教員コラムBlog
- home
- 教員コラム / Blog
- 2021年度のコラム
コラム一覧
/ Blog List(2021年度のコラム)
-
07 .19The Joy of Singing Songs in English
In my previous two blogs, I suggested two supplemental ways of stimulating your English learning; one is familiarizing yourself with the Ritsumeikan Charter in English, the other is collecting good English quotes, both of which are rarely taught in regular English classes. In this third blog, I would like to suggest still another unconventional way of supporting your learning, that is, singing songs in English.
Some people may say singing is rather entertainment, not studying, and so you cannot develop your language skills through singing. Well, that is true if you are not serious about linguistic training for essential skills such as grammar and vocabulary. Therefore, my suggestion for singing is rather supplemental and should not replace conventional learning methods taught in regular classes.
The reason for recommending singing English songs is very simple: it’s fun! As you have experienced, language learning requires a series of routine work that is sometimes boring and even painful. Quite a lot of patience and discipline are needed to continue fundamental training of, for example, memorizing tons of words and phrases, reading difficult passages with many technical terms, or listening to long conversations or lectures. Singing in English, on the other hand, does not require such patience or discipline. You can simply pick up a song you like and start getting yourself in your rhythm. In this way, you can practice listening and pronunciation, as well as reduce stress with karaoke effects.
Of course you must first understand the lyrics accurately and memorize them fully, but it’s not as difficult as you may think. Songs are much shorter than the passages in English textbooks. The same part of the lyrics are often repeated (refrains) so your memory can be strengthened easily. Even when you encounter unfamiliar expressions, looking it up in the dictionary would not be as painful simply because you have chosen a song you like in the first place. Your favorite rhythm and love for the song (and the singer) will assist you to even enjoy discovering new meanings and usages.
Here is an interesting example of lyrics in one of the popular songs, “Honesty” by Billy Joel: ♪ I can always find someone to say they sympathize, if I wear my heart out on my sleeve…♪ The expression “wear my heart out on my sleeve” is probably unfamiliar to most of you. It is an idiomatic expression meaning “speaking of your feelings and emotions honestly”. If you encountered this expression in your homework reading material, you would most likely leave it, and expression would go unnoticed, or feel bothered to look it up in the dictionary. However, if you really like this song, you will be intrigued by the uniqueness of this expression and find pleasure in checking it by yourself. Singing this song repeatedly, then, will lead to this expression settling into your memory. The same goes for unfamiliar grammatical usages too. In this way, your learning will be assisted by singing English songs with lots of fun!
♪ Honesty ♪ by Billy Joel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0juw2ovFEOg
Photo Credit: Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
Blog Quiz
Question 1. Why does the author recommend singing?
a) you can learn new grammar
b) it is fun
c) you will be famous
Question 2. What is one reason why it is easy to learn/remember the lyrics of a song?
a) the words are sometimes repeated in refrains (or choruses)
b) there are a lot of new vocabulary
c) you must learn all the new grammar first
Question 3. What does "wear my heart out on my sleeve" mean?
a) you fall in love easily
b) you have high blood pressure
c) you say your feelings honestly
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
1. b
2. a
3. c
Shoichi Maruta -
07 .12How to Enjoy a HaikuHaiku is a style of Japanese poetry that contains only 17 of the sounds (syllables) of the Japanese language. It is divided into three parts (lines) to form a pattern consisting of five, seven and five syllables. This rhythm was developed over the centuries and has influenced many different kinds of arts in Japan. This order of the sounds is still considered pleasing to native Japanese language speakers. Haiku originated during the Edo period (1603-1868), and was derived from an even older style of Japanese poetry. In addition to the number of sounds (and the order), each haiku must contain a word that represents a season. Although it may seem extremely complicated and difficult to understand; the form is quite popular amongst learners of the Japanese language, and haikus have been created in other languages in recent years. In these cases, the writers do not focus on the exact number of sounds, because each language has a different phonetic system, and may even ignore the the seasonal theme, because each of the world’s regions has a unique climate that can vary dramatically. Therefore, a haiku can be described simply as just a short poem. It is not difficult.
