ION CREANGA STUDENTS - Teodora Mihai

Teodora is a 3rd year student and a awfully passionate scholar in Japanese language.
She started studying Japanese from the secondary school (School Nr. 195, Bucharest) and her dream was one day to get to see the country she loves so much.
As I remember she also got a 1st prize at the Japanese Speech Contest as a pupil of School Nr. 195. After 4 years of studying Japanese language she followed her passion for Japan togheter with one of her secondary school classmate and came as a student in Japanese Class in our high school.

And, as lately a lot of dreams seem to come true at our high school, she is the second pupil to be admited in ACE exchange program. ACE organizes every year a visit program for European High School Students who get the oportunity onot only to visit Japan, but also to experience studying at a school here.

Teodora is now in Tochigi prefecture, in the city of Utsunomiya and I will ask her to write about her experience in Japan at the end of the program as she, as anyoneelse here, is in a tight schedule. LOL Everything is planed and executed by minute and being late is quite an offense in Japan.

ION CREANGA STUDENTS - Ramona Mihai

I decided to start in an anti-chronological order, so I got to Ramona Mihai who is now a student at Bucharest University.

Her class mate, Alexandra Paun informed her about the Peace Sumit held in Japan, so amazingly a nother student from Ion Creanga was accepted in this program.

えらい！よくできましたよ！！！

The sumit was held today in Tokyo, but I realized too late the exact date and, because the Asociation helding the event is quite strict regarding privacy of the participants I couldn`t get in as a guest on the same day.

This year thema is:

2007 JRP Nihongo Summit

“Peace － Across Ethnic Boundaries”

Overseas Panellists have been selected

I would like to express my great appreciation to all those who gave us their kind support for the organisation of this year’s “2007 JRP Nihongo Summit”, and am hereby pleased to inform you that a total of 14 panellists as listed below from 14 countries were selected from among a total of 113 applicants from 46 countries; 64 from 23 countries for the Junior Category and 49 from 23 countries for the Senior Category; six for the Junior and eight for the Senior Categories (the invitation closed on 31st October). All of them have been selected following the first, second and final screenings based on the assigned essay and the videotape for oral proficiency evaluation, of which the second and final selections were conducted by nine selection judges.

Miyoko Ikezaki

CEO & Executive Managing Director

The Japan Return Programme

【Overseas Panellists】

《Junior Category》 6 panellists from 6 countries

Estonia Johannes REBANE West Vancouver Secondary School (Canada) (Male /Age 16)

Korea Hae-nah LEE Myong-Ji Foreign Language High School (Female /Age 17)

Turkmenistan Dovran DEDEBAYEV Kiev National Linguistic University (Ukraine) (Male /Age 18)

Brazil Leticia Akina SHIROTA Escola de Lingua Japonesa de Kyoei (Female /Age 15)

Mongolia Nomiun DELGEREKH School No.23 (Female /Age 16)

Romania Ramona MIHAI University of Bucharest (Female /Age 19)

《Senior Category》 8 panellists from 8 countries

Azerbaijan Vurghun HASANLI Erciyes University (Turkey) (Male /Age 22)

Uzbekistan Rustam MIRZAHALILOV Tashkent State University of Economics (Male /Age 21)

El Salvador Sonia Margarita MUNOZ CAMPOS Universidad de El Salvador (Female /Age 21)

Cuba Indira RODRIGUEZ RUIZ Instituto Superior Arte (Female /Age 22)

Kyrgyz Arizat USENBAEVA Bishkek Humanities University (Female /Age 22)

China Qi TANG Beijing Foreign Studies University (Female /Age 21)

Poland Marta NEWELSKA Adam Mickiewicz University (Female /Age23)

Morocco Aziz KIMY University of HassanⅡ (Male /Age 24)

Non-Profit Organisation

The Japan Return Programme (JRP)

Kame & Teaching = NO WAY!!

Hm,

Before university, I went to "Gh. Rosca Codreanu" high school in my native town, Chemistry- Biology class in following the times trend .... everyone let`s become a doctor (money and prestige)! At first my parents wanted to send me to the Pedagogical class to become a primary school teacher because I could play piano, I was good at sport, I was good at history and English and according to them I had a talent with children??????

