ESL students beat language barrier on soccer field

ESL students beat language barrier on soccer field

BY DOTTIE
ROARK
Special to the Rice News

One team in the
Rice University intramural soccer playoffs last week was
known for its diverse language on the field.

For the International
Coyotes, soccer presents more than just a physical contest.
It also offers the challenge of communicating across the
cultures and languages of seven different countries.

What the Coyotes’ players have in common besides their love of soccer is that
they all are at Rice to learn English. The team is the first
Rice intramural team organized by students from the School
of Continuing Studies English as a Second Language Program.
The students are in class 20 hours a week, learning English
to prepare for university study or a professional career.

Although the
Coyotes lost 4-3 in overtime in the playoffs, the season
was a successful learning experience for them.

“I learned
to be patient with other teammates because having or speaking
different languages, it is sometimes hard to agree,” said Eugenio Garcia of Mexico, who has been in the United
States for three months and hopes to go to graduate school
to pursue an M.B.A.

Another element
making agreement difficult was the challenge of having players
from different countries with various rules and strategies
for soccer. But the team captain, Sung-Hwan Cha, saw that
as a benefit.

“We can
learn and share each country’s soccer skills,”
he said. To his teammates, Cha is known as “Scineer,” the American name that he chose to represent his interests
in science and engineering. Cha is from South Korea and
has been in the United States for eight months. He plans
to pursue a doctorate at a university in the United States.
“I learned leadership as a captain, but it was difficult
for me to deal with international students who have different
cultures,” Cha said.

Jose Ignacio
Jorgge of Ecuador said he learned to “work in a group
and support each other when we have a problem.” Jorgge
hopes to obtain a master’s degree at a university in
this country. He has studied English for nine months.

Edgar Arrieta
of Venezuela said he enjoyed meeting new friends while playing
against different teams.

Other team members
included Gabriel Hofstatter, Brazil; Cheng-Chi Wu, Taiwan;
and Gregory Nicolet, Switzerland.

“I think
it’s been a great opportunity for the students to experience
American culture and have fun at the same time,” said
ESL instructor Sheryl Jouvenat, one of the team’s loyal
fans. “And I think a lot of camaraderie has been fostered
as a result of this. I have to commend Scineer (Cha) on
organizing this team.”

For Cha, his
work to pull together a soccer team from a was worth it.

“We failed
in the playoff game, but we did our best and did a good
job,” he said. “We appreciate our teachers, office
and classmates who cheered and supported us.”

Approximately
180 international students are enrolled in the Continuing
Studies Intensive English Program during each seven-week
session, said Kathleen Sayers, associate dean of the School
of Continuing Studies and director of language programs.
The program
has hosted students from more than 40 countries since its
inception in 1978.

— Dottie
Roark is the marketing director at Rice’s School of
Continuing Studies.