ibunka TB_U1

1 Nira , Costa Rican, teacher, lives in Japan In Japan, people seem to talk about their social situation (their employer or family) rather than about their private lives. I work for an English conversation school, so every month I have at least twenty "first-meeting" interactions with students. Very often after meeting someone for the first time, I feel that I know their marital and employment status but I don’t know anything about them as individuals.

TRUE FALSE

→ Nira feels that she doesn’t really know her clients personally after meeting them once.

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2 Ryōji , Japanese, software engineer, has lived in the US When introducing myself in Japan, for example to other club members, I usually talked about my hobbies in very general terms, like “I like music” or “I like shopping”. When I went to the US to study, I found myself saying much more detailed things, such as the genres of music I like. I got the feeling that most people wanted to be seen as unique. It was a bit stressful at first, but after some time I learned to talk about myself with confidence.

TRUE FALSE

→ In the US, Ryōji was upset that he could not Yind any music that he liked.

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3 Ryōji , Japanese, software engineer, has lived in the US I think that experience has influenced how I talk about myself even now, after returning to Japan. But of course here I always start by looking for common ground.

TRUE FALSE

→ Over time, Ryōji changed his style of self-introduction.

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4 Émilie , French, accountant, lives in Japan For me, It depends very much on my mood. When I'm in a good mood or a social mood, I try to draw attention to myself. I want to make an impression on the people I'm introducing myself to. But when I don’t feel like talking, I try to blend in. I say only very general things, so that I'm not asked any questions. In France, this strategy works pretty well.

TRUE FALSE

→ In France, when El milie doesn’t want to talk, she gives very basic information about herself.

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UNIT 1 | COMPREHENSION