Me, a teacher?? NO WAY!
I was a pupil myself and seing my mates screaming in some classes and driving the teachers crazy or making fun of him etc, so ... a bunch of 6 years old running and screaming and fighting .... Oh, my GOD!

So, go with the fashion and let`s become a doctor. Still the problem with this idea was that my parents insisted me to become a teeth doctor (stomatology) which I totally repulsed after seing my stomatolog aunt extracting a tooth with her knee holding down a screaming patient .... That was the day when I locked myself in the room until my dad agreed I can be any kind of doctor, but a dentist.

Anyway I started studying for Medical School (Biology, Physics, Chemistry) but I discovered soon I am totaly retarded when it comes to Physics, so between my struggles through the above mentioned subjects, in the 3rd year of high school I start thinking of an "alternate" career.

I made up a list with likes and dislikes, but got more confused as the logical result would have been being a ... teacher?!
as I couldn`t be an advocate (I LOVE talking - to be honest I don`t really know how to shut up ... - but memorizing is such a torture), doctor (Biology was a lot of memorizing and Physics), shop assistant (not really a career and I have ended up in family bussines and having as a boss my own mom!! - I love her, but she is a PERFECTIONIST ...), engineer (who am I kidding), secretary (making coffee for misogin bosses?), model (do you want to see my pictures?? anyway, short, plump, wearing glasses and totally hating my nose shape! )

Favourite subjects: NO WAY I am going to get it subjects:
English Logic (there is not a more illogical subject than logic)
Economics Geography (just disliked the teacher! Sorry ....)
Chemistry Physics (so again ... you close the circuit down, but actually open up the light ?)
Literature French (after 4 years of doing nohing but singing the same song on 3 voices ....)
Sport Mathematics (I got so pissed off because I could solve every single difficult problem doing corecctly all the steps, but when doing the last ecuation my results were always wrong - bad arithmetics abilities)

I thought I would like maybe to work as a guide, a translator or something using languages, even a teacher, but my inability of French left me only 2 option: becoming an English- Romanian teacher or start learning another language (in Romania the gasp of only one foreign language is highly un-competitive!)
German was not quite a thrill, but maybe some Spanish or Italian woudn`t be too bad, the only obstacle in my town being that no one was able to teach either of them.

To be honest, learning Japanese would have been ..... the greatest present ever! Why, oh, I forgot to tell you: one year before I started practising karate. By the 3rd year of high school I was Romanian vice-champion in kata sincron and kumite and a Bruce Lee maniac fan.

The answer came from the sky : as a present for my birthday, my English teacher (very aware of my Japan mania) gave me: Learn Japanese without a teacher, by Mrs. Angela Hondru.

From that day one, my life got a purpose and I discovered is such a plus as an adolescent to HAVE A DREAM.
Trying to write for the first time in HIRAGANA (Japanese Silabar), I decided one day I will be able to speak Japanese, I will get a scholarship and I will go to see Japan!!! I WILL!

