Meg's Lounge Notes

One of my students called Megumi wrote some notes about her experiences in the English Lounge at Toyo Gakuen University. Megumi spends time in the English Lounge every day. She also helps organise activities in the English Lounge. Consequently (その結果), she speaks English very well. I hope you enjoy reading about her experiences in the English Lounge and I hope it motivates you to come to the English Lounge.






Wednesday, 6/20/2007

Sarah took charge of today’s lounge time. Today, a lot of students came to the English Lounge. Some of my friends and I thought too many people were in the lounge, and so we couldn’t speak English with Sarah. In addition, I wasn’t feeling well. So we ate lunch and talked at another table. My friends were worried about me because I hadn’t been sleeping well and I hadn’t been eating eat enough. My friends told me how to sleep better, and how to feel better. Next, we talked about the weather One of my friends said, “Recently, everyday is very hot, isn’t it?” Everyone answered,“Yes, too hot!” One girl said to me, “I got it. It’s the reason why you’re feeling so bad, everyday is very hot recently.” Then we talked about global warming a little until time was up. We had to go to our next class.



Thursday, 6/21/2007

Andy took charge of the today’s lounge time, but he was very very busy. He had to go to Hongo campus by 2 o’clock, because he had a meeting. He had to eat his lunch right away, and leave Nagareyama campus at 12:45. Therefore, some students and I could speak only a little with Andy. Andy left the English Lounge, and then we talked about otaku (オタク). I domn’t know much about otaku but I understand some things about them, for example their fashion. Japanese otaku are like nerds or geeks. We were talking about this university’s otaku. Maybe, there are some otaku students in Toyo Gakuen University. One of my friend said “I usually meet a boy who looks like an otaku. He has strange eyes. Maybe he is an otaku.” I see the boy almost everyday, and I think he is an otaku, too.


Friday, 6/22 /2007

Today, Mr. Wilgus took charge of the lounge. We were talking about some things. First, Mr. Wilgus and I were talking about his towel. Today he refrigerated his towel, and brought it. He put the towel on his head. It made him relaxed. He looked very happy. Later, Mr. Hardy and some students came in the English Lounge and joined us. Then, we talked about “LOST”. It has become popular in Japan. Mr. Wilgus said “LOST is boring for me.” I asked him “Why do you think so?” He answered the question with civility but I’ve forgotten his answer. I’m sorry. However, Mr. Hardy loves this drama. He said “LOST is very exiting to me”. I’ve never watched “LOST”, so Mr. Wilgus and Mr. Hardy told me about the story. I have some friends who love this drama, and they recommended “LOST” to me. To be honest, it is of no interest to me. Finally, we talked about summer vacation plans. Mr. Wilgus told us about his summer vacation plans. He is going to go to Hawaii, and he is going to the beach. He is going to come back to Japan and then he is going to stay in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture for 3 days. I thought that he is a good vacation planner and he is lucky. I want to go to Hawaii. I will go back to my parents’ home and stay there during summer vacation.


Monday, 6/25/2007

Mr. Wilgus took charge of today’s lounge time. There was Mr. Wilgus and a boy and me in the English Lounge, so only 2 students joined lounge time at first. We were talking about some things. First, we were talking about our next my class, third period on Monday. I take a class about how to teach English to junior high school students because I want to be an English teacher. In this class, I had to to practice teaching English. I was very nervous at that time. Mr. Wilgus gave me some advice. He said, “You should use only English. You can do it. It is easy for you.” His advice relieved my stress a little. At about 12:20, some of my friends came and joined us. We talked about some herbs. Mr. Wilgus said that he is growing some herds, for example Rosemary, Sage and so on. In addition, he uses them for his own meals. I said, “You are a great chef. You make your lunch everyday, and you are growing a lot of herbs. Great!” The other students agreed with me.



Tuesday, 6/26/2007

Andy took charge of today’s lounge time. Today, a lot of visitors came from Idaho, USA. They came to the English Lounge last week, and I hung out with one boy. Therefore, I didn’t speak with Andy. I spoke English with the boy. I was very happy, because I could meet him again. He was confused and looked like little tired because there were a lot of Japanese. We talked about some things. First, we talked about Tokyo Disneyland. He told me about his trip to there. I was very envious of him. I have not been there since I was in the fifth grade. He said, “I like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.” He loves roller coasters, but I hate them. We discussed roller coasters for a few minutes. In Tokyo Disneyland, he met a lot of characters, for example, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Pooh. He wanted to take a picture with Pooh, but he couldn’t. He said, “Pooh escaped from me. I was very sad.” We love Disney, so we enjoyed talking about Disney. At 12:55, I had to go to my next class. I exchanged e-mail addresses with him, and I said, “Let’s keep in touch.” He promised to send me an e-mail.


*Teachers interested in the theory behind the English Lounge at Toyo Gakuen University should read Sarah Louisa Birchley's article, Creating Learner Autonomy: Self Access and an English Lounge.