MICAELA MUSSELL |
welcome
This portfolio site shows what courses I've taken for the Japanese Major, and describes my experiences.
Photo I took at Nikko Photo I took at Sapporo Snow Festival Photo from a visit to a cat cafe in Tokyo
Personal Statement
The first time I thought “I should really start learning Japanese” was in my freshman year of high school. With a stroke of luck a video I had uploaded became popular overnight in Japan, and I had no idea what was happening. My complete lack of understanding of the Japanese language left me curious and anxious about what people were saying about me, all the way across the globe. People were trying their absolute best to struggle to put together a basic English sentence to talk to me, and I felt that I had to do something on my end. This sparked the flame inside me to pursue the Japanese language and culture.
Through learning Japanese, I was able to connect more with people as well as what brought me to them in the first place; music. With learning new words and phrases, I could finally start to understand the lyrics of songs I loved, but I still didn’t know enough to completely get the full story of the songs. This further inspired me to continue my studying of the language, as I felt I was missing out on so much just by reading some fan created English translations of the songs.
While I was studying in Japan, I had the chance to meet and converse with so many different people, as well as the chance to work in a Japanese music company. I had the opportunity to do live streams promoting products, and it put me on the spot because I had to speak Japanese to an audience that could easily criticize my every mistake. Being put under this pressure made me grow and helped me be able to think on the spot, and think faster in the Japanese language.
My goal was to get my BA at CSUMB, and then work in Japan at a music company. I want to help bring songs and their meanings to an English audience, as well as help music flourish in Japan and America. I dream to be able to work next to people who have a passion for music. By speaking both English and Japanese, I will have more job opportunities, even if I decide to not go into the music industry specifically. I hope to continue to develop my Japanese language skills until I grow old.
As a Fall 2020 graduate, I can confidently start on my career path with the knowledge of Japanese and Japan's history of which I have gained at CSUMB. I am now able to reflect on Japanese culture with a deep understanding of how it has changed over the years, as well as its early years. The intermediate and advanced level vocab and grammar that I learned will also be helping me in the future, with forms and papers continuing to be a part of life when dealing with Japan and Japanese companies.
Through learning Japanese, I was able to connect more with people as well as what brought me to them in the first place; music. With learning new words and phrases, I could finally start to understand the lyrics of songs I loved, but I still didn’t know enough to completely get the full story of the songs. This further inspired me to continue my studying of the language, as I felt I was missing out on so much just by reading some fan created English translations of the songs.
While I was studying in Japan, I had the chance to meet and converse with so many different people, as well as the chance to work in a Japanese music company. I had the opportunity to do live streams promoting products, and it put me on the spot because I had to speak Japanese to an audience that could easily criticize my every mistake. Being put under this pressure made me grow and helped me be able to think on the spot, and think faster in the Japanese language.
My goal was to get my BA at CSUMB, and then work in Japan at a music company. I want to help bring songs and their meanings to an English audience, as well as help music flourish in Japan and America. I dream to be able to work next to people who have a passion for music. By speaking both English and Japanese, I will have more job opportunities, even if I decide to not go into the music industry specifically. I hope to continue to develop my Japanese language skills until I grow old.
As a Fall 2020 graduate, I can confidently start on my career path with the knowledge of Japanese and Japan's history of which I have gained at CSUMB. I am now able to reflect on Japanese culture with a deep understanding of how it has changed over the years, as well as its early years. The intermediate and advanced level vocab and grammar that I learned will also be helping me in the future, with forms and papers continuing to be a part of life when dealing with Japan and Japanese companies.
Individual learning plan
ilp_micaela_mussell_-_sheet_1.pdf | |
File Size: | 117 kb |
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