Yonsei University Language Institute French Instructor for 13 Years: Philippe Coulon "Everything was so unfamiliar with me when living in Korea at first. My homestay owner’s father was not willing to shake hands with me but ask me to take a bow for greeting. This embarrassed me much." Philippe Coulon (from Belgium) has been teaching French at the Yonsei FLI (Foreign Language Institute) since 1996. Having lived for such a long time in Korea, he has many interesting episodes to tell. "It was 1985 that I first landed in Daegu, Korea. One day I was so alarmed with a banging warning sound. Everything stopped in the street. People entered buildings inside. That was due to the training of troops against the possible attack of the North Korean troops. I did not know that preparatory training of troops was regularly being conducted at the 15th day of every month." One of the funny episodes is that he was so embarrassed by Korean middle-aged ladies, the so-called Azuma. "One day, I was standing in the subway. At that time I was about to get off at the next station but the lady was so focused on getting a seat in front of her. She got in my way. I had to go out but she pushed me and did not allow me to go out. So, I shouted at her in Korean, ‘Azuma~~ (angrily)!’ She seemed to be so shocked at my word." He laughed at the memory. Like these episodes, his life is full of adventure and change. He was a certified accountant and actually had worked for years as an accountant in Belgium. "In 1983, a sudden change had come to me. Two American friends invited me to the U.S in the summer. I climbed a mountain with my fellows. On the peak of the mountain, we talked about our lives. Then I decided to quit my job. Accounting was so boring that I could not keep the work. The job is very secure and profitable but my life was always the same in the office." Then, he did not go back to Belgium. Instead he went to college in order to study international politics. While working on his degree, he never went back to Belgium. Coulon came to Daegu, Korea, as an exchange student in 1985. He studied in Kyemyong University for four months. "My roommate in the U.S. was Korean. We talked a lot about politics. He motivated me to go to Korea.” Then, he entered Yonsei University for the master’s program of GSIS in 1987. His original plan was to go to Taiwan after finishing his program. "I wanted to explore Mao Zedong. I wanted to learn Chinese." However, he met his current wife, who was studying French literature at Ewha Womans University. Instead of pursuing his original plan, he to his wife to Belgium to get married. We asked Coulon why he has stayed at the Yonsei FLI for so long. "That’s probably because I like this university,” he replied. “I like the free and liberal atmosphere of Yonsei. Another thing, Yonsei FLI allows me to give evening classes." He also has been teaching full-time in the French Literature Department of Kangwon National University since 1998. He not only teaches language but also French culture. He has to go back and forth between Chuncheon and Seoul. Many things have changed since he began to involved in language education. "Back then, a lot of Korean students took French and German in high school. There were more French classes when I started my work. But now there are more students who are willing to learn Chinese and Japanese. Less number of students learns French nowadays." Yet, he does not think of it negatively. "It is just the way that situation goes. Instead, I heard there has been growing number of students who want to learn French in China." As his fellow French instructors went back to France, Philippe Coulon remains the only person teaching French in Yonsei FLI. We also asked him if he thinks people should speak in French when they go to French-speaking nations. "Not necessarily, although I would appreciate it if they speak French to me." Another difference he noticed during his stay in Korea is that students do not talk about politics that much. “Even in higher level of classes, they do not seem to enjoy conversations on politics. I like political themes. Students nowadays are more concerned about studying for TOEIC tests." He is currently residing in Cheong Pyeong, between Chuncheon and Seoul, with his Korean wife and daughter. He still misses things from Belgium such as cheese, Belgian beer and chocolate. He prefers living in Cheong Pyeong for the fresh nature and less expensive living costs. To the question on how long he is planning to teach at Yonsei, he replied, "I don’t know, as long as the time allows."