After earning a B.A. in Foreign Languages, I have come to realize that language is an extremely powerful force in the world.  It can establish or demolish bonds between people.  A language represents the culture, beliefs, and lifestyle of those who speak it.  It is for this reason that I would like to continue my studies, not only learning more about languages themselves, but also about the people that mold and shape the usage of the languages they speak.  I am interested in the social aspect of linguistics.

 

My goal is to earn a PhD in Linguistics.  I became fascinated by the structure and use of language when I took a course in Spanish Pronunciation and Phonology.  It had never occurred to me that each sound was formed in a specific way in the mouth.  That class taught me concepts to explain the languages I studied in ways I had never considered.  However, the love of language itself has always been present in my life.

 

At the age of five my favorite toy was a Spanish-English dictionary my grandmother’s friend gave me.  In high school I continued to study Spanish until they ran out of courses and I began to take Latin.  I have been on a short term diplomatic study trip to Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, which inspired me to take up a bit of German in college.  I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their way of life.  I thrive in unfamiliar environments.  I spent a semester in Japan to supplement my college minor in Japanese.  My appetite for new cultures and languages was thoroughly fed in those five months, but far from satiated.  My appreciation for languages and culture grows with every new person I meet and every new word I learn.

 

I believe God gives everyone different gifts and abilities for a reason.  I realized this one night when I was the only person at the scene of an automobile accident who could interpret between the victims and the paramedics.  All of the lessons I had taken became extremely useful in an instant.  There was finally a reason, a need to fill, that made all of my studies worthwhile.  I would like to further develop the talents God has given me in order to make a difference in how people interact and communicate. 

 

After I earn a PhD, I desire to work for the government to promote peaceful and progressive relations between the United States of America and other countries.  I would like to work for the Department of State.  However, I would appreciate the opportunity to make a difference in a variety of different fields.

 

It is also my dream to become a professor of languages.  The students that I tutored for the TRIO program in college believed that I had the ability to make linguistic concepts simpler and more understandable.  I had many students tell me they were too old, had a learning disability, or were otherwise incapable of grasping another language.  I encouraged these students because I wholeheartedly believed in them.  Their success became my inspiration.  These students influenced me to become a teacher when I graduated, and obtaining a PhD will allow me to do so. 

 

As my professors have motivated me, I would like to return the favor to future generations.  It is my hope that I can reach the world on a small level by working for the government, and on an exponential level by teaching multiple students to understand other people, languages, and cultures.

Fun Dates

May 27-       Start New Job
May 31-       Bridal Shower
June 18th-  Move Out/ Move In Day!!!
June 26th-  Lingerie Party/ Crystal and Sara come visit me!!!
June 27th-  Rehearsal/ Dinner/ Bachelorette Party
June 28th-  We're getting married!!!
June 30th-  We get to ride in a plane again!  :)

I have so much to look forward to!

Current Mood: excited

Daniel and I just got approved for our apartment!  I'm so happy!  I can't wait to take myself and most of my belongings over to a place where I can breathe.  For like the past three years, Ive woken up every morning and needed a tissue immediately.  I developed an allergy to my cat freshman year of college and it hasn't gone away since.

Anyway, we have a place to call our own!  I'm stoked.  I can't wait to spend the night and wake up next to him.  :D  I've been wondering where we would put all of our registry stuff.  Now I know.  And I am sure that Sara and Crystal can stay with me the weekend of the wedding now.  Woohoo!  :D

Thanks to my new sister to be... I remembered I actually have a livejournal site.  Not that I have a lot of people reading that don't already know everything.  Anyway, to catch up:

Daniel and I are engaged!
Wedding is in 40 days
I move out in 30
I got a job today at Target, as long as I passed the drug test... ha!


The job is like 7/hr but thats better than zero even though I know I deserve better.  I hope I can either prove that to them or that another... much better... job will sequester me.  Haha

I'm  happy to be marrying Daniel.  Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited and if I'm nervous... I'm still really just normal me.  I guess you could say I'm more content than usual though. 

