Weaving English into Your Life:

Reiko Okabe had many responsibilities, including her career. She knew studying English could help her, but she didn't know how or where to begin. During a short vaction from work, she did a four-hour project at NACOS. In that brief time, she was able to become motivated and lay a foundation for further study. At NACOS, it doesn't take months to have a memorable experience that will improve your English and change how you approach language study.

Many people view a new language as something separate from their life, a set of skills that might become useful at some point. They are busy people, so they want to know exactly how long it will take for them to become fluent. But, unlike skills that can be learned within a certain time period, language learning is an ongoing process.

NACOS helps you to enjoy and integrate English into your daily life. As your life becomes more interesting and fulfilling through English, you will want to continue the learning process. Upon your return to Japan, you will have a more productive, positive approach to English and on one of our continuing tracks, you will receive further support in your personal language study.

Communication through Human Relationships:

Takashi Abe had always been a very good student in Japan. He came to NACOS for a week-long Daily Life Workshop. During his project, he was so eager to study the English language that he always asked everyone questions about English. He could not find the courage to address people on a more personal level, so his ideas about Americans and English remained very abstract. Basically, his focus was on the language and not on people, so the very people he needed to learn from began to avoid him. His feelings of rejection lead him to start to criticize them.

His problem was that he had been accostomed to learning English in the classroom and with textbooks. He had forgotten that the reason he was participating in the Daily Life Workshop in the first place was to move beyond that kind of limited learning. With NACOS' guidance, Takashi improved his relationships with Americans and his English ability. NACOS helped him turn his focus from learning English to creating a friendly, comfortable atmosphere with people. As he did this, his relationships improved and his opportunities for improving his English increased. He discovered that the most effective way to learn English was not by concentrating on the language, but on knowing and understanding individuals.

English for Business:

A group of businessmen from a company in Japan came to NACOS for a one-day project. They had all studied English before, but were not confident in their ability. They had always been afraid to try out their English outside of the classroom. At NACOS, they were encouraged to not worry about speaking perfect English and instead, focus on simply getting their message across and understanding the messages they received. As they learned how to do this, they became more relaxed and their communication improved. Soon, they found out how enjoyable and unintimidating communicating in English could be if they just changed their attitude towards it.

Organize Your Experience:

In July of 2000, Reika did a one-week program at NACOS. In previous summers, she had come to Hawaii and spent time in a youth program. She enjoyed the activities and met many Americans, yet she still had trouble communicating with them. When she came to NACOS, she also spent a lot of time with Americans, but this time her experience was organized. She stepped into the life of one American woman, going with her to many places during the week. She then spent a couple of days with an American family. Because this experience was very focused and supported, Reika felt that she got much more out of it than from her previous encounters with Americans.

NACOS provides organized opportunities for you to develop meaningful relationships with native English speakers. We choose average Americans of good character for you to spend time with. Because these are trusted, long-time friends of NACOS, there are no worries or hassles. We introduce you to them and give you information about who they are and help you describe yourself so that they can learn about and appreciate you. We help you to overcome problems as they arise. If you run into difficulties relating to anyone, we help you understand whether it is a cultural or personal difference. Within this structured, supportive framework,we help you discover your own style of relating in English so that the language becomes your own.

After your project, we will give you a personal text album that, through pictures and text, shows what you experienced and accomplished, reviews what you learned, and helps you to study these things further. And, through one of our continuing programs, we will continue to offer you support once you are back at home.