A fantastic Chinese friend

by Kiho Muroga
(Tokyo, Japan)

I have a Chinese friend who is a student in the Meiji Graduate School. I met her in the summer intensive program for English conversation, “Meiji Language Program.” She is 28 years old, so she & I have a 9 year difference of age. But she & I are so friendly.

Her major is economics, so we often talk about what she studies and how about her study because my major is also economics.

We also talk about how we think about the educational systems of China and Japan. I think China has a strong educational system, for example in the field of arts, music, and dance. My favorite pianist, Yundi Li, was in a national technical college of music since he was a student in elementary school.

In addition, my favorite ballerina, Yuriko Kajiya, was also in a national technical college of dance in Shanghai. Now, he and she have succeeded in their fields.

I think the Chinese government has a strong curriculum of educational system. I admire the system. But my friend says the “Chinese educational system is so bad. If you enter in the technical college, you won’t get any other knowledge, so you will become incapable in public society when you fail in success in your strong field.”

I was really surprised at hearing her opinion. I think we can get a lot of ways to see an object from different perspectives when we talk with friends, teachers, and any other people. If you talk with a person who has a lot of differences of the way to get old, you can more and more broaden your way to think.

We can broaden our way to consider something. I think it is really important to think from different perspectives.

I want to talk with her much, and I want to see how she feels about this world and what she thinks about. I want to learn from her a lot! Of course, I want to talk with other people very much for my way to think!!