I haven’t had much chance to do formal language teaching but for the past five years I have talked daily with a friend I met online. She lives in Japan and we teach each other about our respective countries and languages, and it’s one of the main things I attribute to my Japnaese ability. I’ve also met various people on language exchange apps in real life, some of which were new to Canada that I showed around, etc. Is this an okay thing to incorporate?
3 comments
Yes! I went to an informal language exchange at a bar bi-weekly before I applied. This is a great way to show that you have an interest in other cultures. Also some embassies ask you to answer the question “Why Japan” in your SOP; having an online friend there could be a great way to start answering that question.
What sundontevershine said is key. “I talked to my friend online” is maybe not the best way to say it. But framing it as an independent cultural exchange sells it really well. Maybe you wanted to learn Japanese and the culture but there was no Japanese cultural exchanges in your area. Doing it yourself looks really good…
Just frame it well and explain it well. It sounds great to be honest.
I mentioned I wanted to create a hobby language exchange…that way it includes cultural exchange, Interests and language. It makes it more interesting if you make a themed language exchange or be specific about what kind of activities you think will appeal to new members…