Ms. Choi: Fresh Look on a Familiar Face

DIS Accountant Dishes on Travel, Hobbies, and her Career

Ms. Choi beams in front of the famous Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in Paris. Courtesy of Ms. Choi’s family.

Alex Park, Mikey Pierog, Jade Lee, and Alyssa Chang

A variety of people take care of the school behind the scenes – obviously, the school doesn’t run itself. There are many different positions to handle; such as business management, marketing, faculty/event services, office management, etc. They’re essential for us to function, but students don’t know much about the staff or what they do. The Jets Flyover decided to find out more about the inner workings of DIS, interviewing Ms. Choi from the main office does at DIS and what brings her joy.


Why did you come to DIS? 

왜 대구국제학교에 오셨나요?

A year after I graduated from college, I was spending my time freely when I noticed a job advert for DIS. Working at an international school seemed interesting to me, and the idea of working with foreigners and getting a broader experience was enticing. Fortunately, I got the job!

대학교를 졸업하고 1년 정도 자유롭게 시간을 보내고 있던 와중에 DIS 채용 공고를 우연히 보게 되었는데, 국제학교여서 새롭기도 했었고 한국인이 아닌 외국인과 부딪혀 일을 해보는 것도 좋을 것 같아 지원했고 운 좋게 합격을 했던 걸로 기억나요.

 

What kind of tasks are you in charge of at DIS? 

대구국제학교에서 무슨 일을 하시나요?

I mostly take care of the accounting. More specifically, I manage the tuition fees and plan out the budget for the school year. Besides those two major tasks, I also calculate our school’s checks and balances, tax returns, and the faculty salaries.

저는 DIS에서 회계 업무를 담당하고 있고 학생들 수업료 관련 또는 1년 동안 학교가 사용할 예산을 짜고, 전반적인 학교의 지출 부분 관리를 합니다. 교직원 급여 및 세금 신고 관련 업무 또한 맡아서 하고 있는 중이에요.

 

What do you like the most about DIS? 

대구국제학교가 좋은 이유가 있으신가요?

Most teachers are bright and positiveㅡthey’re so energetic. The atmosphere is encouraging and it, in turn, makes me feel great as well.

여기 있는 모든 선생님은 정말 밝고 에너지가 넘치는 것 같아서 보게 되면 저도 기분이 절로 좋아지는 것 같아요.

 

Why did you decide to become an accountant? 

이 일을 시작하신 계기가 있으신가요?

My undergrad major was accounting. When I enrolled in college, I had no clue what accounting was at all. Fortunately for me, the subject just happened to be the right choice of major; I thought the subject was both fun and interesting, and that’s when I decided that I should become an accountant in the future as well. 

전 대학생이었을 때 전공이 회계학이었어요. 대학교 진학하기 전에는 회계학이라는 분야를 하나도 모르는 상태였는데 4년동안 배우면서 재미도 있고 적성에 맞다고 생각해서 전공을 살려 취업을 해야겠다는 생각을 해봤어요. 그래서 자연스럽게 이 분야로 일을 시작하게 되었던 것 같아요.

Ms. Choi at the wall of love, in the city of love. Courtesy of Ms. Choi’s family.

Before you came here, what other jobs did you have? How much job experience do you have before coming to DIS? 

대구국제학교에 오기 전에 무슨 일을 하셨나요? 그리고 얼마나 일하셨나요?

Working at DIS was my first ever job because I applied and got accepted right after graduation. Before that, I never even had typical college student side-jobs, such as waiting tables or working as a Starbucks barista.

따로 국제학교를 입사하기 전에 직장 경험은 없었어요. 알바도 따로 해본 적이 없기 때문에 여기가 저의 완전한 첫 직장이고 첫 사회생활로 칠 수 있죠.

 

Do you have any difficulties communicating with English teachers?

외국인 선생님들과 소통이 잘 되시나요?

To be honest, I don’t think I’m the best at communicating with the teachers. My English isn’t the greatest. So I heavily rely on emails to reply effectively.

솔직히 말하자면 잘 안 되는 거 같아요. 영어를 잘하는 편이 아니기 때문에 보통 이메일로 외국인 선생님들과 소통을 하는 편이에요.

 

Young Ms. Choi is kindergarten-ready. Courtesy of Ms. Choi’s family.

Can you talk about your family? 

가족들에 대해서 말씀해주실 수 있나요?

My family consists of my mom, dad, and older sister. I don’t get to see my parents very often, but my sister is married and lives in Daegu, which means I get to see her around.

가족들은 아빠, 엄마, 언니가 있고 언니는 결혼을 했지만, 대구에 살기 때문에 자주 볼 수 있는 편이에요.

 

Do you have any favorite singers and what is the name of your favorite song? Why? 

좋아하는 가수가 있으신가요? 좋아하는 노래가 있으신가요? 이유는 무엇이죠?

I zone out and tune into calm songs. One of my favorite singers is Paul Kim (폴킴), and I love listening to his songs – for example, Letter, Rain, and Me After You. He has amazing vocals, but I think the lyrics are what stole my heart! All of his songs are unique because his lyrics are so versatile, both relatable and comforting no matter what mood I’m in when I listen.

