraduates and graduates can name their preferred colleges in their applications. Students can have contact with the other colleges, providing a larger scale of communication. As a result, students can shape a new extended family inside the university.

Oxford has a particular focus on tutorials, academic learning with a small group of people.

Undergraduates are given the chance to talk about their work and subject to professionals. Through this process, students enhance their academic and communication skill. Each individual has different academic work based on their interest, so they develop in different ways.” Paul

What type of students do oxford look for?

“Oxford looks for academically the best students. The objective is to find out who is the best in that subject. Good exam results can help to show your commitment and hard work, but you should be able to communicate about your subject. It sometimes causes confusion, because universities require extra-curricular activities such as music, sports, and so on. These activities are useful to show commitment, but you have to admit that Oxford is looking for the person who is best at the subject.” Daniel

How do Oxford students feel about Cambridge?

“I am absolutely fine. There are simple jokes and teasing between the students but there are no such things like unpleasantness or dislike.“ Paul “Nobody really cares. Cambridge is a wonderful place.” Daniel

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Mathematics What is the most disturbing prejudice towards mathematicians?

“In general people think in order to be mathematician, you have to be odd. Also you do not have to be male in order to be mathematician.” Paul “Some people think mathematics is boring. It is obviously cooler than any of video games” Daniel

To which type of student would you recommend Mathematics?

“Students with a certain level of talent and enjoyment should do Mathematics. The level of mathematics between sixth form and university is different. During the course of IB, some students can get good grades without putting in enough effort, but in university the vast majority find it hard.

Therefore you should enjoy the subject in order to motivate yourself to put in enough work.” Paul “If you want to do mathematics or physics professionally, you have to enjoy it. Even for the clever people, these degrees require hard work. Without any enjoyment, you won’t put enough work in.

However, both mathematics and physics are a great way to challenge yourself, so I recommend it to lots of people” Daniel

In one sentence, what is Mathematics?

“Mathematics is a logical ordered language for describing the world making predictions for the world and understanding it.” Paul “Mathematics is honesty, because you can’t fool anybody with logic.” Daniel

Question Some might consider mathematics as a tedious and intricate subject based on question solving. However, one will soon notice that there is more than question solving because mathematics is applied everywhere from Natural Sciences and Economics to Computer Programming.

In the past, I thought of mathematics as a subject which is important but simply based on complex calculations. Focused on iGCSE and IB courses, I overlooked the intriguing aspects and ignored the deeper understanding within questions.

This visit aroused in me a new perspective that mathematics can be complex and exciting at the same time. Try solving these questions and find out if your view point changes as well.

Two players are playing a stone picking game. The players must pick 1, 2, or 3 stones from the pile.

The pile of stones contain 13 stones. The players take turns. The one who picks the last remaining stone loses. What is the method of victory?

Extended Question What if the pile of stones contains n number of stones?

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words Gina Hooton & Sarah Kim, Year 9, Mulchat art Heather Jung, Year 11, Mulchat

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The bends is a disease that you can get when you come out too quickly after you dive below 33 feet under water. When you dive below 33 feet, your lungs contract by a factor of 2. As you rise up slowly, the capacity of your lungs slowly expands again, but if you come out too quickly, you can get the bends.

The experience of having the bends is like when you pour a fizzy drink. Imagine the moment, immediately after you open it, when it bubbles up suddenly. This happens because the gas in your body is under pressure in the water and trapped and if you rise up too quickly, the gas in your body gets released too quickly, forming bubbles of nitrogen in your bloodstream. It is said to be extremely painful and unbearable. The symptoms of the bends can range from dizziness to sometimes, in extreme cases, paralysis.

Here, at NLCS Jeju, we know that a member of staff has actually experienced the bends during the Christmas holidays. Mr Miles.

Mr Miles’s had his first attempt at scuba diving in the Christmas break. However, as you might assume, it didn’t go very well. He says it all started like this: Suddenly I got swept up with it, then it didn’t go so well. So it started off in my right leg, and it felt like a sore pain. It wasn’t too bad to start with - and it kind of felt like, you know, when you sleep on your legs all night and you can’t feel them anymore. You whack it, and it doesn’t feel right; you can’t really feel anything.

Then, you get a tingling feeling in your leg. It spread up my leg. Then down in the joints, you get these shooting pains. And then, it starts to spread. It went up my leg, and then it went down my left leg, and then it went into my fingers. It started going up my hand so it got all tingly, sore, and I couldn’t feel them. By the time I was in the hospital, it had just got to my nose - it had spread all the way up my body so my lips were tingly and my nose was tingly... and that was the last I remember of it.”

He also commented, James Bond never has a problem - he dives down in his scuba gear and the baddies are chasing him and he comes quickly back to the surface. He doesn’t get decompression sickness.

I can’t see how 1 hour of pleasure is worth 2 months of misery.

I would definitely not recommend it to anyone.

Since the theme for the Islander this term is ‘organisation’, do you think there is anything in your experience that can relate to this?

Well, had I been more organised, I would have looked at the requirements for the PADI course and I would have read that you are supposed to dive to 18 metres; my diving instructor took me down much deeper - that’s probably why I am in this mess… I would have researched what happens when you get the bends and what you should do about it.

We would like to say one last thing for our readers to take away and think about.

A little bit of disorganisation, a little mistake, a big tragedy.

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Are Girls Angels?

When my brother started his fifth year of primary school, one of the things my mother had to hear most were his complaints about how his teachers “only liked the girls.” According to him, the girls never got into trouble, while he and his male comrades were picked on for the tiniest of mischiefs. His teacher praised the girls for everything while he never ever got any compliments, no matter how hard he had tried.

The resentful list of atrocious inequalities in his year five classroom would go on and on and on to the point where I would erase the smug smile on my face and begin to feel somewhat guilty.

GIRLS ARE BETTER STUDENTS Although both mother and I knew full well that his imagination and sorrow had tweaked his memory, the truth was that his claims weren’t all barefaced lies. I know, well, at least from a girl’s point of view, that we are generally considered to be better ‘students,’ that is, more conscientious and organised. Especially in the lower year groups, we can see drastic differences between the girls’ work, with their felt tip and coloured paper razzle-dazzle, and the boys’ work with a dominance of grey-and-white and the inevitable careless handwriting. Of course, this is by no

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means an indication of any differences between the intellectual capacities of the two genders.

In fact, nice presentation gradually ceases to be the standard upon which any academic piece of work is judged as we move up the school. However, this distinction does suggest one thing: the existence of innate differences between males and females.

This very type of distinction, ironically in my brother’s experience, was the exact enemy against whom women had been fighting with clenched fists and gritted teeth. The history of mankind is also the history of male chauvinism, perhaps obviously as a vast majority of the writers had been men – hence, women’s ceaseless, ongoing fight for equal rights. Although we have seen some great improvements, especially through the last century, we females, as a gender, are still facing the unfair division of domestic labour, the media’s constant focus on women’s appearance and the subsequent pressure and self-hatred, the difficulty for women to get to the top of the career ladder, the danger of sexual assault and many other social inequalities according to the magazine NewStatesman. The eradication of such injustices, imposed upon half the human population is undoubtedly an issue at the top of our to-do list as a species.

Emma Watson speaking at HeForShe

FEMINISM Fundamental differences

However, it seems to me, that we have deviated away from the track. Emma Watson, on behalf of the HeForShe campaign, spoke in the UN about how feminism needs support from both genders and how not generalizing or stereotyping men is equally as important to fight as women’s rights are to be respected.

A great deal of people were moved by her straightforward, sincere, delivery and I was no exception. Having said that, I couldn’t agree with the content of what she had said; her emphasis on the negativity of the differences in how men and women are caricatured endangers feminism, just as much as the enforcement of such stereotypes. It’s about time for us to face the simple fact that men and women are different.

True, every individual has every right to be whatever they want to be and to be respected.

But it’s also true that there are trends that inevitably define men and women, especially since what binds them in the same gender is a huge portion of their identity. Nonetheless, as a matter of fact, we are designed to serve different functions by mother nature, and therefore show massive disparities.

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DO GIRLS PREFER LITERATURE TO PHYSICS? I have two society meetings every Thursday lunch, Literature Society for the first half, and Physics Society for the second. These two societies, as you can probably guess, demonstrate such trends to the extreme. The first half of my lunch is spent surrounded by a group of girls, sat around a desk, with a cookie in our hands if we’re lucky, appreciating the beauty of haikus and sonnets. Then, when I go up to the third floor to the Physics lab, I have to struggle through a bunch of boys standing around in the dark with their bags still on their shoulders.

Zero boys signed up for the Literature Society.

Or, if they have, they have either forgotten about it or are engaged in a silent boycott. Five girls joined the Physics Society, but only two of us are regular attenders. The difference is simply impossible not to acknowledge.

You know who

Of course, this phenomenon is nothing more than a demonstration of the trend: in general, more girls find Literature interesting, while more boys are attracted to Physics. However, the mere mentioning of such gaps between the two genders seems to frighten us the way an epidemic does. Even though the existence of the differences are undeniable, we turn a blind eye to them and we consider it offensive if a person relates what one does with their gender. Say, for example, I was told “It’s strange that you’re in the Physics Society, because, you know, you’re

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a girl.” It’s very easy for me to be offended, in which case my response would be, “Are you trying to say that girls are not allowed to be interested in physics?” in an I-can’t-believe-whatyou’re-saying tone. However, to actually think of it, the claim of the strangeness does have a basis in truth, because I am, in fact, one of the few anomalies in the male dominated society.

LORD VOLDEMORT In the first volume of the hit fantasy series Harry Potter, Harry repeatedly startles the witches and wizards he meets by saying Lord Voldemort’s name out loud instead of referring to him as “YouKnow-Who” or “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” as conventional wisdom directs. He is bold enough to do so because not only does Harry not believe in the superstitious magical function of the name, but he also understands that avoiding to name Lord Voldemort enhances the fear aroused by the Dark Lord’s mysteriousness. The differences between men and women and our reactions to them are exactly the same (except maybe the unfortunate absence of magic). The more we try to avoid the idea of comparison, the more frightening our shameful trauma, of having discriminated or having been discriminated against on the grounds of the misinterpretations of the differences, become. And I insist that this fear, more than anything, is what blinds us from seeing the essence of feminism, consequently worsening the actual inequalities women face.

THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE Moreover, such contrasts are natural rather than enforced or shaped by society. I behave like a girl, or at least I think I do, because I like it that way, not because I get pressured to fit myself into the frame of what a girl should be. Growing up, I wished for a doll from Father Christmas while my brother wished for a robot, and this certainly was not because my parents somehow brainwashed us to do so – we shared a room throughout much of our childhood, sharing all toys, and sometimes, clothes – but simply because we wanted them. Now, as a teenager, perfume and eyeshadow pallets fascinate me, while my brother skips dinner to practice basketball, and I listen to Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran, when my brother’s playlist is full of hip-hop and hard rock. Again, these happened naturally; as far as I can remember, no one told me to listen to the type of music more popular among girls, just as nobody had stopped me from listening to what my brother listens to, and same goes for my brother.

Plato’s Cave

There are no invisible frames that suffocate Neither me nor my brother. We are, unsurprisingly, like the vast majority of our gender. The idea of invisible frames is absurd because they do not exist. No generalization is possible without a certain degree of generality, unless we are in Plato’s cave with our heads chained facing the wall. In fact, by dismissing the natural differences between men and women as mere artificial moulds, we are chaining our own minds, away from the beautiful, original individuals and obstinately persisting in seeing the shadows only.

