Hi, I am Miriam from group 19 日本語教育２ and I would like to talk about my personal experience with the project “Virtual Exchange”.

In the disorientation of the virus that prevented external contacts for an internship experience, this proposal came at the right time.
Initially I accepted it as a necessary resource to continue my studies but gradually I discovered that in particular the new and highly personalized method proposed stimulated me in new and very motivating learning directions.

The discovery that I was in group 日本語教育2 initially seemed like a situation beyond the level of language that I had reached. I immediately tried to draw on all the experiences gained in learning foreign languages to date and thanks to comparison with other students I was able to broaden my vision of the Japanese language.
In particular, I was involved in sharing issues of daily life and general culture around which we expressed our opinions. Being a person with a somewhat closed character, the urge to write a personal opinion every day or to discuss with my group led me to discover that I have personal opinions and to appreciate those of others.

Through the various activities I was able to improve both my vocabulary and my dialectic in Japanese.
In fact, as far as conversation lessons are concerned, when I saw that I was assigned to a master’s degree class, since I am a three-year degree student, I was very tense. However, thanks to the support of my group mates, the master’s students and the Japanese participants I was able to improve. In fact, it was very useful to be able to compare myself with students of a higher level because in the dialogue with them I was constantly stimulated to overcome my limit by learning to express myself better.

In addition to the blog and the conversation lessons, I appreciated the Zoom meetings as a constructive experience that psychologically gave me back the liveliness of university attendance in the presence. Thanks to them I got more involved and made friends with the members of my group. Grasping elements of diversity between us has enriched me and made the experience in general lighter and more captivating.
Having used different platforms, my ability to collaborate in a group has also increased by interacting with different people but with a common goal. In this cooperative working climate, I think that everyone should be able to give the best of themselves but also know how to listen and value the contribution of others.

This path as it was structured was a surprise for the method, for the relationships and for the contents. I enhanced my digital skills in the daily use of the various platforms by making the use of communication software more immediate and natural. In this way I have strengthened the mental dimension in me that the use of similar platforms is now increasingly widespread. Therefore it stimulated me to imagine my future in particular working.
I think this project has the value of being able to be extended to many students and to be replicated over the years since its main features that struck me are its usability by a wide audience of students, teamwork, the plurality of adaptable themes to different contexts. Overall this project, by proposing diversified communication situations, it ensures the strengthening of one’s Japanese as a goal.

Since the project was new, I found myself faced with bureaucratic steps and instructions that were not always clear. But I am sure that solutions of greater clarity will be identified for the future.


To conclude, I would like to thank the members of my group for their collaborative friendship. I want to thank also the 責任者 for their empathy and for the time and skills they have made available. Finally, I thank the Junior Coordinators, Professor Mariotti and The Japan Foundation who have elaborated an intelligent and constructive proposal that has turned into a stimulating job opportunity for which I thank them.

ありがとうございます。

皆さん、お疲れ様でした。