My experience in Illinois: Discussion time was tough

*Edited March 26, 2024.
Reposted as free article.
Related Japanese article is below.

I realize the importance of English as a communication tool these days. I would like to write about my experiences that made me consider as I do now.

During my childhood at the age of 7, my environment changed suddenly, and I had to learn English to live my life in the United States. At that time, it was just necessary for me to study the language in order to communicate with others at school, my friends, and my neighbors. In other words, I was forced to use English to communicate with others. Though the environment of using English wasn't my choice, I had meaningful experiences while living in the US. 

If you are interested, a brief outline of my experiences in the US is written in the following article.

When I decided to study as an exchange student in Illinois, it was my own decision to study English. That was a great difference for me. My parents supported me in order to accomplish this 10 months of exchange program. I really appreciate them.

My major and classes

My major was English American literature in the university in Japan. I was able to study more deeply about literature, linguistics, and culture in the United States. The classes I took were tough. Of course, everything was in English. 

I remember that I couldn't say anything at the discussion time. Not only because of my English skills, I couldn't even think about the subject in Japanese. I had enough TOEFL scores in order to take a few regular classes other than ESL classes. I would like to write about one of the classes I took, East Asian Women Studies.

Discussion in East Asian Women Studies

I chose this class because I was interested in how East Asian cultures were taught in the outside country of Japan. It started from Chinese culture. I took the world history in my past schooldays, but my knowledge wasn't enough. It was different from learning the history. The history and culture were taught from women's aspects. I was also able to learn about Japanese Americans' history.

In every class, we had time to discuss what we learned. As I mentioned above, I couldn't say anything. I was just desperately listening to what other students were saying. Moreover, I sometimes couldn't understand what they were saying. 

Communication is completed when both the listener and speaker understand each other. My communication wasn't even starting because I wasn't able to listen and understand others. Furthermore, I wasn't used to summarizing my thoughts in a short time. Other students wouldn't wait for me forever, either. 

After every class, I tried to restudy the topics at my dormitory house. However, this wasn't the only class in the semester. I also struggled in other classes, such as the literature class. The number of pages I needed to read was far more than I had imagined. 

I thought I could do more than the actual situation that I had experienced. I made my decision to at least say my opinion when the class's subject was about the Japanese culture. This effort helped me to talk with other students in class. I actually still have contact on Facebook with one of the students I met. This experience was so meaningful to me and led to my way of thinking about a language.

Thank you for reading my note.