Nico

Nico Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Nico! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. Hello! I’m originally from Ohio, but I’ve been living in Japan for almost four years. I work as an English teacher and it’s a lot of fun! I have a lot of hobbies, and sometimes I don’t have time to do all of them! I like reading, video games, crafts and playing board games with friends. I also love to travel, and I have been to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand and Turkey. I want to go to Australia, Croatia, Egypt, England, Ireland and pretty much everywhere! I want to experience many new things and eat many new foods!

Q. Could you tell us about your hometown in Ohio?

A. I’m from a city called Cincinnati. It’s a good sized city of about 300,000 people on the Ohio River. It was the first city founded after the Revolutionary War and so is sometimes thought of as the first “purely American” city. When steamboats were the main form of transportation, Cincinnati was a very important city. The city also has a strong German heritage and is home to the biggest Oktoberfest outside of Munich!

There is also a lot of great architecture. In the 1800’s Cincinnati was called “the Paris of America” because of the amount of significant architecture. The city also boasts America’s first baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati is also home to the biggest zoo in the country, the Cincinnati Zoo and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Q. According to your profile, you're living in Japan to teach English! How is your life in Japan?

A. I’m having a lot of fun living in Japan!
It’s very different from America, and some things took a lot of getting used to, but there are many things I like. It is still hard for me to get used to public transportation. My mind still thinks you need a car to get anywhere! Since being in Japan, I have had a chance to study kyudo and sum-e. My current city doesn’t have a kyudo-jo so I am hoping my next city does!

Q. As we know, you are learning Japanese! What made you start to study Japanese?

A. I wanted to learn a language that would be helpful for international business. Originally I was planning on learning Chinese, but then I figured out that it was tonal. I’m tone deaf so that would be pretty much impossible for me. I decided to learn Japanese instead, and I’m really happy I did! I like Japanese a lot and I’m having a lot of fun living in Japan.

Q. I heard you really like to going on trips! Do you have any recommend place to visit?

A. I highly recommend going to Italy! There are so many interesting things to see, and the food is just amazing! I want to go back to Italy again even if just for the food! Rome has a lot of really interesting history, and Florence is beautiful. I also think Pompeii is a fascinating place to visit.

Q. I want to ask about your lesson, “Phonics”. First of all, what is “phonics” and how do you learn it though this lesson?

A. Phonics is the basic building blocks of pronouncing language. In my lesson I focus first on basic letter sounds with emphasis on letters that are difficult for certain speakers. For Japanese speakers these letters are often l/r and b/v. Then we go into putting those letters together into words. At first simple words like cat or dog but then going into the different spelling rules English has such as silent e and polite vowels. It is my hope that this lesson makes both pronouncing and reading English easier for my students.

Q. Do you have any words of wisdom for our students?

A.Never be afraid of making mistakes! Making mistakes is the best way to learn. If we get something wrong one time and are corrected we are far less likely to get it wrong again! Also, ask lots of questions!

If you don’t understand something, even a little, don’t be afraid to ask! I’m sure that not just me, but all of the tutors on Cafetalk are more than happy to help you in any way we can!

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Nico

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