by Jesse Chen
Try to picture this in your mind: a fairly tall and husky man is riding his big motorbike on the street, perhaps wearing a pair of sunglasses. Cool? What if I tell you that he is actually a teacher in our department and looks like a big Teddy Bear? Still cool? Or cute? Or incredible? How about all of them?! Find time and come to the LTTC and you may have the chance to see him for yourself. His name is James D. Uchniat. Sounds sort of weird? Mr. Uchniat felt the same way. So one day he typed his name into Google to see what he could find – that was the first time he found that there existed many more people with the same last name than he had imagined. Take the phonetic symbols of book’s “ook,” knee’s “nee,” and hot’s “ot” and put them together— that’s how his family name should be pronounced in English, ‘ukniat, which is of Eastern European origin. Life is always unpredictable, and Mr. Uchniat’s is no exception. Before starting to teach English, mainly composition, he had a long, long journey to take. He took Dramatic Literature and Theater History as his major and Cinema Studies as his minor in university, all of which reflect his deep interest in film. After graduation he had his first job in a retail company but he didn’t like it. A period of time later he was fired, and then, he had another job in a trade magazine. But later, he was fired again. After that he began to help write a script based on improvisation for his friend, who was the director of an experimental theater group, and that was the first turning point in his life. Some weeks after the performance he was asked if he would like to teach writing in the Expository Writing Program at New York University. But in order to teach writing, he had to register as a graduate student first. Thus, he began to teach writing, and that was also the start of his career as an English Education major in graduate school. From his courses and his tutoring experience in graduate school, Mr. Uchniat started to understand a bit about “second language interference” and take an interest in it; meanwhile, he was thinking that it would be interesting to teach in Asia. Before accepting any contract, Mr. Uchniat decided to have a look at Asia first. From Hong Kong to Mainland China, either he was not feasible for the job he wanted or he didn’t like the environment. Then he came to Taiwan. It was March, the spring rain was drizzling, everything was so green and beautiful, and Mr. Uchniat thought “I’m going to try to find a position here!” God heard him. Some time later, through a friend’s help and his own ability, he got an offer from NTU and came to Taiwan again; this time, he settled down and started his new life. Though having been in Taiwan for over ten years, Mr. Uchniat “unfortunately” still speaks Chinese not much better than a child. Has he tried to learn it? Yes he has, but according to him he is somehow “tone-deaf,” which means he can’t differentiate Chinese tones, as in music. Hence, instead of “learning” Chinese, Mr. Uchniat has taken the alternative of “acquiring” it. However, that doesn’t seem to be very helpful – “I can speak a little bit of Chinese, but my listening comprehension is almost nil,” he said. Even under such a situation of almost “one-way communication,” Mr. Uchniat says he has not only lived a pleasant life here but has been to almost every city/county in Taiwan, including Penghu. No kidding, he has even been to the famous Ma-Zu Temple in Bei-Gang several times to bai-bai! But how? With a little bit of spoken language, a lot of body language and pointing and help from friends, nothing is impossible. Having grown accustomed to Taiwan, when asked about his future plans Mr. Uchniat answered that it is likely he’ll stay in Taiwan even after retiring from NTU. One of his reasons is that Taiwanese people are friendly and willing to help others so there aren’t many difficulties in living here. However, another reason is more peculiar – “I would rather be hot than cold,” he said. In fact, he likes the sub-tropical weather and has little desire to go back to live in a place with a freezing cold winter. It’s not healthy, he said, and he doesn’t have enough winter clothes anyway! As a teacher in the department, Mr. Uchniat has some advice for students, which I would like to call “Double L’s and a Single R.” The two L’s stand for Latin and Logic. In his opinion, if a person knows a little bit of Latin, s/he will be able to learn other European languages easily, such as French, Spanish, or Italian, because Latin is their root. Besides, quite a few English words also come from Latin, and thus knowing it will also help us to learn English. As for logic, he explained, “you have to have a logic to argue, and your conclusion is based on your logic.” It’s important that one can present an idea logically, both in writing and in conversation. And, the single R, which refers to Responsibility, means a student should be responsible for his or her own study, especially freshmen, because it may be the first time their parents are not standing behind them watching them all the time. So be responsible for yourself and your study, Mr. Uchniat emphasizes, not only in school but after graduation as well. #Volume 8 Issue 1 a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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