From that day:
- my high school graduation note was the 4th highest in the whole high school
- I went for Medical School Exam failing 5 points due to my inability to calculate the correct result in a Physics problem
- getting the courage to tell my parent I refuse to accept them to pay another year so much money for getting me to Medical School as I can`t do more than that with Physics
- asking them to have confidence in my and let me go for Japanese language
- knocking at every door possible to find the address of Ms. Angela Hondru and than convince her to accept me as a private student
- learned in 2 months the same Japanese her other students she had leart in 8 months
- slept from 8 to 12 in the morning, studying Japanese, eating studying, sleeping from 5 to 8 in the evening, waking up and eat and study Japanese until next day at 8 (for 3 months daily)
- failing the entrance examination for Japanese department at Bucharest University (the second under line)
- going for English- German section at Spiru Haret University to put my parents mind at ease that I will at least have a diploma in something
- failing the 2nd time entrance examination for Japanese department at Bucharest University for the same reasons (poor mark at English)
- understanding that to get a higer mark at English I need to pay lots of money to be tutored by one of the Bucharest University English staff if I want to have a higher mark
- taking a big risk in trying to convince my parents that I want to give up German to get as a fresman in the Japanese - English department starting that year in Spiru Haret University
- 4 years in Japanese section and involving in all the Japanese related events possible
- crying because my university was a private one, so no scholarship were awarded by the Japan Embassy
- working part- time as a baby sitter for a Japanese family to improve my Japanese (not with too obvious result because my baby was only one year was learning his first words)
- although a student going to the Japanese classes Ms. Angela Hondru taught in ION CREANGA (the only high school with Japanese language class)
- bitting my nails as I could never got to the high level IOn CREANGA pupils had in Japanese (they were studying the language from secondary school as Ms. Angela Hondru initiative, than a teacher in 190 School, Berceni)
- going for an awfull graduation exam at Bucharest University as my faculty being a private one needed recognizing from a state one (only me and Oana from Brasov got the guts to take the exam; everyone else waited 1, 2 year until our university received the right to have its own graduation exam)
- graduation exam results: Japanese 10; English 5; Final paper on Enchi Fumiko 9
- start looking for a job related with Japanese other than working for Japan Embassy (no way I could easily get a job there) or a Japanese company as many books about the Japanese salaryman made me aware I cannot possible work as a robot long hours or follow rules without sense (no ofense here!)
- closing my eyes and remember I had so much fun in teaching my baby first words in Japanese (it was fun!!)
- start thinking that being around children is not so difficult because I can tell a lot of stories and I sill have this great pleasure for play
- deciding I would like to teach Japanese from 0 and I would love to transmit my fascination for this language , my passion and everything I knew to someone else
- taking a big step and going to Ion Creanga high school and meet the principal, Ms. Emilia Dorgosan to ask if she knew any other institution I could go as a Japanese teacher and what do I need to do to become a teacher
- being asked if I have a graduation diploma and being hired on the spot as Ion Creanga high school`s Japanese Language teacher (the one they had got a scholarship in Japan)
- getting out, absolutely thrilled: I DID IT!!
- getting chillled all of the sudden because I didn`t know what meant to be a teacher .....

Anyway, got really freaked out!! 怖い！！！

So could you believe that from not knowing how to be a teacher, I evolved to be in the committee creating Japanese Language curriculum, organizing Japanese Cultural Day every year or apearing on TV??

I can`t really believe it myself, but it is there and to be honest I am not convinced is about being a good teacher or a being a specialist in a certain domain, I think is more about having a dream, entering with joy in the classroom, speaking from the bottom of you heart with passion and having a bunch of most terrible pupils, always asking questions and challenging me and most important ALAWAYS THERE to do things together!

Why to create such a BLOG??

Because again, some smart head (aka ass!) decided to get ride off JAPANESE LANGUAGE SECTION in ION CREANGA High School and I need to let those persons know I AM GOING TO FIGHT BACK!

Sounds theatrical to you, guys? Maybe!
But it is not just let`s do something in between crying because my teacher asked me to write a report in Japanese on Georgio Agamben (nice, smart Italian philosopher, but too elevated for my small & simple brain), fighting with my Japanese boy friend to give up Pachinko game and do something with his life, being depressed that after 2 years in Japan my savings are 300 $ which is really sooo me!, or trying to figure out what I am supposed to do after 4 years in Japan!!!

No! Is is not let`s sound interesting!
It is respect for all involved in Japanese Language teaching in Romania and their fight with lack of materials, money and places to teach. It is respect for all my pupils (whatever they feel the same about me or not) starting with S who was never able to write more than 2 sentences in Japanese (for at least trying) to T who is now in Japan with a scholarsip (for having a dream).

And yes, everyone can say I am not a good teacher or a good scholar in Japanese studies, they can say I was manipulative, many times crazy and driving everyone crazy or rude in expressing my opinions, BUT NO ONE can ever say I ever got into my classroom without passion regarding Japanese or my students.

Ans maybe yes, maybe I stayed in a corner, not reallly involving in what is going on in my high school, but this is because I am HUMAN and I am still confused about what am I doing with my life, because I have regrets about some of the things I`ve done and I thought it is time to give other people a chance to prove the same passion about teaching Japanese language (and guys, I am so proud of you: Corina, Vero, Anca, Catalin, all those guys in charge of the romanian anime site and go association), but I AM NOT keeping silent if Japanese language is about to lose one of the most exciting place to experience learning 6 teaching it:

ION CREANGA High School.

