Kimberley is an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET programme in Japan.
Japanese language education
Secondary:
Studied five years at secondary school
Tertiary:
Completed a Diploma in Language and Culture at University of Otago, – culture-based papers including Japanese film, literature, history and contemporary Japanese society
Motivation to begin studying Japanese
Kimberley has family members who are Japanese so when she started at a high school where studying a second language was compulsory, her choice to learn Japanese was straightforward. She acknowledges the constant challenge of Japanese but is rewarded with an increased ability to converse and feels a sense of achievement when she can work out the gist of newspaper articles.
Skills gained
Kimberley quickly realised the value of learning Japanese, recognising that not only did it open her mind to a new culture and ways of thinking, but it helped her develop new learning strategies. She believes that learning Japanese is like solving a puzzle- trying to find all the right pieces to make a correct sentence, or decoding the right way to read a kanji. Kimberley also thinks that learning Japanese helps build problem-solving skills and lateral thinking skills. She says:
Learning about another culture, their traditions and customs is also valuable in building tolerance, understanding and flexibility. The more we learn about each other, the more we are able to accomplish as a team.
Current employment
Kimberley is currently working in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher as part of the JET programme. Located in a rural village, there are few English speakers around so Kimberley considers her knowledge of Japanese language and culture essential to her daily life as she adapts to her new lifestyle.
Travel
Kimberley’s first visits to Japan on a school trip and later on a personal trip inspired her passion and encouraged her to study harder. With such a different history and culture to New Zealand, Kimberley has embraced her current opportunity to live in Japan, relishing the daily challenges (like sorting out the rubbish) and putting her knowledge into practice. She is even keen to acquire some of the local village dialect.
Kimberley completed her Japanese studies in 2011.