挑戦が英語上達の大きなカギ。インターンだから得られた経験とセブ留学のメリットとは。

I have been here for approximately 7months and a half.

I worked in a liquor shop which deals in Japanese sake for 2 years in Japan. In this shop, there were many foreign customers from different countries. Hence, it made me realize the importance of English language in the field of work. And I think English will make my life richer.
Consequently, right after I quit my job, I decided to study English in the Philippines since I have no interest yet to apply for another job.

Honestly, I wanted to study English in those countries because I could have a big chance to deal with English native speakers. However, studying such countries is quite expensive and schools provide group classes only.
On the other hand, in Cebu, they cater man-to-man classes which are a good opportunity for me to enhance my English skill though accent may differ from English native speakers.
However, my purpose is to communicate with English speakers. English is just a tool. Therefore I didn’t care the place.

Studying English in the Philippines has been popular since I was a university student. In addition, it’s a good place to start embracing the language while enjoying the atmosphere of Cebu.

I applied another school, but Howdy was the first school that I passed the job interview. Howdy offers students services in a good quality and I want to keep my level on service for my career. Therefore I decided to come to Howdy.

Actually, it’s my first time to study abroad. Thus, I could say that the environment in Howdy is good, such as facility, meal and so on.

Adviser and advisee program is wonderful. It one of the features is Howdy. For instance, my adviser facilitates my studies and caters my needs, like a real mother. And also, she is talkative and friendly which makes me feel comfortable even if I am tired.
Moreover, sometimes teachers gave me discipline by giving a lot of homework, speaking fast to challenge my skill in English. Perhaps, they believe through these challenges I could make myself improve more.

I had many chances to try new things.

At first, I couldn’t speak English well. At that time, I wrote down sentences on a paper when I want to say something to teachers and other staff. And although I read those sentences, they couldn’t understand and looked at the paper due to my incorrect pronunciation. However, they always listened to me and tried to understand. It cheered me up. Honestly, it was stressful because I didn’t have enough English skill. But now, I don’t need to write down, because I could be able to relay the message which I want to say through speaking. Even if it isn’t perfect, they could understand me unlike before.

In addition, I tried to speak English when I talked with Japanese staff and interns sometimes. There are many people who can speak English very well and they taught me English. I learned many things not only English but also Japanese and the way of work. That was really good for me.

I tried many things, just to improve my skill for example, watching English movies, speaking English with others and reading. I found it challenging to continue doing it by myself, lol.

Of course, classes and work were effective, but not only that. I made plans and documents for school activity. Through that experience I learned many things. Trying to speaking English in work time improved my skill also. And speaking English in front of Dr.Tampus or teachers was not the same as in class, I felt strong pressure, and my brain worked harder, lol.

Yes. I need to study Chinese also, lol. I like Chinese character, because people who I met in Japan were very nice. And I want to live with people from different countries.

In my 20’s, I want to work using English. In the future, I want to guide foreigners and make special tour like introducing Japanese culture and Japanese sake company when they come to Japan.

If you want to be an intern, don’t hesitate, because most of students are Japanese and you can improve your English through work and study. It is a good opportunity especially for beginner.

Likewise, I’m grateful to my colleagues. I was able to try many things that I couldn’t try if I work in company in Japan. I realized that it is important to show my opinion.

How do you feel working with foreigners? They have different customs and I confused many times.

I have two things. First, students told me that teachers asked them “Please say it to Haruka.” It means teachers believe on me. I was happy to hear that.
Sometimes students thank me in person.
Second, I met many people who have different experience, background and ideas. To sum up, spending time in Howdy is priceless.
Thank you very much.