Laila

Hi everyone! My name is Laila and I am from Los Angeles, California. I have two brothers and four dogs. Two of the dogs are Siberian Huskies and two of them are Mini Schnauzers.

My friend and I on vacation.

My dog Allegra

I am currently twenty two years old and go to school in Ohio, a long way from home. I’ve gotten used to the cold Ohio winters and love hanging out with my friends and attending events at school. I am a senior in college and an English and Cinema Studies double major. In my free time I love playing soccer, reading, dancing, going outside and hanging out with my friends.

Los Angeles, California, USA

This is my first trip to Japan and I’m excited to get to know all of the English students at Ibaraki Christian University. I’m excited to plan activities and learn about the students and help them better their English skills.

Thanks!

Jordan Nelner

Hello All!

My name is Jordan Nelner, and I am a 5th year student slowly aiming for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta. My major is East Asian Studies with a focus on Japanese language and culture, and my Minor is in Art and Design.

5th Year Installation Piece – Plastic

4th year Drawing Final – Self Portrait

I really enjoy drawing, and was never brave enough to attempt it seriously in school until my 3rd year in school. So by this time I had finished most of my Japanese studies and was solely focused on this brand new minor. This unfortunately hit my speaking ability as I spent two years without much practice at all.

Now, pretty much at the end of my degree, I’ve gotten this chance to come to IC where I have managed to regain much of what I had lost and have a new confidence when speaking. I hope to use this to move forward towards the Jet Program, and maybe even step foot into the art community here in an attempt to mix these 2 passions (and somehow find a job with this mix-matched degree, haha).

Jonathan Long

Hey, my name is Jonny and I’m an intern here at IC.

Me at Edomura on the amazing Nikko trip!

I come from Cambridge, England and I am 20 years old. At the moment I am studying Ancient History at the University of Kent in Canterbury. My focus is on Ancient Greece and Rome and I graduate next year.

Cambridge

In my free time I like to read, watch TV, play badminton and go out with friends. I love cats and have a pet tortoise which is over 100 years old called Joey. My favourite movie is called Gladiator and my favourite series of books is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

After University I plan to go on the JET Programme to teach English in Japan for which this internship will be amazing experience.

Jet Programme

I have never been to Japan before but am really loving being here. The food is amazing and it’s a really pretty country. My favourite Japanese food is Ramen because it’s really delicious.

I am really enjoying getting to know you all and learning about Japanese culture.

GraceAnne Stokes

Hey y’all! My name is GraceAnne Stokes, and I’m from South Carolina, USA. I attend the University of South Carolina, and there I study Spanish, Global Studies, and Linguistics. Although I study Spanish, I am very interested in Japanese language and culture, and so I am very excited to spend an entire summer here in Japan! It’s my first time in Japan, but I went to Mexico last year to study Spanish. I had a lot of really awesome experiences there!

Very happy (and tired!) after climbing a pyramid in Mexico.

I really love teaching English and sharing my experiences with students, so after I graduate, I’d like to teach English. I’d really love to return to Japan to teach, if possible! My hobbies include reading, going to coffeeshops with my friends, and playing with my cats. 🙂 I have three cats, and they’re all very, very fat, but I love them.

All three of my cats: Mew, Olivia, and Nox!

I look forward to meeting all of you and seeing you in Chat Hour! 🙂

Grace Eastwood

Hey! My name is Grace Eastwood. I was born in Essex and then moved to Suffolk. Now, I go to the University of Kent in Canterbury and am studying Asian Studies and Classical and Archaeological Studies which means I get to learn Japanese and study Asian, Roman and Greek religions and history. I really want to become an English teacher in Japan after I finish university next year.

This is one half of the University of Kent Library

I have been to Japan once before for a short sponsored holiday which was really fun. I was able to go all around the Tokyo area and see lots of really amazing things. That is one of the main reasons I wanted to come back to Japan and also learn Japanese.

This is me from when I went on holiday to Portugal

I love painting, music and cats and have a cat of my own called Arwen. She is named after a ‘Lord of the Rings’ character and is really cute.

This is my cat

Thanks for reading!

Sweet from Sydney, Australia

Hi everyone! My name is Sweet and I am writing to you as I’m taking a little stroll in my neighbourhood in a suburb called Wentworth Point situated in Sydney, Australia. I live here with my mum and older brother.

Taking a stroll around my neighbourhood

I am a 3rd year Exercise Physiology student at the University of Sydney, scheduled to graduate in 2020. Although completely irrelevant to my degree at uni, I absolutely love Japan, its culture, scenery, people and food, and I have been studying Japanese since year 9 (grade 3 juniour high).

The University of Sydney

In a kimono at Asakusa, Tokyo

My hobbies include dancing, photography and exploring/discovering hidden gems with friends. Below is one of the hidden beaches in Sydney and one of my favourites to swim at (Murray Rose Pool)!