How can one enjoy this short type of poetry? The most important point when reading and creating a haiku is the viewpoint used to illustrate the scene at which one is looking. The following is a famous work by Yosa Buson (1716-1784):
菜の花や (Canola flowers)
月は東に (The moon in the east)
日は西に (The sun in the west)
Tiny yellow canola flowers are seen on the roads in spring. As the author can see the sun and the moon at the same time, the time of day is sunset. No other information is presented in the poem; therefore, the readers’ imagination is required to complete the interpretation; how many canola flowers there are, where the author is standing, if the author is accompanied by other people or if there are passers-by, the weather, the temperature, the color of the sky, and so on. The reader can add as much information as needed to complete the visualization of the scene.
While one can enjoy reading the poem and exercising one’s imagination alone, it is also enjoyable to exchange the imaginings with one’s peers, who may imagine different scenes based on the same poem. Such discussions deepen one’s understanding of the poem by considering diverse interpretations.
Once one understands how to enjoy reading a haiku, the next step is to attempt to create one. If one ignores all the rules, the poem cannot be identified definitively as a haiku; thus, I recommend following the rules as far as possible when creating a haiku in a language other than Japanese.
Poetry and art may be difficult, but the stay-at-home period provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy reading and to practice creating short forms of literature.
Photo Credit: Photo by Satoshi Hirayama from Pexels
Blog Quiz
Q1.How many sounds does each haiku have?
Q2.When was the form of the haiku established?
Q3.What time does the example haiku take place?
Yusuke Takeuchi -
07 .05Binge Watching, a.k.a. Stop Living in the Past!
I’ll admit it. The older I get, the older I feel, and the less I feel “in touch” with what’s cool. You see, when I was your age, today’s internet did not exist. You know what else didn’t exist? Streaming. Netflix. Binge watching.*
Having a favorite TV show meant watching it every week on the same day, at the same time, on the same channel. That has changed, though. Now if I want to watch Game of Thrones, for example, I can sit down at 6:00pm and watch episode after episode until either I fall asleep, or I finish watching five whole seasons.
I had never tried doing such a thing before. I didn’t understand the appeal of speeding through multiple episodes in one sitting. I mean, when you talk to friends about the show, you can only ask, “How far have you gotten into the show? Oh, so you don’t know what happens to… oh, never mind...” Then the conversation is over. When I was younger, we could simply ask, “Did you see the Simpsons last night?” and then have a conversation about the whole show. Then repeat again six days later.
Instead of boring you with how boring I have become, let me introduce a show to you that I recently binge-watched. It’s called Cobra Kai, and it is available on Netflix. It is based on a 1984 movie that was a childhood favorite of mine: The Karate Kid (ベストキッド in Japan).
In the original movie, a teenage boy named Daniel moves to California with his mother and tries to fit in with others, but instead gets bullied. He learns karate, and eventually beats his enemies.
Cobra Kai has the same main characters in it, but 35 years later. Daniel is now 50 years old, a successful businessman, and has a wife and two teenage children. Johnny (his enemy) has just lost his job and has to figure out what to do with his life. I will not spoil anything except to say that both men take up karate again, and their rivalry starts over... but not in the way you would expect.
There are so many twists and turns, unexpected new (and old) characters, and it is highly entertaining. As an old guy myself, I can relate to Daniel the father, the husband, the career man. For young people, I think the appeal will be connecting with the high school students that take over as sub-characters.
You might want to take up karate after watching Cobra Kai, or like me, you might really get into binge-watching other shows. What are you waiting for? Go watch the first three seasons of Cobra Kai! Season 4 is currently being produced!
* Binge watching means watching multiple episodes of a TV show (often drama or comedy) one after another, and quickly finishing an entire season (or series).
Photo Credit: Cottonbro@pixels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What did not exist when the writer was young?
a. TV shows
b. Netflix
c. The Karate Kid
Q2. What is the name of the TV show the writer wants to introduce?
a. Game of Thrones
b. The Karate Kid
c. Cobra Kai
Q3. What does the writer think will be interesting to young viewers of the show?
a. The main characters, Daniel & Johnny
b. The sub-characters, high school students
c. The skill of the karate fights in the show
Scroll down for the answers.
Quiz Answers
A1.b
A2.c
A3.b
Trevor Raichura -
06 .28A traditional Japanese art form: Rakugo
How much do you know about Rakugo? I think some of you might know about the Sunday evening TV program called Shouten. All of the performers are Rakugo storytellers. They tell witty stories while wearing a kimono. Performed since the Edo period, Rakugo is a performing art that has become part of Japanese culture. The Rakugo performer kneels on a cushion (zabuton) that is placed on a raised platform (koza) in the center of the stage. Without the use of stage effects, sets, or costumes, the storyteller's goal is to make the audience laugh while using a fan or towel as his or her only prop. This simple yet unique and sophisticated narrative art does not exist anywhere else in the world. The key points of Rakugo are (a) the story should include a punch line; (b) the story unfolds as a form of dialogue; (c) the performer changes the character through facial expressions; (d) a Japanese fan and towel are the only props; and (e) slight changes to their posture, mannerism, and tone of voice give life to many different characters.
