Name: Ayako Sakai    

Year: 1996                         

 

                                                                                                      

     In JHS, I enjoyed studying English. We used songs to remember vocabulary. We studied how to communicate in English. For example,  if someone said "How are you?", I said "I'm fine very much. And you?" In classes I hardly used the notebook.

     In HS, how to study English changed. We studied for only the entrance examination. We memorized words and vocabulary every day. And we took a test once a week. If I had a bad score, I had to take it again. We hardly spoke in English. We only read stories and solved the questions in every class. I was tired of classes in HS. I wanted to study speaking and hearing at university.

     My ways of language learning changed since coming to the university. In HS, when I remembered the vocabulary, I wrote it down and looked at it often. Though I forgot it soon, I didn't care. Because all I had to do was to remember it till the entrance examination. Now I often use tapes to remember vocabulary. I need more time than before. But I don't forget it easily. I think that it is the most important thing. Because I must remember it for my life.

     At university I was surprised at oral communication class. When I took the class at first, I remembered class in JHS. Though I enjoyed the class, I wasn't able to be satisfied with it at first, because I thought it was childish. Besides my teacher didn't say what he wanted to teach. So I couldn't understand  him. But I found that he taught us a lot of things as days passed.

     For example, as for juggling, I thought it was childish and useless. Then I realized that it taught that we could do anything if we tried. It also reminded me that studying English was fun!!

     We actually learned a lot of useful things in oral communication classes. Especially shadowing and summarizing. They are very useful for me. Because I didn't know how to communicate in English before, there was silence during the conversation. I could not stand it. When I shadow and summarize, there is less silence. Also when my partners find that I am interested in them the conversation goes more smoothly. Unless I do shadowing and summarizing, it will not go well.

     I want to improve in the writing area, too. I wrote a research paper, and thought strongly I need to improve my writing ability. I couldn't express what I wanted to say in the research paper.

     During the vacation, I could improve in speaking, reading and listening ability in several ways. For example, I watched movies, listened to music and read books. I could manage to improve by myself. But I don't know how to improve in the writing area.

     I thought my first year went by very fast. I regretted that I didn't have my goals at the beginning. If I had them,  I would have spent more useful time. So I will decide my goals or plans for the next three years. My goal is that I make 550 on TOEFL and pass pre 1 of STEP TEST. I need to study grammar,  words and vocabulary like I studied for the entrance examination in HS. I think qualifications are important in the future.

     My plan is that I save a lot of money and I go abroad alone. I have only been abroad with my parents or my friends. And then I had little opportunity to talk with foreigners. So I want to travel alone. And I will go abroad to study in the third year. When I was 17 years old, I went to Australia to study for 10 days. It was too short. My stay in Australia was only sightseeing. Next time, I want to stay as an inhabitant. I take it for granted that I want to be a good speaker of English. Besides I want to know what I don't know. I want to experience what I have not yet experienced. Even if I am in Japan, I can study English. But it's difficult for us to live with  different customs while here. To go abroad to study becomes a good experience.

     I want to work at a hotel abroad after graduation. Because I feel as if I were in another world when I stay at a hotel. I am relaxed by hotel workers. I also want to do it for people around the world.

     At first, I was surprised that my classmates spoke English very well. My speaking ability and theirs were quite different. I didn't try to speak actively. Because I was ashamed of talking with them in English. I thought they might look down on me. So I often explained in Japanese what I couldn't express in English. But we learned that mistakes are good. I believed these words. And I tried to communicate with classmates by gestures instead of Japanese. Now I still make a lot of mistakes. But I am not ashamed of them. To try is very important!