Please tell me about yourself ?  

My name is Micah, and I'm most recently from Miami, Florida, USA. I say "most recently" because I have lived many places, especially in the United States. I grew up in Maryland near Washington D.C., but I went to high school and university in Florida. During summer vacations, I lived and worked in Wyoming, Montana, California, and Alaska. So far, I think that Alaska is the most beautiful, untouched place on planet Earth.

What can you see in there? 

While living there, I saw grizzly bears and bald eagles every day near active volcanoes. I also saw moose on the river banks while kayaking down cold, blue glacial rivers at 11pm at night; it's always sunny there in summer.

What is your favorite hobby? 

As you can tell, I like to travel, especially to places with unspoiled nature. In addition to traveling, my two favorite hobbies are writing and exercising. I live my life asking myself, "why not?" When I moved to Alaska, many people asked me, "Why are you moving there?" In return, I asked them, "Why not?" You can say the same about my "faith." I think it's important to put your hope in something, whatever or whomever that may be. No one knows what happens to us when we die, so why not believe something wonderful happens?

What made you decide to come to Jeju Island ? 

I love the ocean. If you live in Florida right near the beach like I did, then you will grow to love, even need, the ocean. Out of all the places in Korea, I think Jeju is the most magical. I hope that it continues to stay that way; I hope that the people of Jeju continue to protect what they have - the fish, the deer, the land, etc. Otherwise, all of it will turn into what most places turn into - buildings, concrete, lifelessness. I was also drawn to Jeju because I wanted to become a professor at Jeju-NU's English Education Department.

Are you satisfied with life at Jeju-NU? How do you find living on Jeju Island?  

Of course! I love it here; it's an adventure. Honestly, most of my friends back home are jealous of my situation. How many people are English professors, at a great university, on a little volcanic island, in the middle of Asia? I don't know too many. Every day I think I learn a little bit more about Korean culture, its history, its traditions. I think learning Korean will help even more; my Korean friend is teaching me now. I am definitely very thankful for the life I have here. In general, Korea is a very easy and comfortable place to live as far as the people, the work environment, transportation, healthcare, etc. Living in the USA is a little more stressful.

What is your difficulties living as a foreign professor at Jeju-NU ?? 

In Korea, one minor frustration is that sometimes it's difficult to find people with their own individual opinions. Because respect and order are so deeply ingrained into the Korean psyche, sometimes creativity and free thought are restricted. However, the Jeju-NU students remind me every day that everyone has the potential to become a leader, to be more honest about life, to think freely, and to dream new things.

Do you have any advice to Jeju-NU students for their english improvement or any other general things?

Fear is the biggest stumbling block that I see, not skill level. The skills are there. Most students in Korea have been learning English their entire lives, from early in the morning to late at night sometimes. However, you can't learn to play the piano by studying it for hours and hours at a hagwon or university. You've got to practice all the time. The same is true of English. Stop thinking and studying so much, and start doing, without fear. Students often hold themselves back because they're thinking about others. "What will they think if they hear a mistake?" or, "They are not speaking, so I shouldn't either." My advice to students is to stop caring about what other people think, even me! Make up your own mind. If you are the only one that is unafraid, so be it! Good for you. You will be the one who can have a wonderful conversation with someone in India, the Philippines, Canada, England, the USA, etc. Simply put, talk more, write more, study less, fear less.

I heard you've just finished a journey to India. Could you tell me about your adventure briefly?

Whereas Korea seems to be a land of calm, balance, and sameness, India seemed to be a land of extremes. - Extreme poverty, extreme wealth. - Extreme expression, with delicious flavors, spiritual music, mesmerizing dance, brilliant colors. - Extremely dirty, extremely beautiful. For example, on one day I was riding a motorcycle in the Himalayas with hundreds of monkeys in the trees and mighty rivers surrounding me, and on a different day I was riding a 22-hour train with hundreds of roaches and piles of trash nearby. Half of my time in India was spent traveling around the country by train, and the other half was spent in an ashram doing yoga twice a day. Because of my practice there, I can now do a headstand without any help. I was very happy to come back to the peace and quiet of Korea though.

What is your next step in life ?

To enjoy the rest of this day.