We had an interview with S who learned through NICO Project from Kinki region since January 2019.

He passed a high school entrance exam in March.

 

You can watch his interview which is summarised in the following video.

 

 

The following is the transcript of the whole interview.

 

 

New school life

Interviewer: Are you going to high school this spring?

S: Yes.

 

I: How do you feel?

S: I feel nervous, haha.

 

I: Is there any Filipino student at school?

S: Yeah, but a few.

 

I: Did you see them?

S: Not yet.

 

I: How about the other international students?

S: I met one when I took the entrance exam. He is Brazilian. But he is good at speaking Japanese because he graduated from junior high school here in Japan.

 

I: Did you talk to him?

S: Yes, I did.

 

I: In Japanese?

S: No, in English, haha. But I talked to him first in Japanese, to ask his name.

 

I: Can he speak English?

S: A little.

 

 

 

How he felt about NICO Project

I: How did you feel when you were learning through NICO Project? Was it your first time to study online?

S: Yes, it was. At first, I felt nervous.

 

I: Why did you feel nervous?

S: Because I did not know how to speak Japanese. But I wanted to learn. And, when I entered the NICO Project, I was happy when I met some other students that are foreigners. At first, it was hard for me and my sister because of the language barrier. But when you study Japanese, it takes time.

 

I: How did it feel to see your teacher and classmates over the computer screen?

S: At first, it felt awkward. But if you continue, it feels natural. When I was studying online, I felt I was not belonging there (in the beginning). But when I went on, I felt like I was belonging in the NICO Project.

 

I: Did you talk to your classmates during the classes?

S: No. But when there was an activity, we talked.

 

 

 

What he wants to do in high school

I: What do you want to do in high school?

S: I want to study, make friends and play basketball.

 

I: Did you play basketball back in the Philippines?

S: Yes, I did. In the university. We won a lot of championships.

But I came here in Japan because my mother wanted to. So, that’s why I want to study hard so that I can help my mother and my father because they know a little bit of Japanese.

 

I: What do your parents do?

S: Both of them work at factories at night. I think it’s hard.

 

 

 

His dream

I: Do you have any dream?

S: Yes. I have a dream. I want to be a policeman.

 

I: In Japan?

S: Yeah, anywhere.

 

 

 

Message

I: Give a message to those who are considering to learn through NICO.

S: If you want to study Japanese… Studying Japanese is hard at first but when you keep going, you will find it easy. Me, I’m still learning too.

Japanese learning, it takes time to learn it. It’s not like just a snap, you know. It takes time. And patience. There is a saying that “patience is a virtue.”