School: School Without Walls

Grade: 12th

Zodiac Sign: Aries/Year of the Dragon

Interests/Activities:

I am a fanatic of nature as well as traveling, a big fan of Rock and Roll and Jazz ( or any kind of music). I love to run, walk, hike, play basketball and soccer. I’m interested in world culture, mostly Latin America, and Japanese culture. I’m a video game player, language learner, and culture learner, love to get lost in the forest while listening to some music and start to feel passionate about reading.

Academic/Career Interests:

I’m Interested in International Relationships, International Business, Computer Science as well Psychology. I’m looking for a career that helps me connect with people around the world to share my culture and other cultures as well. I will discover a way from this career to connect the world and show that the world is bigger than just one city.

 How I ended up in Japanese Plus? 

Since I can remember, Japanese culture was everywhere around me. Programs such as Dragon Ball, Pokemon, and other animations were the ones that attract me the most. While I was raised with these animations, I discovered where their origin comes from – Japan. Everyday when I had time, I will look for information about Japan on the internet.  I learn about their food, their manners, and their religion. I was fascinated with the documentaries on TV about the nature and the magic places inside that country. Unfortunately, their language was something I couldn’t learn because there is no such thing as a Japanese club or some class in El Salvador and also there is some rejection to those who are interested in Japanese culture, rejecting those who enjoy what this fascinating culture can bring us.  After the realization that I will never be able to go to Japan or at least learn Japanese, my dreams were reduced to just imagine how the country is, thanks to the anime.  Of course, that was never enough for me, a kid who loves to eat from everyone plates, I was determined to travel to Japan and see those passages from the internet, eat their delicious food and of course visiting where the animations of my childhood were born.

At the same time as when I moved all way to the US, I was really excited to be in another country and I was hoping to encounter some Japanese people to ask them tons of questions. It happens one day, one day I was hearing in my school about a program to travel to Japan, and of course, I jump right in the conversation in order to join right away. Filling the application and a severe suspense after an interview, I was able to accomplish my dream to meet Japanese people and my biggest dream to travel to Japan. In my TOMODACHI trip to the country of the rising sun, I couldn’t express myself correctly to those who never spoke English before. I fell in love with the country and the people. I felt at home in Japan as soon I landed and I made my first steps outside the airport. I saw Tokyo and Tohoku. I knew that there is the place I belong to and there is where I want to live. In order to accomplish the dreams I came out with when I was in Japan. I need to first fully understand the culture and to do this I have to learn the language first. This is a brave resume of how I ended up in Japanese Plus, but I have a sense that this story will continue and sense that this program is going to guide me to my dreams.