And you know, something, I am not going to talk stupid things or gossip about all the problems we have as teachers of Japanese, but I want to ask everyone to write about their love for Japan and for those who ever visited our high school about their experience.

What is KAME doing in TOKYO?

At first, I was not sure! Loooong story ...
See when I left Romania I had almost 35 persons seeing me off to the airport, most of them, my high school students and I was already upset because I was leving behind the job I loved most: teaching Japanese.

Now, at the airport my mom was pretty moved to see such a crowd and told me: Woaw, they love you so much they came all this way to say Bye!, but I have my own theory that maybe they just wanted to make sure I am really leaving so they can celebrate!! LOL

(OK, ok! I admitt I was moved and I know how much I mean to all those people seeing me off, so this is why it was so difficult to leave and so difficult to reach Tokyo and discover that NO ONE needs me, cares about me - long story). And it was more confusing because I came from a very hecting, long hours work schedule to something like: you have to be at school Tuesday and Thursday, write your research and stay out of trouble ....

The only good part was that VIO, one of my students also travelled with me in the same plane (She got a 5 years scholarship the same time I got mine. which was the best present for me as a teacher that year!) Since then I had other of my high school students coming to Japan and it was so rewarding to see their joy and their wonder to see all the places they heard about in my classes.

But to get it down to this entry:


I came as a Research Student in Education at Ochanomizu Joshi University (a university for girls famous in Japan for raising: Good wives and Wise mothers!) Hmmm, that will be my comment for another day ......

Now I am a Master Student (1st year) in Educational Science since April 2007 at the same university. I am taking courses like: 教育思想　(Philosophy of Education)、教育発達 (The Progress of Education studying about UNESCO / UNICEF programs)、教育課程　(Curriculum), 生涯教育(Adult Learning Education), I am participating at Education Conferences as the one last week held by HITACHI GROUP or I am part of my team who manage in collaboration with JICA / JOCV a 7 weeks course for Educators from French Speaking African regions (my french really improved).

I am a member of English Speaking Union of Japan (an organization composed of ex-ambassadors and press people in love with English and foreign cultures).


I am also a member of CWAJ (College Women Association of Japan) in Foreign Students Circle (meaning we meet couple of times a month and act as mentors for foreign students living in Tokyo) and in Scholarship Committee (which grants 5 / 6 sholarship per year for people who wish to study in Japan and Abroad).


I am helping Romanian-Japan Music Organization (Mrs. Kazuko Shimada) to organize the George Enescu Contest (last year & this year) and the Romanian Fashion Event to rise funds for musical isntruments to be donated to Romania (a program which also granted ION CREANGA High School an electronic piano).


I am helping and eating from time to time at the Romanian Restaurant in Nakano-Sakaue because the food is great and Iulia the owner is a woderful, down to earth person.

I am working as Pool Administrator at TOKYO AMERICAN CLUB, a job where I feel like home and is almost as rewarding as my job back home at ION CREANGA High School.

In fact my real position is Assistant Manager, but due to my visa status (research student) I cannot be titled accordingly so don`t be surprised if you drop by and see me shouting orders up and down.

Hmm, what else am I doing in Tokyo??

Oh, yeah, I was modelling for Very magazine in June 2006 and I am spending all my money travelling (taking lots of pictures) and shoping at 100 Y Shop!

Kame from TOKYO / Japan

Everyone here in Japan calls me KAME (meaning Turtle LOL).

In fact I received this nickname back in Romania from one of my (and Georgiana`s) Japanese friends enrolled in a doctoral program in Romanian history - 実は彼女がルーマニア語ぺらぺらだよ！ちょっとうらやましい。

We had this discussion that although the short for my name is Cami I should avoid using it as in Japanese it might have 3 (not very appropriate meanings): KAMI.

KAMI - paper 紙
KAMI - hair 髪
KAMI - God, spirit 神

Anyway, you can call me Kame!
I am living from April 2005 in Tokyo studying and working (sorry but to have only 4-5 classes / weeks and nothing else to do when not in school, working was my only way to avoid becoming a Pachinko Maniac - LOL) and I love tenpura & maccha aiscream!
Being here from 2005 I don`t really get how do I got a qualificative (and a nasty one LOL) in 2006 on the Ion Creanga teachers list, as I am not teaching there anymore ......