For all English classes, students must pick an English name they want to be called. I remember having a French name in high school, which I think was more for fun than for practical reasons. Here in Korea, it's more practical. The combination of similar Korean names and having a foreigner try to memorize over 100 of them each semester shows the logic of having English names, at least in my mind. Most of the students I've had usually pick fairly common names (or Biblical names), but there are always the exceptions. This semester I have Obama, Soda, Apple, Snow, Cabin, Simpson, Musiq, Bravery, Kill, and Beyonce.
There are also the movie inspired ones such as Wolverine, Hulk, Bella, Neo, and Percy. That's not counting the occasional Serena or Jessica inspired by shows like Gossip Girl or Sex in the City which seem to be so popular with the Korean girls.
I've yet to tell a student that they can't be called something, but I've heard of some students trying to pull "Sweetie" or "I Love You" or the like. It's fun to see what the students pick and how the class reacts.
3 comments:
Ha. Fun times. My first English name was...Jane, I think. Then Lidia. Then in Mexico, they told me I had to go by my official name (the one on the paper). Hence, Hani.
The Mexicans wouldn't let you use a fake name? You should complain to Ricardo...
We have Korean friends whose English names are Harry and Sally. They chose them because they watched the movie "When Harry Met Sally" to learn their English.
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