毕业于新来日本学生教室(ニューカマー子どもの教室 ) 的学生来访

「I’m Vraig De Leon, and I used to attend weekly Japanese classes at Kohoku international lounge. I’m now a college student at New York University planning to pursue a double major in Data Science and Finance, with a full scholarship from the University and the Japanese government (Free tuition, Dormitory, Food, personal expenses and etc.).I moved to Japan in Middle school despite not speaking Japanese. Not only experiencing hardships with the language barrier but also with the cultural differences, I had a very hard time adjusting to the country, especially with the local school system. I was the only foreigner at school and most of the students, as well as the teacher, weren’t able to speak English. I had to use body movements, hand interpretations, and electronic dictionaries to communicate in school. I felt isolated and had no friends. Fortunately, I learned that there is a Japanese class taught by Japanese volunteers in Kohoku International lounge called “Newcomer (ニューカマー)”. They taught me Japanese to help me adjust, introduced me to Japanese culture to gain a better understanding of the country, connected me to fellow foreign students to erase my isolation, and, most importantly, accepted me into their warm community as a family. “Newcomer” helped me all throughout middle school and even helped me get into high school by preparing me for interviews and examinations, all for free. A few years have passed since my last class in Newcomers. In addition to English and Tagalog, I am now fluent in Japanese, free from the language barrier, and knowledgeable in multiple cultural differences. “Newcomer” is a major part of my life, and I will forever be grateful to the lounge, fellow students, and especially the volunteers. これからもよろしくお願いいたします。」

我叫Vraig De Leon。曾经在港北国际交流会的日本语学习班 里 一周一次学了日语。
现在在纽约大学专攻数据科学和金融。我是从美国和日本政府获得奖学金（学費、学生寮費、食費、生活費等）在纽约留学中。
我来日本时一句日语都不会说。来日本之后 不仅仅不会说日语困扰，还因跟菲律宾文化的不同而困惑，特别是不知道学校状况而苦恼。在学校只有我一个人是外国人没有人会说英文。在学校跟老师和同学疏通 时只能用手势或用电子字典。因没有朋友很孤独。
这时我得知港北国际交流会有免费教日语的学习班 新来日本学生教室。 开始,在新来日本学生教室里学日语之后逐渐习惯了在日本的生活，了解日本文化。在新来日本学生教室里认识了外国朋友，逐渐没那么孤独了。最重要的是在新来日本学生教室里我感受到像家的温暖。新来日本学生教室，不仅支援中学三年的学习还支援高考和面试。
新来日本学生教室毕业后，现在通过英语，他加禄语以外用日语接触很多文化。

在我人生中新来日本学生教室是很重要的位置, 港北国际交流会, 在这里认识的朋友, 特别感谢教我日语的老师。”これからもよろしくお願いいたします。