Tuesday, February 06, 2007

I MADE IT!


Yeah! I made it!! I received the TOEIC result. I took it in Sapporo, last month. Then, I got...a 900 score! Was it my biggest resolution this year? Yes! I fulfilled it even though it's just the second month of the year! (You know, it seldom happens to me...)
The picture is not clear, but it says my listening score is 455(It hasn't changed from the one of two years ago...that's why I always think my listening is not good!!), and my reading score is 445.
Last October, my score was 815... It's been just three months, and I haven't prepared a lot this time! What happened? Probably, my adjustment to the old TOEIC in the U.S. was not succesful last time. Also, I have studied mostly using Japanese reference books. So, I saw some famillar questions from those books in the Japanese TOEIC.
Anyway, now, one of my dreams of "getting a full score on the TOEIC" has become realistic to me! If I get more 90 points, it would be a full score! I should work harder to get them, generate some strategies, and teach those to people who work on the TOEIC in Japan!!

I learned two things from this result.
1. We should have the HIGHEST objective in OUR field. Before I came here, my TOEIC score was 450. It was hard for me just to listen to and read English at that time. I thought "I want to get an 800 score before I go back to Japan! But maybe it's too difficult for me..." However, after I got this score, I started to think about "getting a full score, and being a TOEIC teacher someday." If I had been satisfied with an 800 score, I wouldn't have thought I could get a 900 score. If we kept seeing higher positions, the height we could jump would be higher...I guess. However, the objective should be realistic.
Ten years ago, I studied to be a kind of lawyer. However, it was TOO hard for me and it was not MY field! That was unrealistic. So... have the highest objective in YOUR field!!

2. Dreams (or resolutions) could be changed. Sometimes we should be flexible.
Just after I came here, I only wanted to be involved in WEDDINGS like I used to be. However, even though I hoped... the wedding business requires communication skills. Language is an important key of the communication. So, I went to English schools everyday. Sometimes it was frustrating that I couldn't speak well, or couldn't understand what people said. Also, I was not sure it was OK If I wasn't in actual wedding scenes.
However, the more I went to Elglish classes, the more I was impressed how classes changed depending on a teacher. I have met many English teachers...more than 15? maybe... A few of them were not good teachers (even though they were good people.) They didn't think about how they can improve their students' English, or didn't like to have questions... But some teachers are...REALLY admirable people! What makes them different? The answers are...( I know, they sound TOO dramatic..)love,passion, and professionalism, I think.
I want to put what I learned from those great teachers to account after I go back to Japan. I know it is hard for me to compete with professional people in the English educational field using GENERAL English because my English career has just started. But getting a full score on the TOEIC is realistic a dream to me ( I know it takes time! though...), so I want to make it "my field!" (Oh! Of course I want to continue my wedding emcee job! Weekends: wedding emcee, weekdays: TOEIC teacher, is my ideal life!)
My point is...we can take advantages of where we live, or whom we meet. Our dreams could be changed by their influence!
Thus,be flexible and take the advantages as much as you can!

Surviving in this world is not so easy...but having a dream can be a nice REFRESHMENT in our lives. Even though some will never come true!? No, it can be true! I want to believe so...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to go, Keiko san!! Keep up the good work!!

keiko said...

Thank you, Junko chan!

Anonymous said...

恵子、高得点おめでとう!!すごいね!
私は日本語も怪しくなってます…
恵子が司法の勉強してたの、初めて知ったかもしれない。忘れてたのだったらごめんね。

恵子の夢は具体的で、私も元気が出るよ。
恵子ならきっとできるよ。そして、次の夢を聞くのを楽しみにしてるね。

私は今年、硬筆検定を受けたいなと思ってるの。受験したら報告するね!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Keiko!! I'm so proud of you!
- Stephanie

keiko said...

智美、ありがとう!
私も、日本語どころか英語もまだまだ怪しいんだよ(笑)。 ほんと、日々落ち込むので、TOEICの点数が上がっているのだけが英語に関しては嬉しい瞬間です(笑)。
それに、TOEICの勉強ってなれてくるとクイズみたいで楽しいんだよ♪ 日常生活に関わってる内容も多いし。

10年前は、司法書士の勉強してたんだよ。。でも、わからなすぎて、得たもの何もナシ(笑)。 とれればいいなぁと思って始めたんだけど、There would be no improvement where the one doesn't enjoy doing it...好きじゃないと、勉強ってできないね!

硬筆検定か!智美、字キレイだし、いけるよ! ユーキャンのCMのとおり、字がキレイな人っていいよね! うらやまし☆

keiko said...

Oh, Thanks, Stephanie!!

keiko said...

Stephanie!

Are you the one who live in Okinawa? or, you're my convesation partiner Stephanie in Lafayette?
If you are OKINAWA Stephanie, welcome back! How was Sapporo?
If you are LAFAYETTE Stephanie, have you received my e-mail?
Maybe you haven't...I want to meet you, so I will call you later!!

Anonymous said...

It's the Stephanie in Lafayette - and no, I haven't received any e-mails from you! But I will keep checking.

keiko said...

Oh, Stephanie! Thank you for leaving comments!
I am wondering when we can meet...
I wanted to meet you Friday's lunch, but I should go to my tutor's house at that time, so...
Believe it or not, I will give a lecture (just one time)at Purdue,so I have to prepare for it! Anyway, I will call you!
Have a nice weekend, Stephanie!!

Anonymous said...

Dear Keiko-san,

Conglatulations!Keiko-san. Sometimes I've checked your blog. Your articles are very very Interesting and attracting!

To tell you the truth,I started studing English.Every week, I go to English School and take a few lessons.In the future, I would like to start my blog and communicate with many people like you, however, I wooooory whether I can continue to write blog in English.

Can I find materials about blog? If nobody left comments? These tiny worries make me hesitate to start blog.


Did you feel such uneasy?

Yuko Kinoshita

keiko said...

Yuko chan!

Thank you for your congrats and being a reader of my blog even though my articles are quite LOOONG always;)

I STRONGLY recommend you start your English blog! I opened this blog because...
1. To improve my English
2. To communicate with my international friends who had gone back to their own countries or another areas in the U.S.
However, once I started to write this blog, I found some of my Japanese friends used this blod to study English. I am very glad to hear that!

I tried to write an English journal, but I couldn't continue to do it. So far, I keep writing this blog (I don't publish often, though) because I can get some comments from my friends. That is great!
However, even if I didn't have any comment, I would continie to write because I know there are some friends who never leave a comment but check my blog regularly. Of course it is fine!!

I think you don't have to be afraid of having no comment because it doesn't necessary.
The most important thing is whether you can enjoy doing it or not. If you are interested in it, I think you will enjoy doing it. Once you start your blog, maybe you can find several things you want to write in A DAY! To design a blog and select photos are so much fun! It's defferent from writing a journal.
Oh, additionally, at least I will leave comments on your blog!!

But everything has the "best timing" to start. I have wanted to participate in the Toastmasters, but I had waited for my "best timing." Actually, it took three years. You are an intelligent girl, so you already have basic English knowledge. So I don't think you should wait such a long time! But only you can figure out "your" best timing.
Good luck!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations Keiko! This result shows your perseverance and determination.

keiko said...

Thank you, Virginia!
How have you been? I guess you did a presentation about your country at the event of Food & Housing department at Purdue, right? We should hang out soon!!