Draft Essay 2-02a: My favorite place

I will tell you about my favorite place. My favorite place is my hometown. My hometown is Yoshino. Yoshino is in Kawachi Town, Kumamoto City. My hometown has a lot of good points. I will introduce them to you.

One of good points is nature of my hometown. My hometown is full of nature. First, my hometown has Mt. Kinpo. The mountain is the highest mountain in Kumamoto City. When you climb Mt. Kinpo, you can see beautiful scenery. I especially like night view from top of the mountain. It was so beautiful. I’m touched whenever I see it. I want you to see it. Secondly, my hometown has special products. They are mandarin oranges and pears. Most of people who live in my hometown are farming family. My grandfather also makes mandarin oranges. Autumn is the best season for mandarin oranges and pears, so people are very busy now. However, mandarin oranges and pears that are made in my hometown are so delicious! I love them.

Thirdly, animals also live in my hometown. I have ever seen wild boars and wild rabbits. I often hear the song of birds. And more, there are fireflies in the river. In summer, they glow at night. They are so beautiful. Lastly, it is said that Soseki Natsume visited my hometown. It is related to his novel “Kusamakura.” There are four stone monuments that are written haiku in my hometown. These haiku were made by him.

Also, I have a lot of memories in my hometown. There are my nursery school, my elementary school and junior high school, and I have memories at each place. When I was a child, I really enjoyed playing with friends at nursery school. When I was an elementary school student, I reared larval fireflies and planted in the river. When I was a junior high school student, I held 60th anniversary events. I was unforgettable beauty of mizu-akari. Mizu-akari is a light which are made of bamboo. I had a good time with my friends who were from same town until I was in junior high school. I have known my oldest friend since I was in nursery school. 

That is why I like my hometowns. My hometown is full of nature and has a lot of memories for me. If anything, my hometown is rural, but the relationship between people is close. I was born and grew up in my hometown. I’m proud of my hometown.

[410/6604 words]

Essays 1-03a: Language Learning Histories

I have learned three languages (including my mother tongue: Japanese) by now. I like learning languages, and I enjoy it. I’ll look back upon how I learned languages. Moreover, I want to learn more languages, so I’ll tell you. The following is my language learning histories.

When I was a baby, I cried and laughed instead of speaking language. As I grew up, I was taught Japanese by parents and grandparents. I imitated their voices, so I could speak Japanese. I heard that the word I first speak was “mama” from my mother. When I was a child, I went to the nursery school. I learned language from teachers and friends. I like teachers, so I always talked with them. Moreover, teachers read picture books and told stories illustrated with picture cards. Also, I always played and talked with my friends. When I heard words I didn’t know, I imitated and used the words right away.

I started to learn Japanese when I was in elementary school. First, I learned hiragana, katakana and kanji. After that, I read simple writings and wrote compositions at the classes. I came to be able to read and write. When I was in junior high school, I started to learn ancient writings in addition to modern language. Also, I took Kanken. I studied kanji very hard, and I passed it. When I was in high school, I read more difficult writings. I also learned grammar of ancient writings and Chinese writings, and I came to be able to read classics. As I studied Japanese, I could increase my vocabulary.

I started to have interest in English when I was a child. I like Disney anime very much, so my mother bought me English teaching materials. I use them, and I enjoy learning English while I playing with them. I started to go to English conversation school every Saturday when I was in the 4th grade in elementary school. First, I learned alphabet and pronunciations. After that, I learned basic conversations. I enjoyed learning English there, so I came to like English. When I became a junior high school student, I started to learn basic grammar and reading. I also took Eiken. I joined speech contests and stage a play at a school festival. When I was in high school, I learned more difficult grammar and reading. Now, I’m majoring in English in my college. I try hard to improve four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. I want to get high score of TOEIC!

I learned German last year. I chose German because I’m interested in it. I learned grammar and pronunciation. I thought there are similarities between German and English. I could enjoy learning German, but it is very difficult for me. I can’t speak German, so I want to learn conversation in German.

I want to learn other languages. First, I want to learn Korean because I’m interested in Korea. I like K-pop music and Korean dramas. Second, I want to learn Chinese because China has developed rapidly recently. Lastly, I want to learn Italian because Italy is attractive to me. Italy is the place I want to visit the most.

In this way I learned languages. And more, I will continue to learn languages. I showed my interest in English when I was a child, which is a start I learn languages. I like learning languages now, so I want to enjoy studying. I want to improve my skills of English and other languages!

[583 words]

Essay 1-02a: University life

There are a lot of exchange students at Kumamoto Gakuen University. To enjoy life at KGU, I think there are things I want them to know about KGU. I will give some examples.

One thing exchange students will need know is the beginning time of the classes. First period starts at 9:00 a.m. It starts so early, so please be careful to late for the class. Second period starts at 10:40 a.m. After finishing the class of second period, we have a lunch time. Third period starts at 1:00 p.m. Fourth period starts at 2:40 p.m. Fifth period starts at 4:20 p.m. The time between the classes is only ten minutes, so we have to hurry a preparation for next class.

Something else they’ll want to know is the library at KGU. The library is very large and has a lot of books. There are novels, dictionaries, newspapers, picture books, data, and so on. These are written not only in Japanese but also in foreign languages, for example, English, Chinese, Korean, and so on. Computers are set up there. When students must hand in a paper, they often go to the library because they can get a lot of information. Also, there is AV room. We can watch DVDs and listen to CDs. The library is quiet, so we can use the library to study by ourselves or with friends. I recommend making the most of the library.

Also, there is English Lounge at KGU. This is the place that students talk and play games with exchange students. We have to speak only English there, so KGU students improve English ability. Exchange students will make a lot of friends there. Exchange students come to Japan alone, so they are sometimes worried about a variety of things. When they are nervous, they had better go to English Lounge. They can get rid of worry and have a good time.

I’m in the department of English, so I want to deepen exchange with exchange students. If you have things you don’t know about KGU, please ask me anything! I hope that exchange students have a good time at KGU and in Japan.

[360 words]

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