STUDENT INTERVIEW: Christian Ramirez (AIJP)

Christian Ramirez

Christian, from Mexico, entered AIJP on a student visa in October this year.

Jon: Thank you for taking time out for this interview.
Christian: No problem.

J: How is everything going?
C: Fine, the course is good, interesting.

J: Are you finding the speed of the program okay?
C: For me that's a tricky question as people learn at different rates. I think it is normal, it's not fast and it's not slow.

J: How did you find Yamasa?
C: I asked my family in Mexico to search for some information on Japanese language schools but they weren't able to find any. So I searched the internet and found 5 or 6 schools. I contacted them all and got information from 3 or 4. The only school that kept in touch with me during this time was Yamasa.

J: The big question - why are you studying Japanese?
C: Well, I have a dream, and if that dream doesn't happen for some reason then I will have something to fall back on. I speak English and of course Spanish and some day I will be able to speak Japanese fluently. Being trilingual will help me to get a job in international business.

J: You mention that you have a dream, can you tell me more about this?
C: My dream is to become competitive on the race track.
J: You mean racing cars?
C: That's right.
J: What kind of cars do you race?
C: I started racing 1/4 mile, which is illegal.....
J: In your own car?
C: Yeh, I took out the seats, removed the bumpers, anything to make the car lighter and quicker. Then I started racing on the track and liked it a lot. I was sent to a racing school where I crashed the first time I drove! Later on I went to a racing school in San Francisco as well and soon after turned semi-professional. At that time everything was looking good but my sponsor pulled out and that was the end of it. But that's my dream; to be a competitive racing driver, driving open wheeled cars.

J: Apart from racing, what were you doing before you came to Yamasa?
C: I was studying Japanese in Tijuana, Mexico and I went to Alaska twice to work for a crabbing company, which is really hard work but good money. I also worked in Mexico as a security guard on the weekends at a wrestling hall whilst finishing my degree - that was an interesting job.

J: I hear you have already found some part-time work here in Okazaki?
C: That's right, I took a job, not just for the money, put to meet Japanese people and practice my speaking.
J: What do you do?
C: In the run-up to Christmas I'm Santa Clause at a nearby shopping center.
J: What's it like being Santa Clause?
C: It's nice when the kids shout 'Santa, Santa!' Babies are like an alarm clock, they take one look at me and just go off (crying/screaming). Some people look twice or give me strange looks now and again but it doesn't bother me!

J: What do you think of Okazaki?
C: If you want to study it's the best place. Okazaki is not boring but it is not a place that has a lot of parties - there's a slow pace of life here. There's lots of supermarkets which is good.

J: And the facilites at Yamasa?
C: The school is good, but I think there needs to be more covered areas where bicycles can be parked.

J: Do you find the teaching faculty helpful/responsive?
C: They're good and they notice that I have to work on some areas of my Japanese, so I get extra help after class.

J: Have you travelled anywhere interesting since you arrived in October?
C: Well, I've been to the immigration office in Nagoya to get my re-entry permit! Apart from that nowhere special.

J: After finishing at Yamasa what you will do?
C: That's a good question.........I don't know when I'm going to finish, I feel that the time I will be at Yamasa, might not be enough for me. I have a few ideas but I'm not sure at this stage which one will work. I will probably work for a company that needs someone who can speak Spanish, English and Japanese.

J: Any advice for people coming to study at Yamasa?
C: I recommend that you study as much as possible before you come, or at least hiragana. Be patient, it takes time. For motivation I picture myself in the future.

J: And finally, any message for our readers?
C: If you have a dream work for it, don't give up. And thank you to all the people who have helped me in the past and will help me in the future.

J: Thanks for your time.
C: Your welcome.