Rakugo used to be a cultural practice unique to Japan. However, as its merits have become known worldwide, foreigners have begun to perform Rakugo in Japanese, and Japanese have started to perform Rakugo in English. The problem here is translation. Some of the situations in the stories and even some of the punchlines can be difficult to translate. I will give one example. Newcomers to anything have to take the first step, and in the world of Rakugo, a beginner starts by telling a story called Kuchinashi. The story begins with a customer entering a flower shop and asking the florist if the shop has any flowers. The florist says, “Yes, I have many different kinds of flowers.” The customer asks, “Do you have any flowers that talk?” The florist says, “Yes, I have flowers that talk.” The customer begins asking the flowers their names. The flowers answer by saying, “I'm Rose.” or “My name is Tulip.” Eventually, the customer finds a flower that doesn't answer his question. The customer angrily asks the owner, “Why doesn't this flower talk?” The florist calmly answers, “Because that flower is a Kuchinashi!” This punchline is easily understandable and funny to Japanese speakers because Kuchinashi literally means “no mouth.” How can you express the same thing in English and make the audience laugh? Some performers of English Rakugo will use the words “dried flower” or “wallflower.” Which one do you like better?
Photo Credit: Miguel Á. Padriñán@ Pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. When did Rakugo begin?
Q2. What are the two props?
Q3. How do Rakugo performers bring different characters to life?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. Edo period
A2. A Japanese fan and a towel
A3. They slightly change to their posture, mannerism, and tone of voice.
Rika Takeda -
06 .21The Joy of Vinyl Records
Many people today listen to music using streaming services like Apple Music or downloaded mp3 files played through smart phones. When I was a child in the early 1970’s, we mostly listened to music with vinyl records. Then cassette tapes became popular because they were more portable, and you could record your own music onto them. Later in the 1990’s, CDs became the most popular medium for music.
My favorite way to listen to music is the vinyl record. In recent years, records have become trendy again, partly due to their popularity with DJs. I am not a DJ, but I have several other reasons why I like vinyl best.
If taken care of properly, records last a long time. I have several hundred records; most of them I bought in my youth or came from my father’s even older collection. Today I listened to the very first record I ever bought—Led Zeppelin IV. It still sounds great, even though the vinyl record is over 40 years old. None of the cassettes from my childhood work at all now, and even some of my CDs from the 1990’s don’t really work well anymore. My old records; however, have become some of my most prized possessions.
I believe the analog format of vinyl records provides a better, warmer sound than digital formats. Even the pops and crackles you hear on scratched or dusty records can have some nostalgic attraction for people of my generation. Many audiophiles think analog records contain a wider range of sound waves and give a rich, truer, more authentic sound.
Finally, and most importantly, listening to music with records is a more involved, satisfying experience. First, I have to physically find a record by looking through my record collection. The artwork on the record covers trigger memories and helps me choose what I want to hear. Then I have to take out the record from it's sleeve, decide if I want to hear side A or B, put the record on my turntable, and manually place the needle at the song I want to hear. Often, I will start from the beginning using the automatic function. This makes me listen to all of the songs in the order the artist intended, something I think is mostly lost today when we skip through and just pick single songs from our mp3 collection. As I listen to the record, I usually spend some time looking at the artwork and the information printed on the album sleeve, and sometimes I can read the lyrics to the songs if they are printed on the sleeve. I think listening to music with records is a more focused, complete, artistic experience than using other formats. When I play vinyl records, I can most fully appreciate what I am listening to.
Photo Credit: Alina Vilchenko@Pexels.com
Blog Quiz
1. Which of the following is the oldest music medium?
A. CDs
B. Streaming Services
C. Vinyl records
2. In paragraph 4, what is an ‘audiophile’?
A. A professional musician.
B. A notebook with notes about music.
C. A person who is enthusiastic about high-quality sound.
3. Why does the author like vinyl records?
A. Because they are very convenient.
B. Because the author thinks they provide a better listening experience.
C. Because the author is a DJ.
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. C
A2. C
A3. B
Brett Morgan -
06 .14Logical fallacies - Understanding when arguments do not make sense
The ability to understand and evaluate the various claims we see on the news, in advertisements, and on social media is an important life skill. Similarly, being able to weigh up conflicting arguments and assess whether they are adequately supported by facts is part of academic work. Although we are all entitled to have an opinion, not all opinions are equal. Some are well reasoned and logical. Others may sound believable, but actually be built on shaky foundations.
