Lingwave - Making Connections

Have you ever heard of this group?You can get a relatively good idea and figure out what they do just by looking at their mission, which seems to be, “Connect Japanese and foreign students to give them many chances to acquire languages and to exchange different cultures.” The name of the group may not seem prevalent to most of us, but it has a great meaning behind it. According to one of their leaders, “Lingwave means Linguistic wave. We are trying connect students through linguistics in daily life, which helps them become better students in school.” As more and more exchange students come to study in Japan, this group and its members are always there to lend a helping hand. The group usually meets once a week to have a “language exchange” where the exchange students are able to interact with Japanese students. The group is focused on helping the foreigners improve their Japanese and gives them a chance to work on what they learn in their Japanese language class. The aim for this activity is to promote both Japanese and foreign student’s linguistic acquisition.

They also host parties about once a month, where you can meet other foreigners and Japanese students for other universities like Sophia, Meiji University and many more. There is absolutely no restrictions on who can join this group, so if you are interested, they will gladly welcome you. It does not matter how good your Japanese or English level is, and the group is there for you to improve on your current abilities. Lingwave is very international with members from Germany, Russia, Mexico, Spain, Korea, Fiji, America and many others. The group hosts many events to help members bond and during the Aoyama Festival they ran a yakitori stand, where foreigners and Japanese students got a chance to work together to sell their food. The exchange students were excited to experience Japanese culture, whereas the Japanese students also were able to see what the Aoyama Festival is all about.

We also had a sit down with some of the co-leaders of the Lingwave group which is based in Aoyama to talk about the group and what they stand for.

- How did the Lingwave group in Aoyama University start?

“We thought about starting the group in Aoyama and so we started the group with just people we met and knew from school. Most of the core members in Today’s Lingwave group joined through mutual friends.” They just tried to see how the response would be like and it seemed to be positive. The group started with small café meets but with the numbers getting bigger, they decided to hold it in school.

- Why did you join or want to join this group?

“I noticed that there was not many circles or groups that connected the exchange students with the local students. I looked for a group where I can improve my English and I join a different circle at Aoyama University. Since I was not getting any chances to communicate with foreigners, I decide to leave and became a Japanese tutor where I met a founder of this group and was interested to join after hearing what they do.” Today, their numbers are growing and they are very excited about seeing new members join their group.

- What is main goal and purpose of this group?

“The vision of the group is that Lingwave is all about international students. We give you the most unforgettable memories and the brightest of smiles. Let's make many experiences jam-packed with laughter and tears of happiness.” While joining in on one of their language exchange meetings, so can immediately see the impact the group makes on the exchange students. There is never a dull moment, everyone is relaxed and they are free to do as they please. It started off with just connecting people for a language exchange but now it is also helping the exchange students enjoy their stay in Japan and learn more about the culture and lifestyles of Japan.

What kind of members do you want in this group?

“We are open to letting everyone join. We only ask that our members are kind, understanding and willing to help others.” This is a very exciting group where you can laugh. Learn and make connections. This is not a group where they pressure you to do anything that you do not want to do and are very understanding about time constrains, so they only ask you to join their events when you have a bit of spare time.

If you are having trouble in English or Japanese, want to talk to people that you usually do not have the chance to interact with, then just join one of this group’s events and see what they are about. The group is for exchange students who want to improve their Japanese, but it is also a great place for Japanese students to improve or learn more about the English language and the different backgrounds from the exchange students’ experience. They always make each member feel special and you will not leave one of their events without a smile. If you are interested in joining or checking out what this group does, you can contact us, the AG University English Newspaper and we can introduce you to this group or contact them directly at tisa567@gmail.com.

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#aoyama #201312 #japan