Akiko is a Japanese teacher who works in a
government school in Hatyai, Thailand. She is a music teacher by profession with
a great talent for playing the piano. In 2007, I got an opportunity to meet her
at a tea party organized by a group of Japanese teachers in Songkla province. While
I was having a conversation with her over a cup of tea, she told me what
inspired her to learn English when she was in Japan. Since she was a high school
student, she wanted to work in a foreign country. In order to fulfill her
ambition, since then she began to focus her attention to study conversational
English. As was often the case with South East Asian countries, English was
then not widely used in Japanese social context. Therefore, anyone wishing to
study oral English was required to attend a formal educational institution
where oral English was specifically taught.
As indicated
by Akiko, her family could not afford to send her to a private English language
school. Therefore, Akiko had to wait patiently until the right time came. According
to Japanese culture, when a girl becomes an adult, they hold a ceremony called “Coming
of age” which is regarded as a significant milestone in a girl’s life. The
parents want their daughters attired in Yukatas, a traditional Japanese formal
dress despite their high price. When Akiko became an adult, her parents attempted
to buy a Yukatas for Akiko. But Akiko knew that buying a Yukatas would cost
their parents a big amount of money, exactly an amount similar to the tuition
fee of an English course conducted in a private language school in her city.
Even though she would love to wear a Yukatas as other girls of her age did, she
resisted her temptation because she could understand the importance of learning
an international language such as English would be more beneficial for her life
in the future than a Yukatas. She decided not to buy the traditional dress
instead she wanted her parents to spend that money for her English education.
Her parents agreed to what she requested so she could attend the English language
school and studied oral English to a considerably good level. When she was
confident in using English proficiently, she left Japan. Now she lives and
works in Thailand.
The story
of Akiko indicates that one should be prepared to sacrifice today for the sake
of tomorrow.
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