エクセルシア盛岡中央高校デジタルブック　Vol.20

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　　The main reason I believe I came to study abroad is because I wanted to improve my English skills. Before coming to Australia, I thought that my language skills would improve spontaneously if I lived in an English-speaking country for a year. However, in the modern era of expanding globalization, there are many people who speak Japanese all over the world so it can be easy to create a circle of Japanese friends and speak only Japanese. Therefore it doesn’t matter where I am studying; what I achieve depends upon my effort. This must be consistent wherever I reside. 　　When I first arrived, I would think why I bothered studying abroad to improve my English. However, over time I realized how valuable this experience was and I’m very grateful to have come here. The main difference between studying in Japan and a foreign country is the many opportunities to communicate with native English-speakers. I’ve met a lot of people such as my host family, friends and teachers in Australia. They took care of me. 　　Although the people across these borders have different values from me, talking with them was very fun. I learned that my host mother had studied abroad in Spain to learn Spanish and there were many opportunities to talk about learning a second language with her. She understood many of the experiences I was going through.　　The reason I wanted to learn English was because I admire people who speak two or more languages. Speaking another language means I can talk with more people. However, my host mother’s reason was because she thought language is a thing that helps you get closer to the country and its people and their feelings. I was surprised that she had such a thought and it was first time that I thought it is interesting to share different perspectives.　　It might be difficult in Japan to study English with a native English speaker. However, it is not always true that everyone studying abroad can talk with the locals easily. I had to make an effort to talk to people and continue the conversation. This was difficult at first, because I was worried about making mistakes. However, I knew that I would achieve very little without taking the initiative. 　　Initially my intention of studying abroad was not to build a relationship with local people. I would always avoid interacting by making excuses to save me the trouble. However, somewhere down the track, I wanted to change myself, so I did my best in my own way. If I did not come here, I would not have thought about this. This was my best achievement for studying abroad.　私が留学したいと思うようになった第一の理由は、もちろん英語を上達させたいからでした。留学に来る前までは、１年間も外国の地で暮らしていたら自然と語学力は上がるだろうと思っていました。グローバル化が進んでいる世の中、日本語を話せる人なんかそこらじゅうにいます。外国でも日本語だけを使って生活し1-year Study Abroad ProgramTo take a close look at different cultures and cultivate global standards and self-reliance.１年間留学プログラム～オーストラリア シドニー･アデレード～ 異文化に触れ、グローバルスタンダードの習得と自立心を養うMistakes are the proof that I am tryingSaki Endo遠藤 紗樹 Rコース２年 失敗は成長の証EXCELSIOR vol.2076