Japan-Palau Alumni Series: Vol.2 Ms. Deidre Yamanguchi
Ms. Deidre Yamanguchi is an alumna of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, who got her Master’s degree at Sophia University in Japan under MEXT Scholarship’s research program.
Ms. Yamanguchi graduated from Mindszenty High School and went to the United States to further her education. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English literature at California State University Chico. After she returned home and worked at Mindszenty High School for a while, she applied for the MEXT scholarship to pursue higher education in Japan. Where she furthered her studies in English literature as a graduate student at Sophia University in Tokyo from 2005-2007.
After getting her Master’s degree in Japan, Ms. Yamanguchi also applied for the Japanese government’s JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) program, which brings English-speaking teachers to work as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in schools throughout Japan. Through this program, she got to work as an ALT at Aboshi High School in Himeji City, Hyogo prefecture for 2 years. Hyogo prefecture is one of Palau’s sister cities since August 16, 1983. You can see this link from Hyogo prefecture’s official website. https://web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/fl/english/palau.html
Ms. Yamanguchi said her impression of Japanese high school students was that they were very disciplined and organized. She liked working in Japan as a teacher, as it taught her to be more disciplined with herself. She also noticed that her son, who was four years old at the time and attended nursery school in Japan, was showing some of the same characteristics of self-discipline even at such a young age.
Ms. Yamanguchi’s favorite things to do in Japan included visiting Himeji Zoo and taking her son to a nearby shopping mall. Her son enjoyed playing in the mall’s play corner. One of her most memorable experiences in Japan was attending a Prince concert. She also misses her friends, Japanese food, and the seasonal festivals. Her favorite food, which she first tried in Japan, was curry udon; her son also loved rice and curry.
Ms. Yamanguchi started teaching English at Palau Community College in August 2014 after completing her years as an ALT under the JET program in Japan and continues her work today. She enjoys her job because it is something that she is passionate about and excels in. As a Japan alumna and an educator, she is interested in doing online exchanges and connecting Palauan students with Japanese students.