1.09.2008

What?

What do you do when you simply cannot understand a professor in one of your classes?  I am taking a course on human-centered design and the instructor is from Korea, recently moved here in the last year.  It is not a big deal because all of the assignments are written clearly on the course website so I know what is expected of me, but it makes sitting through the lectures a bit difficult.  He speaks very quickly in a muffled tone and mumbles under his breath before concluding each sentence with a loud "what?"  It is some of the oddest behavior I've ever witnessed.  A typical part of his lecture might go like this:


"The mice going into mouse-uh-mouse-uh-mouse-uh TRAP, and the mice hibtymibblyjibberjabber folbeltyrufflefluff WHAT?  The mice, he is liking the cheese and when he grab flippityflimflamhubbler mumblerumblebumble WHAT?  O.K.? Good!

He did mention something the other day about the Korean government naming him the top designer in the country a couple years ago, so he's got that going for him.  The class will be very cool anyway.  My first mission, as described above, is to invent 30 ways to catch a mouse and draw diagrams explaining the details of each method.  It should be fun, I had to clarify whether or not the methods had to be non-lethal.  The Professor simply grinned wildly and said "Ahhh.....Creative.....you are creativity....scary and crazy and mmbuzzbzzlippleminbmle WHAT?

4 comments:

Big Daddy said...

That's kind of funny.

You should video home and post it on YouTube.

Big Daddy said...

'video him' I meant.

joanne said...

Perhaps there's some similar speech habit as those areas of Canada that end each sentence with "ehh?"

Love the other Jo

Anonymous said...

that is so hysterical (especially your translation) WHAT!

Maybe it's like a NOT joke. The mouse go uh into trap . . . NOT!

fumblemumble
Mama