Speech Contest

So my study abroad program is in partnership with an English school so we often teach English lessons and interact with the students or go to events with them. There was a speech contest held for the English school and my study abroad program where all the Japanese students gave speeches in English and all the study abroad students gave speeches in Japanese. Everyone was assigned a number randomly so the speeches switched between Japanese and English. Since it was a contest, once all the speeches were given the audience voted on who gave the best Japanese speech and the study abroad students voted on the best English speech. Winners received a 5kg bag of Niigata rice (best in the world) and everyone received a certificate. Many of our students either gave speeches or came to watch us give our speeches. After the contest kids went around taking pictures with all of us study abroad students and then a big group picture was taken. I can't post it here because I don't have permission from the people in the photo, but anyway it's really cute. Afterwords we went out to eat and some of us went to karaoke, but that's a story for another day 😁.

The speeches were about a variety of subjects. One was about why the kid likes masks, another why a girl wants to learn English, another girl talking about why she wants to go to France, a couple about why people started learning Japanese, a couple did a comedy piece, and many other topics. I decided to write mine about little dolls my sister made of us and how I take pictures of them everywhere I go in Japan. Most of my language ability is in introducing myself or talking about school, but I wanted to challenge myself to talk about something from the heart, just in another language. I wrote the speech myself, but my Japanese instructor helped me edit it.

初めまして！私のなまえはジュノです。アメリカからきました。１８さいです。私のうちはのうかです。たくさんどぶつがいます。私の好きなどぶつはヤギです。

今日は私とおねえさんについて話します。

私はあねがいます。あねのなまえはマーリアンです。１９さいです。おねえさんと私はなかがいいです。昨年、おねえさんは大学に行きました。私も５しゅうかｎキャンプに行きました。はじめていっしょにすんでいませんでした。私とおねえさんはかなしかったです。おねえさんは大学に行くまえ、私とおねえさんのにんぎょうをあみました。それいらい、私はにんぎょうをもちあるいています。日本で、にんぎょうとしゃしんをとります。しんかんせんで、川で、うちで、まつりで、海で、たくさんのところでとりました。たくさんしゃしんがあります。これと、いつもいっしょです。おわります。

Translation is something like this:
Nice to meet you! My name is Juno. I am from America. I am 18 years old. My home is a farm. We have many animals. My favorite animal is goats.

Today, I will talk about me and my sister.

I have a sister. My sister's name is Maryann. She is 19 years old. My sister and I are close. Last year, my sister was going to college. I was also leaving to camp for five weeks. It was the first time my sister and I had not lived together. My sister and I were sad. Before my sister left for college, she made dolls of me and her. Since then, I have carried the dolls with me. In Japan, I take pictures of the dolls. On the bullet train, at the river, at the house, at festivals, at the beach, many places I take pictures. I have many pictures. With this, we are always together. Finish.