By Yui Yoshioka
Wenatchee Valley College
It has been a month since I started my new life in Wenatchee Valley College. I found many differences between Japan and America. Also, there were some difficulties and a lot of great experiences.
One thing I noticed is the difference between the number of courses to take in a week. I have only three courses a week. The three courses are English Writing, Career Life Planning, and English Communication. Each course has a class every day and one class is only for 60 minutes. Although the number of the courses is less, I get a lot of homework after every class.
I was surprised at the number of courses that I must take in the United States, because I used to take ten or more courses while I was in Japan. At the University of Shimae, I had many different courses every day, and one class meeting was 90 minutes.
It is hard for me to speak in class. So far I think that I am not good at group work because my classmates speak very fast and it is difficult to say my opinions quickly. So I raise my hand and answer to the teacher’s questions sometimes. In order not to fail to hear important things, I record my instructor’s voice in every class and listen to it when I come back to my dorm. On Tuesday and Thursday, free tutoring is offered for the international students. I usually ask questions to my tutors about difficult points of my homework.
The life in my dormitory is comfortable and I made many friends there. My roommate Chris is a nice person. He gives me his sodas, apples, and cookies sometimes. There is a common kitchen, and when I cook dishes, I often meet someone who lives in the same floor, and conversation begins. This is my way of making friends. I usually cook some sort of spaghettis such as tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Recently, we decorated our common area for Halloween. This kind of events make me feel I am really in the American culture.
In my free time and during weekends, I usually go shopping. Fortunately, the students of WVC can ride on every bus for free of charge, so I use the bus to a supermarket. I like to buy fruits. Wenatchee is famous for apples, so if you come here, you should try them. They are very good! When I miss Japanese foods, I buy chicken, teriyaki sauce, and rice which can be cooked with microwave, and cook a bowl of teriyaki chicken. I also like to explore the town. I’ve been to Town Toyota Center, which is the biggest skate rink in Wenatchee, Pybus Market, and Columbia River. I went there by free bus and each place is very good.
My life in Wenatchee, including studying, is extremally enjoyable! I want to try many new things while I am here and I will keep studying hard to be able to use English fluently.
