By ADELINE TAO
Encouraging diversity is one of the main goals of Ramapo College’s Language Happy Hours – weekly hour-long sessions that informally teach students a new language and about its country’s culture, such as Japanese, Portuguese and French. Japanese is one of the most popular Happy Hours, bringing around 10 students every week, and is taught by Izumi Osawa-Minevich.
Every Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in ASB-230, students sit around in a large classroom and their chatter and laughter fills the air. They grab a handful of the Japanese sweets that Osawa-Minevich brought to share, such as colorful Hi-Chew candies, crunchy rice crackers and flaky chocolate-filled mini pastries.
Osawa-Minevich is a program assistant at the Roukema Center for International Education. She has been volunteering to host the Japanese Happy Hour for over four years now.
“We thought it’s going to be great that there’s a place that is kind of like a platform for study abroad returnees or interested students to come get together and exchange information and share what they experienced or what they are going to experience,” said Osawa-Minevich. “Plus all the [exchange] students from Japan come – native speakers come and their thoughts. So it’s a good meeting place.”
The Language Happy Hours are an educational yet engaging way to learn a new language. The Japanese Happy Hour was first started by a Ramapo student who had gone to Japan for study abroad and came back wanting to teach other Ramapo students the joys of Japan.
“Since I was already in the office, I was happy to support her. But I ended up taking over [after she graduated], and gave more materials or whatever resources I had in my personal collection,” Osawa-Minevich said.
As a native from Japan, she knows firsthand all there is to know about Japanese language and culture, such as everyday phrases that are useful for tourists, the best places to see cherry blossoms in the Spring and thrilling games that students in Japan play. She brings to the table her knowledge, personal experiences and authentic Japanese snacks for the students.
According to Forbes, the former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “Only 18% of Americans report speaking a language other than English.” This small number reflects the lack of foreign language education that exists in America. For example, in the last seven years, “only 50.7 percent of higher education institutions required foreign language study for a baccalaureate, down from 67.5 percent in 1994-1995.”
Ramapo College hopes to counteract this decreasing foreign language education by promoting fun language lessons that students will enjoy coming to. David Cuenca, a senior, is one of the regulars who goes to Happy Hour. Cuenca is part Filipino, Dutch and Japanese and likes coming to the Happy Hours to explore his Japanese roots.
“I come to build contacts, build relations, improve language capabilities – since I haven’t spoken Japanese for an insane amount of time,” said Cuenca. “And at the same time have fun and enjoy.”
[AUDIO: Listen to Keivon Hemmings, another Ramapo student who attended Japanese Happy Hour]
Students Discover a Bigger Love for Japan
Students like Cuenca say they learn a lot from Happy Hour, and more than just new Japanese phrases and grammar. Many discover an enormous love for Japan and aspire to visit the country through studying abroad, such as junior Melanie Intal.
“They explained Ramapo’s study abroad exchange program to Kansai Gaidai [a university in Japan],” said Intal. She even became an International Studies major after being inspired at Happy Hour. “[It] also helped me realize what career I’d like to strive for – a translator or interpreter.”
With encouragement from Happy Hour, Intal decided to study abroad in Japan next year for a whole academic year. In the meantime, she comes to Happy Hour to brush up on her Japanese and culture lessons.
Osawa-Minevich and her group of students are able to virtually travel to Japan for an hour every Wednesday right in Ramapo College. Happy Hour has proven to be a huge success for the Roukema Center.
“For a very broad way of thinking, Happy Hour is meant to increase interest in, not necessarily in Japanese culture, but anything that’s different and that’s actually around you, but you sometimes don’t notice,” she said. “That gives you the first step to pay attention to what’s happening, and then to try to understand others. Mutual understanding and international education is where I’m aiming at and hoping for.”
This story is very good i actually never knew about this but it seemed focused only on the japanese part when it says there are other languages as well and id like to learn more about those as well.