STUDENT INTERVIEW: Karin Ohashi (AIJP)

Karin Ohashi

I went to Yamasa II this morning to ask Karin Ohashi if I could interview her for this week's newsletter. She kindly agreed to it and the interview was scheduled in the afternoon since she doesn't have any elective classes for the day. The interview was done in Japanese.

Patty: Hi Karin, thanks for agreeing to do the interview.
Karin: Oh sure, no problem.

P: Okay, then let's begin. When did you come to Japan?
K: I came to Japan in June 2002. I was teaching English and German in Matsumoto, Nagano for 7 months.
P: How was it compared to Okazaki?
K: Well, Nagano has lots of mountains and very nice landscape, but Okazaki is better for studying.
P: Why is that?
K: My goal is to study Japanese, but Nagano doesn't have any language schools like Yamasa. I came to Yamasa previously about 2 years ago and studied for a month on SILAC.
P: I see. So what's your impression of Okazaki?
K: Well, my first impression was that it's like any other city you find in Japan. However, it's a nice place for studying that's for sure.

P: That brings up the question about why you are studying Japanese?
K: My father is Japanese and my mother is Swiss, but at home we have no contact with Japanese, only occasionally my father would cook Japanese food or make origami, but apart from that I didn't know any Japanese.
P: So basically, you started from scratch when you came to Japan 2 years ago studying at SILAC, as you mentioned earlier.
K: Yes. I actually came to Japan 6 years ago to visit my relatives, my father's younger brother who lives in Osaka and younger sister who lives in Okinawa. However, back then I couldn't speak any Japanese, so I told myself that the next time I visit, I want to have conversation with them in Japanese instead of just basic greetings. It's a bit sad that you're unable to communicate with your own relatives.

P: So how did you find out about Yamasa?
K: I was searching through the internet for a Japanese school and there was Yamasa.
P: You mentioned earlier that you studied in SILAC before and now you're in E class of AIJP. How are the two courses different?
K: For SILAC, I had to remember a lot of new vocabulary everyday since I didn't know any Japanese back then. Although it was difficult to remember them, it was good because it helped me to be able to speak Japanese. For AIJP, I have a different goal. Now that I'm able to speak Japanese, I want to make sure that I'm using the correct grammar.

P: Which part of studying do you find is the hardest?
K: Differentiating between transitive and intransitive verbs. It's hard to catch them during listening, for example, watashi no saifu wa dorobo ni torareta (my wallet was stolen by a thief). When I was working in Matsumoto, I tried to pick up as many Japanese as I could, but since they tended to speak in a dialect and with different intonation, it was hard to learn the proper grammar, so that's why I'm studying in AIJP.

P: How do you study?
K: Well, I'm doing a homestay so I commute to school everyday. On my way to and from school, I just study on the train. Since I'm doing a homestay, I'm able to practice speaking and listening with my host family and if I have any questions, I'm able to ask them.

P: Where does your host family live?
K: My homestay family lives in Inuyama.
P: Inuyama?! That's quite a way from Okazaki!
K: Yeah, it takes about an hour by train one way. From mid-May I'll be doing a homestay in Okazaki.
P: I see. So what do you normally do with your homestay family?
K: Well, I commute everyday, so by the time I reach home it's already past 6 pm and my homestay mother is in the midst of preparing dinner. I help her out and chat about what went on in school.

P: Speaking of Inuyama, can you tell me a little bit about the city?
K: Let's see, Inuyama Castle is known as one of the oldest castles in Japan, and it's famous for Ukai (using cormorant birds to catch fish). Just last week, I went to the Little World theme park and it was interesting to see miniature versions of all the countries in the world. And I would like to go to Meijimura sometime.

P: Changing the subject a bit; how are your teachers?
K: I have 4 teachers and they are all very nice. Actually, when I stayed at my aunt's place in Okinawa, I went to a Japanese language school for a month. However, it's so different from Yamasa. I mean the teachers over there were very nice as well, but they were too lenient to their students. For example, we were supposed to write an essay, but some students would just sleep and not write it. The teacher just ignored the situation and did nothing about it. On the other hand, the teachers at Yamasa are very "professional." I mean when I have a question about what I'm studying, they will give me a decent answer. Likewise, they are very bright and seem to like what they are doing which makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

P: So what are your plans after you finish studying at Yamasa?
K: Well, after my studying ends in June, I plan to go to Hokkaido and hopefully work at my father's friend's hotel for 2 or 3 months. If I can't do that I'll just do some traveling here and there, visit my friends in Matsumoto before I return to Switzerland. From September I'll be majoring in Architechure at university.

P: And finally, any advice or suggestions for new students?
K: If you want to enjoy or get the real taste of Japan/Japanese environment, it's a good idea to try a homestay. It's fun to stay at the dormitory, but you won't feel the same.
P: Thanks for being this week's interviewee.
K: You're welcome.