Starting a New Chapter at 42: Chen-san Journey
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
We already have a tradition of sharing stories about unusual and inspiring students of our Culture and Language Academy of Yamanashi (we call it CLAY).
Most of our students arrive at the age of 19–25. However, in October 2024, a much more mature student joined us. She is someone who graduated from school long ago, once studied to become a nurse, and has a family as well as rich life experience.
Usually, our introduction blog posts are written in an interview format. However, Chen-san prepared a personal self-introduction (自己紹介、じこしょうかい) about herself, which answers all the questions that readers might have.
Below, we share the English translation. If you would like to read her self-introduction in the original Japanese, the Japanese version of this post will be uploaded soon.
CLAY： Konnichiwa! Chen san, can you please briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
Chen： Konnichiwa! My name is Chen Haixia, and I am from China.
CLAY： You are a second-year student of a 1,5-year Advanced Japanese Language course. If not a secret, how old were you when you enrolled into Culture and Language Academy of Yamanashi?
Chen： I enrolled in October 2024, so at that time I was 42 years old.
CLAY： What made you decide to go abroad at this stage of your life, and why did you choose Japan?
Chen： I first came to Japan three years ago, when my child came to Japan to study abroad. After that, I visited Japan several times and gradually grew to love the country. Yamanashi Prefecture, in particular, has very beautiful nature, including mountains and rivers, and I can see Mount Fuji every day.
Because of this, I began to hope that I could come here as well, study, and live together with my child.
CLAY： Are you happy with your decision to study with CLAY?
Chen： Yes. After enrolling at Yamanashi Foreign Language Academy, I met very kind and caring teachers and lovely classmates. I study together with my classmates every day, I grow together with them, and I spend my days full of enjoyment. Through my studies at Yamanashi Foreign Language Academy, my Japanese ability has improved greatly.
CLAY： What was difficult when you first came to Japan, and how is it now?
Chen： When I first came to Japan, my Japanese was not sufficient, so I faced many difficulties, such as procedures at the city office and renting an apartment. Now, I am able to talk about these matters in Japanese without any problems. CLAY： As a Chinese person who came from a country with Kanji, many people would think that it made your Japanese language studies easier. What was the easiest and the toughest part of your studies?
Chen： Of course, the easiest part was kanji, the writing and sounds are either the same or very similar. So, dokkai (reading comprehension) is not a problem for me. But I choukai (Listening comprehension), and Kaiwa (conversation) are pretty hard, but I am trying my best.
CLAY： You have classes every day from Monday to Friday. Can you please tell us about your typical day?
Chen： My current daily routine is as follows: I work part-time at a caregiving facility from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., attend classes at school from 1:00 p.m. to 4:10 p.m., go grocery shopping after school, cook after returning home, and study and review Japanese in the evening. My daily life is very fulfilling, and I am learning a great deal and truly enjoying my current life.
My daily life is very fulfilling, and I am learning a great deal and truly enjoying my current life.
CLAY： It is so pleasant to hear that our student is happy. After graduating from our Academy, you plan to enter a vocational school, correct? What field would you like to study?
Chen： Yes. Through my studies at school, I came to want to advance to a vocational school.
I studied nursing in China, and as Japan’s population is aging, I believe that the demand for caregiving staff will continue to increase in the future.
In addition, Japan’s caregiving and welfare technologies are world-renowned, and its facilities are very advanced. For these reasons, I decided to enter a vocational school specializing in caregiving.
For these reasons, I decided to enter a vocational school specializing in caregiving.
CLAY： What kind of preparation did you do to enter vocational school?
Chen： The principal of Yamanashi Foreign Language Academy considered my situation very thoughtfully and, after understanding my wishes, introduced me to a part-time job at a caregiving facility near the school. By working part-time at a caregiving facility, I was able to experience actual caregiving work, and through interacting with Japanese supervisors and coworkers, my Japanese improved even further.
Currently, I have been working at a caregiving facility for about ten months and have gained many valuable experiences. I work 24 hours a week, and my salary is very helpful in covering my living expenses.
CLAY： What are you planning to do after graduating from CLAY? Chen： I have already been accepted to a caregiving vocational school, and my enrollment has been confirmed. My two-year vocational school life will soon begin. After graduation, I plan to remain in Japan and work in the caregiving field.
In preparation for entering the caregiving vocational school, the teachers provided me with maximum support and helped me prepare all the necessary application documents.
Furthermore, before the entrance examination, they gave me extensive guidance, including interview practice, how to write essays, and how to prepare my statement of purpose.
I am sincerely grateful for the teachers’ full support. I have already studied at Yamanashi Foreign Language Academy for over a year and will soon be graduating.
CLAY： Thank you very much for sharing this. I think our teachers will be very happy to see how much you appreciated them and their efforts. Is sounds like you are enjoying your time here at CLAY. Can you share your most memorable experience at the academy? Chen： My strongest impression is that the principal and teachers are very kind and caring, have excellent teaching skills, and provide a great deal of support regarding classmates’ part-time jobs and advancement to universities or vocational schools. The classmates are also united and full of consideration for one another.
Yamanashi Foreign Language Academy is like a warm and large family, and the life and studies here have been an extremely valuable and wonderful experience in my life. I love this school!
I love this school!
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