My name is Motahareh Hajimirzaei and I am a 21 year old Journalism student from the University of Oklahoma in the United States. I moved to Tokyo, Japan in April of 2008 to pursue a further education in the Japanese language. I have been interested in the Japanese culture since I was young. I fell in love with the unique customs, edgy fashion, and amazing food that all seemed to stem from the far East. However, it wasn't until I attended the University of Oklahoma that I realized what learning the language could offer me. I am a journalism major who is also studying medicine. I am undecided on what I want to do in life after OU, but am sure of one thing: learning to speak Japanese fluently will no doubt help me to become a success. Learning Japanese will aide me in the medical field, because it will allow me to discuss new research ideas with colleagues. And because much of the modern technology has origins in Japan, it would be easier to advance my knowledge if I were fluent in the language. In journalism, Japanese would allow me to correspond with the citizens of Japan. So much of a culture's attitude, depth and even humor become lost in poor English translations. Understanding what an interviewee is saying directly would prevent that from happening. With Japan`s growing international participation, I can only assume that being able to speak fluently would make me a more valuable journalist.

My Page