Instead, think of it Aristotle’s way: we are individuals, and we, together, define our genders.

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The New

biG6 Photography by Donghyeon Seo, Halla

With the reminiscence of the entertaining fare-well video imprinting a smile on their faces, the whole senior school student body applauded to welcome the new Big Six to serve the school for another year. Apprehension, excitement, gracefulness, doubt, a mixture of many feelings appeared on the faces of the new Big Six. Yet, all of them conveyed an emotion because they possessed love and passion towards our school. As always, every member of the Big Six portray a unique character and ambition.

The name “Big Six” itself induces pressure on to the members of it. The “Big Six” is conceptualized as an important and enormous role within the school; to some extent this might be true. However, one essential truth is that their accomplishment, role and existence only become important when we as the student body co-operate and participate. Therefore please have belief in the Big Six, support their ambition, or even share your ideas - the best way to make school life enthusiastic and meaningful for all of us.

The Big Six have gathered to express their vision, ambition and love towards the school - let’s hear from them.

Kiwan Hyun

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Kiwan Hyun As the Head Boy I have nothing much to say but thank you. It was you who made it possible for me to be in this place at this lovely school and write such an article. I would like to stress two things before our new Big Six properly kicks off.

Firstly, we do not possess any power or authority over any of you; we just try our best to be the leading examples. And second, our term in school as the Big Six may be enjoyable for all of us, including you, only if we work together and share our talents to reach our collective highest potential. I love our community and therefore I shall try my best to make wise decisions.

Andy Jang I’m the man co-operating with the Junior School. It is my honor to represent NLCS Jeju and serve all the individuals who are studying under the exceptional British education that is being provided. I want everyone in NLCS Jeju to enjoy school life, and I will put my utmost effort into making the school community the most caring and friendly one I know it can be. Really looking forward to the coming year!

Sam Ha I’m a new member of the Big Six responsible for Senior Boys. The fact that I am one of the members of the Big Six is still a shock to me. I am very excited to play the role as part of our school’s public face. Not only will I share my passion for our school with our prospective parents, but also with you, people of our community. I hope to enhance the ‘intra’ and ‘inter’ community communication.

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Gabbie Yu It is such a great honor to be appointed as the new Head Girl. I will be working with Kiwan to coordinate our roles. I would also like to think I am a person who is approachable and friendly so all students can get advice and tell me their vision of how they want NLCS Jeju to be. Contrary to expectations, I do not have a major objective or a big plan to change our school. Rather, my main goal is to become the link between the students. I am more than willing to be your supporter, encouraging and pushing you in the right direction.

Emily Suh I applied for the Big Six hoping to be a person who can contribute to the school. Now that I have been given the opportunity, I will try my very best to achieve this goal while working with Dr. Brown in the Girls School.

Jessica Baek It is a great honor for me to represent NLCS Jeju with other members of the Big Six. During my tenure I will be assisting the Assistant Head in the Sixth Form to help achieve the school aims within the section. Also I would like to build a stronger school community by encouraging more communication between different year groups. So no matter which year group you are in, please feel free to talk to me anytime or ask me any questions.

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The Story of Our Snackbox 62

YEJEE HWANG AND LILY KIM, BOTH IN MR PADDEN’S YEAR 3 CLASS, WERE INTERESTED IN HOW THEIR SNACKBOXES WERE ORGAINISED AND WHERE THE CONTENTS CAME FROM. 63

What is in my snackbox?

Our snackbox always has different foods in it. Sometimes oranges, sometimes cheese, sometimes strawberries and sometimes sandwiches. There is no pattern. But, there is one thing that never changes. Our mums always like to give us fruit for our tasty snacks.

We like fruit and fruit is also good for us. We think that our mums have given us hundreds of different juicy types of fruit. So for example apples, strawberries, oranges and kiwis.

Where does the fruit come from?

Our mums buy the fruit from the supermarket. To find the best fruit, Yejee’s mum says “I examine the fruit carefully and I also ask the shopkeeper which fruit is the tastiest.” Lily’s mum says “I look at all the fruit in the shop. Then see which one is organic because that’s the healthiest option. I also look at the expiry date because if we eat the fruit after expiry it won’t be very nice.”

How does the fruit get to the supermarket?

Everyone knows that fruit doesn’t have any legs to get to the supermarket!

Then how does it get there? In Jeju, there are lots of trees that grow fruits like oranges and apples. Our mums know that fruit doesn’;t come from the supermarket and they like to support Jeju farmers.

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Our story of picking fruits in Jeju Our birthdays are close together in December. This is also tangerine picking season when the trees are heavy with tangerines. As our birthday treats, we were invited to Lily’s grandpa’s friend’s farm. We went out with our mammoth basket and special scissors that were so strong they could cut tree branches in one snip.

We picked so many that we couldn’t count how many we picked. We think that we picked one googol tangerines. We gave it to Chan, Ryan, Yejee’s brother and our parents. We took some of them home and ate the tangerines in our houses.

Your snackbox Next time you open your snackbox, think about where your snack comes from!

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Welcome to North London Honeybee School Jeju, NLHS! Imagine yourself walking into assembly one Monday morning and finding a dozen giant bees sitting on stage waiting for you. What would be your first reaction? You would panic. Some of you may stay frozen for while, and then start to run away. However, would any of you look forward to, or even know how NLCS Jeju would run from then on? Here is one possible version of how our school would be run by bees.

Unlike what most people think about bees, they are actually quite organised insects. First of all, you would have a principal bee, or the queen (king) bee. This bee will be responsible for recruiting new staff and students once or twice every year, in the reproduction season, spring and early summer, just as if a queen bee of a honeybee colony will lay eggs in this season. Unfortunately, some bees will leave us, as always, and leave the school. Some bees may leave because they don’t like the pollen and the honey provided by NLBS’s catering company. Other bees may leave because of physical issues, if they have a problem with their health. However, most bees will leave because of swarming, moving home from one place to another. They will go in search of a better school for them, to a new limb of a tree or a flower, perhaps.

words by Cion Choi, Year 9, Geomun

Between spring and early summer would come the graduation ceremony of year 13 older bees, where giant swarming would take place. They will fly around the air for several months, thinking carefully about on which limb of a tree (a school) they would like to build their new nests.

During hot summer days, a honeybees’ school will stay cool in the building through an extremely scientific, exhausting action where the hedge joint on a finger of a bee could possibly get severely damaged – pressing the airconditioner ‘on’ button. This action requires a lot of time and strength, but it will keep the school temperature constant and cool, for that summer. The actual very scientific way the bees keep their colonies cool is by gathering water and spreading it on the interior of the nest, thereby causing it to evaporate within the cluster by its exposure to air circulation.

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art by Jane Lee, Year 11, Geomun

This is an adaptation that the bees developed over time, just like the way we developed technology to make our lives easy in hot, summer days. Also, especially because summer is a time of collecting nectar and pollen, some worker bees, the teachers and the vice-principals might disappear in some lessons, because of work overload. They would not possibly be able to teach and gather honey at the same time, would they?

The worker bees, which constitute the majority of bees occupying the school, would be students and teachers. These bees have specialized structures, such as registers, green slips, loud voices and intriguing gestures in order to perform all the strenuous labours of teaching in a classroom. As for the students, they have a list of a hundred excuses for an incomplete piece of homework, a planner to doodle on, and for most students, an extra gland under the chin that allow them to speak Korean constantly around school. Although there are many of them and they are have different roles to play in our society, these students and teachers each with different characters help the school and themselves to be who they are, and keep the school going at hard times.

In the autumn, everyone in the school suffers a lot from flu, as amounts of nectar and pollen coming into the hive decreases, whilst the number of ill students in the medical centre increases.

This is a time when everyone has to cooperate to prevent the whole school from going instinct. The heater would be turned on; the people will start to cluster inside a building rather than being active outside. We would shift position now and then in order to keep the body and the brain alert, but there wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be much activity near winter time and some students may be hibernating in class due to lack of energy.

This is what it would be like at NLBS, a school run and comprised of honeybees. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you think it is not too different from they way NLCS Jeju is run now? As humans, although perhaps not in the same way as honeybees, we all have our own roles to contribute to the society that we live in. Organisation is a skill that everyone in every colony or society must possess, because essentially, that is the skill needed for development and for keeping everyone healthy. Small insects like honeybees demonstrating immaculate organization skills, not in a school, but in their nests in colonies, jus colonies, just show how nature itself is extremely organized. So, why shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we be?

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SECRET SOC IE T I E S ASHLEY PARK, YEAR 11, GEOMUN OPENS THE DOOR ON A SECRETLY RUN WORLD

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Have you ever heard about an organization significant for American independence from the United Kingdom? Or even the brains behind the nuclear bomb, not to mention the assassination of President John F. Kennedy?

As you can imagine, the world is full of mysteries. Secret societies have existed all throughout the centuries of history, clandestinely conducting their business in dark back rooms and hence influencing the great culture of the world. Indeed, members need to conceal their activities, even their identities from the public view. Now I would like to unveil a few ‘classified’ organisations that actually ‘run the world’.

SK U LL AN D BON ES Known as the oldest of student secret societies in the United States, Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior secret society, originally known as the Brotherhood of Death, founded in 1832 by the father of former president, William Howard Taft. Both Bush presidents have been members of this society whilst studying at Yale, and a number of other its members have achieved great fame and fortune.

This secret society is regarded as the mastermind of several major cases, like the policy behind the Cold war and the escalation of the war in Vietnam, not to mention the concept of the Nuclear bomb and assassination of president John F. Kennedy.

Interestingly, it is different from other societies in some regards. First, the society, namely a “senior society” is only opened for upcoming seniors for a year until graduation. Second, members have a history of committing crimes like grave robbing, which has been committed on several occasions. Also, the society uses masonic inspired rituals to this day; members have been known to stab the Bones insignia into their flesh to keep it on them while showering or swimming.

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SONS OF LIBERTY Founded in 1765 by a group of local artisans and shopkeepers in Boston, it was formed to protect the rights of the colonist and fight the abuses of taxation by the British government. Sons of Liberty was a formal underground organisation with recognised members, including John Adams and Samuel Adams. This radical group contradicted the Stamp Act, which was a law passed by Britain, requiring all publications and legal commercial documents in the American colonies to bear a tax stamp. There were other parliamentary revenue programmes of the United States that had definitely played an important role in American independence from the United Kingdom.

Samuel Adams

F R EE M ASONS Considered as the true descendent of the Knights Templar, this society follows a code of moral uprightness and fraternal friendship, and this philanthropic society worked for the betterment of common people and rejected a specific religion or creed. But throughout history, Freemasons have been criticised for secretly controlling world politics.

Masons use signs and handshakes to enable people to gain membership to their meetings and to identify themselves to other Masons.

Masons also wear stylized clothing, based upon clothing worn by masons from the Middle Ages, the most well known of which is the apron. Interestingly, to become a Mason, you must be recommended by a current Mason or recommended three times before being allowed to join.

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Prison of Perfection JINN PARK, YEAR 11, SARAH HAS SOME ADVICE FOR ALL YOU PERFECTIONISTS OUT THERE. 73

Does this image make you happy? You may be a perfectionist.

But we all know that no matter how hard you try, you will never be the perfect Barbie girl of your dreams. There will always be an unwanted pimple on your face, embarrassing mistakes you make in public or even a surprise test you knew nothing about. Normally, we laugh it off. Knowing that these little imperfections are alright since, as Kelly Clarkson drawls, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

The problem is perfectionists often have excessive fear of making even the most trivial of mistakes.

