Interview with Prof. Emiko Momoi

BY AGATSU KIMURA

Emiko Momoi graduated from Sapporo University in 1983. After she changed jobs several times, she went to Marian College in Indianapolis and studied ESL for half a year. Since she thought she needed to learn more English, she went to Ball State University (BSU) with a teacher's suggestion. She got a Master Degree in TESOL(Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages) and minored in Japanese language teaching. She taught Japanese language to undergraduate and high school students in Mancie, Indiana.
She is satisfied that she went to BSU. It used to be a teacher's college and there are a lot of foreign students there learning English. BSU takes very good care of them. There is a learning center there that gives students tutors. A tutor sometimes taught her reading and writing. It is essential for foreign students because they do not only study English. Moreover, they can consult the professors easily. As she could not understand the lectures in English at first, she questioned them many times. The classmates cooperated with each other to get As.
She learned more than English during her 7 years in BSU. Intercultural contact was the most important thing she got. One day three Muslims suddenly had a meal during a class. The other students did not understand, so the professor let them explain Ramadan. We do not have such experiences like this in Japan.
She teaches foreign students Japanese language now at SU. Furthermore, she is interested in Russian, Swedish, sign language and Braille. She studies languages very diligently. It is getting necessary for those of us who are studying English to study abroad. We should learn more than just the English language.