(English version below)
"If it is to be it is up to me."
イフ・イット・イズ・トゥ・ビー・イット・イズ・アップ・トゥー・ミー
"If it is to be it is up to me."
イフ・イット・イズ・トゥ・ビー・イット・イズ・アップ・トゥー・ミー
“If it is to be it is up to me.”
When I was in middle school, our school motto was on a big sign which read “if it is to be it is up to me.” I saw it everyday and I am still now realizing how much of an impact it has had on my life. It even impacted my experience learning Japanese. I could not learn Japanese unless I set my mind to making it happen and actually studying as much as I could.
Before I first came to Japan, over twelve years ago, I had never learned any Japanese beyond some food names and maybe a few words from pop culture. I spent several weeks before departing for Japan just learning how to read and write「あいうえお」in hiragana.
So, once I arrived in Iwate, I would teach English during the day, and at night I studied Japanese. I bought all kinds of text books, and even had three different Japanese teachers. On different nights, I would learn hiragana and some simple kanji from one teacher, grammar and writing from another, and conversation from another. The other nights, I would study alone. I did this for many months until it was time to apply for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), which I did by myself even though the application form was all in kanji.
Boy, was that ever a mistake! Apparently, I signed up for the “Level 1” test, because Level 1 means beginner in America. I was shocked by my mistake and totally unprepared to take the Level 1 test which was actually for those fluent in Japanese, so I just left. I lost all interest and motivation to study, and didn’t pick up a text book for many years.
After I got married and moved back to America I thought I would not need to learn so much Japanese anymore. However, even after we decided to move back to Japan I stubbornly refused to study. Consequently, I struggled a lot on Ajishima and in general when I first arrived on the island.
My inability to communicate with those around me really exacerbated my post-disaster depression. This would last for a couple years until the fateful day my wife saw an advertisement for a free Japanese class for foreigners in Ishinomaki. I was resistant at first, but I thought back to my middle school slogan. I decided to make a small addition: “if it is to be it us up to me to be part of a community.” The choice to act is always our own, but, as I have learned, it is tough to go it alone.
About three years ago I started attending the Tanoshi Nihongo Kyoushitsu (Fun Japanese Class) offered by Kokusai Circle 21. I cannot begin to thank my teachers enough for all their support and encouragement. My Japanese is nowhere near perfect, I couldn’t write this column without their lessons and my wife’s generous input, but because of my teachers I have been able to integrate myself into the Ajishima community. I still smile and nod my head even if I don’t understand people, and I have no idea what to make of the island dialect called “Ajishima-ben.” But, I can have a conversation about most things, and I keep learning something new everyday.
I have benefited so much from my studies, and I have seen how it helps other foreign students integrate into their communities too. If you have the time and passion, I would encourage you, my readers, to reach out to any foreigners in your lives, and help them enroll in Japanese class if they haven’t already. And, if you want to take it a step further, you could volunteer your time as a teacher. The impact you would have would go well beyond your students, and help bring the whole community closer together. Thank you.
When I was in middle school, our school motto was on a big sign which read “if it is to be it is up to me.” I saw it everyday and I am still now realizing how much of an impact it has had on my life. It even impacted my experience learning Japanese. I could not learn Japanese unless I set my mind to making it happen and actually studying as much as I could.
Before I first came to Japan, over twelve years ago, I had never learned any Japanese beyond some food names and maybe a few words from pop culture. I spent several weeks before departing for Japan just learning how to read and write「あいうえお」in hiragana.
So, once I arrived in Iwate, I would teach English during the day, and at night I studied Japanese. I bought all kinds of text books, and even had three different Japanese teachers. On different nights, I would learn hiragana and some simple kanji from one teacher, grammar and writing from another, and conversation from another. The other nights, I would study alone. I did this for many months until it was time to apply for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), which I did by myself even though the application form was all in kanji.
Boy, was that ever a mistake! Apparently, I signed up for the “Level 1” test, because Level 1 means beginner in America. I was shocked by my mistake and totally unprepared to take the Level 1 test which was actually for those fluent in Japanese, so I just left. I lost all interest and motivation to study, and didn’t pick up a text book for many years.
After I got married and moved back to America I thought I would not need to learn so much Japanese anymore. However, even after we decided to move back to Japan I stubbornly refused to study. Consequently, I struggled a lot on Ajishima and in general when I first arrived on the island.
My inability to communicate with those around me really exacerbated my post-disaster depression. This would last for a couple years until the fateful day my wife saw an advertisement for a free Japanese class for foreigners in Ishinomaki. I was resistant at first, but I thought back to my middle school slogan. I decided to make a small addition: “if it is to be it us up to me to be part of a community.” The choice to act is always our own, but, as I have learned, it is tough to go it alone.
About three years ago I started attending the Tanoshi Nihongo Kyoushitsu (Fun Japanese Class) offered by Kokusai Circle 21. I cannot begin to thank my teachers enough for all their support and encouragement. My Japanese is nowhere near perfect, I couldn’t write this column without their lessons and my wife’s generous input, but because of my teachers I have been able to integrate myself into the Ajishima community. I still smile and nod my head even if I don’t understand people, and I have no idea what to make of the island dialect called “Ajishima-ben.” But, I can have a conversation about most things, and I keep learning something new everyday.
I have benefited so much from my studies, and I have seen how it helps other foreign students integrate into their communities too. If you have the time and passion, I would encourage you, my readers, to reach out to any foreigners in your lives, and help them enroll in Japanese class if they haven’t already. And, if you want to take it a step further, you could volunteer your time as a teacher. The impact you would have would go well beyond your students, and help bring the whole community closer together. Thank you.
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