The International Center Newsletter

TAKING OFF

Vol. 19 Summer, 2013

1. Hello from All Corners of the World!

Mitsuaki Sakubayashi

I
With friends at the graduation ceremony at Bangkok University(Second from right)

Thai taxi “Tuk Tuk”

Trip with friends at the graduate
school (Far left)

International Studies Major
Graduated in 2009am proofreading my article now on aplane flying to Thailand. I feel a little sad toknow this will be my final trip to Thailand
as a student, but I know I feel this way
because my study abroad experiences havebeen quite happy and very positive.
During the first half of my university life at
OGU, I just attended classes, read books, andwent home almost everyday. It was my daily
routine. One day, my friend told me about avolunteer trip to Thailand. I thought if I didn’t
go now, I would never have a chance again,
so I decided to join that trip. It was only a oneweek trip, but I just fell in love with everything
about Thailand: the hot and humid weather,
spicy food, caring people, the freedom, andeven the bit dangerous environment.
After the volunteer trip, I wanted to learn
more about the country. One year later, while
my classmates were busy with job-hunting, I
flew to Bangkok. I studied at Bangkok University for a year as an exchange student, andthen went on to graduate school at the same
university. Why did I decide to go to graduate
school there? It is because I could not do anything during my time as an exchange student. I
could not speak, read, hear, or write English
well*, and I also could not find a girlfriend.
These were hard days for me.
It is surprising to know that if you constantly
study for a long period, you can get used to it
and be able to take regular content-based
courses in English. I thought I could make themost of the knowledge I accumulated in theundergraduate program, so I decided to study
Marketing in the MBA program at Bangkok
University.
When I first started the MBA program, I
could not look up from my notes during apresentation. I would always look at my memo
and read from it. But putting aside my English
with a Japanese accent, I now put my memo
in my pocket and give my presentation without

using any memo or notes. There are two people who gave me unforgettable comments
about my presentation. One comment camefrom a Chinese student who does not speak
English well. He said, “My English is so bad,but I can understand your presentation reallywell. I want to do a presentation like you!”
Another comment was from a British professor, who hardly praises his students. He said,“Sakubayashi Mitsuaki… Your presentation iseasy to understand. You use not only the textbook, but also other materials, and furthermore, your presentation provides theoreticalperspectives. Excellent!” This may sound exaggerated, but after hearing their comments, I
felt that my efforts in the past four years had
paid off.
However, good presentation skills are notthe only things I acquired. Another important
thing I learned is how to strengthen humanity
by working together with those who have quite
different backgrounds both in and out of theclassroom. I tried not to separate study andplay, and whatever I did, I tried my best. This
made me realize that studying was somehow
similar to playing and this lifted the tension
from my shoulders. I really enjoyed both studying and playing!
Now, my graduation is just around the corner and I am now 28 years old. My parents
entirely supported me up to now, so to tell thetruth, I was worried about job-hunting. What I
did was I tried to be confident on my good
points and thought of how I can use them tocontribute to a company. I thought about thisover and over and prepared for my interview. I
also proactively communicated with my interviewers. As a result, I got a job at a Japanesemachinery manufacturer. I was hired in Japan,
but after a few months of primary training, I willbe transferred to an office in Thailand.
When I visited Thailand for the first time four
years ago, Thailand and Japan already had aVol. 19close relationship in the fields of businessand culture, but it has grown even more. I
heard that thousands of Japanese companies have a Thai branch and factory. However, I do not recommend you to go to Thailand just because you would like to get agood job. I hope you will choose a country
which you feel excited to study in.

Page 2

Studying in Thailand is probably harderthan you expect, but if you are active andoutgoing, you can get a lot more out of theexperience than you think. If you facesomething difficult, please do not get discouraged. Please don’t forget the exciting
feeling, and move forward to achieve yourgoals.
If you think Thailand sounds interestingand you would like to go there after reading
my article, I am extremely happy. I hope to
see you in Thailand someday!
*Most of classes are instructed in English at Bangkok University.

2. An Interview with Future Pro Golfer, Goh Aoyama (4th year,
Business Administration Major) by Danford ChunS

tudent-athletes play a major roleat many universities as they help
to foster friendly competition withother universities in their own
country as well as with institutions abroad.
Osaka Gakuin University is highly regarded nationally for its outstanding sports
programs, boasting several famous alumni
who have reached the professional ranks
including Olympic Gold Medalist Naoko
Takahashi and Hanshin Tigers pitcher
Kazuyuki Kaneda. The following is anexcerpt from an interview with aspiring golf
professional Goh Aoyama, a senior majoring in Business Administration.
Q: How did you become a golfer?
A: My cousin, Daisuke Harada, who iseight years older, is a professional golfer
and he taught me how to play golf backwhen I was in the 4th grade of elementary
school. In fact, I shot my first hole-in-one
back in elementary school and this helped
me to believe that I could turn pro someday like my cousin. Later when I was inhigh school, my golf coach recruited me toplay for the OGU golf team.
Q: When do you expect to turn professional?
A: Hopefully by the end of this year. This
month I’ll be competing in my first professional tournament, the Mizuno Open, in
Okayama from June 27-30. If I finish in the
top four, I’ll qualify for the British Open
where I’ll be able to compete against theworld’s greatest golfers like Tiger Woods
and Rory McIlroy. If I don’t finish in the top
four at the Mizuno Open, then I’ll enter a
QT (qualifying tournament) for aspiring
professionals here in Japan that runs from
August till December. It consists of fourstages with the preliminary rounds taking
place each month over a period of 3-4
days on six different golf courses throughout the Kansai and Kanto regions. The
final round is the most rigorous and takes
place over six days. That means I’ll beplaying a total of 108 holes in a six-day
span. It’s highly competitive with golfers
from all around the world coming to Japan
to compete. Player rankings are then cal-

