NCC volume2---February

North Central College
Volume 2 --- February


１　Dorm
There are 11 dorms on campus.
・ Kimmel Hall
- Many International students are living in this dorm.
- There are private showers, toilets, and kitchens.
・ Peter & Paul Hall
- I am living here. There are no international students, but I can spend time with American students and can make many friends, so I think it is good for me to live here.
・ Student village
- Many Japanese students are living in this dorm.
・ Seager Hall
・ Rall Hall
・ Geiger Hall
・ Townhomes
・ Seybert Hall
・ Ptterson Hall
・ Ward Hall
・ Blue House
※ Room Features:
Air-Conditioning, TV, Network/Internet connections, twin bed, desks, chairs, dressers, window blinds, room phone, sink. Many international students ask roommates to share a fridge, microwave oven, DVD player, etc. And we can also borrow bath & hand towels, sheets, pillow, bedclothes, etc, from the International Office.
※ Building Amenities:
Washers and dryers

I am living in Peter & Paul Hall with my roommate Katie who is really nice, kind and funny. We are all good friends, so we often plan birthday parties, watch movies, and go outside to eat Japanese and Chinese food. I really like spending time with my friends. We are planning to do volunteer work together and send valentine’s cards to soldiers who are going to Iraq.
But sometimes it is difficult to live with American girls. For example, they are all night owls, so they make noise at midnight. I have to get up early for a morning class, so they annoy me. At first I hesitated to ask them to be quiet, and endured every night. But this week I tried to ask them to keep silent after 12. As a result, they acceded to my request willingly. They speak their mind plainly and also they want friends to speak their mind plainly. At first I felt a loss but now I decided to say my opinion clearly to my friends.


２　Class
Students here speak their mind. When they cannot understand what the teacher is saying, when they have questions, or when they have other ideas, they always speak their mind. So class often consists of heated debate. And they never withdraw until they understand. In Japan it is usual to listen to professor’s lecture silently, but here if we do not say our own opinion, it means we are not interested in the class and we are bored. So every professor gives me a chance to give my opinions in the class. For example, in education class my professor sometimes asks me about the Japanese education system, or lets me compare Japanese and American education system. It was really hard for me at first, but now I am happy because this means that I am a member of the class, and can give my friends other viewpoints of Japan. My next goal is to give my opinions without being asked by professors.
We have a large quantity of homework. This week I have to write two papers, to read hundreds of assignments, to prepare for mimic moral teaching, and I have a quiz. It takes a long time to complete my assignments. This is natural in USA. So the library is always full of students. And they study hard by competing with each other. I realized that our job is studying hard, and I thought their diligence is a good example for us to follow. Last night I talked with my friends about tuition fees. My friends said to me, “In the USA some students work a couple years to save money before they enter the colleges, and some students borrow huge scholarship for college by themselves. So we desire good quality of education, and we study hard.” I thought they are independent from their parents, and by paying money by themselves they can make a strong effort.
I really feel the lack of my computer skills. I have never used Power-Point in my class before, and also teachers seldom use it. Here many teachers use it and we have to use it for our presentation. And also I did not have enough knowledge of how to use excel. So to complete my paper I had to learn how to use Power-Point and excel at first. It is usual to have enough computer skills here, so I am really surprised. I thought I have to acquire the ability to use computers well as soon as possible.
I think the students of USA are a little untidy, because they eat and drink during classes, and they chew gum even if they are doing presentation. I thought Japanese students have virtue, so I am proud of our attitude toward classes.


３ Future Student
One of my friends will go to Iwate University next fall term. She is really excited to go to Iwate. North central College has partnership with some Japanese Colleges: 青山学院大学, 神田外語大学, 京都学院大学. Tokyo and Kyoto are very famous cities so many students like to go to there, but they do not know about Iwate and also they have negative images about Iwate. So many students who are studying Japanese hesitate to go to Iwate. I was really sad when I heard about that. I want them to come to my University and learn many things. I do not know how to express my feelings, but I think we can work actively with international students to make positive images of our University. I hope the exchange student program positively affects many students and we can continue this partnership actively.