Anna works for Education Perfect
Anna started Japanese at age 12 and continued studying it throughout high school. She went on exchange in 5th form (year 11) and spent a month in Gifu with a host family. Anna also participated in Palmerston North Girls’ High School’s (PNGHS) Japan Tour where she travelled around Japan for three weeks. At Otago University, she studied five Japanese language papers and two culture papers. As well as studying ancient Japanese history, Anna enjoyed exploring various Japanese authors from Fumiko Enchi to Haruki Murakami. All papers integrated Japanese language with culture, history and insights into Japanese society across several centuries, as well as exploring topical issues such as sexual equality, Japanese fashion, and technology.
Motivation to learn Japanese and skills gained
Studying Japanese was compulsory for Anna in Year 8 but she enjoyed it so much that she continued it throughout high school and university. This statement sums up Anna’s thoughts about her Japanese learning:
‘I have gained a great insight into a uniquely different culture, can converse with Japanese people and students studying the language and understand more about their history that has shaped the Japan we know today.’
Current employment
Anna uses her Japanese language daily in her current employment. She works at Education Perfect (previously known as Language Perfect) – which is an online vocabulary learning company. In the future, she is interested in working for an NGO, the UN or WHO, where her language skills would certainly be advantageous.
Time spent in Japan
Anna’s first visit to Japan was while still at school, when she spent a month in Gifu on a reciprocal exchange. Even though she felt her Japanese was limited at the time, her listening improved dramatically and was a great help for NCEA listening tests on her return! The PNGHS Japan tour – from Tokyo down to Hiroshima and up to Sapporo followed. This visit enabled Anna to experience many different aspects of Japan from regional food to dialects to cultural etiquettes. She felt she was able to broaden her awareness of lots of different aspects of Japanese society – and she loved the Harajuku fashion! On her third visit to Japan, Anna was part of the Kizuna project, initiated by the Japanese Government and Japanese Embassy in New Zealand. It was a 10 day trip from Tokyo to Aizu-Wakamatsu in the Fukushima prefecture. Of this trip, Anna says:
Our eyes were opened to the continuing effects of the 2011 tsunami and the economic repercussions for businesses in the area; not just from the tsunami but also from rumours about contaminated produce and goods. This visit helped me understand what people were going through – the most harrowing moment was visiting a set of houses established for those who’d had to abandon their homes due to the tsunami and radiation. They were tiny places, with families having to travel a great distance to commute to their jobs or to school. I can still remember the bravery we saw there, and the determination to continue life as normally as possible.
New Zealand Ship for World Youth (SWY)
Anna has recently been selected for the New Zealand Ship for World Youth Delegation January-February 2015, where ten New Zealand government representatives stay in Tokyo and Yokohama, visiting institutions and home staying. They board a Japanese navy vessel, the Nippon Maru, to sail down to Okinawa, back up to Iwate prefecture before disembarking at Tokyo. During the course of the three-week programme, all 220 delegates (from India, Peru, Turkey, Oman, Brazil, Kenya to name a few) attend seminars, management meetings, and discussions on various topics ranging from Cross Cultural Understanding to Education on Sustainability to Volunteerism.
Upon their return to New Zealand, the Kiwi delegation will host a Japanese contingent for a week, travelling around the North Island exploring New Zealand’s native flora and fauna, history, and culture. The theme for the 27th SWY conference is “We are the Change”. Anna feels very fortunate to have been selected for this incredible opportunity. Delegates from New Zealand have attended 15 of the 27 SWY conferences and world leaders, such as Helen Clark, have also participated in this venture.