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STUDENT INTERVIEW: July Teh (SILAC)

July Teh

July, who is a permanent resident of Australia but was born in Indonesia, started on the SILAC program a week ago.

Jon: I know you've only been in the SILAC program for a week, but can you give me your impressions of it so far?
July: Really good. It's fast, but I covered some of the grammar we are studying now previously so the first few days have been like a review for me. I think that if I didn't know some of what am I studying it would be more difficult to keep up, but it's fine!

Jon: I see that there is only 3 people in your class at the moment. Do you find that the smaller class size helps you learn more quickly?
July: It's good because you have more chance to speak, more interaction, and the teacher gets more time to listen to each of us speak and can also spend more time with us on an individual basis.
Jon: How have you found the teaching faculty?
July: Helpful, kind, and they explain things clearly.

Jon: Where are you staying at the moment?
July: I'm staying with a host family in a town called Iida near Okazaki.
Jon: How long does it take you to get from the family's home to Yamasa?
July: It takes a total of about 40 minutes, which includes a 20 minute bus ride.
Jon: Are you finding the homestay a good experience?
July: Yeh, it's really good. The family can't speak any English so I have to use my Japanese. They're really nice and they talk to me a lot. The mother of the homestay is a great cook and always makes about 5 different dishes every night - I'm eating so much I think I'm getting fat!
Jon: I presume you have your own room in the house?
July: That's right. I like my room, it has a sliding paper door and I sleep on a futon on the floor so it's very traditional.

Jon: How did you find out about Yamasa?
July: I told a friend that I was planning to go to Japan to study Japanese and they said that they had a friend of a friend who lived in Okazaki and knew of Yamasa. I think it was Declan Murphy's daughter....does Declan have a daughter?
Jon: Not that I know of; unless he was hiding something from us all along.........
July: Oh...it must have been someone else then.
Jon: So the 'friend of a friend of a friend' told you about Yamasa........
July: .....and then I searched for the homepage and applied for a program online.

Jon: What did you think of the support you received during the application process?
July: It was good, fast replies to my questions, very convenient.

Jon: You studied Japanese at the University of Melbourne before you came to Yamasa - how did the teaching method in Australia differ from the one in the SILAC program?
July: In Australia it was a much longer course than the one I am doing now so it was slower and the emphasis was more on reading and writing, whereas SILAC focuses on conversation. Both programs use materials such as flash cards audio and video, etc.

Jon: Is this your first time in Japan?
July: Yes.
Jon: Have you been anywhere interesting in your first week here?
July: I went to Nagoya and visited Nagoya castle at the weekend. It was really beautiful, especially with all the colors of the leaves on the trees at the moment. It's a nice time of year actually, and it's not too cold.......yet!

Jon: Has Japan been as you expected before you arrived?
July: The only thing that I have been surprised about is the use of kanji everywhere. I thought there would be more words and signs in hiragana. It's not a problem for me as I can read and write kanji it was just surprising.

Jon: What were you doing before you came to Japan?
July: I was studying and working part-time. I finished my Masters degree in Computing in July of this year and before I find a job I want to improve my Japanese.

Jon: And what will you do after you return to Australia?
July: I want to find a job where I can use my Japanese, perhaps with a company based overseas.

Jon: Do you have any advice for people coming to study at Yamasa?
July: Prepare yourself by going over grammar that you know as it will help you during your studies, and apply early if you want to get a homestay.

Jon: And finally, any message for our readers or your family and friends?
July: Ganbatte!!

Jon: Thanks for your time and good luck with your studies.
July: Thank you.