신촌 쿠아에서 래팅할래? (영어회화/각종 모임 동호회)

리더 alex 입니다.그동안 모두들 잘 지냈는지 궁금하네요. 전 오늘 저녁에 막 JFK 에서 인천 공항에 도착을 했어요.원래 예정보다 꽤 오래 걸린듯 합니다. 제가 자리를 비운 사이 멤버들이 어떻게 되었을까? 궁금도 합니다.내일 스터디에서 만나요. ^^ A.J    Topic 1. No money, no romance  Housekeeper Lee Won-hee, 57, reminisced that when she was in her 20s she spent little money on her dates. "During my time, teahouses, movie theaters and parks were pretty much the only places we could go for dates," she said. "Needing a lot of money for dating wasn't as much of an issue back then as it is now. "It was natural among young people to have no money, hang out at a park with a lunch box, and eventually get married down the road. Women had fewer roles in society a few decades ago. In my time, a woman's duty was doing house chores and rearing the children, while a man's obligation is earning money and providing food and housing. Life was a lot more simple back then." It was OK for young couples to spend time without much money a few decades ago. These days, people in their 20s and 30s in Korea feel this is some kind of myth. But why is this so hard to believe? Today's generation think they need a certain amount of money or a decent job to even go on a date. Of course, money is necessary for survival. But why is today's youth so obsessed about having money just to go on a simple date? Some people say today's young people are the generation with three no's _ no dating, no marriage and no job. This is a sad portrayal of Korea today where many believe that love, let alone going on a date, is not possible without money. Some statistics supports the three no's phenomenon. According to a Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) report released on July 27, people in romantic relationships have distinct features _ they are aged 25-29, they have graduated from college, and they earn 25 million to 35 million won a year. The institute surveyed about 1,500 single men and women aged 18-49, last November and December The results show that people are considered to be in a relationship when society believes they are "stable" _ having a good job with money _ and their parents are proudly willing to introduce their son or daughter to others. About 45.5 percent of men and 43.1 percent of women in their 20s, and 38.7 percent of men and 38 percent of women in their 30s and who are dating, feel their partner is marriage material. The problem is that their income is likely to be the most important factor in even accepting a first date. As long as they earn money, they are more likely to be in a relationship. About 43.2 percent of men and 52.8 percent of women whose annual salary ranges from 25 million won to 35 million had romantic relationships. But only 27.3 percent of men and 28.1 percent of women who earn less than 15 million won per year had a past relationship. Nearly 70 percent of single men who have a regular income said they wanted a girlfriend. Meanwhile, about half of the men without an income said they are unwilling to have a romantic relationship. A male college student surnamed Kim, 24, intentionally had not had a girlfriend during the past year. "I promised myself to improve and not date until I get a job even if I like someone," Kim said. "At some point, I would regret investing in a girl who I don't truly love. Now I feel that loving someone is some sort of investment or the accumulation of mileage points in a supermarket so that it could be exchanged as cash at a future date," Kim explained. He added that he felt sad that he thought it was necessary to avoid dating until earning money. This way of thinking is not so different for women. A college student surnamed Gu, 24, who lived in Seoul while at school, failed to get into one of the nation's big conglomerates last year. Depressed, she decided to return to her hometown, Busan, to concentrate fully on her studies in the hope of landing a job. To do this, she disconnected with all her friends in Seoul. She also broke up with her boyfriend. "I have little time to enjoy dating before getting a career," Gu said. For her, love is not as important as starting a career and earning money. Other women agree with Gu. "When I wanted to be alone with my boyfriend, I had to pay to find a private place," said Park Ji-min, 25, a job seeker. "Because I was on a tight budget and was unemployed, I often became nervous whenever I had to spend money. "Soon I became exhausted as I always worried about money and calculated the exact amount I spent rather than feeling happy when I saw my boyfriend.    Questions 1. How much do you spend in a month? What kind of money do you spend the most? 2. How do you spend moeny with your boy/girl friend?  3. Do you think that men should pay more in any cases such as dating , married?  4. Can you get married without money? 5. Have you suffered from money? What situation you faced? 6. Do you agree with dating account? How do you think about this? 7. These days all of news mentioned that Korea is very hard to live especially young people.     Are you hard to live right now? What is the problem in Korea?    Topic 2. Past  Are there things in your past that you would rather forget? Do you regret things you did, or opportunities that you missed? Do you sometimes think how different your future will be if only you could change your past? Now there is a scary thought - why would you want to change your past? Think of your life as a series of events.  Each event has a purpose, otherwise it would not happen. Now think of all those events that you would rather forget or wipe out. What was the purpose of each one of those events? How did each one of them contribute to making you the person you are today? And what kind of person would you have been had it not been for those events? For example, you had the opportunity to study and get a qualification.  At the time you did not want to take on the financial obligations, and you could not imagine yourself being disciplined enough to study for three years. Instead, when your parents finally kicked you out of the nest, you took the first job that came your way. You earned enough to survive and have a good time with your friends. Then one morning you woke up and realized what you had done by turning down the opportunity to study.  What is next? Too often you get caught in a spiral of self-blame and self-pity. You focus on the missed opportunities and you tell the younger generation not to do what you have done. Do you step back and identify and appreciate everything you have done in the meantime? Do you think of the people who look up at you as their natural leader? Do you list the skills you have gained along the way? Do you look at yourself as a unique person with character traits that are not taught as part of any formal qualification, such as empathy, using your discernment to decide who should be given a hand up and who should be left to learn from their "mistakes", how to manage your finances, and so on?  The list of what you have learned as a result of the route you took is often far longer than the list of things you believe you have lost. So here is the choice: remain stuck in the past and continue to regret and resent the path you have taken, or make a list of everything you have gained and learned, that made you the person you are today. Who you are right now is a result of your past, and your foundation for the future, regardless of how you choose to deal with your past.  The foundation is there. You can use half of it and build a future full of self-blame and self-pity, or you can use the entire foundation and build a future based on appreciation and gratitude for who you have become. You will make the choice that is right for you.   Questions 1. Do you regret your past something? Why do you think so? 2. What is the most regretful thing in your past? Ex)study, exercise, job, love 3. What did you want to be when you were a student? 4. Do you achieve your dream until now? 5. What was your hobby when you were young? 6. When you meet boy/girl friend, do you really care about their past?  7. What’s your last goal in your life?