~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
･Chikako Iwai '95
･JPN 101 through 402, Psychology Major/ Japanese on Secondary Concentration
･a Junior Advisor
･I've been working in advertising at Young & Rubicam in New York.
･"My advice to students studying Japanese is that they should not wait until the last minute to learn/memorize Kanji for a Kanji quiz, but to try learn a little everyday.  Also, I think that if it's possible, they should go to Japan for a semester/year during their Junior year."(Cha)
･Chikako is of Japanese descendent and that gives her a little more advantage over other students when it comes to listening and speaking Japanese.  She once said that practicing writing was the most helpful in understanding grammar and usage of sentences.  (Ofuji)

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
･Steve Harris ﾔ95
 
･JPN 101 through 402, East Asian Studies Major
･Bates Fall Semester in Tokyo & JSA at Kansai Gaidai
･Thesis in English --???
･As for what I'm doing in the fall, I plan on going to language school for about a year to a year and a half.  I want my Japanese to get good enough so that I can use it in a future career.  Right now I think I'm really interested in international education and in working in the administration area of the foreign exchange program at a school, or in a private program.  I would love to work with Japanese and other Asian students in Australia or the States and be able to use my Japanese for counseling, etc.  I've passed the second level of the Japanese proficiency test and I will probably shoot for the first level this year or next year.  The test itself is not so important to me, but the school I am going to study at focuses on that area of study in their fall semester, so I don't have much choice.  It will be good for me to study grammer again though.  The main way I enjoy studying now is by reading some, when I have some free time, and in a once a week class we usually watch some tv program or movie.  After my stint at language school I'm not too sure of my plans yet, but I want to get some experience in a school which caters to international exchange students or a program similar to it.  I've noticed a lot of these schools in Australia geared mainly to Asians so that's why I've considered moving there.  But of course the States is a possibility too.  After some experience I will probably go to graduate school.

About my study at Bates, I can't say I became anywhere close to fluent from it; but it did provide me with necessary basics and there were very important classes I do remember.  Of course I think the only reason I didn't improve more while I was at Bates was that I didn't study enough.  I've become a lot better living
in Japan and surrounded by Japanese everyday.  For the most part I enjoyed my Japanese experience at Bates and I think I provided me with a good stepping stone toward further studies.

これから何か日本語で書きます。特に何も言うことがないけれど、ただ日本語をちゃんと勉強したかったら日本にいっぺん留学しないとあまり上達できないと思います。少なくとも１年間ぐらい日本で勉強したりホームステイをしたら絶対いいと思います。そして日本へ来ると関西で住んだらどうですか。だって関西はすごいええとこやで。みんなはめちゃ優しいし面 白いし、絶対に東京よりましだと僕は思います。それじゃあ、みなさんがんばってください。

[Translation by S.Strong:  I'll write something in Japanese now.  I don't have anything particular that I want to say except to note that you won't be able to master the language without having at least one year of study and homestay experience in Japan if you really want to study Japanese.  And when you do come to Japan how about living in Kansai (i.e. Western Japan around Osaka)?  [Note: Steve starts using Kansai-ben here, so be sure to read the original for full effect.]  Kansai is one cool place.  Everyone is really kind and fun to know and I think it is a whole lot nicer than Tokyo.  Study hard!]

･Steven finished off the remaining credits for his Bates degree by studying at Kansai Gaidai for a semester.  After that he took a position as an ALT for JET.  He has remained in Wakayama-ken working for JET ever since then.  This is his third year. (S.Strong)