Meticulous nails, hair exactly dived to the ratio of 5:5 and spotless suit and tie- a typical perfectionist, you would imagine. When you see such a person on the street you might even admire them for being so flawless in everything they do.

Perfectionists are supposed to be those superhuman beings that are never late for work, always above average and still manage to find eternal peace and love in themselves, right?

Unfortunately, what you would describe as a perfectionist only exists in romantic Japanese manga or mushy Korean melodrama. Real-life perfectionists are, well, they’re not perfect at all.

Just to clarify before we go into the details, perfectionism is largely divided into two

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types: adaptive (healthy) and maladaptive (unhealthy) perfectionism.

Adaptive perfectionism is not interesting at all, as it is perfectly ‘normal’ and healthy for individuals to adopt it. It’s the kind of perfectionist you would normally expect people to proudly declare themselves to be.

Maladaptive, however, is the dark side of the brightly shining excellence. Once the obsession with success controls all actions of the individual, that individual will be under the pressure of extremely high self-imposed standards.

Such standards are, of course, inhumane but the perfectionism will be blind to them and the incessant compulsions to achieve that unrealistic goal will continue to whip at them.

The problem is perfectionists often have excessive fear of making even the most trivial of mistakes. Such sensitivity is not only caused by their own ‘guilt’ but also because they measure their value against other people’s opinions, but not against their own contentment.

“They believe their acceptance and lovability is a function of never making mistakes,” as Dr Adrian Furnham explained in A Sideways View. “Psychologists see perfectionism almost always as a handicap. They see perfectionists as vulnerable to distress, often haunted by a chronic sense of failure; indecisiveness and its close companion, procrastination.”

I know, procrastination is a ‘close companion’ to pretty much all of us at times.

However, perfectionists don’t procrastinate because they’re lazy or stupid. They are usually overwhelmed with a sense of urgency and also great ambition. Then why, despite their readiness to accomplish the task, would they procrastinate?

The answer is: fear.

Perfectionists often are unable to start the task because of their desire to do it perfectly. If they have doubts in their ability to complete it flawlessly, rather than having imperfections in their work, they would simply give up doing it. If you never try you never fail.

These characteristics of perfectionists stop them from rational self-evaluation.

It often degrades the selfesteem in individuals, making them vulnerable to various psychological problems such as depression. Perfectionists also find it difficult to work in groups, as they tend to impose the extremely high standards not only on themselves but on others as well. This can lead to conflicts within communities, leading to poor judgements of them as well as self-loathing.

Rather than being a useful personality trait to motivate oneself, perfectionism pushes the affected individual to the pit of despair.

Of course, there is always a solution to a problem. Once you realise you are a perfectionist, you could try the following methods to help you recover security and restore self-esteem.

1. Allow small imperfections from time to time. Let your mind get used to the flaws. Learning from mistakes is the only way to grow.

2. If you are scared of starting, just write anything that comes into your mind. Also, do not erase and try to rewrite it in the ‘perfect way’. Just let it come naturally to your mind.

3. Go on an unexpected journey.

Travelling in an unfamiliar environment is a wonderful way to become used to uncertainties that will come up along the way.

Modern society seems to force people to join in ‘the’ great big competition and be the ‘victor’ at all times. It scares us into thinking that one mistake would mark you as a ‘failure.’ In the end, perfectionism is another one of the many side-effects in this human jungle where the rule is “only the strongest survive.”

Nonetheless, rules are made to be broken. Break away from your self-built prison of perfection, and find peace in your natural, imperfect self.

Readers who recognise that they have a problem with perfectionism should talk to their tutor and make contact with Mr. Furness to get help with finding their own solutions to the damage perfectionism is doing to their lives.

Break away from your self-built prison of perfection, and find peace in your natural, imperfect self.

If this image upsets you, you are probably a perfectionist.

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HUMANS OF NLCS JEJU Sam Seo, Justin Yun & Jackie Lee all Year 12, Halla, were so impressed with Brandon Stanton’s ‘Humans of New York’ that they decided to create their own version. This issue, we meet the librarians.

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Portrait by Justin Cho, Year 9, Mulchat

EUN KYUNG KIM What is your goal?

Well, I want to show my color to the world. Individuals have a color of their own, and I think some are affected by the colors that are around them. Therefore, I want to make my color vivid and bright, so that other people can see me well.

I used to work as a librarian for Yonsei University 77

Portrait by Justin Cho, Year 9, Mulchat

I sometimes read fairy tales even now.

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YEANA KIM WHAT DOES ‘ORGANISATION’ MEAN TO YOU? In the library we organise the books by call number. The reason we do that is because it shows where a book is exactly located when we want to find it. If we don’t do that, we would never know where the book is, and therefore the accessibility hugely drops. It might not really matter very much to the user, but as one of the librarian’s jobs is to find the book that the user wants, I think there are some occupational obsessions about organisation.

ARE YOU EVER SURPRISED IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL LIBRARY? After we initiated a system called ‘junior student librarian’, the responsibility of the students increased. Before, the library was just a place that they used, and they did not know exactly what the rules were and therefore they just ignored them. However, after this new system came into being they now knew the rules and had some responsibility as a librarian. They also know how to see things from my perspective, since they put the books in order and find other students some books, and they know that it’s hard if the book is not there. Therefore, after they acknowledged it, they started to influence other students, for example suggesting the use of a book marker, which is used as a substitute for the book when they take it out from the shelf, to make it easier to put it back. The thing is, they even have to make speeches and hold elections, since the competition to become a junior librarian is so high.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT PROUD AS A LIBRARIAN? The biggest sense of accomplishment that I have felt was when I ‘built up’ the junior school library. When the Junior school first opened, the library was almost empty. To fill the place, we pulled all the junior books out from the senior library, rearranged them, and labelled them by education level, and set the library up. After that, the students and teachers came to the library, saying ‘It’s lovely’, and ‘This is a real library now’. I felt really good at the moment.

DO YOU FEEL DISTANT FROM THE NON KOREANS WITH WHOM YOU WORK? The thing is, English is my second language, and I don’t think I’m particularly very good at it, so this is difficult to understand their requests 100% of the time. Also, even when I deliver a message in Korean I might make mistakes, and therefore sometimes I think there are some misunderstandings between me and other teachers.

But still, I think teachers understand these circumstances.

FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY TO NLCS STUDENTS? Well, when I was in High school there was too much homework, from both school and academy (hagwon) and public education’s ‘cramming’ method of teaching. At that time, I always used to say that I do not have time to read any books. Therefore, I’m not forcing you but I hope students read books when they have time. It doesn’t have to be hard, thick books, it could be just fairy tales. I sometimes read fairy tales even nowadays. So, basically I don’t want you to lose interest in books, due to education or other external factors.

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ALAN NESBIT WHAT FORM OF ‘ORGANISATION’ DO YOU EXPERIENCE AS A LIBRARIAN? Anybody in a professional role, including students, requires organisation; for example, time management. For a librarian, the difference is that we need to organize physical space as well. We have to work out where the books are, make sure that they are in the right place, so that anybody knows where to find them. That physical organisation would be the difference between the type of organisation you generally get in other jobs.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST AND WORST ASPECTS OF BEING A LIBRARIAN? I think there are no worst aspects, and there are many aspects of this job I enjoy. I joined this school 18 months ago, and I didn’t have any experience of being a librarian before that, so it’s actually the first time for me to work for a school. The students here are great. It’s something that I enjoy. On the organisational side, I’m a naturally organised person and I’m well suited to that aspect of it.

ARE THERE ANY HARDSHIPS? I wouldn’t say there are hardships. In any job you do, there are inevitably going to be times when you feel frustrated about something. And working in the library is no different. It’s a case of how do you respond to those frustrations and you just have to find solutions and move on. But, there is nothing in librarianship I have found a particular hardship more than in any other kind of job.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER? Currently, I am a librarian, but the previous job I had was in a computer software company. The proudest times I felt were all connected with contributing to a successful piece of work in the team of people. Just being a member of successful team, doing a good job on something gives me a sense of achievement. I also get it at NLCS, knowing that lots of people are contributing to help bring about a successful outcome; for example, when I help the IB students doing their Extended Essays. Both the teaching colleagues and students, when they show their gratitude, it makes me feel that I have done a good job, and that makes me feel good.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST CAME TO KOREA AND ENCOUNTERED KOREANS? In my previous company, the head office was in Yokohama, Japan, so I spent some time in Japan, and so I was somewhat familiar with Asia before coming to Korea; although there are differences. It wasn’t a big shock. My first feeling when I first came to Jeju was what a beautiful place it is. And it’s so nice to live in this environment where its mostly rural and the air is clean, but also be in a school with high achieving students, and a very professional organization. So it’s an ideal place in which to live.

DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATION FOR NLCS STUDENTS? What I have observed is that many students work very hard. They get a lot out of their life in NLCS Jeju, not just in their academic areas; you look at the productions such as Peter Pan and listen to the orchestra, and people that are playing music in assembly on Monday morning. They obviously contribute so much to the school and get so much out of the school as a result. What I want to say is - just throw yourself into everything. With a bit of good organization people do amazing things, inside and outside the classroom. The more you put in the more you will get out, so my recommendation is all to do with making the most of your time, just as Ms. Sweeney said in assembly - ‘there is only one 15th of January’; it’s not going to come back so make the most of it. My recommendation is to use your time wisely and get the most out of school.

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Portrait by Justin Cho, Year 9, Mulchat

Just throw yourself into everything.

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Junior IslanderCrew Bonnie Hyun, 6BB Elysia Bae, 6CR Zion Kang, 6BB Raphael Lee, 6DG Sarah Kim, 6DG Sarah Yoo, 6BB Yeonju Shin, 6BB Sophie Yun, 6BB Andrew Jung, 7BL

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Organisation in the Workplace ANDREW JUNG, 7BL, LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORKPLACE. PEOPLE THINK ORGANISATION COULD BE A PART OF A JOB OR SOMETHING THEY DO. HOWEVER, I THINK THIS IS DIFFERENT. ORGANISATION IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING WHICH IS MORE THAN “A PART” OF SOMETHING. Many people seem to be very worried about organisation. And surely, a lot of people believe that organisation is affected a lot by our mental thoughts or how good our memory is. This is true. Even I, who is writing this about organisation always decides “The next day, I am going to be well - organised”. In the morning of the next day, I find myself in the middle of my bed not knowing what to do first. Should I clean my room, or shower, or pack my bag, or clean my teeth. The choices are endless. I am also quite sure that many tutors and pupils sometimes have a lot of worry about their organisation.

We must think of a way out from not being organised. Some of you who are reading this article might have tried to organise everything you are doing. The lucky ones among you might just be naturally organised. What’s important is not worrying about not being organised.

You must find your own methods of organisation that do not cause you stress. The reason is followed by the fact that when you grow more and more, organisational skills are required more and more as well. We must not think that we will be better in organisation as time passes by. Many people end up not organised and having a hard time in balancing their life and work. How to find

the way to organise yourself is to try and have the behavior of writing something that you have to remember down or organise information where you work so you can see it clearly displayed. That will really give you a chance to be organised.

Mr. Friend, the principal of NLCS Jeju, finds being organised very challenging.

Mr. Friend, the principal of NLCS Jeju, finds being organised very challenging.

