Essay 1-03a: My Language Learning Story and Plans

When I was born in Japan, it's no wonder that I couldn't speak, read and write anything. I was only crying. Several years later, I could learn some easy words like "mom". Then I learned how to count numbers. My nursery school teachers taught us how to write Hiragana, basic characters of Japanese. After I entered elementary school, I completely acquired Hiragana and started to study simple Kanji, one of the ideograms from China. I also started to go to one of the famous cram schools, one mainly for elementary school students, and I took math and English there. I started to study basic English when I was 7.　However, I temporarily stopped studying it because of moving.

10 years ago, I could speak spoken Japanese fluently, of course, but I felt like studying English because my mother used to sing and listen to foreign songs often and I was happy to take the cram school's English lessons. That's why my mother and my grandmother cooperated for me and I started to go to an English conversation school when I was 10. Then, I could speak elementary English such as "How are you?" or "Do you like dogs?" On the other hand, by graduating elementary school, I acquired most Kanji that we use on a daily basis.

As soon as I started to go to junior high school, English education had started there and I learned from Alphabet again. It was so easy for me and I was going a step beyond the school level. Though I didn't know a lot of vocabulary, I could greet someone and introduce myself. I took part in the English recitation contests for the third year in a row and I took a second place in Kumamoto Prefecture. Though I acquired an ability to pronounce English almost accurately, I couldn't speak it fluently. In addition, I took Eiken, an English proficiency test for Japanese and I passed the pre-level 2 5 years ago.

My favorite subject was English, so I decided to go a high school which students can intensively learn it. I passed the entrance exam and started to go to a highly competitive academic senior high school in Kumamoto City. I could study English so hard there because there were multiple subjects related to English. There were a lot of hard tasks, for example, English debates, speeches, and reading materials. Although they sometimes made me boring, now I think that they all did me good. This time, I participated in English speech contests and won third place when I was 16. At the same time, I tried to write an English essay for getting a scholarship to go to Canada and I won it! Then I went to a small island in Canada to study English for almost free for a month. There I learned daily English through I talked to many foreigners including immigrants. I also took Eiken and passed the level 2, but I failed the pre-level 1. Though I've been in the English conversation school since I was 10, I quit it to prepare for entrance exams for universities.

Now I've come to the university to study languages since last year. I took French classes, but it was a little difficult for me. I have a variety of assignments and get an opportunity to utilize English like this blog, so I can speak simple English pretty fluently and also write and listen to it. However, I have a lot of challenges, for instance, TOEIC. I can't speak, write, read and listen to English contents of specific fields even now, so I'm taking a TOEIC class and study business English about three times a week.

I'd like to be a tour conductor after I graduate from this university, so I should study English related to Japan and many foreign countries harder. From this year, to take a national test that manages travel agency, I bought the textbook and started to study it for an hour everyday. Then my dream will come true and I can explain anything of travels briefly in English.

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