Nadia
started studying the Japanese language in her first year of secondary
school. Since then it has led her to various career opportunities and
enjoyable experiences within New Zealand and Japan…After studying Japanese for four years at Penrose High School Nadia went on a one-month student exchange programme to Japan at age 16. She enjoyed the cultural experience of staying with two Japanese host families, attending Tomioka High School and visiting Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Disneyland.
In 1997, half way through her ‘Diploma in Japanese’ at Manukau Institute of Technology, she applied for the ‘Japan Foundation Study Tour Award’. After being interviewed and sitting a written examination she was off to Japan again, all expenses paid. This tour of Japan covered most of Japan’s famous and historical tourist spots, temples and shrines. Nadia was also able to meet and communicate with other foreigners from all over the world including Egypt, Germany and Morocco – using the Japanese language!
At age 20 Nadia graduated with a Diploma in Japanese and went to work in Japan at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games. For six months she worked part-time as a waitress for an international restaurant that hosted the Russian Olympic Team and paid for her accommodation and food. She also worked part-time in the retail industry interpreting between American Retail Managers (of Nagano Pin Club) and Japanese staff. While completing a ‘Bachelor of Arts - Japanese’ back in New Zealand (1998-2000), Nadia tutored Japanese and Mathematics to secondary students through Supernova Tutor Bureau.
During the last half of 2000 she worked for ‘Japan Travel Bureau’ (JTB), Japan’s biggest travel agency. She was a Planning Assistant for JTB’s Auckland Branch on Queen Street and helped organise tours within New Zealand for Japanese visitors.From the start of 2001 until December 2002 Nadia taught English in Japan. She worked for an English school called ‘ACE’ in Marugame and Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture.
From 2005 Nadia will be the Japanese language teacher for Baradene College in Remuera. She is passionate about teaching Japanese and hopes her passion for the language and culture will be reflected in her students.
Profiled by Nadia Brown (2004)