Gina Carol Tokuchi Tapia

STUDENT INTERVIEW: Gina Carol Tokuchi Tapia (AIJP)

Patty: Hi Gina, I was wondering if I can interview you for this week's newsletter?
Gina: Sure, but I have my elective class today, so maybe around 2:40 pm.
P: Okay, I'll see you at Aoi Hall.

P: Thanks for agreeing to do the interview.
G: No problem.
P: So where are you from?
G: I'm from Peru. My father is Japanese born in Peru and my mother is Peruvian.

P: So did you study Japanese before you came to Japan?
G: Yes, but only for 2 months.

P: And why are you studying Japanese?
G: My family lives in Japan. My parents are in Kanagawa Prefecture and my younger sister is in Mie Prefecture. I also like Japanese, so I'm interested in learning the language.
P: What were you doing before coming to Japan?
G: I was studying courses related to networking.

P: How did you find out about Yamasa?
G: Through the internet. I was looking for a Japanese language school and Yamasa's page came up.
P: Why did you choose AIJP and not the SILAC program?
G: I wanted to learn more kanji and grammar, so I think studying on AIJP will help me the most.
P: What do you think of the teachers and your classmates at Yamasa?
G: The teachers are very friendly and interesting. Everyone in the class is very energetic. At the complete beginner level, we sometimes ended up speaking English or our own native language during the breaks between classes because we were unable to speak much Japanese yet. Once we had a part-time job or did events where we can speak Japanese to Japanese people, then we were able to improve.
P: Thats good.
G: It's better to have more Japanese friends than foreigners, so we get more listening practice. This helps us get better just like children who pick up words and phrases from their parents, although they don't know how to write they are able to repeat/speak what they heard.

p: Where are you staying at the moment?
G: I'm staying at Residence K right now. It's very nice and convenient, but it's so cold because the heater doesn't seem to be working as effectively as I wish and the electric bill was too expensive, so I had to buy my own little stove.

P: What do you do outside of class?
G: Rent videos, watch movies, go shopping, and do some short-distance traveling.
P: And what are you going to do when you finish at Yamasa?
G: After Yamasa, I want to look for jobs in Japan and continue my Japanese learning, but I also want to go to other countries. If I go to other countries, I still want to return to Japan. Since I already have some fundamental Japanese, I think I'm able to improve again after I return to Japan.

P: Do you have any advice for new students or people planning to enroll?
G: Make a lot of Japanese friends so you have more chance to speak Japanese. Watch a lot of TV programs for listening practice, and go to karaoke - but please learn to sing Japanese songs!

P: Thanks for your time.
G: No problem!

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