STUDENT INTERVIEW: Robert Jansson (AIJP)

Robert Jansson

Declan: Thanks for your time.
Robert: No problem.
Declan: So Robert, when did you start studying at Yamasa?
Robert: 2004 October.
Declan: Did you start as a beginner?
RJ: Yes. At absolute zero level.
DM: This was in the AIJP?
RJ: Yes.
DM: What is it like starting at zero level. I've had a few emails recently from people asking exactly how the teachers deliver the program using the direct method when a student has no background in the language, but what is it like sitting in the classroom waiting for your first lesson?
RJ: For me I was really excited.
DM: Motivated?
RJ: Yes. Really motivated and very excited. I was really looking forward to the experience. But it was also extremely difficult sometimes. Before I came to Yamasa I knew no hiragana or katakana. Just knew a few words like konnichi wa, toyota...
DM: Yes.
RJ: But at the same time, everyone in the class was in the same situation, so it works out.

DM: Who were the teachers for that first semester.
RJ: The tannin sensei was Nie sensei.
DM: She was good?
RJ: She was unbelievably good. Even if didn't understand a single word she was saying she was able to communicate with us.
DM: There was a lot of visual work?
RJ: A lot of pictures, a lot of visuals. Gradual introduction of simple phrases. Learning to read.
DM: Lots of acting and role play?
RJ: Yes. There was a lot of that at the beginning of the first semester.
DM: How long did it take before you umm, before you felt capable of having a simple conversation. Express yourself in coherent sentences and understand what people were answering with?
RJ: 1 academic quarter. Actually less than that, maybe about 2 months. Its amazing how quickly you can make yourself understood.
DM: What language did you speak to your zero level classmates?
RJ: With classmates we could only speak Japanese. Very occasionally I could speak to some of them in English during the lunch break, but if the only common language was Japanese then that was it. And in the classroom of course we aren't allowed to speak anything other than Japanese.
DM: So it wasn't just the teachers doing a lot of gesturing in those first 2 months.
RJ: No.

DM: Which class did you start in?
RJ: I think it was something like M class. Or even N.
DM: Did it surprise you a it that we had that many levels?
RJ: Not really. What surprised me was that the class above was not very far ahead, even only 3 or so chapters sometimes. The way the school adjusts the curriculum of each level to us instead of doing things the other way around. That surprised me. A good surprise.
DM: And from zero level it took 6 months to complete Minna no Nihongo?
RJ: Yep. 2 quarters to get to the end of Minna no nihongo 2 and reach JLPT level 3.
DM: So you went into the intermediate curriculum 9 months ago. How far along are you now?
RJ: I studied right through the blue New Approach, and this quarter I'm reviewing some chapters.
DM: Did you take the JLPT last month?
RJ: Yes.
DM: What level?
RJ: 2.
DM: How do you think you went?
RJ: Probably borderline, but with some luck I might pass it.
DM: What were you struggling with?
RJ: In the exam?
DM: Yes.
RJ: Time. I had to rush through, especially for the reading. My reading speed isn't quite fast enough yet. I have a little bit of dyslexia and that has influenced my reading speed.

DM: Which class are you in now?
RJ: I'm in F class.
DM: How many people are there in the class?
RJ: 15. 14. I think it is a full class.
DM: Where are they from?
RJ: 2 guys from France, 1 Chinese girl, 4 Americans, 1 Mexican, 1 Spanish girl, and 3 Taiwanese.
DM: And a Swede.
RJ: And 1 Swedish guy! Yes.
DM: That makes 13.
RJ: 13 Yes.
DM: A little larger than average. Is having 7 nationalities in the group interesting sometimes?
RJ: Yeah. Of course. Makes class a lot more interesting. Will make class parties very interesting too.
DM: Do you sit next to next to the same person everyday or move around?
RJ: Well today is only the 2nd day of the quarter. We just started.
DM: Ahh, sorry I forgot.
RJ: But last term we moved around every day.

DM: And how many teachers do you have?
RJ: This semester we have four.
DM: Who are they?
RJ: Watanabe Kyoko sensei, Sugino sensei, she's the tannin sensei for us. Then there's Suzuki Chie sensei and Ukai Miki sensei.
DM: Were any of that teaching team involved in the last quarter.
RJ: Last semester we had Ukai sensei.
DM: Have you been taught by any of the others before.
DM: Yes I've had classes taught by all of them at some stage since I enrolled, except for Sugino sensei.

DM: OK. Now can I ask you what were you doing immediately before you came to Yamasa?
RJ: I was a Marketing Assistant for Johnson and Johnson.
DM: What were you selling?
RJ: Lenses. Contact lenses.
DM: Did you wear the product?
RJ: Of course!
DM: Do you still wear the product?
RJ: Yes I do...
DM: Where were you working?
RJ: In Sweden. In Stockholm.
DM: And before that you were in Hawaii?
RJ: Yes. 4 years at University.
DM: Which college?
RJ: Hawaii Pacific.
DM: What were you studying?
RJ: Marketing. With a concentration on international marketing.
DM: Why did you decide to go to Hawaii? I mean its a fair hike from Stockholm...
RJ: I wanted to become a marine biologist. So I did a lot of research on the internet, and they had a famous program and good facilities, so I applied for there.
DM: None of this internet research lead you to want to be David Hasselhoff?
RJ: No (laughing).
DM: So how did you end up studying marketing?
RJ: I enrolled in marine biology, but realised I couldn't make a career of it so I changed after 1 semester.

