EastMeetsWest

Our names are Ogachi, Chi, Yuki, and Ai. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we’ll need English skills in the business world in the future and someday we would like to work abroad. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Deirdre, who is an elementary education major at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was marriage. We chose this topic because marriage is such an important part of our life, so we are interested in it.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US somewhat. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 3. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that if new couples can’t afford a new house right away, sometimes they move in with the woman’s family first.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that step families in the US are so common.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are siblings, which means brothers or sisters; guardian, which means someone who is legally responsible for their children; and wind up, which means to end up doing something.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:55 AM 0 comments

Our names are Ya-san, Kenji, Ya-chan, and Aya. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we would like to speak English very well so that we can communicate with people from many different countries. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Deirdre, who is an elementary education major at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was American school life. We chose this topic because all of the members in our group are interested in American school life and we wanted to know the differences between the US and Japan.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US somewhat. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 3. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that she used to party almost seven days a week in the bars in her town!

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that she was eating a lot of fatty foods and not getting enough fruits and vegetables, but then she realized how bad the foods were and changed her eating habits.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are suntan, which means to make your skin darker by laying in the sun.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:43 AM 0 comments

Our names are Mai, Chiaki, Ryoichi, and Yoshito. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because English is now the most useful language in the world. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Kyle, who is a student at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was club activities. We chose this topic because we know only Japanese club style, so we wanted to learn more about clubs in American universities.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US quite a bit. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 4. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that fraternities and sororities are the most popular clubs in American universities.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that, although they are very popular, he doesn’t like fraternities or sororities so much.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are frats and sororities, which area kind of social club; dormitory, which means a residence hall on campus; and tend to (do something), which means to often or generally do something.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:42 AM 0 comments

Our names are Chikako, Mami, Maya, and Kanako. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we want to communicate with people from all over the world. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Dennis, who is a double major at in English literary studies and adolescence education English at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was lifestyle of American students. We chose this topic because we wanted to know the difference in lifestyles between American and Japanese students.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 2. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that American university students seem to study even harder than Japanese students.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that sending e-mail by cell phone is not so popular in the US now. (As it is quite popular in Japan now.)

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are adolescence, which means the age of junior high school and high school students; cool, which means interesting or great; and texting, which means sending short messages by cell phone.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:36 AM 0 comments

Our names are Misa, Kaori, Daisuke, and Nonge. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because English is spoken around the world now and we want to travel abroad and speak with people from other countries. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Greg Uyeno, who is high school senior in California. The topic we chose was trends. We chose this topic because we are very interested in American trends and want to know the differences between trends in the US and trends in Japan.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 2. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was the hairstyle he showed us that is a current trend in the US, because in Japan bleached hair is ordinary and not really a current trend.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was about Cinco de Mayo, so we know about that more in detail now.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are “Cal,” which is short for the University of California; host, which means the person who introduces and runs a TV show; and horoscope, which means someone’s fortune as told by the stars.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:28 AM 0 comments

Our names are Madoka, Haracchi, Tomi, and Yoshimi. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because English is now a common language all over the world, so we need English to talk with many people from different countries. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Christopher, who is a business management major at Canisius University. The topic we chose was jobs. We chose this topic because we want to know what American students think about jobs and work.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US somewhat. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 3. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that it is common for graduating students to go out into the work force for a few years and then enter graduate school.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that some American students take some time off after they graduate.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are strive, which means to work hard for something; resume, which means one’s personal job history; and get out into (i.e. the work force), which means to go out and do or join something.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:25 AM 0 comments

Our names are Kenji, Keiko, Eri, and Shun. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we want to communicate more and more fluently with people from foreign countries. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Katy, who is a writing arts major at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was future dreams. We chose this topic because Japanese students usually enter university without specific dreams, so we wanted to know the case in the US.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US somewhat. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 3. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that the situation in the US is similar to Japan, as students there often enter university without specific dreams either.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that compared with Japanese companies, American companies allow quite a lot of student interns to work for them.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are pediatrician, which means a doctor which takes cares of babies or infants; oriented (towards), which means has the purpose of something, and SUNY, which stands for the State University of New York.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:20 AM 0 comments

Our names are Yasu, Hiro, and Ken. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we would like to develop our English skills in speaking, listening, and reading. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Kyle, who is a graphic design major at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was war. We chose this topic because we would like to think earnestly about war and we would like to know Americans real opinions about the war.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 2. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that he thought Americans were losing their friendships with different countries.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that he thought that all situations could be solved through talking and negotiation, not through arms.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are retaliation, which means revenge, and be nosey about, which means to be too curious and interfere with something

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:19 AM 0 comments

Our names are Tomoko, Emi, Masao, and Yuki. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we want to go abroad and talk with people from many different countries. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Alex, who is a freshman at San Diego State University. The topic we chose was music. We chose this topic because we love music and wanted to know the difference between Japan and the US.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US somewhat. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 3. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that Eminem is not his type of music!