I have really been crying a lot lately during worship songs, Narnia, and preaching.  Its like remembering the depth of it all is hitting me so hard.  I know Jesus died to save me from my sins.  Recently though, I don't know, I'm really touched.  We can't think of a song yet to use at the wedding.  We know we want to welcome and adore God.  We just can't find the right song yet.


I know that was a bunch of rambling and it jumped around a lot.  But hey,it is my head you're looking into.

Current Mood: accomplished

I made a change to my life today.  I'm actually making a lot of changes this week.  I wish some other things would change so I could talk with someone about them... hmm.  God help me.

Current Mood: curious

I was counting the days down to Sunday with the assistance of hopeful little text msgs from Daniel reminding me how excited he was too. It finally came and I spent hours in anticipation of getting on the plane. Mom didn't want to let us go through security immediately, so I tried to pass the time taking pictures with Daniel. I also talked with Liu Jia Li at the Assistance Desk. Finally, we got to go through and get on the plane.

Current Mood: ecstatic

I have to write personal reflections on my study for my porfolio.  Here goes:

My New Love, Japanese

Carla Thompson

          Coming to East Tennessee State University, I had no idea what wonderful adventures God had in store for me.  I had already decided to major in Spanish before choosing to attend classes here.  On a whim, I elected to take Japanese as well.  Spanish had become a little boring after four years of study in high school and several more of self study beforehand.  I wanted to taste something new.  Not being able to do anything halfheartedly, I chose to minor in Japanese from the start.  

          This introduced me to many rare and unusual experiences.  One of which was a completely new script to learn.  I had always been able to decipher most things written with roman characters after staring at it long enough.  (Romance languages I could get through their relationships to Latin and Spanish, others through their relationship to English).  When I first laid eyes on hiragana, its beauty and intricacy amazed me.  I was hooked.  Not to mention Kanji, which both challenges and delights me.  The logic behind the Japanese writing system seemed to click in my head as well.  After taking a class in phonology, it just made sense that the Japanese would have the same symbol for /ka/ and /ga/ with just two tiny marks to note the difference.  I was surprised at the organization and elegance of the new language I was learning.  This made me excited to continue further than I ever intended.

          Another thing which made me continue was the pure challenge behind the language.  With four types of writing, varying expressions to denote respect and humility, and differences between male and female, older and younger speech, I feel as though I may never learn enough.  I both struggle with and embrace the difficulty.  I have always enjoyed pushing myself to do harder things.  Japanese definitely offered me a wonderful opportunity. 

          Although it is a lot of work for her, having Sensei for every class creates a unique relationship between her and the students who choose to go the distance and minor in the language.  I must say that she is one of the most interesting and unique teachers I have ever had.  She will go out of her way to help a student continue learning.  At the same time, she does not allow students to get things the easy way, and she is nice (and often hilarious) when she reminds us, so bluntly, that we have to study in order to learn.  We all admire and respect her.  Taking the classes over the years with the same group of people causes a strong bond between classmates as well.  I consider those with whom I have spent the last four years studying Japanese to be a unique part of my extended family, as a brother or a sister.  Of course, I feel this way about a few people from my study abroad experience as well.

          In my second year I decided that I absolutely wanted to study abroad.  I chose to study in Japan instead of Spain, thinking that I had more to learn in Japanese, and wanting to get as far away from Johnson City, TN as I could.  I figured the other side of the world would do just fine.  I applied to Nanzan Daigaku in Nagoya, Japan as my first choice and sweated out the next year, hoping to get accepted.  Getting the letter in the mail confirming that I was admitted was a golden experience.  Sensei, my classmates and my friends at Japanese-Table were all very happy for me. 

