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¡°The 18 years I have spent with Yonsei students was the most blessed time in my life and the Underwood family¡¯s history.¡±
A middle-level English conversation class was held in a room at Yonsei University on Tuesday morning. As English Professor Nancy Underwood (Korean name: Won Eun-hye) finished her last class, a thunder of applause came out. That was the last class of Professor Underwood and also provided an occasion for seven Underwood family members over four generations to wrap up their faculty life at Yonsei. Professor Won retires after completing this semester to leave for the U.S.
¡°I don¡¯t really feel that I¡¯m leaving Yonsei,¡± Professor Won said. She comforted herself, shaking hands with each student and saying, ¡°Please email me whenever you want to contact me.¡± Professor Won met her husband Won Han-kwang, chairman of the Korean-American Educational Commission (KAEC), at college and came to Korea with him in 1976. She taught English literature at Seoul Women¡¯s University for eight years and moved to Yonsei in 1986. She continued teaching there for 18 years.
¡°When I first met with Korean students, I was surprised to see that they all dressed similarly and asked no questions during classes. Now, students look more unrestricted and creative questions pour in,¡± said Professor Won. ¡°I sometimes feel sorry for them because they seem to become a slave of grades due to the lack of jobs,¡± she added.
Professor Won returns to the U.S. in late October. ¡°I have not yet decided what I will do next. But I will follow the will of God,¡± she said. In the remaining five months, she plans to help her husband in the KAEC, to visit her mother-in-law living in Australia and to travel the Korean provinces to watch local festivals. ¡°I can¡¯t forget the taste of various kinds of kimchi, which I tasted when I went to the Kimchi Festival in Gwanju. Even though I return to the U.S., I will frequently visit Korea for kimchi,¡± she said.
(Im Min-hyuk, lmhcool@chosun.com )
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