Name of the Institution: Summer 2021 Short-Term Online Study Program hosted by Dalian Neusoft University of Information

Duration of Program： Audust 30　－　September 10, 2021

Name of students：1 student (◆AOYAMA Naoki)

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This time, I wanted to learn a language other than English, so I participated in this short-term online language study abroad program.

Like many students, I started learning English in school classes from junior high school, and from there to college students, I've been studying English to pass the exam. Therefore, I knew how to learn a language to score on the exam, but I didn't know how to speak that language. I hoped that by learning Chinese, a language I had never been involved with before, I would have a new awareness of the language.

I haven't learned any Chinese until I joined this program. However, in the actual course, I was taught how to read and pronounce the basic Chinese, so even I, a beginner, could take it without worry. At the end of the course, it became difficult to learn grammar and other classmates were originally learning Chinese, so it was difficult to keep up with them, but thanks to that, my understanding of Chinese deepened and I gained confidence. It still takes time to be able to speak Chinese, but my perception of the language has changed and now I can enjoy learning English and Chinese in a different way.

There was also a course on Chinese culture, where I was able to learn about the Chinese education system, what is currently popular in China and Chinese foods. When I make Chinese friends in the future, understanding Chinese culture like this is important, so I'm glad that I could take not only a language course but also a course to get to know China through this program.