Name: Ryoko Midorikawa

Year: 1997

 

     My LLH started when our family moved to America when I was 7 years old. It was because of my father's work and we were told to live in a city near Los Angeles, California. When I first heard that we had to move to America, I was very surprised and shocked. Of course I couldn't speak English then, so I was a little bit scared of going there. But on the first day of school, everyone greeted me very kindly and I was very happy. I went to an American school where there weren't any pure Japanese except for my sister and I. There were lots of people who spoke Spanish, Armenian, Korean, etc., but nobody spoke Japanese. Everyone spoke to me in English. So when I was at school, all I could hear was English. (I think that really helped my hearing ability.) I didn't understand what they were saying, but I could become friends with some very nice people. After few months, I got used to the life in America. At school I had classes called ESL (English as a Second Language) in which we played games and used flash-cards to study English. It was so fun that I never felt like it was studying. It helped me learn English to play with friends, too. I think that having fun really helps us learn, because you don't feel that you are being forced to study. I never felt that I was being forced to study English when I was in America.

     When I was about 10 years old I could communicate pretty well in English. But I still made many mistakes, and whenever I did, my friends corrected me. Then I didn't make the same mistake anymore. Making mistakes really helped me learn. Other than learning English, I learned the culture and the traditions of America. I had many fun experiences like holidays and special ceremonies.

     I came back to Japan and started living in Nagoya when I was 12 years old. I began to go to JHS and lost the chance to use English. The English classes at school were all too easy, and we didn't actually have the chance to speak English during class. Since I didn't study nor use English, my English ability didn't improve. After I entered HS, the situation didn't change very much. And I also had a bad habit of hiding myself as a returnee. So although my English may have improved in a grammatical term, my oral English level surely lowered compared to that in America.

     I decided to go to the school of foreign language and study English because I was good at nothing else, not because I wanted to be an English teacher or an interpreter or a translator. I just couldn't think of anything else to do. I really didn't have the motivation to study English. But after I entered Nanzan, my thought changed completely.

     We have many English classes with teachers that are native speakers, and there are so many people who are motivated to learn English. A lot of people are returnees and can speak English far better than I. Before coming to Nanzan I was content with my English and didn't have goals in studying English. But now I have set a new goal in studying English. The change of surroundings changed myself as well. Now, I feel very motivated to learn English. I try to speak English like a native speaker, think in English in my head, and shadow & summarize. These strategies are sometimes difficult, but it really helps if you continue doing them.

     Our teachers often say that it's OK to make mistakes. I agree with them. I can't remember how many times I made mistakes when I was in America. I bet everything I spoke had mistakes in it. But I continued to talk in English (because there were no other ways to communicate) and I gradually became a better speaker. The more mistakes you make, the more English you will learn. So don't hesitate to make mistakes. Because that means you are using English. I think using it is the best way to learn English. I want to be a better speaker so I'll try to use more English.