Name

Name: Namie Taguchi
Year: 2004
I started learning English when I was an elementary school student. At that time, I went to cram school, and I learned only alphabet and some easy words. I was interested in English because I was tired of studying Japanese and mathematics, and felt English to be something new. Now I think if I had learned not only easy words but also more difficult words and idioms, now I could learn more easily today. I learned English five lessons per week in JHS. A Japanese teacher taught me almost all of the lessons, and a native teacher taught only one lesson per week. When I was a 3rd grade JHS student, I went to Seattle for two weeks as a delegate of my town. I went there with many Japanese friends, and all American kids I met there could speak Japanese well, so I didn’t need to speak English. Therefore I spoke Japanese all the time. I didn’t use English, but I came to like English more than before. After I went to Seattle, I made good friends with native teacher. I often went to the teachers’ room and talked to him. It’s my valuable memory. I had English seven lessons per week in HS, sometimes surprisingly 2 or 3 lessons in a day. The first two years, I studied English as I did in JHS. But in the last 1 year, I had no lesson by a native teacher. I was fond of practical conversation lessons by native teacher, so I regretted not having that kind of lesson. During three years of high school, I learned English mostly for university examinations. But I wanted to become an English speaker, so I decided to learn English in university and to be English speaker. I entered Dokkyo expecting that I would have many conversation classes like NOVA, English conversation school. But the actual classes were different from my expectation. I learned writing and listening skill. I couldn’t be satisfied with these classes. But I gradually noticed that whether I was satisfied with the classes or not, it depended on me. If I actively attend the class, I am able to profit from them fully. Since I have noticed it, I felt English classes to be more enjoyable. To learn English only in Japan is not enough, I think. So I went to San Francisco for a home stay for two weeks. It was my 2nd time for me to go to America. I went there alone, so I had to speak English all the time, different from my previous trip. I worried about whether I could express my feeling in English, but I did somehow by using some gestures. After returning to Japan from San Francisco, I studied harder than before, but I still couldn’t speak well. The next year, I became a sophomore, and I had “Exploring Learning” class. In the class I learned an important thinking: It’s OK to make mistakes. Before I learn this, I was really afraid of making mistakes, so I couldn’t speak English. During summer vacation of that year, I went to Toronto to learn English. I stayed there for six weeks. I had home stay as same as previous stay, and I went to English school for the first time in a foreign country. There are many students who came from different countries. I wasn’t ashamed of making mistakes, so I talked to many people. I made friends with a Spanish girl. I went everywhere around Toronto with her. Of course, I spoke English all the time. It was very hard for me, but I was happy to talk and make myself understood in English. Now I continue to write a letter to her. I have wanted to have a friend who is living in a foreign country, so that was good experience to go to Toronto. Now I think it was a much better experience to learn English in Toronto than Seattle and San Francisco. Yet, I realized that I didn’t know words and idioms enough to express easy things, so I have to study harder. I could find my goal of learning English by going to Toronto. My goal for my last two years is to learn words and to speak more fluently.