Murray Rose Pool at Sunset

With my besties at Bondi Beach, Sydney

I’m stoked to have been given the opportunity to intern at IC and I look forward to meeting you all! 🙂

Sweet

Uria Thomas Introduction

Hello, my name is Uria Thomas and I am from Denton Texas. I am 21 years old, and am currently a fourth year student at the University of North Texas. I am studying Rehabilitation with a minor in Psychology.

I have a part time job on the weekends and a couples days during the week, so I stay very busy. During the summer I work full time. I work for Vivint, a home security company. I sell security systems and home automation. I travel often for work. So far this year I have been to Utah, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and different parts of Texas! My favorite was Utah. Here is a picture of me canyoneering with some of my coworkers in Zion Utah this past summer!

I live in Denton Texas with my younger sister close to my university, but my parents live in Weatherford Texas, with our dog! Her name is Casper and she is a big white German Shepard.

I love traveling and have visited many places in the United States and Europe. My dad was in the United States military so I have moved and lived in many places. I have lived in Nebraska, Iceland, England, and now Texas. My favorite place so far has been Iceland. I really enjoyed hiking and seeing the glaciers and geysers there. I was only 8 when we moved there, so some day I hope to go back to visit again. Here is a picture of me and my family at one of the waterfalls in Iceland!

This is my first time in Asia. I am really excited to work and travel here and look forward to learning more about the Japanese culture and customs. My favorite Japanese food is udon and I really like matcha tea!

In my free time I like listening to music, running, hiking, and reading a good book. If you have recommendations for good hiking spots please let me know. (:

About me : Arianna Trudu

Hello guys. I am Arianna, one of the new interns. I am really happy to meet you all and I hope to see you in Chat Hours. I am from Cagliari, a small city in Sardinia, Italy, but I study in Portsmouth, England.

My family includes my parents and one younger brother who studies at the University of Portsmouth too.

I study International Relations and Politics and I will  be graduated in two year time. Please feel free to talk to me if you want to discuss anything in the news or anything else you are particularly interested in.

My hometown is Cagliari, it is on the southern coast of Sardinia, one of the two biggest islands in Italy ( the other big one is Sicily!).

I live very close to the beach, therefore in my free time I love to go on a nice walk on the beach in winter and to sunbathe in summer!

This is Cala Mariolu, one of my favorite beaches in Sardinia! I love to go there and spend some quality time with my family in summer.

If you ever plan to come to Italy I would definitely recommend you to go there!

I hope you liked my introduction and see you at Chat Hours !

About Me: Ashley Van Wie

Hello everyone! My name is Ashley Van Wie, and I am one of the interns for the Fall/Winter school year. I will be here in Japan until January 25th, I look forward to meeting all of you!

I was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida with my mother, father, and older brother. My family also includes three cats and one puppy! I’ve grown up with a lot of pets and really love animals.

I am currently twenty-two years old and a third-year sociolinguistics student at the University of Florida. I will be graduating in another year or so with my B.A. and a certificate to teach English abroad. I actually go to the same school as Jessica Ramos, one of the summer interns, and have been friends a while now!

Some of my hobbies include going to the beach, going to concerts, spending time at Disney World, and practicing makeup. Florida is famous for their beaches and my family loves to spend our summers at Clearwater Beach just south of my home.

Bach home in Florida, I work part-time as a barista. I work at a vegan café and bakery called Karma Cream where I make lattes, cappuccinos, and Americanos to name a few things. I really love coffee and espresso, so please show me some really nice coffee shops here in Japan!

I look forward to meeting everyone and getting to spend time with students! 🙂

About Me: Amy Furney

Hello! My name is Amy and I am from England. I am a third year student at the University of Surrey and my major is in English Literature.

My university is in Surrey, England, but my mother and sister live in London. Here is a picture of our street in the winter:

The rest of my family live in Switzerland. We all speak German together.

I have been studying Japanese for about a year and spent one month at a language school in Tokyo. It was a lot of fun and I am happy to be back in Japan. My favourite Japanese food is Miso soup and soba. Ibaraki is very famous for natto, and I look forward to trying it while I am here.

In my free time I love cooking, reading books, yoga, running and weightlifting. When doing these, I like to listen to music and go to concerts too; British and American rock music, Korean pop music, Japanese classical music… the list is endless!

I also really enjoy studying Japanese with a nice cup of coffee, so if you have any coffee shop recommendations, please let me know.

If you have any questions about English, England, please let me know. I am always happy to help students improve their English and prepare for exams, presentations and help with homework. I also brought some practice reading activities from the UK if you wanted to see what students overseas study!

See you at chat hour and at lunch!