Being able to see the logic of an argument is a very good way to help determine whether it is something you should take at face value or be a bit more careful about. Arguments that are based on faulty logic are called “logical fallacies”. They are surprisingly common, but being aware of them will make it a bit easier for you to see when arguments don’t quite make sense. Here are just a few of the most common ones:
Ad populum
This refers to an argument based on popularity. It may sound convincing at first, but just because many people believe something does not make it right. In the past, many people believed the Earth was flat, but we now know it is round. Similarly, the popularity of something does not prove its quality.
Ad hominem
This is the rejection of a point of view because of who said it. It often takes the form of an attack on someone’s skill or character. For example, saying “You can’t take John’s point about management seriously. He’s never run a business,” would be dismissing John’s opinion because of his (lack of) experience, not because his argument was weak. People often use this kind of argument when discussing politics—but even a politician you dislike may say something you agree with occasionally.
Straw man
The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting someone’s point of view to make it easier to attack. Darwin’s theories on evolution were once attacked for saying humans evolved from apes. This idea was easy to make fun of, but it was not actually what he said. You may have seen this kind of tactic in the run-up to the American election when the candidates try to influence public opinion about their opponents.
False dilemma
This kind of fallacy presents a problem as having only two (usually opposing) solutions. The statement, “If you’re not for me, you’re against me” is an example of this. Another example would be “The Tokyo Olympics should either go ahead as planned or be cancelled completely.” While these are two possibilities, they are not the only two. (The Games could be postponed again, for example, or held with no audience.)
A little knowledge of these kinds of fallacies can make discussions more interesting and give you greater confidence in your own ability to assess the way others present their opinions. Making informed decisions about the information and views we see is even more important now that ideas spread so quickly online: we all need to develop the skills to separate fact from fiction.
Photo Credit: Pixabay@Pexels.com
Blog Quiz
1. A logical fallacy is …
a. an argument you disagree with
b. an argument which is logical
c. an argument that is based on faulty logic
d. an argument that is based on inaccurate facts
2. Which of these is an ad hominem argument?
a. I don’t think this is right: Donald Trump never says anything I can believe.
b. I agree with this. Most of the people I discussed this think so too.
c. I can’t decide until I’ve researched it more thoroughly.
3. What kind of logical fallacy is contained in the following statement? Gasoline causes too much pollution, so all cars in the future will be electric.
a. Ad hominem
b. Straw man
c. False dilemma
d. Ad populum
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. C
A2. A
A3. C
Chris Hellman -
06 .07Language Lessons from Polyglot Language Learners
Polyglots are people who have learned many languages. The most famous polyglots can speak over 10 languages. Some of the current famous polyglots are Richard Simcott, Steve Kaufmann, and Luca Lampariello. You can look them up on the internet to find out in detail how they study. They might study a little differently than your teachers have told you, but it is hard to argue with their success. This article will summarize what I found out from researching polyglot language learners.
The first thing to know is there isn’t one way to learn a language. Polyglots used a lot of different methods. Some of the methods they recommended were the opposite of what other polyglots recommended. The lesson here is to research what others recommend, try many different methods, and when you find one that works for you personally, use that method. Despite there being many opinions on the best way to learn languages, there were some main themes that emerged.
Maximize Comprehensible Input
Most polyglots were big fans of the American Linguistics Professor Stephen Krashen. Krashen recommends learners expose themselves to as much of the target language as possible. This input should ideally be just above your level and interesting to you. This includes reading easy books, watching videos, and listening to music. The key is to listen and read as much as you can in your target language. Some people call this the immersion approach. Use the time you have such as when you are traveling to school, doing housework, or winding down at the end of the day.
Review Words, Phrases, and Sentences from the Input
Most polyglots advised reviewing what was learned from the input using a Spaced Repetition System (SRS). This is similar to studying from flashcards, but the software tells you when to study the information again just before you forget it. There are many computer applications you can use but the most famous one is called “Anki”. When a word or phrase repeatedly catches your attention, make a study card, and review it until you can recall it easily.
