Ang sabi, pag di mo trip aralin, di mo talaga matututunan.

Foreign language is definitely one of the most difficult courses I have taken. Pero kasi trip ko eh. And, I believe, as long as we have the desire flaming, we can keep on learning. You see, learning a foreign language needs thousands of effort and focus. You are learning something a toddler or a kid is most skilled of learning.

After staying with Unmei Nihongo Center for 4 years or so, I have come to understand the thing about their niche. It’s not just a textbook school. It’s a community of learners.

Unmei Nihongo Center is a school for people who really want to excel in Japanese. They teach them not only the grammars, vocabulary and conversational stints (any school can do that!), but also encourage them in a lot of ways. Sometimes we just need people who can also push us to do better especially at times when other people just can’t understand why you love Japanese so much. They encourage you to try your best even at times when mediocrity is a better choice while people attest for you that “She can speak in Japanese” (which we are all guilty of, right?). Oh, passivity is the greatest enemy of learning!

And, of course, it’s a two way process. Show that you want to excel and they will adjust to your needs because all of us, as students, have different ways of learning. Be true to your needs and ask for their help.

Unmei is not an ordinary school. With my long-term relationship with them, I have witnessed how they have become a home for both teachers and students. Everyone is connected. Everyone is helping each other. And this culture they have makes language learning a lot easier. Most of the time, it’s not only your willingness and your teacher’s perseverance that only matter in language learning. I have studied in a Chinese school for more than 10 years, and one of the things that made me stick with the difficulty of learning different subjects in a foreign language is my Chinese classmates/friends. If not because of them, I would have not learned my way to get through Fookien conversation every single day. It’s the same with Japanese. If not because of my classmates in Unmei who are really into random funny conversations, I would have not helped out my friend in Bataan to have a decent but fun conversation with their Japanese guests.

Yeah. I did not take my N4 last year even if I was scheduled to do so. I even failed my N4 last 2012. But these do not mean Unmei did not teach me well. They did. But as I have also said, focus and effort are part of the learning process and I was lacking in those areas for two years. But the thing about Unmei after I failed and had no enough courage to retake the exam is that they did not give up on me. I am studying the advanced level in Unmei now and is planning to take my N3 this coming December.

Unmei is just a total package.

And if you are interested in knowing what are included in this “total package” thing of Unmei, check their Facebook: Unmei Nihongo Center.

I hope to see you in Unmei. =)

*updated the May 2012 version

*got the last 3 photos from their facebook account