          Nanzan was amazing.  Japan was amazing!  I will never be able to convey how wonderful the whole experience was.  The school was so well maintained and helpful to the students.  I had four Japanese language teachers: Mutsukawa Sensei, Onishi Sensei, Yokoi Sensei, and Hasebe Sensei.  The first three took turns switching between three groups of my classmates over about a three hour period.  One would come in and do grammar, another would switch in for reading, and then the third would come in and do speaking.  Hasebi Sensei ran LL, the computer lab class with listening and comprehension exercises.  These teachers did all they could to teach us a huge amount of material in five months.  (ETSU teaches one book, Genki II, over two years of study.  Nanzan covered the whole book in just one semester.)

          I also chose to take classes in Japanese arts.  I gained a huge appreciation for patience through my calligraphy course.  One hour with a brush and self made ink, repeating the same character over and over will do that for you.  I also took Hanga, which is the art of woodblock printing.  I learned not to put my fingers in front of a knife, and yet again: patiently chipping away the wood will give better results than angrily forcing the image out.  My third art class was Sumi-E, or black ink painting.  The gentleman who taught us was considered some sort of master, and it was obvious to all of us why.  He could take a brush and create anything with it, as if it was an extension of his own body and not a man made tool. 

          I had a course in Elementary Translation as well.  Every day we would sit and label parts of sentences, then translate them.  The process was like clockwork.  We would have to identify what was within the sentence before hacking at it with a dictionary.  I learned a deeper understanding of grammar, which is one of my favorite things to study in any language. 

          The country itself taught me more than any classroom can.  I traveled on bike, by car, in an ambulance, by train, subway, boat and airplane.  Everywhere I went taught me a little more.  Language is learned mostly through practice, as far as I can tell.  When you are actually in need, you are more willing to practice.  Whether you are asking a kind stranger for directions or in the emergency room and the doctor wants to know if you have insurance: it all impacts your learning in a direct manner. 

          Japan had a lot of adventures to offer me.  The people were astoundingly respectful and very helpful.  I can’t count the number of people who lent me a hand in getting around.  One lady let me sleep at her apartment when I missed the last train home.  Another man carried my suitcases to the subway when the elevator was broken.  On two occasions, perfect strangers drove me where I needed to go, after I had gotten myself completely lost. 

The land itself changed with every step I took.  Tokyo was a bustling city full of people.  Fukuoka was a laid back beach with some awesome ferris wheels. Kyoto was full of history and contemplation.  Shimonoseki was a quaint town knit together by the fishing industry.  Nagoya, my second hometown, felt like a mix between a big city and a small town, though it mostly looked the part of a big city.

As I said earlier, I feel I may never learn enough.  I hope I can get a job teaching English in Japan after I graduate.  This job should help me pay for living in Nagoya, as I intend to apply there again.  I want to return and immerse myself in the language and culture as much as possible.  Hopefully one day I will become fluent in the language, and not just fluent for a “gaijin”.  

 

Current Mood: hopeful

 Today my stomach did a backflip and landed in a contorted painful knot.  Not that it isn't talented at doing backflips or anything...

Mitzi came in and said that she couldn't leave me a message.  Since Donna and Katie had been complaining about the same thing, I checked my messages.  Lo and behold on Jan 28th the TSA Recruitment center had called me and I had absolutely no idea.  They left a message for me to call back.  Grrr... I called back even though it had been over two weeks at this point.  Will they really want me even though this makes me look like a lazy fool?  I cannot believe that this happened.  I called back and left a message and I'm certain I sounded like a total idiot.  I was just so worked up over the pain of missing that call.  I want to work for them SO badly.  This tears at my heart.  I called them five times after leaving the message.  They never picked up or called back.  I don't know what to do at this point.   I just feel stupid.

Current Mood: crappy

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Current Mood: crazy

Im taking Tomoki to the airport today.  I'm dreaming about this house that I really really want to buy.  I'm wishing that the TSA would finish my background check and say "Hey we want you to work for us!"  I'm happy that my pocket is ringing.  I am talking with Daniel :D  I'm excited about the trip were taking tomorrow.