Hello, Students,

Welcome to my first class! Itfs nice to meet you all. Ifm very happy to share this semester with you.

 

My name is Sachiko Nakamura. Literally taken, I ought to be a happy child from a village in the middle of somewhere, though I sometimes feel sad and don't live in a village but in a city. My neighborhood used to be a very quiet place, but now has become a noisy, uncomfortable place to reside in, due to the appearance of a big shopping mall, to my regret.

 

I have lived only with my husband since each of our two daughters entered a university in Tokyo, where they have ever lived until now. Fortunately, my life is so busy with my studies, community activities and household chores that I don't have enough time to miss them. Yet, I am worried about the probability of another giant earthquake to hit Kanto and Tohoku regions.

 

My main pastime is gardening. I have small patches, where various flowers, herbs and vegetables are glowing in full of life now. I also like listening to music and watching movies. I enjoy reading almost every kind of books. My favorite author is John Donne, one of the greatest English writers. His poetry is really intriguing with vibrancy of language and inventiveness of rhetoric. Ifd be very happy if any of you are interested in his works and try to read some of them. I am holding a reading circle of John Donne at my house once a month and we'll welcome anyone that wants to join us.

 

When I was young, I liked playing tennis and dancing, but now I am not doing any sports except skiing. Ifm so crazy about skiing that I can hardly wait for the next winter.

 

I also love to see the seas. I was born and grew up in a small rural town on the Seto Inland Sea. The sound of waves was my childhood lullaby. When I feel sad or depressed, I often feel like going to see the sea. The sea is ever changing its appearance, but it always faithfully cheers me up.

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My teaching career might be a little unusual. After graduating from university, I became a high school teacher. I, however, quit the job soon after I got married, and since then had been just a homemaker for 19 years. After such a long interval, I started my second career when our first daughter left home to enter university. I went back to college to study English literature once again as a graduate student while working as a high school teacher. It was eleven years ago that I obtained PH.D in Literature, and now Ifm luckily here with you in my 21st year of my second career.

 

I truly love teaching and I'd like to do my best to help you develop your English skills. On the other hand, I sincerely hope you will work very hard to make each of my classes enjoyable. Learning a foreign language needs sustained efforts and perseverance, as you know very well.

 

Good luck on your new semester!  Thanks a lot.