Name: Kayo Kawase

Year: 1997

 

 

     When I was 12 years old, I showed a great interest in English. I watched one American movie, " Back to the Future ," and it attracted me to America. Since then, I have come to like studying English.

     In JHS, I spent much time on English, and read aloud to practice pronunciation, especially. I think it was very useful for me. However, I just memorized some phrases in text books, so I could not use them in actual conversation.

     In HS, I mainly studied English grammar for the entrance examination. We have to understand  complicated sentences, so I sometimes felt depressed. Fortunately, I like watching American movies and they made me keep in touch with lively English. I could endure boring study. When I was in the 12th grade, I took an English conversation class. It was like OC class in this university. However, I could not enjoy it. Including me, we were too shy to try to speak out. Maybe I was concerned with English grammar too much and afraid of making mistakes. I think I should have been more active and positive.

     When I came to this university, my new English study started. On the first class day, I was very surprised that there were many classmates who could speak English quite fluently. Happily, I got used to the class soon, because I knew other students felt nervous like me. In addition, our teacher said to us, "It is only important how much you improve," so I could relax very much. At first, I doubted that we could to make progress by talking with Japanese friends. I thought  conversation with foreigners was the only way of learning a language. Now, however, I am sure that my friends are very helpful to me. They correct my mistakes and stimulate me to study more.

     Since April, I have experienced many new things. I’ll tell you three examples. First, in my English study, I feel we keep in touch with lively English every day. We think of English as a tool for communication. Second, on every Wednesday, we record our conversation. Watching it after class is the most useful thing for me. It is because I can find my bad points and prepare for the next conversation. I always check how much I shadowed, asked, and summarized. Moreover, I set a simple goal. For example, asking details, smiling a lot, or using gestures, etc. Having our own goal makes us more eager to learn. Third, I have many opportunities to use English outside class. In my tennis club, I have many friends who can speak English like native speakers. While playing tennis, they often speak to me in English and give me useful advice. Besides that, I have made friends with exchange students. Every week, we make an appointment and eat lunch together. In this way, I am in a nice environment for learning English, so I want to make good use of it.

     I have plans of studying English. In spring break, I will go abroad (homestay) for the first time. I intend to try to use English all the time. I hope I can get something useful. In the third and fourth year, I want to major in American economics, so now I have been making effort to increase knowledge about economics. Moreover, I am interested in racial problems in the U.S.A. I want to go there and experience the fact with my eyes and skin. In the future, I will accept foreign students and take care of them. It is because I want to communicate with many people who have different cultures and know the world I do not know now.

     Finally, I want to advise next year's freshman students. First, you do not have to worry about making mistakes. We improve our English with many mistakes. Second, as I said, you had better set your own goals. Third, I think it is most important to have an interest in something that makes you keep in touch with English.