Regina CP#3

Regina Sosinski - CP#3

July 17, 2017, 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Young Joo Oh

Location: Starbucks

 

Today I asked Young Joo to tell me more about her family and life in Seoul, where she was born. Her mother, father, brother and two sisters still live there, in apartments very close to one another. Family is very important to Koreans. She said she was planning on visiting her son in Jacksonville this coming weekend, and that he told her not to bring any food because he would cook some Korean meals for his mother. Young Joo told me she wasn't sure if she should still bring some food, just in case, and asked my opinion. I encouraged her to go ahead and let her son take care of the food as he requested, and not to worry about bringing any. Plus, I reminded her that Jacksonville has grocery stores too if they need something. She seemed surprised at my answer, but said she would try it. I asked her how her English speaking was going, and she said she didn't have much opportunity to practice. All of her friends are Korean and attend the same church, and they prefer to communicate in Korean. She still expressed the desire to find a job in an early childhood education setting, but that she has not seen any job opportunities. I told her perhaps in another month or so when schools start up again she will see more jobs advertised. I found out that Young Joo had previously attended a program for ESL students at the public library, but stopped going due to interference with some of her church activities. I strongly encouraged her to revisit the library program, and that it sounded like the best opportunity to regularly practice her English, to which she agreed. Apparently she has cut back on some of her church commitments to allow more time for herself and her own goals. I told her I thought that was a good idea!