Hello, this is student blogger, Iyo!
The other day, one of my batch mates said, “I will return to China next week.” I was surprised that I was going to study for a short time as well. In the blink of an eye, my study abroad experience is over. That’s why, I try to spend less time studying and enjoy my stay here even for a short time.
In this essay, I will share my experience living in Monol’s 3+1 room. The 3+1 room is for 3 students and 1 Filipino teacher. In the Philippines, there a few schools with such a system. I am making most out of the advantages of this room.
This is my room teacher. He is a young man who loves Japan. His age is almost the same as mine. We have common interests in animation and games so we can talk about it in English and have fun! Currently, I’m the only student in the room. I was surprised that in the beginning, there were no plans of adding more students in our room, according to our Japanese manager. Well, apart from being able to use a quadruple room only for 2 people, I positively think that I can monopolize a room teacher. ^^
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the 3+1 room:
ADVANTAGES:
First of all, people who wish to learn English seriously will see that the 3+1 room only has merits. It is no exaggeration when I say that if you are staying in a 3+1 room, you can surely increase your student life quality. There is nothing to worry about as a student because the room teacher knows everything about MONOL. If you have concerns about the campus building, these can be solved easily.
During my first day, I was instructed to go to B4 without knowing how to go about inside the building. Although my room is in 513, located at the 3rd floor, my room teacher showed me how to get there with pleasure. If I have other problems, I also consult my room teacher about it.
Another advantage of the 3+1 room is the “Discussion time’. This is for one hour from Mondays to Thursdays, after classes. The topic is not fixed and you can think about whatever you want to discuss with your room teacher. We can talk about pretty much, anything – from difficult topics such as environmental problems and significance of learning about different cultures to more familiar things such as love and other life stories. Since I am alone in the room, I have started my pronunciation training during room discussion.
^These are examples of our room discussion topic.
My room teacher prepares this before we have our discussion time. After his routine, my room teacher would play Pokemon or watch Japanese drama. I truly appreciate everything my teacher does for me. Apart from the room discussion, there are also other activities enjoyed by 3+1 students and teachers, which are held once every 6 weeks. I was fortunate I was able to experience this during my second week. I may be able to participate again before going back home.
One of the activities is bowling. Since this sport is not popular in Japan, some people might say that I cannot play like my room teacher. Although I was terrible at playing, I enjoyed the activity very much! Students from other countries are delighted whenever they get strikes and everyone else shared their joy.
During the bowling activity, I became friends with one Korean and Saudi student. It was a lot of fun to be able to chat with them.
DISADVANTAGES:
There is no such thing as a disadvantage. However, there are times when you wish to study alone and concentrate but the room teacher would be chatting with you. Of course, it is difficult to say, “I do not want to talk right now”. I understand that my room teacher wants to improve his student’s speaking skills that’s why he tries to start a conversation with me most of the time. Depending on the student, this may be good or bad. That’s why I would recommend the single room to those who want to value their own time.
In the 3+1 room, your student life in the Philippines will be enriched. That’s why, if you are interested to have a teacher for a roommate, MONOL is the right academy for you!
by Iyo