Goh Aoyama at the I-Chat Lounge

culated at the conclusion of the final roundand only the golfers who are ranked -1
under par can move on to the next level.
Q: Please tell me about your tournament in Hawai‘i last year.
A: This was my second international
tournament so I was very nervous (my firstwas a tournament in Malaysia back when I
was in high school). Over 100 top golfers
from various universities all across America came to Hawai‘i to compete in the 2012
Amer Ari Invitational. I was one of five
students from OGU selected via special
invitation. Players were ranked according
to both their group and individual scores.
Out of the 20 college teams that participated, our OGU team finished 14th with the
University of Texas golf team winning thetournament. Although our team didn’t doso well, this motivated me to improve myshort game and driving distance. I’ve beenpracticing three hours a day on the driving
range nearly every day and working on myshort game from the bunker. I’m a big
Tiger Woods fan so I study his game intently and try to emulate him on the golfcourse.
Q: Why is English important for yourfuture career in professional golf?
A: Playing in tournaments overseas aswell as with players from other countries
here in Japan made me realize how important English is for communicating with
non-Japanese speakers. When I went to
Hawaii for the golf tournament last year, I
gained a lot of confidence from speaking
with the American golfers. The golf tours inJapan also have a lot of foreign players,
especially from South Korea, so it’s a goodchance for me to get to know players fromother countries. In fact, professional golfer
Eric Chan from South Korea, whom I had
met at the Kansai Open several years ago,
is a good friend of mine. I want to eventually play on the U.S. Tour in a few years.
Q: How did you learn to speak English so well?
A: Even though I’m really busy, I try to
go to I-Chat at least once or twice a week,
and I hope to continue doing so even afterI graduate. I also use the smart phone
application “Real Eikaiwa,” which has
helped to improve my vocabulary. I also
have a lot of friends from foreign countries.
One of my best friends is from Australia
and we met back in high school when he
was an exchange student at OGU HighSchool.
Q: What can faculty members do tosupport student-athletes at OGU?
A: If the foreign teachers have free time,
I would like to learn natural daily conversation from them. For example, I want toknow what to say if I’m on the train, having
lunch, driving, etc. I want to speak English
more naturally like a westerner.
Thank you for being an exceptional
student-athlete, Goh, and good luck inyour future pro golf career!

Goh Aoyama (black polo shirt on right)
and OGU golf team captain Yujiro Ohori(black polo shirt on left) posing withgolfers from the University of Texas at
the Amer Ari Invitational held in Hawai‘iVol. 19

Page 3

3. “Inspire Me!” by Susette BurtonAgroup of fresh young talents
served up a helping of inspiration
to Osaka
Gakuin University
students recently with their energetic performance of song and dance
numbers from the famed British musicalmasterpiece “Oliver.”The hour-long performance featured a
lively collection of songs, dances andscenes from “Oliver“, which is based on
Charles Dickens classic novel, Oliver
Twist. The troupe of about 25 performers
and musicians are all members of Japan’s
National Theater of Young Artists, an international theater company that features
young artists performing classic plays,
musicals and operas in English. Members
range from age six to 26 years old.
And while they were certainly enter-

Young performers with Mr. Steckler (far right)

taining and received great reviews fromthose in attendance, the young performers also provided special inspiration for all
who attended the packed performance,
especially for the OGU the students in theaudience.
The “Oliver!” show was the third musical event held as part of OGU’s “InspireMe!” series. It was sponsored by OGU andthe International Center. One of the main
goals of the “Inspire Me!” series is to bringdifferent young performers to OGU to help
inspire OGU students to be more interested in the world and different things.
The “Inspire Me!” series is the brainchildof OGU’s own Professor Theo Steckler. By
bringing in these guest performers, Mr.
Steckler said he wants to show students
that young Japanese are doing greatthings in Japan and throughout the world.
Mr. Steckler, who is also the founderand director of the National Theater ofYoung Artists, said he wants students tobe “positively motivated to not give up on
their dreams and hopes.”
While introducing the performance, Mr.
Steckler told the audience about his troupeof young performers, saying “they are justaverage, normal, everyday kids like you.
They are doing something special in theirlife and they really are inspiring other people.”
And the show was amazing to see as
the entire lively production was done inEnglish. The cast performed scenes from

Young performers playing “Oliver!”“Oliver,” the musical without missing abeat, belting out famous and catchy songs
including “Food Glorious Food,” “Where is
Love?,” “Consider Yourself,” and “You’ve
Got to Pick a Pocket or Two.” The acting
scenes were well done, ranging from humorous at times to moving and poignant.
Following the performance, OGU students had a chance to talk with membersof the cast and take pictures with some ofthem. Those students who attended theperformance said they enjoyed it verymuch and that they were really impressedwith the young performers, especially theyoung boy who played the role of Oliver
Twist.
Students said they couldn’t believe how
well the actors sang their English songs
and performed their roles all in English. In
the end, I think all were truly inspired by
the performers.

