I began studying Japanese my first year in high school because it seemed interesting. Japanese language sounded really cool to me and I was fascinated with a culture that seemed so different from American culture. I continued through all four years because I really liked the teacher and had fun in her classes. When I came to California State University, Monterey Bay, I was able to skip straight to Japanese 300, bypassing all lower division language requirements. It was at this time that I began to seriously consider becoming a Japanese major. In high school, while I had enjoyed my classes and learned a fair amount, I hadn't taken my study of the language very seriously; I was beginning to think I might like to be serious about it.
There were several practical advantages to becoming a Japanese major offered me. First, it provided a clear and easy path to study abroad. I'd wanted to go to Japan since I began studying the language and I was also very interested in living in a foreign country and practicing my intercultural communication skills, which I believe are extremely important in our globalized society. Second, it would allow me to graduate early or at least on time. Many people I knew had either been in college for longer than four years or knew they were going to have to stay in college for more than four years. University is expensive, so it was appealing to have a path that would allow me to graduate with less debt.
However, I wouldn't have chosen the major for only practical benefits. Not only did I enjoy Japanese language and culture, I felt that it would help me grow as a person. I believe very strongly in intercultural communication and understanding and I am very interested in learning about other cultures. Though there were other majors that could have given me knowledge of cultures, I also believe that learning a language allows a deeper understanding of the culture associated with the language. Furthermore, I am shy. I am anxious about talking to people in a foreign language. I felt that becoming a Japanese major would put me in situations outside my comfort zone, which would push me to overcome my fears, hold to my beliefs in the power of language and communication, and become the kind of person I want to be.
What I Have Learned
During the course of my studies as a Japanese Language and Culture major, not only have I gained a greater skill in the Japanese language and a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, my intercultural communication skills have also improved. My 10 month study abroad experience in Japan, which fulfilled MLO 5, and coming to appreciate how much work it is for non-native English speakers to communicate in English has really helped develop my intercultural skills in particular. Through study abroad I've also learned more about my own fears and shortcomings along with more about my abilities and assets. Through this process I've also learned how to deal with stress in a more productive way. Also, along with Japanese Language courses and Japanese culture courses, study abroad has helped to increase my Japanese language skills and my knowledge of Japanese culture by giving me an immersive experience, fulfilling MLO 1 and MLO 2. In Japan, I also had the opportunity to take several classes which focused on analyzing other cultures in comparison to Japan and I was surrounded by people from around the world who taught me about their own cultures, fulfilling MLO 3. When I came back from Japan I was able to apply knowledge I had gained to developing my capstone through my Japanese classes 403, 404, and 400, fulfilling MLO 4. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to develop my understanding of service, social justice, and social responsibility in my Service Learning course, where my team of Japanese majors and Japanese exchange students and I taught Japanese language and culture to marginalized youth with the Community Partnership for Youth in Seaside, CA. I became a more well-rounded person and further developed my empathy and awareness of social issues and how to serve a community through understanding and partnership, rather than trying to "fix-it" from an outside perspective.
My Goals
My initial goals after becoming a Japanese major were to go to Japan and get over my shyness. My current goals are to enter the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and then go to grad school. I would like to reach at least N2 (the second highest) level proficiency on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test while I am in Japan doing the JET program. I also plan to learn more languages, starting with German, which is a part of my heritage. Other languages I am interested in are Latin, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, among others. My current career goal is to work with many people from around the world, whether that's as an English as a Second Language teacher or something else, I haven't completely decided yet. I am still working on getting over my shyness, so that is a continuing goal of mine.
What I am Most Proud Of
I am proud of many things I've achieved during my experience as a Japanese major, but there are several things that I am most proud of. These are: 1) Surviving my study abroad experience. It was my first time being out of the country by myself and I was extremely nervous to go. It was also stressful living in a country that didn't speak my native language. But I made it through to the end, and now I know that I can travel alone and do scary things like that. I have more confidence in my self. 2) I'm proud of becoming a Japanese Tutor. I'm glad that I can help other people with their Japanese and help them with their language anxiety, because I know what it's like to be in their position. 3) I'm proud of my Capstone because my partner and I worked really hard on it, and I'm very happy with the result of our efforts.
What I Would Like to Improve
In the future, I would like to improve my Japanese level, cope with and work around my language anxiety, and increase my knowledge of the world.