평소에 잔잔한 노래를 듣는 걸 좋아하는 편이에요. 예를 들어…

폴킴 – 편지, 비, 너를 만나 등?

좋아하는 이유는 노래도 너무 잘 부르고 음색도 좋지만, 가사가 너무 좋은 것 같아서 마음에 들어요. 상황에 따라 다르게 들려서 언제 들어도 공감과 위로가 되는 느낌인 것도 좋아합니다.

 

I heard that you have a cute dog, can you tell me about him/her? 

강아지가 있다고 들었는데 어떤 아이인지 말씀해주세요.

Her name is Yiseul, a Bichon Frise born in November of 2018. The adoption process finished in January of the following year. Yiseul is very amiable and can do a lot of tricks! After completing a trick, our puppy loves eating sweet potatoes and apple slices as a treat. More than treats, I think Yiseul likes my mom the best; our mom is always being followed by the loyal puppy!

품종은 비숍이고 이름은 이슬이에요. 2018년도 11월에 태어났고, 분양은 2019년 1월에 했던 걸로 기억이 나네요. 사람을 많이 좋아하며 애교, 개인기도 많고, 고구마와 사과를 자주 먹어요. 그래도 엄마를 가장 좋아하는지 엄마한테 항상 붙어있는 것 같네요.

 

I heard you love going to bakeries, what kind of food or dessert do you like? 

빵 가게에 가시는 걸 즐긴다고 들었어요, 무슨 음식 혹은 후식을 좋아하시나요?

I love pastries, but I must have a cup of coffee after finishing my lunch or dinner. I’m pretty sure at this point many people know of this spot, but I usually go to NN (No Name Cafe).

빵도 좋아하지만, 밥 먹고 난 후에는 커피를 꼭 마시는 습관이 있는 것 같네요. 근처에 NN이 있어서 자주 가는 편이에요.

 

What places have you traveled to, and which location was the best? 

어디에 가본 적이 있고 어디가 가장 좋았나요?

I vividly remember traveling around the world with my family. Once, we went on a trip to Europe and I recall that I was amazed by how different Switzerland and France were, despite their proximity. Every mountain, street, and corner of Switzerland was breathtaking. From the cruise we took to Lucerne to the mountain train we rode on Mt. Rigi, it was like watching a beautiful film: we passed by green fields with a snow-capped mountain in the distance. That moment made me feel like I was in heaven! After our stay in Switzerland, we went to Paris. As a kid, I had always wanted to see the Eiffel tower, so that was a must-see sight before we left for Korea. Seeing the staggering tower lit up during the night is something I will never forget.

어렸을 때부터 가족들이랑 여행을 자주 다녔었는데, 가장 기억에 남는 곳은 유럽으로 여행을 갔을 때인 것 같아요. 스위스로 여행 갔다가 귀국하기 전 잠시 파리에 멈췄는데 두 군데가 상반되는 매력을 가지고 있어서 기억에 더 남는 것 같기도 해요. 스위스에 가니 없던 여유가 생기는 것 같았고, 정말 어딜 봐도 너무 아름다웠어요. 루체른에서 유람선, 산악기차를 타고 리기산에 갔었는데 정말 푸릇푸릇한 들판을 지나 멀리서 보이는 설산의 풍경은 천국 같은 느낌을 실제로 느끼는 것 같았네요.

스위스 방문 이후 파리로 넘어갔었는데 가기 전에 파리에서 보는 에펠탑의 로망이 있었던 게 아직도 생생하게 기억나요. 처음 봤을 때의 웅장함과 야간 불빛 쇼는 절대로 잊지 못할 것 같네요.

 

What do you do when you have free time? 

휴일에는 무엇을 주로 하시나요?

I usually catch up with my friends on the weekends. Nowadays, I try to make time to go visit my nephew!

쉬는 날에는 평일에 보지 못한 친구들을 만날 때가 대부분이지만 요즘에는 조카를 보러 자주 보러 가는 편이에요.

 

What is your happiest childhood memory? 

어렸을 때 가장 좋으셨던 기억이 뭔가요?

I wanted a play-kitchen sink when I was about 6 or 7 years old. Nowadays, you see all sorts of crazy toys for kids but at the time, that was a very novel concept for a children’s toy. Some of my earliest memories include me and my parents, hand in hand, walking to the toy store and buying the toy of my dreams. It’s one of my core memories, actually. 

6-7살 때였나, 되게 갖고 싶은 장난감이 기억나는데 그게 물이 나오는 되게 큰 싱크대 같은 장난감이었어요. 지금은 흔한데 그 당시에는 되게 획기적인 장난감이었죠. 아빠, 엄마 손을 잡고 가게에 가서 장난감을 사고 집에 와서 즐겁게 놀았던 기억이 아직도 생생해요.


It was nice to learn more about you, Ms. Choi. It’s a good thing you were able to come here straight from university – our community wouldn’t be the same without you! Thank you for your dedication and effort to make DIS a better school.