What he does is to put some sheets of paper that he has to pack up in front of the door so he will have to step on them when he passes by them, and thus he remembers to complete the task. This affected his organisation a lot. This means that even if you use different ways you must use the way that can give you the best solution for you organisation.

There are different kinds of organisation that are required as types of job changes.

However, they all have one similarity.

They can all make you life better than it previously was and it will positively affect your work. If you have better organisational skills, then you can finish your work much faster even if you are doing the same work with the person next to you.

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The Birth of 이굴 BONNIE HYUN, 6BB, TELLS THE STORY OF HOW KOREA CAME TO HAVE THE MOST SCIENTIFICALLY ADVANCED ALPHABET IN THE WORLD.

“Hangul is very famous language, thank you King Sejong!”

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Zion Kang 6BB

HANGUL IS THE ALPHABET THAT THE KOREAN PEOPLE USE, THAT KING SEJONG CREATED IN 1446, ON THE 9TH OF OCTOBER, TO BE PRCISE. HE WAS THE FOURTH KING OF THE JOSEON DYNASTY. BEFORE THE CREATION OF HANGUL, WE USED THE CHINESE ALPHABET CALLED ‘HANJA’.

At that time, although we had our own spoken language, we were borrowing Chinese letters to write with. When King Sejong announced Hangul to the Korean people and that it was to be the new writing alphabet, the educated people disagreed.

‘Hanja’ was their own letter, not for the ordinary people. However, when they were unable to read he king’s letters, which were written using the new alphabet they soon had to learn Hangul. They realise it was a simple and logical system and liked it.

Furthermore the farmers and the slaves, who were previously unable to read the complicated Hanja letters, were interested in the fact that there was now an easy way for them to learn to read the letters from the king. It was a revolution for them. So Hangul started to spread throughout the Joseon dynasty, and people started to learn it, use it and speak when they needed to.

Hangul is a very scientific language. It has a writing system that was made by thoroughly examining the human’s throat - it is the same shape of the throat and the letter shape. (It must have been quite a difficult job before the reality of Hangul, to distinguish all of the consonants and the vowels). The fact that this distinction exists, as well as a clear relationship between all phonemes proves what a scientific writing system Hangul is.

When we write Hangul, we start in the upper left of the letter and move left to right, top to bottom. We always write the characters in this manner. If you practice this way, then as you write more and more, your Korean writing will become more natural. This way even your quick and messy written Hangul will be eligible to Koreans because you followed this organisational pattern.

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How the Order of the Alphabet Came to Be A NOT SO SIMPLE STORY OF A TO Z BY ELYSIA BAE, 6CR.

Have you ever wondered about why the alphabet is in the order of A B C and D? We use the alphabet everyday, but who could have formed and organised the structure that we use so regularly?

First, let us look at the origin of the English language and the alphabet. In 3150 BC, there were the Egyptians, who used hieroglyphics (a language which uses drawings as an alphabet). The later version was called the Phoenician alphabet made by an ancient tribe called the Phoenicians. The Greeks borrowed the alphabet and created the vowels, a/e/i/o/u. As for Romans, they also made an alphabet. When they took the alphabet, they spread it all around Europe. Europeans changed the letters of the alphabet so that’s why we say “ay, bee” not “alpha or beta”. Then people adapted the alphabet to their native language. This became the origin of Old English.

In ancient times, the order of the alphabet was based on their shapes, and old scripts that were similar to the alphabet. There were 23 letters altogether, and letters U/V/I looked the same as the other letters. Then the new and different looking letters, U/V/I came out to solve the confusion. The alphabet and English were around hundreds of years ago but the order that they are put in now was only decided recently.

During the Medieval times, people started to put objects that started with the letter A followed by letters that were starting with B. This order was widely spread after printing came available.

People started to understand that if letters had a certain order, it was easier to read and use them due to this organisation.

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Coming back to the present, we know that the order of the alphabet is really important because when you are very young and started learning English, you started learning the alphabetical order before you started learning words like cat or mug. Spelling requires ordering the letters for the letter (although some don’t). You would’ve all had experience where you’ve got the word right, but the order of the letters were mixed up and was wrong.

Some people might also say that if people a long time ago didn’t make the alphabet, we wouldn’t have to study English; spelling or grammar. However, if we didn’t have an alphabet, how would you text your friends or even talk to them? We should thank the people who made such a useful language and organised it in such a way that it could be and is taught to others. All of us use English and write the alphabet. Some people give speeches and talk about important things that are going on around the world. We watch movies and read books.

To do these things, people need the alphabet! The English alphabet has made our lives much easier.

As you can see, the alphabet has been adapted during several centuries and become the alphabet and the language we use nowadays. Now, if you understand why and how the alphabet is in this order, use proper English. That includes using correct articles, spelling, prepositions and capitalisation, but remember it all comes down to the organisation or the alphabet.

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The Origin of the FBI

An early FBI agent

The origin of the FBI began when Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the United States of America.

The FBI originally began in a simpler form as a special force of agents that was created in 1908 by then Attorney General, Charles Bonaparte, during the above mentioned presidency. The two men first met when they both spoke at a meeting of the Baltimore Civil Service Reform Association, and they felt that after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, a more special investigative service was needed, one with a lot of powers and would only report to the Attorney General.

The Early Days When the Bureau was established, there were few federal crimes, and as such the there were only thirtyfour founding agents. The Bureau of Investigation primarily investigated violations of laws involving national banking, bankruptcy, naturalisation, antitrust, peonage and land fraud. The first major expansion in Bureau jurisdiction came in June 1910 when the Mann (“White Slave”) Act was passed, making it a crime to transport women over state lines for immoral purposes.

It also provided a tool by which the federal government could investigate criminals who evaded state laws but had no other federal violations.

Charles Bonepart

The Lawless Years

J Edgar Hoover

The years from 1921 to 1933 were sometimes called the “lawless years” because of gangsterism and the public disregard for Prohibition, which made it illegal to sell or import intoxicating beverages.

Attacking crimes that were federal in scope but local in jurisdiction called for more creative solutions. The bureau had to establish itself within the country, while also dealing with notorious criminals who carried out kidnappings, robberies and murders. This required a lot of organisation that was led by John Edgar Hoover.

As the director of the FBI, he was responsible for developing the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory as well professionalizing investigations within the government.

Nowadays, the FBI is a great organisation that helps protect the lives of millions of people, both in the United States as well as around the world. Without the FBI in todays world, though it started from very humble beginnings, we would not be able to take our liberties for granted as much as we do now.

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The Truth Behind Bullying SARAH KIM, 6DG, AND SARAH YOO, 6BB, LOOK AT ILLEGAL ORGANISATIONS RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP Recently, it has been in the news how ISIS generally lied to the innocent men to join their illegal organization, where they would learn how to handle a gun, be forced to watch violent videos of innocent people being killed repeatedly to firmly plant violence in their minds. Abusing pure, childlike innocence, the agents of ISIS have been planting wrong ideas into the hearts of children, trying to make their organisation sound more legal than it actually is. Plus, the instant the lad who has signed to become an agent of the organisation realises how wrong it is to be making terror and stealing other’s property and thus tries to run away, the senior agents in ISIS would find a way to stop them and would give a horrible punishment, sometimes leading to death.

You may think “Ah, what a bad organisation. However, I am not related to illegal organisations because there are none of them around here. None around me, only in faraway countries!” Well, you can find legal and illegal organisations around schools easily, and one can often see not only those like ISIS plant those evil ideas in children’s minds, but also themselves, planting those firmly in their hearts.

For example, in our school NLCS Jeju, the student council is a legal organisation, trying their best to make a better school for students, teachers and everyone associated with the school. It is a legal form of business - which means it sticks to the law - permitted by the authority, like teachers and our principals, Ms Pugh or Mr Friend for example. On the other hand, illegal organisations can also be found around us, the major one, being bullies. Bullies cluster together their goals to pick on a particular person and to inflict pain - just because they are different - and also to force them to do what they want, and to shove them around, though luckily that is not my experience at the school.

“When all of us are acknowledged as the human equals that we really are, there will be no space left for bullying. It will no longer be wrong to choose one thing over another.”

Jason Mraz

While I was researching before writing this article, I was impressed by a video clip which I am sure will touch you also and will make you stand up against bullies and illegal organisations like gangs. This commercial clip showed how a kind hearted boy with blonde hair stood up against the bullies who had picked on a boy as their target just because he had flaming red hair. Surprisingly, the blonde haired boy, who witnessed the cruel scene where the poor red haired boy was teased, also dyed his hair flaming red to show the gang that if they tried to hurt his friends, they would have to hurt him too because he didn’t judge his friends by their differences.

One believes that these kind of illegal organisations are made because those people who believe that not obeying the rules and having power over certain people looks cool. However, bullying is just showing off how insecure you are.

Showing off how you don’t realise the beauty and greatness inside every single person. Showing off what you should not be proud of. Showing off not how cool you are but how empty your head is. Showing off how you can’t be bothered to fill it up with knowledge and friendship. Showing off that you are going to regret it later. Stop planting wrong thoughts in your heart. Stop watching people planting them in your minds. Stop ignoring people who plant them in other’s heart. Pluck them out to reveal the beauty inside and believe and follow legal organisations that embrace friendship, sharing, caring and difference.

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The Origins of the Solar Calendar YEONJU SHIN, 6BB

EVERYDAY IN OUR LIVES, WE USE CALENDARS TO CHECK THE DATE AND TO REMEMBER OUR APPOINTMENTS AND SPECIAL DAYS. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CALENDAR, YOU NOTICE THAT THERE IS 30 OR 31 DAYS IN MOST OF THE MONTHS BUT ONLY 28 DAYS IN FEBRUARY. TO FIND THIS OUT, WE HAVE TO GO BACK IN TIME TO THE ROMAN CENTURIES.

The Romans spent their busy lives going to all their appointments such as feasts, meetings, military and religious ceremonies, etc. Calendars were a necessity for these people to organise their events and their plans. Ancient astronomers already had an accurate calculation of time between the equinox and the solstice. But, instead of basing the calendar on the movements of the sun they chose a much easier way. They decided to use the phases of the moon to measure months and years. This became the first version of the lunar calendar, also known as a Romulus calendar in respect to their mythical founder.

This calendar had ten months beginning in March and ending in December, repeating the rhythm of either 31 days or 30 days as in Martius 31 days and Aprilius 30 days, giving us a total of 304 days in a year. Therefore the Romans began their new year on the day of a new moon before the spring equinox, missing out 61.25 days. For the first few years, people lived quite a stabilised life, nonetheless as the time went by, there were problems like people waiting for fruits to ripen during spring and preparing for a blizzard in Summer.

It was during the reign of King Numa Pompilius when this problem as solved.

Numa wanted a 12 month lunar cycle. This is when January and February were born.

Months containing even numbers of days had a day taken off. 56 days were added to the total amount of days and became a

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new calendar with 354 days, however even numbers were bad luck in ancient Rome.

Numa added a day on to the total days of the calendar, so that it could become an odd number (355).

Numa Pompilius

Even though neither the Romulus nor Numa calendars were accurate, they were authentic enough for the Romans to believe in. Except for the days of the years relentlessly slowing down. Howbeit, neither of these calendars could compare to the solar calendar that Julius Caesar had created.

In 46 B.C., by the time Julius Caesar had become the third emperor, the mystery of the Copernican theory and the moon orbit were revealed. Until then, people believed that the earth was rectangular. They conceived that god was the strongest origin who formed space and that the earth was the centre of the solar system. Yet, where did they get the idea to contain 365 days for a total year?