Practice Speaking and Writing
Although most polyglots advise to focus on listening and reading at the beginning stages of learning a language, speaking and writing can help to reinforce and solidify language already learned. To practice writing, the most obvious example given is to write a diary. For speaking, the most obvious thing to do is to speak to others in the target language. If this is not possible, recording yourself can also be good practice.
Learning a language should be fun if you follow the polyglot language learners’ advice. Immerse yourself in as much interesting content in your target language as you can. Pick out bits you want to learn and review them with a spaced repetition system like Anki. When you have progressed beyond the beginner level, use speaking and writing to reinforce what you have learned through listening and reading.
But most of all, make sure to have fun!
Photo Credit: Skylar Kang@ Pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What is a "polyglot"?
Q2. What is the first piece of advice from polyglots?
Q3: According to the article, what is the name of the most famous SRS flashcard application?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. A person who speaks many languages well.
A2. Maximize comprehensible input.
A3. Anki.
Michael Wilkins -
05 .31Lockdown Cooking - can you make tonkotsu ramen at home?
Like many people, I really love ramen. I have visited lots of restaurants from Kyushu to Hokkaido and tried many kinds of soup. I even have an application on my phone that shows me where all the best shops are. Therefore, when were told by the government to avoid crowded places because of the pandemic, I started to panic. I began to wonder if I could make delicious ramen at home.
I like cooking. It’s a fun hobby, a great stress relief, and I usually cook for my family when I can. However, I believed making a proper tonkotsu soup at home was the only possible in restaurants, in steaming kitchens where busy chefs understood the magic of the bubbling broth. However, after doing a little research, I found there are lots of people who love ramen and many of them live in countries where it isn’t easy to buy it in restaurants. There are plenty of recipes available in different languages, some by Japanese people and some by international ramen lovers. I also found videos showing the technique of making the broth, the tare, the noodles, and the toppings. It took time, but I learned a lot. Once I felt confident, I combined some recipes and began shopping.
What kind of ramen would you try to make first? I like several styles, but there was no question for me. I wanted a thick, tonkotsu broth with the background flavor of seafood – a kotteri gyokai tonkotsu, if you want to be precise. Finding the ingredients was not difficult. There are many places that sell pork bones online, but I could find a butcher in a local shop with everything I needed. My family was surprised to see me come home with five kilograms of pork bones and feet, but I was quite excited. I made chashu that evening, a rolled-up pork belly cooked very slowly in soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, and a little sugar. I put my soft boiled eggs in some of the extra sauce to give them flavour. I cleared up and put everything in the fridge. The next morning, I began the main task! Making a simple tonkotsu soup is not so difficult, but it takes a very long time and your whole neighbourhood will smell like a ramen shop. After preparing the bones, my soup boiled for about 11 hours in a large pot, although I was free for most of that time. For the first few hours, I regularly added water. Later, I let it reduce to concentrate the flavor. From five kg of bones and ten litres of water, I ended up with three litres of very thick white soup. To serve it, I started with a gyokai tare of dashi, sardines, soy, mirin and bonito flakes. Then I added the soup, hot noodles and finally my toppings of chashu, egg, bamboo shoots, nori, and green onion. It was a long job, but it tasted like a real ramen from a popular shop. My family and I were delighted.
Making proper ramen at home is fun for those who like to cook, but it takes some time and effort. If you want to try, I would recommend you first read some online information boards and watch videos about the technique. Personally, I think making effort makes the achievement more enjoyable, so it is something I would definitely recommend. As for me, my wife recently bought me a book of ramen recipes as a present. My life as an amateur ramen cook may be just beginning.
Blog Quiz
1. Why did the author decide to cook ramen at home?
2. Why was the author's family surprised?
3. What does the author believe about making effort?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. Because the government recommended people avoid crowded places
A2. Because he came home with a lot of pork bones and feet.
A3. It makes the achievement more enjoyable
BBP Staff -
05 .24Zombies, Pandemics, and... Intsagram?
It is dead, but it is alive. It has no mind, but it is coming for you. There are thousands, but they move together. One bite and you become one of them. Zombies are one of the scariest monsters our pop culture has created. But why? And why are they becoming more popular recently?
The answer is in the real world and digital world that we live in. Zombies have been around for a long time. In books, movies, comics, games, or television, we cannot escape this popular monster. George Romero’s movie, Night of the Living Dead, made the genre famous in 1968, and it is more popular now than ever. Many people are familiar with TV and video game series like The Walking Dead and Resident Evil (Biohazard, in Japan). But get ready—the zombies are coming, and they are going to be more popular than ever.
