Name: Ami Kato

Year: 1997

 

     Formally, I started learning English when I entered JHS. However, I had already had contact with it since I was about six years old because my mother taught English to me and some of my friends at my home. My mother cannot speak English so well, but she motivated me to learn English. Because I took a great interest in English, I was impatient to have English classes at JHS.

     In JHS, I just followed what my teacher told us. I worked hard to get good marks in every test. I think I could keep on studying English only because I was English hungry when I was in JHS. In addition, I had been taught English conversation by a native speaker for two years. I was taking this lesson with my friend at her home. To my regret, however, I couldn't make good use of this conversation lesson because I had no chance to practice what I learned. Anyway, I think I could lay the grammatical foundation of learning English when I was a JHS student.

     In HS, I did the same things as in JHS; that is, I attended English classes positively and studied rather hard for the tests. But, what is different from JHS is that I was blessed with good opportunities to use English practically. My HS had an exchange students program with a Canadian HS. So, I decided to go to Canada with this program. It was the first time for me to go abroad. Everything was fresh and impressive for me. I stayed with a Canadian family there. I was there only for 10 days, but this experience roused my interest in learning English more. At that time, I couldn't get across all of what I wanted to say to my host family and fiends in English. I regretted it and strongly decided to be a better speaker of English. I still keep in touch with my Canadian friends. I wrote many letters to them and received their replies. I think, writing letters in English is one of many good ways of learning English.

     Since I had a great interest in English and wanted to improve the practical skill, I came to aim for Eibei-ka of Nanzan Univ. Although I was worrying that Eibei-ka was beyond my reach, I studied very hard for the entrance exams. I put emphasis especially on English. I memorized countless number of vocabulary and idioms. I also spent much time for long reading passages. I'm not sure whether these were meaningful or not, but now, I can study here! 

     I was expecting several things of Nanzan Eibei-ka. Firstly, I was looking forward to taking classes held by native speaker teachers. I did know that there are many native speaker teachers and students from abroad in Nanzan. Secondly, the system of studying abroad fascinated me. We can go to universities all over the world. Lastly,  I was thinking of university as a place where we can learn interesting foreign cultures and much more practical English than in JHS and HS.

     After taking several classes, I was surprised that many classmates can speak English much better than me. I was very nervous at first. However, the atmosphere of the classes relaxed me. I gradually got used to using English by talking with classmates in English almost everyday. Now, I gained courage to speak English without any hesitation even if I make mistakes. I was also shocked to know that we were supposed to do a lot of homework in Eibei-ka. Sometimes it is so hard to deal with the homework. However, I believe it rewards us a lot. L.L. homework is especially helpful for me to improve my listening skill. Moreover, the materials we use are interesting to listen to. So, if we work for it regularly, we may gain considerable listening skill before we notice.

     Finally, I have some advice for next year's freshmen. You are to take classes not only for English but also some knowledge, such as foreign culture, music, computer and so on. So, please have curiosity toward these things besides English. As you know, we have a lot of homework to do, but the more you work for it, the more you will learn.