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that karaoke is not so popular in the US. (It is hugely popular here in Japan.)

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are stuff, which means material or different things; mellow, which means calm or relaxing (music); and offend, which means to upset someone.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:17 AM 0 comments

Our names are Naoki, Hide, Saori, and Satoka. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because Japanese people are generally poor at English, but we will need English skill in the future, so we study English. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Alex, who is a freshman at San Diego State University. The topic we chose was impressions of Japan. We chose this topic because we think that people in some foreign countries have a negative image of Japan, so we wanted to know what Americans think about Japanese people and Japanese behavior.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 2. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that there are some people in the US who are not really concerned about the environmental problem.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that he wasn’t aware of the Kyoto Protocol.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are SUV, which means sports utility vehicle, and idiot, which means really stupid people.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:15 AM 0 comments

Our names are Kenichi, Aya, Tadashi, and Mayu. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we want to be able to speak English naturally and fluently. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Maggie, who is an English education major at Arizona University. The topic we chose was food. We chose this topic because we wanted to know the similarities and differences between Japan and the US.

The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US just a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 2. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that a lot of students have a meal plan, which means they can get all of their meals on campus.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are meal plan, which means a meal card system; concentration, which means what you focus on in your major, and minor, which means like a second major.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:14 AM 0 comments

Our names are Ami, Aki, Naruki, and Yuji. We are students at Kwansei Gakuin University, which is located in Nishinomiya, Japan, between Osaka and Kobe. We are now taking a course in Intermediate English in the Intensive English Program. We study English because we want to know about different cultures and talk with different native English speakers. For this class, we had to choose a topic about something we wanted to know more about American culture or American student life. We then had to interview an American student about this topic and compare our image with their answers. Our partner was Chuck, who is a conservation biology major at SUNY-Oswego. The topic we chose was crime. We chose this topic because we wanted to know whether crimes which occur in the US are different from in Japan. The answers we got from our partner changed our image about the US just a little. On a scale from 1 to 5, if 1 means it didn’t change our image at all and 5 means it changed our image of the US on this topic, we would say the number 1. The most surprising answer we got from our partner was that simply owning a lot of guns does not equal a lot of crime.

By exchanging email with an American student, we could also learn some new things about North American society. The most interesting piece of information we got from our partner was that although Canadians own many guns, they have one of the lowest murder rates in the world.

Since we are studying English now, we could also learn some new vocabulary from our partner. Some new words or expressions we learned are homicide, which means murder; larceny, which means different kinds of theft; and mug, which means to attack someone to get their belongings.

We would like to thank our partner for taking the time to help us with this assignment. We also hope they can visit Japan someday and learn more about Japanese culture.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:08 AM 0 comments

I am John Rucynski, an English as a Foreign Language Teacher at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Japan. This blog is a summary of the results of an e-mail exchange between my Japanese students and a group of high school and university students in my home country of the US. The US students span the country from California to Arizona to upstate New York.

I started this project because I was sick of boring English coursebooks giving generalized and uninspiring tidbits of information about people from different cultures. I prefer my students to have real communication with native speakers of English. Since there is a lack of native speakers for them to communicate with here and the internet is a great way to meet and communicate with people from around the world, I thought a simple solution was for them to find e-mail partners.

There are of course still a lot of generalizations about the US in Japan, and vice versa. I wanted to give my students and the students in the US a chance to explore more and get beneath the surface. I asked each group to come up with a topic that interested them and make a list of questions they would like to ask an American student. Before sending their e-mail, they had to write down their predictions of what the answers would be, based on their images of American society.

Some groups had their images changed quite a bit, while others hardly at all. That is not the main point. The main point is that everyone involved hopefully learned at least a little more about a foreign culture. And that is always exciting and rewarding.

# posted by Johninjapan @ 6:07 AM 0 comments