(Omar) Hello!
Hey everyone!
My name is Ivan Omar Olivas-Diaz, but everyone knows me as Omar Diaz. I am from South Haven, Michigan. South Haven is a small yet beautiful town located on Lake Michigan. It is a great place to live in the summer because all the surrounding lakes, and beaches. So everyone can get to know me a little bit, I will share some information about myself. I am currently 23 years old and I attend Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I am a double bachelors degree student, studying Marketing and Japanese with a minor in Asian studies. I have a variety of hobbies such as music (guitar, piano, and listening to music), sports (soccer, tennis), and I love interacting with people. When I am not at school or working I am always with friends. Ice cream is my favorite food, and I my favorite animal is probably red pandas. That information is probably irrelevant. I come from a family of 5 (including myself). I have four older siblings; two sisters and two brothers. My sisters are twins and so are my brothers! But what is more strange is that one of my sister also has twin kids! I am surrounded by twins... I am also of Hispanic descent but unfortunately I do not speak Spanish very well.
I began studying Japanese when I entered college. Looking to improving my language speaking ability (but also to have fun) I decided that I wanted to study abroad in Japan. I had the opportunity to study abroad not only once, but twice!The first time I came to Japan, I studied in Otaru University of Commerce in Otaru, Japan which is in Hokkaido. I was there for about one whole year. I had an unbelievable time while studying abroad that I had to do it once more. The second time, I studied abroad at Rikkyo University for roughly 6 months. Studying at those universities helped me improve my Japanese language skills and make friends from all over the world.
After I finished my study abroad experiences I still did not feel satisfied with my language abilities. Of course I could have studied harder in America and in my university's Japanese classes, but coming to Japan once more sounded a lot better. I began to search for internships overseas and I stumbled upon LEX Institute Family Hippo and I decided to apply for their internship position. To my surprise I was accepted and given the opportunity to be an intern through their program!!
Now, I am currently in Japan participating as an intern for LEX Institute. I have been here for about 3 weeks and this internship keeps surprising me. For starters, my host family never stop surprising me. I live with my host mother, host father, and their 3 kids (my host brothers). My host brothers are 21, 19, and 13 but only the 21 year old and 13 year old live in the house. The middle child is currently living at his university. My host mother loves to feed me and likes me to participate in all the hippo events she goes to. Therefore, I am very busy. My host father is very funny and speaks a lot of kansai-ben so I have some trouble understanding his jokes sometimes, but when I do understand them they are always funny. All of the sons love soccer, which is great because I do too! We also have a dog named Raku. In Japanese Raku means ease or comfort, which is funny because the dog is not relaxed dog. He is very active, especially when we go for walks.
I am still getting use to all my different duties I have but I am enjoying every minute of it. Last week I went to a elementary school and gave a presentation about Halloween to the students. We also played different games such as Gokiburi Janken (cockroach rock paper scissors). I got a long very well the the students, even though they all beat me in the game...
I had the chance to speak to Mr. Sakakibara, the founder of LEX and Family Hippo. I was amazed just to be in his presence. I was also glad to share my stories about growing up as a person with multiple cultures (Mexican and American Culture) with him and with other members of family hippo. Being able to meet him first hand and speak with him and everyone in the office has made me feel like a real member of this family and organization.
I am excited for all the future events I will participate in!
-Omar
My name is Ivan Omar Olivas-Diaz, but everyone knows me as Omar Diaz. I am from South Haven, Michigan. South Haven is a small yet beautiful town located on Lake Michigan. It is a great place to live in the summer because all the surrounding lakes, and beaches. So everyone can get to know me a little bit, I will share some information about myself. I am currently 23 years old and I attend Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I am a double bachelors degree student, studying Marketing and Japanese with a minor in Asian studies. I have a variety of hobbies such as music (guitar, piano, and listening to music), sports (soccer, tennis), and I love interacting with people. When I am not at school or working I am always with friends. Ice cream is my favorite food, and I my favorite animal is probably red pandas. That information is probably irrelevant. I come from a family of 5 (including myself). I have four older siblings; two sisters and two brothers. My sisters are twins and so are my brothers! But what is more strange is that one of my sister also has twin kids! I am surrounded by twins... I am also of Hispanic descent but unfortunately I do not speak Spanish very well.
I began studying Japanese when I entered college. Looking to improving my language speaking ability (but also to have fun) I decided that I wanted to study abroad in Japan. I had the opportunity to study abroad not only once, but twice!The first time I came to Japan, I studied in Otaru University of Commerce in Otaru, Japan which is in Hokkaido. I was there for about one whole year. I had an unbelievable time while studying abroad that I had to do it once more. The second time, I studied abroad at Rikkyo University for roughly 6 months. Studying at those universities helped me improve my Japanese language skills and make friends from all over the world.
After I finished my study abroad experiences I still did not feel satisfied with my language abilities. Of course I could have studied harder in America and in my university's Japanese classes, but coming to Japan once more sounded a lot better. I began to search for internships overseas and I stumbled upon LEX Institute Family Hippo and I decided to apply for their internship position. To my surprise I was accepted and given the opportunity to be an intern through their program!!
Now, I am currently in Japan participating as an intern for LEX Institute. I have been here for about 3 weeks and this internship keeps surprising me. For starters, my host family never stop surprising me. I live with my host mother, host father, and their 3 kids (my host brothers). My host brothers are 21, 19, and 13 but only the 21 year old and 13 year old live in the house. The middle child is currently living at his university. My host mother loves to feed me and likes me to participate in all the hippo events she goes to. Therefore, I am very busy. My host father is very funny and speaks a lot of kansai-ben so I have some trouble understanding his jokes sometimes, but when I do understand them they are always funny. All of the sons love soccer, which is great because I do too! We also have a dog named Raku. In Japanese Raku means ease or comfort, which is funny because the dog is not relaxed dog. He is very active, especially when we go for walks.
I am still getting use to all my different duties I have but I am enjoying every minute of it. Last week I went to a elementary school and gave a presentation about Halloween to the students. We also played different games such as Gokiburi Janken (cockroach rock paper scissors). I got a long very well the the students, even though they all beat me in the game...
I had the chance to speak to Mr. Sakakibara, the founder of LEX and Family Hippo. I was amazed just to be in his presence. I was also glad to share my stories about growing up as a person with multiple cultures (Mexican and American Culture) with him and with other members of family hippo. Being able to meet him first hand and speak with him and everyone in the office has made me feel like a real member of this family and organization.
I am excited for all the future events I will participate in!
-Omar
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