The Egypt civilization affected Caesar by using the solar calendar. The Egyptians were the origin of the solar calendar as they believed in the sun god. Julius brought this back to his country and introduced it to his citizens. The astronomers counted the frequency of the sunrise which turned out to be 365 days. Caesar made a sequence of 31,30,31,30 days even though the last month eventually became 29 days as 365 was an odd number. Yet, the Romans had their year starting from March as they spread seeds and started farming as spring began. Eventually the emperor found out that the days commence to get longer from January. Since then, Caesar moved January to the beginning of the year.

a day away from February, which eventually made it have even less days. For all that, the solar calendar even seemed to have less days as the time went on. The actual year contained six more hours after 365 days.

As 6x4=24 hours (a day), Caesar added an extra day every four years. This extra day was added to February, giving rise to the leap year.

Have you ever been thinking about how the calendar or even a year was made?

The Romans spent decades figuring it all out. I personally think making a calendar is all about being patient, accurate and openminded. Everything canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always go the way you want it to happen. Sometimes you fail, you fall or even have bad times.

Nonetheless, I admit people who are patient enough to wait for the time when you would achieve are the winners, rather than the ones who actually get things perfect every single time. While youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re waiting, you should also be open wide to let in every single possibility, chances and data. All the same, this is just one way to get to the top, but to get to your destiny the last thing and the first thing you need to be is organised.

Julius Ceasar

Notwithstanding, Caesar had a son called Augustus (The month August represented his name) who did things as he pleased. At that time August had 30 days and, as we now know, even numbers were unlucky and, of course, he wanted there to be 31 days in his month. To make matters worse, he took

If you have all this, I really believe anyone could achieve any goals they want. I affirm that all this is your skill of being organised, refreshing yourselves and organising your mind to be ready to face hard times, but I know, the happy times would never come without a fall.

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DOES ORGANISATION AFFECT YOUR SCHOOL LIFE?

What is organisation?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as such:

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SOPHIE YUN, 6BB, WAS CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE STUDENTS OF NLCS JEJU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW ORGANISATION AFFECTED THEIR LIFE AT SCHOOL. SO, SHE ASKED THEM...

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an organized body of people with a particular purpose, especially a business, society, association, etc. the action of organizing something. the structure or arrangement of related or connected items.

To know students’ opinions, I surveyed NLCS Jeju’s students.

I asked them a question: DOES ORGANISATION AFFECT YOUR SCHOOL LIFE?

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66 33 yes

no don’t know

My opinion: I think organisation does affect my school life. There are many kinds of arrangements; organisation is about how neat you are, coordination of timetables, preparation of homework, scheduling etc. How organised you are does matter to your school life.

For example, how you organise your homework matters to your reports. An old Korean saying states, ‘Collecting dust makes a high mountain’.

Organisation is dust and being organised will make a high achievement some years later.

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Christmas Dance Performance

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Christmas Concert

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House Cross Country Photography by Dayna Shin, Year 10, Sarah

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Peter Pan Senior School Musical Photography by Justin Cho, Year 9, Mulchat

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Joseph Junior School Production Photography by Dayna Shin, Year 10, Sarah

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Science STEM Fair Photography by Dayna Shin, Year 10, Sarah

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A Girls’ Guide to Organisation s ESSENTIAL LIFE TIPS AND TRICKS FROM RACHEL CHO, MULCHAT AND CLAIRE OH, SARAH, BOTH YEAR 9.

Some lucky girls were born with the “organized” gene. They go through life with shining desks, spotless beds and expect everything to be in it’s place. They might be robots. The rest of us stumble around, thinking about the pile of disorganised books on the desk as an impossible task that will be tackled ‘someday’. Someday, when we are not stressed, we might, just maybe consider thinking about attempting to tackle it. Someday, when our to-do lists are empty. That ‘Someday’... it NEVER happens.

For the girls (or maybe the brave boys) who are reading, the valuable tips to solving this age old dilemma were sourced from many years’ of experience of mums, teachers and friends. Some you may disagree with but the only tip for reading our secrets is to enjoy it.

Rememdy for your Bombarded Bedroom The three keywords for organising your room are: tidy, tidy, and tidy. There’s no way your room will improve unless you at least attempt to tackle it. My dear mum likes to say you are the only person who should tidy your dirty room because you are the only person that made it dirty.” Wise words indeed.

The biggest problem I had in terms of tidying my room was the never ending piles on the side of my bed that mocked me with their laziness every day. At the end of the week I wouldn’t even dare to sit on my double-sized bed. Then I realised, there was something wrong with how I was handling my organising-to-do list.

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Label literally everything in your room. This includes clean clothes, dirty clothes, chargers, books, pens, pencils, cosmetics. Basically, anything that can move needs a label.

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Keep the wires and cables, of any self respecting modern girl, tidy by using a simple rubber band or a hair tie. Frankly, most of you will have at least one experience of tripping over a phone charger. Your knees will never be bruised again.

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Get creative and reuse containers to make new storage. For instance, a washed oat container is just the right size for popping toilet paper rolls into. We can even use the paper without taking it in and out and prevent us from seeing that horrifying, slow motion moment of the roll dropping onto a wet surface.

Make sure you stuff is in touching distance and in it’s place.

For example, what about recreating your desk drawer organiser (the one with small shelves and compartments) for storing make-up kits. In fact, nearly double the amount of makeup kits can go into your drawer when you successfully organise and tidy it. Don’t just squash things in as hard as you can.

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Restyle your Notebook When you are going back to school after a long break you always want to start fresh and new. We all make resolutions on how we are going to be model students before school starts - how everything we do is going to result in higher grades.

In order to do this, you need to find a way to increase your interest in studying.

Making your room tidy will definitely help you to stay focussed and keep the temptation of messy things away. However, nothing makes us more excited to study than keeping our notebooks and school books interesting and eye catching.

YOU MIGHT BE A LITTLE BORED AFTER YEARS OF USING THE SAME OLD NOTEBOOKS IN SCHOOL. NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO BE A LITTLE MORE CREATIVE!

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Things you’ll need a a a a a a a

Notebooks Washi Tape / masking tape 11x14 White Construction Paper Mod Podge Brushes Exacto Knife Scissors

Buy Washi tape or masking tape that you can use to cover those tired old books. Tapes of different width, patterns, and colours will make your covers pop!

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Cut the white construction paper to the size of the cover of your notebook. (This step is only needed when you are using transparent tape.)

Now is the time to unleash your creativity! Stick the tape.

You don’t have to keep to a pattern while you are doing it. It doesn’t matter if you do it horizontally or in diagonal. Basically, you can play with the tape, and show you own style. a Mix mod podge with a little bit of water, using your brush. a Use your brush to spread the mod podge on the cover of the notebook. a Stick the paper you decorated with masking tape After you have finished, leave it to dry. If you want to add a bit more bling, you can use pictures and stickers to make it even more eye catching. It that’s possible!

We hope you enjoyed reading this, and this helped you to get rid of your nerves from going back to school for the summer term. Now is also the time for Japanese and Korean schools to start a new school year. Therefore, it would be a good idea to get ahead and start preparing now. (Early bird gets the worm, remember?) We hope you will accomplish your dreams and enjoy your next term, and see you next time.

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ORGANISATION: KEY TO SUNEUNG THOMAS LEE, SARAH & KYUNG JOON JANG, JEOJI, YEAR 10

THIRD GRADERS SIFT THROUGH THE NOTES OF YESTERDAY’S SUNEUNG EXAMINEES. 110

Suneung is one of the biggest examination boards in South Korea. It is also a test that is used to assess the required abilities that are set by Korean universities.

Suneung exams test individuals on several subjects including Mathematics, Science, English, Korean Language, Second Languages, traditional Chinese and Vocational Inquiry. Suneung is another version of the scholarly ability exam.

HISTORY OF SUNEUNG The history of Suneung began in 1994 with a system in which students sit exams for all subjects. However, the Suneung organisations viewed this system as ineffective and in 2005, they introduced a selective system where examinees were able to select and sit only a few subjects.

HOW TO PREPARE Suneung ensures fairness for every examinee by making trustful and objective tests based on characteristics of individual subjects. As Suneung deals with professional topics the examination tends to be difficult and challenging.

Examinees need to have itemised preparation that deals with all the various areas.

Examination specialists advise those who are taking the Suneung examination to set clear targets regarding the universities they aim for. January and February is the time to improve on weaker subjects and to get the basics right. Specialists say that the best way to prepare for Suneung is to cover the whole course rather than to focus on specific topics. Examinees can do this by finding suitable textbooks and watch online videos that help with the Suneung.

As type A exams are easier than type B exams, those studying art and humanities should focus on Korean Language type A, Mathematics type A and English.

Those who study natural science will have to study for Korean Language type A, Mathematics type B and English. If examinees wish to change to type A examinations, they should decide after the mock exams in March and at the latest, in June.

The mock exams in March will be a great opportunity to find and improve on weaker subjects; it acts as a guideline to success. The best way to prepare for the actual exam is to get used to the style of questions by solving past papers.

June will be the deadline for any changes in the examination types. Therefore, examinees must decide on their subject types very carefully. During the summer, examinees should find areas for improvement and focus on them.

In September, the 50 day countdown will start. Examinees should go over their strong and weak areas, organise a special note for specific questions and set a specific routine based on the actual Suneung schedule. After the mock exams in September, universities will take in applications for non-schedule admissions.

The applications will contain the examineeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grade for the mock exams.

How Korea Organises for Suneung SHORT-TERM ORGANISATION Use image training to view the Suneung day as a positive and successful day Organise your body rhythm so that it fits the schedule of the Suneung day Take a short piece of writing or a quote that will inspire and motivate you Any electronic device which does more than tell the time strictly is prohibited

LONG-TERM ORGANISATION Make a diary to keep record of the preparation process Start revising well before the exam date Analyse past papers to get a feeling of what Suneung is actually like NATION-WIDE ORGANISATION People delay office going hours to prevent bad traffic Police officers help examinees who are late by taking them to the exam using police cars 111

F L AS H BACK Words Kyung (Kay) Nam, Year 9, Jeoji Art Terry Rim, Year 10, Sarah

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lashbacks are a form of trauma, which can happen when you avoid thinking about terrible situations instead of dealing with them. The brain processes the information because the event is manageable for the brain. The memory is categorised and stored in different parts of the brain. However, in a traumatic state, this does not work. Trauma is sometimes too much for the brain to process the information so it is stored in the brain. The brain then crams all the memory into a box, planning to deal with it in the future.

Those memories are very vivid and realistic; they are not very positive, and they create bad emotions when remembered.

about the event recurring. Because the brain did not sort out the real cause of the problem, anything that reminds it of the event will cause a gigantic reaction. When any part of the senses; smell, taste, sound, sight, etc are detected, the body automatically defends itself.

People can easily determine whether they are suffering from traumas by checking their symptoms, flashbacks being one of them. Below are some possible symptoms:

4) Disassociation: In a situation when you cannot do anything about the trauma, your brain just plugs off to protect you from hurting yourself even more. Like all the symptoms above, the brain cannot figure out what was real and what was not.

Therefore, the experiences build up and the brain will try to avoid elements from those experiences.

You will end up with more and more reasons to disconnect yourself.

1) Avoidance: The brain will order itself to avoid anything that reminds you of the particular incident that happened to you. For example, if you heard a specific song at that situation, you will avoid that song.