4. I-Chat’s Doctor English ProgramB

ack by popular demand, I-Chat’s
Doctor English program is agreat opportunity for Osaka
Gakuin University students to get
one-on-one support from a native English
speaker. Dr. English is one of I-Chat’s
many programs that allow students tochoose a topic of study and work towards
a goal with the help of an OGU professor
who is an expert in English.
I-Chat helps to equip students with thenecessary skills to achieve their futuregoals. Whether their goal is a higher TOEIC score, English homework support, job
placement preparation, or practicing an
English presentation or interview, the Dr.
English program is a resource that students can use to help them quickly attaintheir goals. In addition to I-Chat’s mission
to provide students with an environment

where they can strengthen their ability tocommunicate in international languages,
Dr. English is one of many effective support tools at I-Chat that students can alsoutilize. This tool is not only for students
with specific majors, but is geared to allstudents who have a desire to advancetheir English language skills.
The Dr. English thirty-minute sessions
are open to students three days a week:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Students can schedule appointments
for Dr. English in a manner that best fits
their schedule. When students make theappointment, they must list specific goals,
which help the native speaker better aide
the student’s needs. With these goals in
mind, the benefits of using Dr. English—
such as grasping a better understanding of
the English language and using the lan-

guage in every day conversation—areeasier to attain. During the thirty- minuteappointments students receive customized, one-on-one attention that targets the
topic in English they have requested. They
will also leave with a “prescription,” fromthe Dr. or homework assignments, which
the student then completes independently,

Vol. 19

Page 4to reinforce the skill they are receiving
instruction for.
Masahiro Yotsuya, better known as
Max, is a senior majoring in Hospitality
Business Administration. Max attends IChat daily to improve his English skills. His
goal in visiting Dr. English is to obtain ahigher TOEIC score, and he is specificallyinterested in improving his grammar skills.
When asked about why he made the decision to give Dr. English a try, Max replied,“I took the TOEIC test and noticed that mygrammar needed improvement. I come to I
-Chat to see Dr. English one time a week
and it is very helpful for me. The Doctor
gives me assignments designed to polish
my grammar skills, which we then discuss
in a follow-up appointment.” Max is a great
example of a student who is working hardand using all available resources thatmove him forward towards his future.
Asuka Hara, a senior majoring in Business Administration, is preparing for his
dream of becoming an interpreter in Japanese and English. “I come to Dr. English toadvance my skills in business English andvocabulary, which is really important to aninterpreter’s career. I like the fact that students can choose which skill they want towork on and receive one-on-one attention
from an instructor.” Asuka works continuously to make his dream of interpretingcome true.
Teaching students to set goals and work
hard towards those goals are skills thatthey will need throughout their lives. Given
the opportunity and appropriate resources,a student’s dreams for the future can become a reality. I-Chat is committed tohelping students make their dreams cometrue for all Osaka Gakuin University students who walk through its doors. Dr. English is a unique resource at OGU on“everything” English. Due to the outstanding success, I-Chat is proud to announce
that the Dr. English program will return inthe fall semester!

At print time of this newsletter publication "Taking Off", I-Chat's Dr. English 6week spring semester session has concluded. Stay tuned for the return and further
details of this program for the fall semester. Stop by I-Chat in Bldg. #13 anytime tolearn more about this program as well asother upcoming programs hosted for all
OGU students.

Flavor in Thailand by Sayuri Hiraoka
It is quite hot throughout the year in Thailand,so it makes you really tired even when you walkjust a short distance. A Tuk Tuk is somethingthat helps you to survive in the hot weather! Tuk
Tuk is a three-wheel taxi that can accommodate
up to 8 passengers at the same time. It has nowindows and doors, so the wind feels so goodwhen it is driving fast. Furthermore, in Bangkok
especially, streets often become jammed, so a
Tuk Tuk driving and weaving between cars isthe fastest way to get to your destination. It isalso a thrilling and fun ride. The fare is extremely
cheap, so I recommend you to try it when you goto Thailand. However, you have to be careful ofdrivers asking you to pay an outrageous fare!
(International Center Staff)

International Center
Osaka Gakuin University/Osaka Gakuin Junior College
2-36-1 Kishibe-Minami, Suita City, Osaka 654-8511, Japan
Tel: 81-6-6381-8434 Fax: 81-6-6381-8499
Email: inoffice@ogu.ac.jp