



When I first arrived in Korea in 1999, I had quite a bit of success discussing childhood experiences that require students to use a variety of past verb tenses. One of my favorite "gold nuggets" that was always a sure winner to elicit responses and create a jovial mood of collective harmony with my students was to pose the question "have you ever chased the mosquito truck?". After trying to figure out what I was asking them (because they didn't usually understand the verb 'chase'), my students always laughed and said "yes, I have".
Almost 8 years later, I find myself bombing on this question with students less than 30 years old. It seems times have changed. Students by and large don't share those childhood (neighborhood) experiences anymore (or they share fewer ones). It's rare that I find students under 30 who haven't spent every waking moment of their freedom in Hag Wons or at PC rooms.
What I would like to ask the other experienced teachers in our class is: What common childhood experiences, games or interests (that we can discuss in class) do the youngsters share nowadays? Do they share anything outside of school, Hag Wons or PC rooms? I'm sure they do, but I'm having some difficulty locating a new "gold nugget" that will be a sure thing in my conversation classes. The mere mention of "sashimi" with combined stabbing motion is still a sure thing (thank goodness). I look forward to hearing your suggestions.