This is because the brain isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to classify what actually was or was not dangerous to it, because it does not process overloading memories. So, everything related to it is controlled or blocked out.

2) Hypervigillance: This is a state where you are always cautious

3) Flashback: This is a symptom when the brain wants to prepare for future incidents that might happen similarly to the one that happened in the past.

Therefore, the memory is reminded through nightmares, flashbacks and annoying thoughts that will prepare the brain to react in a better way in the future. However, it is not helpful at all for your mental health.

In order to stop this from happening to you, you can always get therapy to help you organise your memories into those that are useful and those that are not. When these are processed, you will be able to continue your life in a healthy way.

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10 signs that show you are a disorganised student at NLCS Jeju

by Diane Lee, Year 11, Sarah

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ranted its familial structure might look quite complex

and knotty from the outside, if we look more closely

it is well organised, just like a pyramid. The boss, also

specifically known as capofamiglia, leads the group under his command. Although the boss of a clan is in charge, because his tenure can be short lasting, he can also directly become discarded. The underboss acts as an assistant to the boss. His role is appointed by the boss, as he must be the boss’s most trustworthy right-hand man. With a similar status to the underboss lie the advisors, supervising the surroundings of the boss as well as conflicts and financial problems. Right below these advisors are the soldiers, no more nor less qualified as an average member of the mafia. The soldiers have access to weapons in order to achieve the aims of the organisation. At the very bottom are the associates, who actively move in order to obtain certain objectives, despite the fact that they aren’t treated as official members of the organisation. To become branched into the family tree of the mafia, one must not have any personal relationships with a judge, lawyer, or a policeman, though there is no age limitation. One also has to have courage, obedience, and murderous skills to become a member of the organisation.

The Mafia, along with its members, was first founded in Sicily, an island located off the coast Italy. For many centuries, Sicily was constantly attacked by foreign troops due to their weak defensive capabilities; for example, the Siege of Syracuse.

Citizens of Sicily who could no longer stand this situation, began to look for organisations that would protect their island from falling into a foreign nation’s hands. This is when the Mafia stepped in, to ‘protect’ citizens who needed their help.

Corleone, Sicily - the birthplace of the Mafia

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Protection The Mafia provided protection for the citizens if they paid money, and the citizens were grateful for their help.

In addition, they were willing to pay the amount of money that the Mafia demanded, since they did not want to lose all of their private properties.

If the townspeople asked for help from the government, the government would turn them down.. The Mafia, on the other hand, had almost always succeeded in bringing back people’s properties or protecting them. The Mafia provided protection for a diverse range of citizens, from drug dealers to politicians. Some of these people hugely benefited from their work, which made those citizens want to prevent the government from getting rid of their heroes.

But was protection a method of the Mafia for the sole purpose of justice and rightful convictions? Held with its reputation of violence and murder against a target, the Mafia in fact would later become a criminal group syndicate, in control of numerous categories, including drug trades.

They would come to dominate parts of the government, and most citizens.

Violence would be increasingly used to target different families in order to further their own interests; territory and business. With money as their main goal, the Mafia would inevitably use threatening tactics and sophisticated rituals to accomplish their goals and remove any obstacles that might block their way. It just so happened that protection for citizens was just one of their ways which could help achieve this goal.

In other words, what was said to be ‘protection’ for the Mafia was only a

scheme of extortion, which they took as a way of obtaining money through the forced protection of citizens who no longer demanded it. Protection from theft, business competition, and territories are examples of the three main areas which helped disguise their crimes. They would tell a shopkeeper to pay them $200 a week so the Mafia themselves could protect their business from dangerous criminals.

In reality, the Mafia was classified as one of the most dangerous criminal organisations. The shopkeeper did not have the potential to refuse their forced offer since the owner was scared of the consequences. As a result, their money was stolen by the Mafia under the guise of protection.

Transformation Their mottos have changed ever since the Mafia was established. At the beginning, it was definitely for the protection of citizens. Nowadays, however, it is more of a criminalised, unwelcomed organisation, alienated from the majority of society. The community fears them because they fear the consequences the organisation might bring upon their livelihood.

The Mafia we know has been portrayed as either violent or glamorous. The organisation was established to protect the poor, who were desperate to escape from corrupted powers.

These days, they do not protect the poor but serve to fill their own criminal pockets through their own self-seeking activities, discarding any obstacle blocking their goal, no longer serving the public. Being in the Mafia is not glamorous. It’s purely selfish, and ultimately self-destructive.

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IS ORGANISATION NECESSARY? NANCY KWON & GABRIELLA KIM, YEAR 9, MULCHAT People tend to think that great people should always be perfect.

If you have thought so too, just take a look at this photo. What kind of person would own such an office? Probably someone who shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a role model for others.

However, this was the desk of Einstein, whom we still praise even today. He always maintained a messy desk, panicking the people who came near him. Also, he maintained his belief that disorganization was better, saying, “Organized people are just too lazy to go looking for what they want.”

Yet this might just be the case with one great man. But what about the ordinary people, without as much intelligence as Einstein? Are we able to survive without organisation? Is organisation necessary? Well, we hope that you will be able to draw your own conclusion after reading our arguments.

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ORGANISATION IS

ESSENTIAL TO LIFE Practically everyone gets scolded every once in a while for not being able to organise themselves. It might happen during the school day, when you figure out that you haven’t brought your homework, or when you find yourself trying to figure out where you have left your planner. Whenever this happens, our thought tends to lead to a part of our mind that craves another world, where there isn’t anyone to scold us for not being organised; a world where there is no such thing as organisation.

In this world, there is no one caring about what you do. You can do anything in any order, and yet never be scolded for being disorganised. You won’t have to do your homework, no prep time, and you can just play for however long you wish to. No school or work shall be present, which would relieve all of those who are currently suffering stress over all of those problems.

For a while, it would seem to be a paradise, with no responsibilities that you would have to take care of. Yet after such time, problems may slowly occur.

Firstly, it would be dangerous, as you would face problems everywhere. With a disorganised world, no one would be taking care of the safety of products, and would just leave them untouched and unchecked.

Once it starts being unchecked, there are problems, such as broken pieces falling down from unfinished buildings, elevators and amusement parks suddenly stopping due to technical problems.

Yet even though problems would occur, no one would be running over to fix the matter, as they would not necessarily be able to keep someone ready and organised to have all the equipment ready to help the people in need. There might be people trapped for weeks within the elevator, with no food or water, slowly dying with hunger.

Not counting the ordinary problems within our lives, there might also be problems such as tsunamis and earthquakes, which could have been prevented through research, but were not found due to the lack of enthusiasm of people, where no one

could stand the stress of sitting in front of a computer all day, watching the results from the computer screens. Therefore, when such a problem occurs, all would be dead and gone, due to the lack of preparation and organisation.

After a while, the problem of hunger would occur. As there would be no food present after eating all the supplies, you might need to get out of your house, to somewhere that would serve you food. Yet you would be receiving no help from others, since they would be just as disorganised as you are, taking none of their responsibilities upon themselves. They would just be enjoying what they like to do, with no problems yet to face, until all the food disappears.

With all the food supplies going low, people would slowly be creeping around, searching for food, as in a horror film would.

With all the food supplies going low, people would slowly be creeping around, searching for food, as in a horror film would. They would steal products out of houses, breaking and entering to get them.

Hunger would drive people mad. Everyone would be an enemy, with no one to trust, no one to rely on. There would be betrayal everywhere, where no one would be able to trust anyone near them. Soon they would turn into beasts, ferociously searching for food, or any substance that could sustain them, and keep them safe from death’s cold hands. Our world would turn into a living hell.

Well, this is basically what will happen in a world without organisation. You will have no one next to you. No food, no friend, no nothing. What will you do in this world without organisation?

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ORGANISATION ISN’T ALWAYS NEEDED

Whenever you say that you forgot to bring your homework because you either left it at home or didn’t do it, your teachers tell you the exact same thing: “You need to be more organised next time.” Although it might be ‘ideal’ to keep everything where you can find it every day, it is hard to do so, and everyone makes mistakes. Being organised can be tiring and seriously irritating from time to time. Yet, teachers and parents tell young people to keep control of their time, to do all their work in time, to keep their bedtime, and the list goes on and on.

To organise, according to Dictionary.com, is to systematise, or to form a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for united actions. However, organisation doesn’t mean exactly the same to everybody in the world; there is no global ‘benchmark’, or ‘standard’ of whether something could be said to be organised or not. While something can seem completely reasonable to somebody, it might seem to be a total disaster to others.

Organisation doesn’t mean exactly the same to everybody in the world; there is no global ‘benchmark’.

However, I think that there actually shouldn’t be a well-known ‘standard’ for organisation - if one thinks they are organised enough, no one should come up and force them to do what they think is right. As long as that person is able to find things exactly where they have left them, no one actually has the ‘right’ to tell them to be more organised, because actually, they are organised in their own sense.

If a child, for example, keeps things where they can find them, even though the place appears messy, they will be able to find their textbooks, reports, and homework since they know where they are. However,

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the mother thinks her child isn’t organised enough, and forces the child to change the structure of the room into what she thinks is ‘ideal’: this won’t work for the child, as they won’t be able to find what they need when they actually need it desperately.

In this case, being more ‘organised’ might actually worsen the child’s situation. As long as a person is able to keep things in certain places, others should never interfere with them, because if they do, they will only make things worse.

When people hear the word organisation, they mostly imagine a neat desk, without a single book or pencil out of place. This might look good or ideal, but this can be nothing more than ‘showing off’ to others: this neat desk you think of may be helpful for some people, but others prefer ‘messier’ versions. There are seriously messy people in this world who actually lead successful lives. If you could take a look at Einstein’s or even Steve Jobs’ desks, they appeared to be a total disaster. Yet they led extremely spectacular lives. Being organised isn’t always the answer to everything.

Being organised all the time also has some limits. Human beings were not made to be perfect: all of us make mistakes, and we can never be perfect. We were designed to make mistakes, forget things easily, and so on.

Teachers tell us that if we write everything we have to on a piece of paper, we will be able to prevent mistakes from being made.

However, writing everything down also has its limits. Although we can try our best, it is impossible to be organised all the time.

Not only is it impossible to be organised all the time, but it is also quite unnecessary, as mentioned in the previous paragraphs.

As long as they are able to get an idea of where things are, keeping everything neat and ‘ideal’ doesn’t actually work from time to time. This is why teachers and parents should not blame a child for not being organised, because for most of the time the reason for not doing the homework or forgetting to bring it is not be due to being messy and disorganised.

Now what do you think?

We have provided you with both sides of the debate and we hope both were, in their own way, persuasive. Of course there are many opinions, but we will not take sides. Although we cannot entirely eliminate organisation from our world, neither can there be too much, since it might cause stress or make people blame each other. However, note this: too much, or too little can both be poison. If there is too much the world will be full of people who will just waste their time being obsessed with being neat, and if there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any, it will result in a chaos, with no order in the world.

Now, what is your choice?

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Get Focussed

CRYSTALLISING DESIRE INTO ACTION Chelsea Park, Year 10, Mulchat

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W

e all study hard and there is a lot of work to do. Sometimes it just overwhelms you.

Last term was a difficult term for me, as I had to balance numerous activities along with assessments and pieces of prep. I often ran out of time and had to hurriedly complete prep that was due the fifth period during break time. This rushed life made me feel out of breath. I did not like this at all and often thought to myself, ‘How could I make my life better?’ Then I happened to run into these famous people. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Lady Gaga, John Mayer – the list goes on and on. After looking at these famous and successful people, I tried to find the factor that linked them all together. It turned out that that factor was organisation.

