Final Class with a food festival!

Thanks for a great year! The students learned a lot from all of our guest speakers. Thanks to all for their cooperation and time. The best of luck to all of the seniors!

Thank you Mr. Mejia from UNITAR Hiroshima

We enjoyed your speech and learned a lot about UNITAR Hiroshima. In addition, you gave us a lot of advice about personal goals, and cross cultural communication. We also enjoyed hearing your stories about Ecuador and the comparisons with Japan. We will also like to thank Okabe-San for helping make this important event possible. Dr. Klein also gave us interesting comments, too. Thanks to all! Of course, there is an open invitation to all staff at UNITAR to speak to us again. Thank you again Mr. Mejia and good luck with your new mission in Hiroshima. May your family enjoy their stay in Hiroshima, too.

Please see me before class today January 25th!

Would the following students please come and see me before class. You question has been chosen to ask the guest speaker and I would like to give you your question and number.
Thanks!
Natsuki Watanabe
Momoe Taromaru
Nari Shin
Hanami Tateno
Chiho Yoshiki
Marina Shigeto
Mari Tamura
Momoko Toyota
Madoka Shintani
Ayaka Ishizaki
Rina Hirano
Mao Kawano

See you Later!
S.M.

Class #13 Reflections Class Special Speaker

Here is some background information on our special guest! See you on Monday.
Alex MEJIA Head of Hiroshima UNITAR Office

Alexander A. Mejía was appointed by the Executive Director of UNITAR as Head of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office in October 2009. He has an extensive professional background in banking, diplomacy, public office, and academia.After working in corporate banking for seven years in Latin America, Mr. Mejía began his career as a diplomat in 1998 when he became Counselor at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Subsequently in 2001, he was appointed Vice Minister of Economy for his native Ecuador. As such he was also appointed Governor to the World Bank, Governor to the Inter-American Development Bank, Board Member of the Ecuadorian Central Bank, the National Development Bank (BNF), and the National Council for Trade and Investment (COMEXI).He subsequently served in 2003 and 2004 as Director of the Andean Program at the Inter-American Council in Washington, D.C.. In 2005 Mr. Mejía was appointed by the Governor of the State of Georgia as Vice President of Government Relations for Latin America until he joined CIFAL Atlanta, as Executive Director, a training center founded by UNITAR and the City of Atlanta, in 2006.He has also held various professorships in strategic planning, international marketing, and international studies in Ecuador and the United States. He is a Board Member of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the World Trade Center Atlanta, Celebrate Life International, and the World Chamber of Commerce, USA chapter.Mr. Mejía earned a Masters in Finance from INCAE University in Costa Rica and a Bachelors degree from Zamorano University in Honduras. He is also a Master in Foreign Affairs candidate at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Mr. Mejia holds a Diploma in Political Leadership from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and graduated from The Political and Electoral Marketing Program of Universidad de La Sabana in Colombia.

Class #12 Education

Sorry for the late post!
Thanks to Monika Sensei for an interesting and informative talk today. I hope all of you realize that you can study many languages! Don't just study English! Open your horizons!
Here is today's homework:
After listening to today’s presentation, please read the opinion in the November 5th New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/review/EParker-t.html?scp=1&sq=japan%20english%20education&st=cse
　Do you agree with the writer Minae Mizumura (“The Fall of Japanese in the Age of English”)　when she says that”, “the dominance of English, especially with the advent of the Internet, threatens to reduce all other national languages to mere “local” languages that are not taken seriously by scholars. The education system, she argues, doesn’t spend enough time teaching Japanese.”

Why? Give at least 3 reasons to support your answer.

January 25th reflections class (guest speaker from Hiroshima UNITAR: Director Mejia) in Sophia building room 101.
January 27th FOOD! All groups must teach us how to make some ethnic food from their country, bring samples!