December 2017

NEWSLETTERVOLUME 34

ENGLISH EDUCATION CENTERTopics■ Reports from Aidai Students■ Participants Invited - SEA Program■ Hogmanay - The New Year (Article by Chris)■ Exchange Program Report

Reports from Aidai Students
Work Travel- by Kasumi Takeda (Faculty of Agriculture, Biological Resources)

This summer, I went to Glacier National Park, Montana,
U.S.A. I visited there to do part-time work during vacation.
Glacier National Park is part of the Rocky Mountain range
where the Native Americans first lived. There was no shopping
area or buildings, but we can see and feel natural landscapebecause of the rare and endangered
plants and animals in its ecosystemthat are preserved and protected by theU.S. government. Actually I saw bears,moose, deer and squirrels near from thecottage that I stayed in. Also there weretall mountains, long rivers and biglakes. The people who visited there
could enjoy hiking, canoeing and otheroutdoor sports.

SEA Program Report

I worked in the restaurant as
a dishwasher. The other kitchen
members came from Turkey, Russia, Taiwan, and all over theAmericas. The atmosphere in thekitchen was much more relaxedthan in Japan. Some of themwere singing and some of them weredancing! At first, I was really surprised
but I liked this fun environment. I had 2days off per week. At that time, I also tookpleasure in exploring around the parkwith my coworkers.
When you go to America, why don’t
you visit any national park?

- by Takumi Kihara (Faculty of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Hello everyone. This is Takumi. I studied abroad last summer at Bangor University in Wales. I have been overwhelmed
and moved by the beauty of the landscape. The sea, mountains and rivers are outstanding. I haveenjoyed staying in this environment everyday while I have been there. The experience gave me a lot of practical life lessons. I’ll explain two of these. First is to
not be afraid of making mistakes. I mademany mistakes on this program, but I
think they are important for me to improve and develop my English skills. Another thing that is very important isgaining new perspectives and broadening my horizons. I haverealized how important English is for developing my future career and research as a university student. I used to think thatJapanese people who could speak English were impressive,
but now I think that English should be a basic requirement for all of us.
Based on these things I
would like to enrich my life
from now.
Takumi (on the far right)
at Llandudno

Participants Invited - SEA Program
We are presently looking for students who would like to join SEA(Study English Abroad) program
during spring holiday. The programprovides students with a wide
range of learning experiences inEnglish speaking countries. Visit
EEC (English Education Center)
office in Aidai Muse Building for
further information.

CountryLocation

IrelandDublin City University (DCU)

CanadaUniversity of British Columbia (UBC)
University of Hawai’i, Manoa (UH)U. S. A.

University of Washington (UW)
University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA)

PeriodNumber ofDays

Application
Deadline

Feb. 24 - Mar. 25

30 daysJan. 25 (Thu)Jan. 28 - Feb. 25
Feb. 25 - Mar. 25
Feb. 4 - Feb. 25
Feb. 4 - Feb. 25
Feb. 25 - Mar. 18
Mar. 4 - Mar. 31

29 days
22 days
22 days
28 daysDec. 29 (Fri)Jan. 26 (Fri)Jan. 5 (Fri)Jan. 5 (Fri)Jan. 26 (Fri)Jan. 3 (Wed)Hogmanay - The New Year
A Special Time in Scotland- by Chris Connelly

It’s almost the end of 2017 and many people are alreadylooking forward to 2018, but for most people in Scotland, thelast week of the year is an exciting time filled with fun, parties,
family events, and the biggest party in the UK.
Believe it or not, but Scotland is the No.1 destination in theUK for New Year’s Eve - or Hogmanay, as it is called in Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, hosts the biggest andmost famous New Year’s Eve event in Britain. Thousands ofpeople from all over the world come to celebrate in the streets
and welcome the New Year in traditional Scottish style - withlots of alcohol and plenty of singing, dancing, and festivities.
The center of Edinburgh city (and most other major cities inScotland) is closed off totraffic, so people can walk
down the roads freely enjoying the exciting atmosphereand taking part in many ofthe events that happen
across the city. Probably
the most famous is the mili-tary bagpipe performancethat takes place in thegrounds of EdinburghCastle. You can watch
hundreds of performers
playing bagpipes (a traditional Scottish instrument) wearing traditional Scottish clothing (kilts) and showcasing wonderfully intricate dance routines. But don’t worry if
you can’t get a ticket, the performances can be observed on
massive screens outside the arena, and they are also beamed
live across the world via television and the internet.
So, if you are in the mood forsome crazy New Year fun, definitely put Scotland on your list ofplaces to visit. Just don’t forgetto pack your warm clothes
though because it is FREEZING
in Scotland around New Year!!!

Exchange Program Report
Study Abroad at Minzu University of China（中央⺠族⼤学）- by Ryuhei Kawano (Faculty of Law & Letters, Humanities)

Two months have already passed since my study abroad
experience in China started. When I decided to study abroad,many people were surprised and asked, “Why?” Therefore, letme write a little bit about the reasons I began learning Chineseand decided to come here to study. There are two main reasons.
Frankly, my attitude towards languages has changed. This
was the first motive for my decision. I spent almost all my university life studying areas related to English. While talking toforeigners, there were many problems because of my lack ofEnglish skills. However, those problems were easily solved if I
persistently tried to communicate with people. After noticing
this, I came to realize that proficiency in one target language
was not of key importance but mutual understanding by usingthat language was. This idea drove me to study another language besides English. I chose Chinese as my new target language because it has amultitude of speakers,
so I can communicate
with many more peopleby using it.
Additionally, it was
just after I started learning Chinese that I decid-

ed to travel to China as an exchange student. It was because I wanted to see mymother country, Japan, fromvarious angles. Through several international experiences, I
strongly felt how shallow myunderstanding of my home country had been. An idea then occurred to me that it would be possible to learn not only a language but also about Japan from other points of view in acountry strongly related to it, China. Since there were few opportunities to hear foreigners’ real opinions about Japan in mydaily life, I decided to study here in expectation of hearing
their voices and cultivating a better understanding of mycountry.
In China, I would like to meet as many people as possible
and exchange views with them. In that way, I hope I canbroaden my views, so I can reconsider myself, Japan, and theworld.
Although it was a brief explanation, this is how my life inChina began. From now on, I am going to see and feel manythings and would keep on sending some of my discoveries
in Beijing. I hope some of my information will be helpful foryour future. Thank you for reading this letter.

ENGLISH EDUCATION CENTER @EHIME UNIVERSITY
2nd ﬂoor, Aidai Muse, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime
TEL : 089-927-8340

E-mail : eec@stu.ehime-u.ac.jp

Webpage: http://web.eec.ehime-u.ac.jp/