International Tutors' Magazine December 2018 | Page 4

INTERNATIONAL TUTORS’ MAGAZINE
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the November/December issue of the IT Magazine 2018-2019. Since our October issue,
life at EdUHK has gotten a lot busier. There was more studying, more working, more teaching, and
more learning. As the semester progressed, students and staff alike found themselves making more
progress but also feeling more strongly the pressures of deadlines and commitments. We might have
even felt a bit lost sometimes in the middle of all this “controlled chaos”. Maybe we had to step back
and look at the situation as a whole to remind ourselves why we were motivated to do this work in the
first place. Maybe we needed to change our perspective in order to see our way through.
This issue revolves around the idea of different perspectives. Each of us has a certain way
we look and think about the world. Sometimes we get stuck in this perspective and forget to consider
other points of view. Different perspectives on a topic can offer new insights, ideas, and solutions.
Different perspectives can open up a whole new area of interest. Different perspectives can help us
understand our fellow human beings better and make connections. Here in the International Tutor
Team, we especially value how much we can learn by opening our eyes and minds to new and interesting
global perspectives.
In the following pages, I invite you to explore a range of new or unique perspectives.
Ling Mee Hui talks about “The Forgotten Serenity” of the little-known indigenous groups of East
Malaysia. Crystal Chen paints with words a little vignette of a rain-soaked night in a foreign country
in “The Raincoat”. Aamenah Khurram reports on the IT’s Halloween Night, which mixed classic
Halloween culture with Latin American celebrations of Dia de los Muertos. In “Uncle Six”, Feng
Huanying takes us on a journey through the life of a very interesting man, told from the perspectives
of different people who know him. Through a photo exhibition, Catherine Dai Liting asks us to think
about how our physical positions and our emotional perspectives influence one another. Even our
regular sections such as “Community Spotlight” and “Checking in with the ITs” are opportunities to
learn about the diverse experiences the CLE community offers through its activities.
Explore these perspectives. Learn something new. Think about someone else’s point of view,
and then think about how it relates to your own. Push yourself to adventure into new territory. Enjoy
the journey. You never know what you’ll discover on the way.
Sincerely,
Noga Zaborowski
Editor
EDITOR’S
NOTE
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
Marcus Bennevall, International Tutor
Nationality: Swedish
Languages: Swedish, English and a little Spanish
Q: Where were you before joining EdUHK?
This is my first full-time job. But I have worked as a
teacher before, teaching summer courses in Sweden.
Q: What are the major differences between Hong
Kong and Sweden that you have found?
The weather here is very hot, rainy and humid, while
Sweden is pretty cold. Also, Hong Kong is much
bigger than Linkoping, the city I'm from. Generally,
my schedule is very tight in Hong Kong, whereas at
home I wasn't very busy.
Q: We’ve heard jokes that Swedes always need a
ton of personal space. Is that true? How is Hong
Kong for you, with so many people?
Yes, I would say that’s true. We
respect our personal space. Hong
Kong is very crowded for a
Swede. It’s ok in Hong Kong
because most people won’t
interact, they just pass by. But
Left: Sunny relaxation. Right: Swedish personal space.
it’s still a bit weird sometimes when in a café, some
stranger sits in front of you and you need to eat
together and share the table.
Q: Speaking of food, are there any typical
Swedish dishes or food customs?
In Sweden, we sell candies by the kilo instead of just
a small pack like in Hong Kong. We also have Taco
Friday, when you have time to have a gathering with
your families or friends. Swedish people generally eat
very healthy. A lot of them are vegetarian or vegan -
something hard to find in Hong Kong!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BY RACHEL LAI AND MON ZHANG
Dilan Dalkiran, Senior
International Tutor
Nationalities: Dutch, Turkish
Languages: Dutch, Turkish,
Kurdish and English
Q: Where were you before
joining EdUHK?
I worked in a private school in London
as an applied behavior analysis tutor involving autistic
children, while teaching English, for a year. That was
a pretty challenging job. It was tense all the time, it’s
easy to burn out, and I didn’t like that.
Q: How did that job change your worldview?
I would say I have become a more patient person
who would consider different perspectives. The
students’ intentions were not wrong intrinsically, but
the situation was simply not under their control, and
we, as tutors, had to adjust to different cases.
Q: Any advice for students at EdUHK?
I would probably say to have more faith and be less
harsh to yourselves. Students here are respectful,
polite, and I do value this kind of relationship. It’s
just that students here are less expressive than I’m
used to, and this presents a different challenge for
me in Hong Kong than in my job in London. I also
recommend students to explore once-in-a-lifetime
places, like Turkey!
Q: Any travel tips?
I would really, really suggest traveling to Turkey. The
country is so different, with unique cultures, cuisine,
activities, and landscapes. There may be a rerun of
my workshop about Turkish culture in ASLLC – I
welcome everyone to join if you are interested!
Left: Exploring London. Right: Home in Turkey.
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