DM: Did you meet many Japanese people in Hawaii? I mean it seems almost part of Japan, some of it at least.
RJ: Quite a few. Lot of Japanese people there. The girlfriend I had at the time I came to Yamasa was someone I met in Hawaii.
DM: Which island were you on?
RJ: Oahu.
DM: Not much time spent on the other islands?
RJ: I went to Kauai once, but travel around Hawaii is a bit expensive for a student.
DM: Did you learn to surf?
RJ: Yes, but I didn't get very good at it.
DM: Have you been surfing in Japan?
RJ: Not yet.
DM: There are a few good beaches here and there.
RJ: Yeah?
DM: Atsumi area is pretty good. Shonan usually pretty crowded. Some in Mie Prefecture as well.

DM: What do you do when not you are not studying?
RJ: I just hang out with friends. Try to meet Japanese people.
DM: Is that a euphemism for chick hunting?
RJ: No.
DM: No?
RJ: Well yes and no. Most of the time I had a girlfriend so it was no. I just wanting to speak Japanese with people. Put things into practise.
DM: Do you play any sports or things?
RJ: No. Well I played darts, but that was in a pub. Is that a sport?
DM: Definitely. What about cycling? I've heard you were involved in a crazy trip to Mount Fuji?
RJ: Ah that one.
DM: I assume you come to the campus by bike?
RJ: Yeah.
DM: Where did you buy the bike?
RJ: At Asahi up on Route 248.
DM: Is it a mountain bike or a road bike?
RJ: A mountain bike.
DM: How much did it cost?
RJ: 30,000 yen.
DM: And it hasn't been stolen? You have a good lock?
RJ: Yes. And I don't leave it at the station overnight.
DM: Good. OK now about this trip, I understand that you rode the bike to Shizuoka, went to Fuji, hiked up and down, and then rode back?
RJ: Yes.
DM: Crazy stuff. Did you train for that?
RJ: I did some training before going. Umm, I rode down to Gamagori and back and did a few other rides. 5 or 6 hour rides.
DM: And then you climbed Mount Fuji?
RJ: All the way up from the shrine. Just like the priests.
DM: How long did it take?
RJ: I stayed in a hotel in Shizuoka and another hotel in Fuji-Yoshida, so 2 nights and 3 days.
DM: Thats crazier than riding across the Nullabor Desert. You must have been very fit...
RJ: Yeah, but I'm also still a beer drinking smoker so compared to other people I guess I'm not that fit.

DM: Where do you live when not doing crazy things?
RJ: I'm in Residence U.
DM: You have lived the whole time in Residence U?
RJ: Yes.
DM: Single?
RJ: Yes.
DM: What is the accommodation like?
RJ: At the moment, its really cold. Japan needs to import some Swedish insulation technques. But I really like it. I think Residence U is quieter than the other places.
DM: Why did you choose U?
RJ: I looked at the website, watched the video clips and so on. I wanted my own space, my own apartment, and it seemed a good one to get.
DM: Privacy was the first thing?
RJ: Privacy was the main consideration. I didn't want to share a kitchen, wait for toilets.

DM: Umm, telephones and things. You have a cellphone?
RJ: Yes.
DM: Do you use skype as well?
RJ: Yeah. I talk to my parents in Sweden using skype.
DM: OK and so when you are talking in your room, is there the sense of privacy... do you feel that it is private space, no one can eavesdrop?
RJ: The sound insulation is no problem.
DM: With your internet connection, umm, do you use your computer a lot? Are you online a fair amount of time?
RJ: Almost all the time.
DM: What are you doing most of the time?
RJ: Checking email. Reading a lot of news.
DM: You are a bit of a news junkie?
RJ: Yeah.

DM: Have you done much travelling while here in Japan? I mean apart from Mount Fuji. Normal travel?
RJ: So far I've been to Kyoto, Tokyo and Hiroshima.
DM: What has been your favorite place so far?
RJ: Probably Hiroshima.
DM: And why?
RJ: Because it is a big city but not too big. It has more parks, almost a European feel compared to Tokyo or Nagoya. You have more space. Hiroshima is about half the size of Nagoya, but there is enough to see and do.
DM: Did you like Iwakuni?
RJ: Loved it. Iwakuni and also Miyajima of course. I also liked the Peace Park area. Its so big, and it was very beautiful when I went there in spring because the cherry blossoms were out.

DM: Have you been back to Sweden since you started here?
RJ: Only once. I went to Sweden for Christmas. Just got back.
DM: Other than sleeping, what was the first thing you wanted to do when you got home.
RJ: Eat some Swedish food.
DM: What did you eat?
RJ: Just some pasta with Swedish sausage.
DM: You can't buy Swedish sausage in Seibu or other places like Marco Polo.
RJ: No. Unfortunately no.
DM: Is there anything you would suggest Swedish students bring with them. Yunno, the way Australians bring Vegemite and Koreans bring boxes full of kimchi?
RJ: Not really. I guess I'm not a very traditional Swede. I think everything we have in Sweden we have here plus a few extras. Except for good sausages.
DM: OK that is it for today. Thank you very much.
RJ: No problem.

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