Movies, television, music, video games: pop culture and media are always connected to the time and events when they were created. The current events, news, and feelings of people always flavor and affect the art and media we create. Famous events and happenings have an influence as well. Godzilla rose from post-war Japan, just like the popularity of superhero movies grew from a post-9/11 United States. Public health issues have always had a strong connection to the horror genre. A growing concern over the spread of HIV/AIDS fueled a boom in vampire movies that lasted over a decade. Outbreaks of Ebola, SARS, and other diseases pushed World War Z, Resident Evil (Biohazard), and The Walking Dead to the front of popular culture. When pandemics and diseases lead the news, the result is often horror movies, television, and games that focus on infection (by blood: vampires, by virus: zombies, etc). With the spread of COVID-19, it is likely that zombies are on the rise again.
However, there is another theory about the popularity of zombies. Some people believe that zombie entertainment becomes popular when people are afraid of losing their individuality or personal views. During election years, when there are large social movements, when there is social pressure to be the same, when there is a push to join a group: these are times when the zombie genre rises up. Recently, many people point to social media (SNS) as something that is pushing people to become part of trends, groups, and to copy other people. So maybe 2021 is the Year of the Zombie? Social media is more powerful than ever, elections and social movements across the world have split people into groups, and COVID-19 has deeply changed our world. The situation is perfect for the zombie to rise, spread, and become king again.
https://www.buycostumes.com/ideas/24-films-and-franchises-that-shaped-the-evolution-of-zombies/
https://filmdaft.com/why-are-zombie-movies-so-popular/ https://www.dmdraper.com/zombies/why-are-zombies-so-popular/
Photo Credit: Lisa Fotios @pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What was the first famous zombie movie?
Q2. According to the author, what are two reasons that cause zombies to become popular in pop culture?
Q3. What is the Western name for the Biohazard franchise?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
Q1. Night of the Living Dead
Q2. Current events (e.g., war and public health crises). Times when people feel like they might be losing their individuality (e.g., elections and social media)
Q3. Resident Evil
Owen Kozlowski -
05 .17The small hometown that led to a big world
When I tell people that I came from California, various famous locations frequently come to their minds. Of course, you’ve probably heard of Silicon Valley being the innovation heartland of the world and about the beaches around Los Angeles where surfers gather. Maybe you’ve also gotten the chance to visit Yosemite National park and appreciate its beauty. But I can guarantee that you’ve never heard of my small hometown of Auburn, located 20 minutes east by car from the state capital Sacramento.
Truthfully, Auburn is not a town that I recommend going to, and yet it has provided me with the inspiration to be curious about the international world. For Americans who never want to experience culture shock in their lives, Auburn is the perfect little town for them. Its population is just over 14,000 residents, which is shockingly small compared to cities like San Francisco. Its diversity is also minimal with similar like-minded Americans who have almost no contact with the international community. Every time you go to the grocery store, you are guaranteed to run into at least one person you know. Growing up in this environment makes one believe that the world is small.
Fortunately, I received my first cross-cultural experience upon graduating from high school and entering university. My college’s student demographic was significantly diverse, and it felt like I was thrown into a whole new world. It was almost like experiencing culture shock within my own country. Additionally, my professors taught me that the world is quite vast, with many perspectives and interesting people and places. I quickly understood that I wanted to pursue international knowledge as my life passion. Eventually, this led me down the road to studying Japanese and finally moving to Japan six years ago.
Looking back at my experiences, I can honestly say that Auburn helped me understand my path and what I wanted out of life. But instead of providing me with the foundation for cross-cultural knowledge, it deprived me of what I truly wanted. And once that barrier was lifted, there was no chance of me ever going back. Therefore, without this background, I would not have been motivated to seek the unforgettable experiences that have come from me pursuing an international career.
Photo Credit: Kampusproduction@pixels.com
Blog Quiz
Question 1: What is the author’s hometown?
Question 2: Why did the author move to Japan?
Question 3: How did the author’s hometown create the opportunity for a global life?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
Answer 1: The author’s hometown is Auburn, California.
Answer 2: The author experienced diversity in university and learned that there are many perspectives and people to meet in the world.
Answer 3: Growing up in Auburn deprived the author of cross-cultural knowledge and experiences. The author discovered this after entering university.
BBP Staff