Student Spotlight: Rika Aoyama (Japan)

GV Hawaii is very fortunate to have Rika Aoyama studying here and staying with a GV Hawaii host family. Rika is from Japan and studying English to become a flight attendant.  Here’s what Rika has to say about her time in and out of school.

1. What do you like about GV Hawaii and your homestay family?

I love GV Hawaii and my host family.  Teachers & students at GV Hawaii are very kind and friendly. They support us at all time.  I think the most important thing to learn English is the environment.  I’m not good at speaking English but there are many opportunities to speak it. So I feel that I’m getting used to speaking and listening English little by little.  It’s exciting for me every day!!!!

Next is about my host family. They give me a lot of love and experience. Before I came here, I was very nervous because I had never left my parents for a long time. But they welcomed me as a member of the family.  I’ve been here for about three months, they took me to camping, family gatherings, and held a birthday party for me.

I come to school with my host mother every day, and I like talking with her while listening music in the car. I’m lucky girl!!!!!!!

2. Do you feel safe to study and stay in Hawaii? If so, please explain.

I think so. Because recently, discrimination against Asians has become very serious in the world. But I have never felt it in Hawaii.  It’s important to protect yourself to some extent, such as not going out at night and not going to dangerous places, but I think Hawaii is a safe place to learn.

3. Would you recommend someone to study at GV Hawaii? If so, what advice would you tell that person?

In case of Japanese, I think many people have a doubt that “is it really possible to learn English in Hawaii? “Because there are many Japanese.  But my answer is “yes, I can learn”. There are some Japanese students in my class, but they are learning English seriously. So we try to talk to each other in English. You can change many things depending on your efforts. Above all, GV Hawaii has students from various countries and it is really fun to learn. I’m glad to come to this school. Thanks to my friends and teachers.

Listen to Rika’s advice and contact GV Hawaii today to book your dynamic study abroad program!