Viktoriia Migdalska

Message

I have been a Japanese language teacher in Odesa, Ukraine for 30 years. I taught at a private elementary school from 1990 to 2002, and in 2003 I founded the Japanese department at Odesa National University with my son. In 2017, I received the Foreign Minister's Commendation from then Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio. I continued to teach Japanese until 2020, and although I have since retired from Odesa State University, I have continued to cooperate with online classes as a part-time lecturer.I taught at a private elementary school from 1990 to 2002, and in 2003 I founded the Japanese department at Odesa National University with my son.In 2017, I received the Foreign Minister's Commendation from then Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio. I continued to teach Japanese until 2020, and although I have since retired from Odesa State University, I have continued to cooperate with online classes as a part-time lecturer.
I have participated in various activities based on the sister city partnership between Odesa and Yokohama for 30 years. I have also given lectures at various institutions, including the Yokohama International Association YOKE, the Kyoto International Association KOKOKA, the Japan Eurasia Association (Kyoto and Osaka), and the Russian Interpreters Association (Kansai branch).
I have three Japanese granddaughters.
On February 24, 2022, Ukraine was invaded by the Russian army, but Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced on March 2 that he would accept refugees, and they safely evacuated from Odesa and came to Japan in mid-April.

Learning a foreign language is related to everyday conversation and business communication. This means visiting Japan as a tourist, living daily life in Japan, and communicating business-related matters in Japanese.
Based on my many years of experience in learning and teaching foreign languages, I believe that a book containing conversational expressions, patterns, models, and phrases that foreigners coming to Japan can put into practice right away is necessary.I would be most grateful if this book could be useful to all Ukrainians (refugees from Ukraine and others) who have just started learning Japanese. I would also be happy if my experience could be useful to local governments, social organizations, and volunteer organizations that are helping to accept refugees from Ukraine, when they want to learn practical Ukrainian in a short period of time.