Привет from Yusei: New Intern from Japan!
Всем привет! My name is Yusei from Japan and I will be working and learning Russian with Liden and Denz as an intern for the next two months! Before embarking upon a new life as a Blogger/Media assistant in Moscow, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself, using this first blog post of mine!
I graduated from the University of Edinburgh last month with a Master’s degree in English teaching, and will start working in Japan next March as a language learning consultant. Although my academic interest was in how language is learnt, how to learn/teach it effectively and how to motivate language learners, I had not had a chance for myself to learn a second foreign language overseas. That led me to think: Why not spend this little break between study and my first professional job on experiencing a new culture and learning a language outside Japan? Luckily, I found this wonderful internship programme with Liden and Denz, and decided to join this team to learn Russian language and share with others a beauty of the Russian language and culture through blogs and other media!
Actually, this is my sixth time in Russia (what a surprise?), having visited various places including St. Petersburg, Kazan, Vladivostok and Ryazan! However, each visit has never been the same, and the more I explored about Russia, the more interesting things I found! Firstly, this is because Russia is so huge that different regions have its own traditions. More importantly, what you can see in any culture and language is just a tip of iceberg! I believe that culture and language can be understood by active interaction and deep immersion with people and their lives. Therefore, I am excited to spend the next two months here in Moscow, interacting with people and learning Russian in order to explore more about the beauty of this country!
Finally, let me finish my first post by quoting my favourite and most admirable figure, Steve Jobs:
“Stay hungry, stay foolish”
It was given to graduate students at his commencement speech at University of Stanford, meaning, as I interpreted, that never be satisfied, and always challenge yourself. While this is a good life lesson, what this suggests is perfectly suited for language learning as well. Language learning is a life long journey. I should not be satisfied with my current proficiency, and need to be brave, sometime foolishly, to get out of comfort zone in order to use the target language! I have always had this quote in mind, and that’s one of the reasons I am here in Moscow: deepening further my knowledge and skill in Russian, getting out of my home country, Japan!
Getting a little bit long, but yes, this is me! Thank you for reading this post and I am so happy to embark upon my short yet valuable journey here in Moscow, and to have a chance share with you a bit of this wonderful experience through this blog!
