Art Chowder November | December 2023 Issue 48 | Page 25

Delivers a Taste of Home for Visiting Students BY CAM REID

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Fish-San

Delivers a Taste of Home for Visiting Students BY CAM REID

am a writer and a lover of the arts , but there are many conduits through which I get my daily dose of culture . I also teach linguistics to international students at Portland State University ( PSU ). For me , teaching is a calling , and one that comes from my passion for connection and the joy I get out of showing someone the world with a projector screen and a Google slideshow . A lot of my students will come to Portland and stay for a year or more while they work towards English proficiency exams . However , between terms we run interim sessions where we get students that are only in the United States for two or three weeks . For these students , studying at PSU is part of a vacation , rather than a college degree . They love to have fun . They ’ re here to have fun . And even though I teach a class that ’ s very serious , I wouldn ’ t get by without getting to know my students and working hard to make genuine connections with them over the short time that we have together .
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