What is a common characteristic of organised people? They uni-task.

What is a common characteristic of organised people? They uni-task. Many people who think they are productive like to think that they are great multi-taskers but in reality, even those who think they’re good at it are not. The negative side of multi-tasking is that it spreads your attention too much and that the tasks that you are trying to manage at once all suffer quality wise. The more efficient and organised people like Steve Jobs do multi-tasking as little as possible. They give one task their ultimate attention, turning off disruptive notifications to “protect their time”. When Steve Jobs was inventing the iPhone, he did not go on Facebook nor did he chat with his friends on messenger applications. He was focused and did not get distracted by other things around him.

What is another characteristic that organised people possess? They destress. Organised people know how to

let it all go. Most of us work even though we are stressed, but those who stay organised manage to release their stress effectively. They find a unique and original way, whether it be listening to music or doing some exercise, to confront and manage their stress so that it won’t have a negative impact on their performance and health. Park Tae Hwan, a renowned Korean swimmer, always listens to music on his headphones before a race to get rid of stress and nervousness that could possibly interfere with his performance Organised people also have a do-it-now attitude. When an organised person comes back home from work or school, he immediately hangs his coat instead of just throwing it on the back of a chair.

They know that more coats will be piled up on the chair later. They also might say they are too lazy to do that work later, whereas disorganised people might say they are too lazy to do the work now. If a task takes less than five minutes, an organised person will most likely just get it out of the way. This does not mean organised people never put things off until later. It is only that their procrastination occurs in a less time – wasting way. If they are forced to move this week’s task to next week’s schedule, that task will not be there for long.

All of the people mentioned above faced challenges and despite these obstacles they confronted during their lives, they tried their best to be organised, thus accomplishing their dreams. Last term was indeed a difficult term for me.

Countless activities and pieces of prep burdened me and by the end of term on the way home, I was exhausted. I am sure it was the same for all of the students in NLCS Jeju. We have the same or maybe even better circumstances than the people mentioned prior – we can be as successful, or even more successful, than them. What will we do to achieve this? I think I will start by cleaning my room - it will only take 10 minutes.

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ALL ABOUT THE POST-IT NOTE A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE POST IT NOTE

BY ELLIE BAEK, YEAR 8, GEOMUN

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Although it is difficult for us to imagine a world without Post Its today, many years ago, there was a Eureka moment when Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, first made the discovery of the special adhesive now used on the notes. Naturally, as these notes symbolise organisation and careful planning, one would imagine such a process would have taken place with the invention of it. Surprisingly, it was exactly the opposite; it was a complete accident. He had failed to create the extremely strong adhesive he was looking to make and instead had created an extremely weak one.

Since its first launch in 1977, Post Its have been a major part of life in classrooms, offices and at home. Originally a small yellow lined square with a thin strip of glue at the back, many more versions of different colour, shape and size are

available today. There have even been pieces of art created with these sticky notes, such as a stop motion video, ‘Deadline’, (search it on YouTube - it’s worth it), pictures of famous people and characters and even a disposable, modern-day, replica of the most famous portrait of them all - Mona Lisa.

Post Its are used in lots of ways, by people of all age groups. These notes could be stuck onto doors and, whenever you have to walk through that door, you could take a few seconds to look at it, albeit a new Mandarin character or a Maths formula to memorise. They could be anywhere, in the boarding house, at home, and even in the bathroom. Post It notes can turn the whole world into a board - any wall could become your personal bulletin board for to-do lists, notes and reminders.

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TECHNOLOGY CAN’T REPLACE THEM How does a typical Post It note work? There is a lot of chemistry involved in this, and the strip of glue on the back of each note has the technical name of ‘Acrylate Copolymer Microspheres.’

The difference between this and other types of glue are that it is very weak and can be peeled off very easily enabling reuse somewhere else again. In order to make a sticky note, a layer of this special glue is sprayed onto a piece of paper. Its thickness is about the same as that of the paper, but its unique structure allows it to be compressed so that when you have a pile of these notes, the side with the glue does not seem any thicker. Not only that, but one side is always coated to ensure that the adhesive stays on the paper.

The chemistry involved with this everyday object is interesting. Nonetheless, pieces of paper with strips of glue seems a bit old fashioned, especially in this era of information and technology. With the seemingly unending supply of convenient, quick and free smartphone applications, how does the good old yellow paper note possibly manage to survive?

The answer lies in accessibility. Using a Post It note is easier than using any other computer programme or smartphone app. The reason why technology would never be able to replace these sticky notes is because even the smallest

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problems could cause the user to stop using it. The computer may be too slow booting (in this case, no matter how fast it gets, it would still be slower than taking out a Post It), or an app might be too complicated and therefore time-consuming. In any application (even ones that are specifically designed for this purpose), the user has to wait for it to start, find the right place to click to create a new note, and type in separately a title and content. Not only that, but it is difficult to go from writing to drawing, or give emphasis to certain words.

‘Accessibility’ is the reason why something like this photograph below happens - even though Microsoft has been providing a free sticky note application on PCs, they don’t seem to be as popular as the original paper Post It. A further reason why Post Its are so effective in organisation is due to their huge range of colours. They help people to think visually through colour coding. 75% of our sensory neurons process visual information, and the variety of colours available in these little bits of sticky paper allows the users to colour code notes instantly and conveniently. As people see colour before they can read text, organising the notes into different categories and the categories into different colours can help save a great deal of time and effort.

ART FRY - THE ENGINEER WHO FINALLY CRACKED THE POST IT IDEA

TOO WEAK TO BE USEFUL? What 3M and Dr. Spencer Silver had wanted was a super glue for making aeroplanes. Naturally, the super-weak adhesive did not interest the company at all at first. In fact, the potential of the special adhesive and the sticky note was completely ignored for the next twelve years after its invention.

Silver, on the other hand, although it was not what he had been trying to make, still believed that it was an amazing discovery. However, what he had first thought of was not a sticky note; it was a sticky board. This turned out to be impractical, as the board would collect dirt and dust over time, weakening the stickiness and therefore rendering the board useless. Besides, the company saw little profit in producing bulletin boards, as the demand was quite low.

So how did the idea to make a sticky bulletin board turn into Post It notes? It was a chemical

engineer, Art Fry, who came up with the idea to spray the adhesive not onto a board, but onto the paper. They soon tried out the idea and developed on it, finally releasing the product in America in 1977 calling it “Press n’ Peel”. Although they have now become an indispensable part of our lives, for many years, Post It notes had to go through the dangers of being shelved forever in the offices of 3M. It is surprising that Post It notes, which help people from all around the world get more organised, were actually invented by a mistake.

However, the ultimate success would not have been possible if Silver had given up; it was only possible because he endured twelve years of perseverance and resilience. As a result, the world now has a completely different, innovative method of handling the excessive flow of information we are faced with, that would not have existed otherwise.

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My Little Red Notebook

JANE LEE YEAR 11, GEOMUN

WHEN I RECALL THE END OF 2014, ALL I CAN THINK OF IS HOW MUCH I WAS SWAMPED BY A FLOOD OF WORK. Multiple deadlines were coming at me everyday, and my desk was every so often bombarded with papers and pens. Consequently, I found it very difficult to organise myself and to complete any work without jittering, without any idea of what to prioritise first.

After this painful, haunting experience, I decided to get myself a red pocket-sized notebook. I keep it with me throughout the school day. Every night, I write things I ought to do the next day, even things that may seem very trivial, such as going to the library to print, or getting a new exercise book. The book itself, with to-do lists written on, is not something new, nor is it unique. To be honest, most of the time I cannot complete all the tasks I have written. Yet, I have became more organised after forming such a habit and am finding more stability in my daily life.

The great thing about making a list lies in repeating the actions of thinking and writing. Before your pen touches the pad, you might think about the next day in general. What homework needs to be done? Are there any lunchtime meetings I need to attend? You then make those into a list.

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Let’s say tomorrow you must solve 20 Maths problems, and read a text for the Korean lesson. Also, the deadline for English literature coursework is coming up, and you have a Mandarin vocabulary test later in the week. Considering the extent of each task’s urgency and how much time would be required to complete it within your capabilities, the following list can be made:

1 2 3 4

Maths homework: 30 minutes Read Korean text: 20 minutes Write a paragraph for literature coursework: 45 minutes Memorising Mandarin vocabulary: 1 hour

The next step is thinking about when you will do it. Since Maths and Korean homework take relatively less time than the others, I would complete it in the breakout time. Then I would have 2 hours of prep time to get on with writing the coursework and preparing for the test.

Making a to-do list every day may be tiresome for some, and you may say “I have it all in my head”. However, an unexpected, distracting event may occur today, giving you a headache, and it is highly likely that you’ll forget important things in this kind of day, even if you have an excellent memory.

Such a disaster can be avoided by simply writing the list. One piece of recent research has shown that writing by hand strengthens memory and learning, as there is a combination of the sensation of touching the pen(cil) and the paper, combined with ‘visualisation’. Furthermore, another study has shown that when you study, learn, or memorise something right before sleeping, you are able to recall it better and faster. So I applied it to my new habit. I spend about 5 to 10 minutes thinking through and planning the next day right before going to bed, and I find it quite impressive how much I can remember the following morning – some days I don’t even have to open my little planner as I actually have it all in my head.

Instead of being defeated and paralysed by the work and limited time, I’ve decided to use the best of what I have. After starting to use the little red notebook, I’ve realised that I actually have more time than I think I have.

My workload has doubled or even tripled each time I’ve gone up a year; it felt so unfair how time has seemed to diminish more and more when more work is needed. Instead of being defeated and paralysed by the work and limited time, I’ve decided to use the best of what I have. After starting to use the little red notebook, I’ve realised that I actually have more time than I think I have.

Indeed, I have got to the point of having a few minutes each day, in which to feel a little thrill, by drawing a red line across a completed task.

Consciously or not, we all know ‘later’ is always a dangerous word when it comes to personal organisation. Yet, we use it so often with numerous excuses that can justify our laziness. So if you are a person who struggles with personal organisation, I strongly recommend you to find yourself a notebook, or anything that can help you to become a more organised learner. Now.

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THIS TERM HAS BEEN A BUSY ONE FOR OUR SPORTS TEAMS AND STUDENT LEADERS. Both HS basketball teams enjoyed their KISAC Championship experience but neither finished quite where they wanted to. The boys had one A player injured while the girls had many influential players missing, this was disappointing but the girls who did travel deserve a lot of credit for trying really hard and playing with a lot of pride and determination.

Mr. Nesbit and his hardy road runners have been cranking up the miles in preparation for the various marathons around Jeju, many of them competed in the Hallim 10km race, it’s a great achievement in itself to complete a 10km race but even more impressive is the dedication the athletes have given to training and putting in the miles.

Distance Running team at Hallim 10k

HS Football have had a couple of warm up friendlies with KIS and local opposition, and given the additional time the boys spend on the astro I’m sure they’ll be in a good place for the up coming KISAC Championships’. Both boys and girls teams have a strong bond and are determined to work hard for each other.

Season 3 will bring with it HS Badminton and more Athletics fixtures. Athletics is experiencing a growth in the number of students interested in attending the Wednesday and Friday clubs.

This may have something to do with the recent athletics meet in Pyeongtaek. Many of our students competed in events for the first time, and I’m not surprised by the results and level of performance. For a new sport, with limited training time, some of the results are absolutely outstanding. We look forward to more local track meets over the coming months.

