My special place is "The Nueva School". It is in California. I went there to study for a week. I think "The Nueva School" changed my life because this experience made me realize that I wanted to learn English more. In my school, there are three English classes to fit each person's ability. This is because two-thirds of the students in my school are returnees, Japanese nationals who lived in foreign countries for some years. I'm not a returnee. However, I'm in an English class for returnees now. If I didn't go to Nueva, I think I would not be in an English class for returnees now.

There are three reasons why The Nueva School is special to me. First, I like their classes. In my opinion, the Japanese education system makes students sit and take notes and listen to the teacher. Therefore, students get bored, and some of them start sleeping. In Nueva, they of course have desk work. However, very often they sit in circles and every student enjoys the class. Also, they have pleasant classes. The class that I most liked was acting class. We danced and sang to the music. It was so fun.

Secondly, I like my friends in Nueva. They are kind, funny, and full of talent. Also, they have a great sense of curiosity. I was always filled with fear and worries before going to Nueva because I couldn't speak English well. However, the students there tried to understand my broken English. Therefore, I was able to communicate with them. I thank all Nueva students.

Thirdly, I had a lot of unforgettable experiences. For example, I danced till late at night with Nueva students, and I played the steel drum with them. Everything was the first time for me and seemed so new to me. I had a good time.

I was able to have a great experience at Nueva. Therefore I thought I want to help people who are learning Japanese. That's why I decided to host an exchange student from Nueva. About two weeks ago, I met her for the first time in a year. I made wonderful memories with the exchange student! By spending time with her, I learned many differences in culture between Japan and America. Knowing another country's culture is very interesting, and I think it's a good experience. So, I thought I would like to interact with foreigners more.

Child Research Net would like to thank the Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School and Rina Tsuchiya, student and author, for permitting reproduction of this article on the CRN web site.