Athletics team at Pyeongtaek

The MS Rugby team are preparing for the National Youth Championships, to be held here on Jeju Island in May. This is an historic period of time for Jeju and I know the Jeju Ministry for Education and Sport are very excited about all the other provincial champions from all over Korea descending on Jeju in May/June. The Koreans amongst you will be aware that this the highest level of competition that any athlete can participate in and the school in its short life, has an outstanding reputation at this event, beyond a level 7, that’s for sure! The event will be held on Jeju from the 30th May until the 2nd June. I wish all our athletes the best of luck and when they make the final maybe we can all go and watch!

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I would like to take some time to acknowledge the wonderful students we have in the school. From those dedicated to sport to those involved in sports leadership.

I’ve really enjoyed watching our students’ relationships develop, with many teams comprising a range of different year groups, the MS Basketball teams are a prime example, they are a mix of Year 7-9 students. I’ve also enjoyed the enthusiasm and passion our older students have brought to their leadership roles. It’s very rewarding to see how PE and sport has helped to develop such good characters and role models.

I still remember in Term 1, 2011 when I had a PE lesson outside, an SBS camera crew were around school recording the opening weeks of school. I was teaching football and it had just begun to rain. When I say rain, I mean dribble, spit, it was virtually nothing! Being follicly challenged I think I’m in a good place to make this call, I have a sensitive head! Anyway, one of the shy and extremely diligent students, head down, eyes on the floor, respectfully said; “Sir it’s raining”. To which I responded “yes, kind of!” The student continued to ask; “are we still playing soccer (football)?, can we go in’? I laughed, (only a little!) and said, “you’re not sugar lumps, you won’t melt!” Fast forward 3 ½ years and you will find students out playing in the wind, rain and snow. I am very proud of how far all our students have come, and it doesn’t matter if you’re sporty or not, in all areas of the school students can be seen doing amazing things. Our students’ level of commitment to sports teams and for their peers or leaderships roles has been outstanding. Such is their dedication that some teams have called team meetings and organised their own additional training sessions, completely student led. That for me is learning in action. (Photo 11 Leaders in action)

Sports Leaders in action

I have also been delighted with the level of passion and enthusiasm HS students have given to our Junior school teams, they have been brilliant. They possibly don’t realize it but Junior School students (the cute little one’s they always make affectionate noises about) really look up to them, what they say, how they say it and what they do, all have a significant effect on these students. I would like to congratulate them on being such positive role models and so generous with their time.

They should all be very proud of their efforts this term, well done.

Yours sportingly, Mr Long

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JUNIOR SCHOOL BASKETBALL V BRANKSOME HALL It is a sunny morning on Jeju Island and the JS Basketball players arrive at the sports hall to get ready for their match. With the help of some HS coaches, the team walks down to Branksome Hall Asia, all very excited for their upcoming match. When we arrive at BHA it is a bit hectic as the kids are sorted into their teams and sent off with their coaches to practise.

After a welcoming speech by a coach from Branksome Hall Asia, the matches begin.

There are three courts set out in the sports hall and the energy is palpable. It is great to see so many student and parent supporters lining the courts ready for the game. Play starts with the Year 1 and 2 matches, there are a few blips at the beginning of the game while players get the hang of dribbling but they begin to get into it. With NLCS’s first basket, the teams are beginning to warm up and put all their energy into the game.

Throughout all the games, great team work is demonstrated by all the players, showing fluid passing skills and support for every player. We have seen some great play so far, with many baskets being scored by NLCS players, some players scoring more than one each! Even the youngest players are demonstrating skilfully accurate technique and exciting movement.

For the smaller matches, there are only three in a team which allows for each player to shine.

It’s great to see younger and older years playing together in a match. One Year 1 said “I like playing with the Year 2’s because we could see what we could maybe do one day!”

Throughout the morning, play continues with controlled dribbling and great tactical play.

Whilst not playing, JS players are practising their passing and shooting skills in drills that HS players set up for them. Not only does this help the younger years prepare for their matches, but it also allows older students to develop their teaching and English skills. The emphasis of these games is on participation. There is no score being kept in order to encourage the enjoyment of the sport and allow for a friendly atmosphere in the game. Even the youngest players are getting involved and cheering for their teams so there is a great community atmosphere. The morning ends with the Year 5 and 6 matches showing amazing skill and confidence throughout, particularly impressive shooting skills from the Year 5 and 6 girls.

The morning ran smoothly and was fun for all involved thanks to the organisation by BHA. A final note to say a massive well done to all players - it was a great morning with both BHA and NLCS playing with enthusiasm and skill throughout..

KATE BROWN, YEAR 13, HALLA

Kate reporting at Branksome Hall

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With organization as the theme for this termâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue I have asked some students from a couple of sports to reflect on what sport means to them. I have deliberately given a slightly philosophical, open question. Below are the feelings of some students in our school, from a player and coachs perspective. I maintain that we you care about wanting to do something so badly you either get super organised or super disorganised. Luckily for sport the students involved in squads all appear to be very organised.

Mr Long

TJ Kim, Year 9, RUGBY Before starting off, I want to briefly introduce myself. This is my first year at NLCS Jeju and I first started playing rugby about six months ago. Let me be honest with you, when my father first offered me to come to this school, I strongly refused, not wanting to leave my lovey school back in Seoul. However, as I got to know about the school more and more, I changed my mind. One of the biggest factors for this change of mind was rugby.

The past records achieved by the team was just amazing. They won the nationals and they were one of the best teams in Korea. Then I thought, that is the kind of sports team I want to be in. I think this just shows how much I love sport. Sport is a big part of my life. When I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exercise even for a day, it feels like something in my day is being left out.

Sometimes, my parents worry if I am spending up too much time exercising when they think I should be studying. However, this is not true at all. I organise my time in order to fit both academic work and exercise in. For example, if I have an exceeding amount of prep for the next day, it could keep me from going out to the field. As I said before, not playing sports makes me feel just not quite right; therefore, I always manage my prep time to try to get as much prep done as possible. In about two months, the National Championship is happening in Jeju. As most of you will able to guess, the biggest goal for our middle school rugby squad is to win the Nationals!

Brian Baek, Year 9, SQUASH & ATHLETICS Playing sports provides many benefits. We enjoy and relieve stress by playing sports. We also gain both physical and mental strength. From my experience, playing sports helps us learn how to organise our time and build relationships with others.

Playing sports helps us to organise time. Nowadays, time management is one of the most important skills we have to learn, especially in sports when we move as a team. For example, when we play football, in order to get the pass accurately from your teammates, we should be on the right spot at the right time. Cross-country is also a good sport to learn how to manage time. If we set our goal too high, we will be exhausted. By contrast, if we manage the time better and plan how to run, we will get much better results.

We learn how to build good relationships when we play team sports. Most of the sports are played in teams like football and basketball. We get decent results only if we play as a team. In order to play as a team, we should have good communication skills. We learn how to build up relationships with others by playing sports with others. I play squash and do athletics, although these two sports are not team sports, I have learnt that relationship is vital in our lives. For example, after my opponent and I play squash, we discuss about our weak points and how to improve them. Just by talking and listening to each other, we learn how to respect and socialise with people.

Brian in action 135

Wesley Kim, Year 9, RUGBY When I first came into this school sport was nothing to me. It was purely for my entertainment and nothing else. I was a small, fat and lazy boy. I even remember refusing to be in the football squad just because I wasn’t interested in representing the school. However, as the time passed, sport slowly began to take a major role of my school life and I also saw myself changing physically and mentally.

It might be quite unusual to link the theme organisation with sports, but becoming organising allowed me to change myself. As I wanted to improve in various sports I needed to change myself physically. I always knew that I was fat and it would make my life disadvantageous in lots of things, but I have never tried my best to change this. However, sports motivated me to do the hard work. Exercising daily, I watched myself slowly changing. Now I realise the importance of organising myself and my time. Although I am proud of my progression, my parents and some staff are concerned about me spending too much time playing sports and preparing for lots of sports events, especially rugby.

I am sure that this is a problem for other students and parents as well, but playing sports does not mean that education is something that I don’t care about. Rugby is a very dangerous sport and requires lots of time to practice as a team, but it is also a way to release my stress and is a crucial element that allows me to focus on my work. Rugby seems more important to me not just because I have been playing since Year 7, but also because I am gradually taking a bigger role in the team, which reflects on how much I have applied myself. My goal this year is to win the National tournament in May. If I achieve this goal, it will certainly be the best birthday gifts ever.

Wesley in Year 7

Wesley (far right) in Year 9

Amy Cha, Year 10, BASKETBALL Being a Sports Leader and at the same time, being organised was quite difficult. Every Tuesday, I had to give up my free time to help the younger students, and two hours of sports on one day was extremely exhausting for me. However, what motivated me was that this was very enjoyable and I felt proud of myself at the end of the day. Even though it has only been a term since I started this role, I had several difficulties during the practices. First of all, the girls never applied the skills I’d taught them whilst they played games. Also, the fact that I had to plan for drills and demonstrate them by myself was another obstacle I faced. Despite all of these, my team worked really well during their practices, and this showed up while we played against BHA. This role of being a leader was very helpful towards my non sporting life, where I could interact better with the younger students and I became more confident when talking in front of other people. If I can, I would very much like to continue this role.

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Harry Rha, Year 11, RUGBY Even though I have been a leader of groups in the past, it is still difficult to be a successful Sports Leader. The main trait of successful leaders is being organised. Leaders need to be organised in order to maintain control and project a bright future for the group. You also need to be an early bird, by all means you need to be proactive, plan ahead and not procrastinate.

There were obviously some hardships for me while coaching Junior Basketball. Since all the boys are full of energy at all times, it was hard to keep them under control. Therefore, I needed to be more organised and gather them early before the game. I would talk to them about what the game would be like and what they are going to do; also organise warm-up drills for them.

Being a leader at NLCS Jeju certainly did teach me lots of things. It gave me a chance to think about the nature of leading and therefore how stressful the careers of teachers can be. Also, how you need to lead by example and communicate well in order to be a successful leader.

These leadership roles give you skills, such as organisation for you to be successful in your future life and future careers. I am certainly learning those key skills for success from the leadership roles that I am taking in NLCS Jeju.

SEASON 3, FIXTURES April 23 - 29 MS & HS Rugby, Chugmugi Championships, Daejeon April 24 - 26 Jeju Sports Festival, Athetics April 27 House Cricket & Rounders Week 1 April 30 Boys HS Football v. Daejeong @ NLCS Jeju May 2 Athletics (MS & HS) Meet May 2 Boys HS Football v. Daejeong @Daejeong May 4 House Cricket & Rounders Week 2 May 6 Boys HS Footie v. KIS @ NLCS Jeju May 8 - 9 KISAC HS Football Championships @ KIS May 8 Junior School Sports Day May 9 KISAC MS Basketball @ KIS May 10th - KISAC Athletics @ Hallim May 11th - House Rugby & Netball Week 1 May 13th - Boys HS Footie v. KIS May 13th - Girls Footie v KIS @ NLCS Jeju May 14th - 17th HS Rugby v Bucheon May 16th - NLCS ES Schools Rugby Festival May 18th - House Rugby & Netball Week 2 May 21st - Badminton v. KIS & BHA @ BHA May 30th - June 2nd MS Rugby, National Sports Youth Championships, Jeju June 12th - House Sports Day ;-) 137

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