Anabel Hirano OC ‘13

Anabel in Kitchen.JPG
 

J. F. Oberlin University, Japan (2013-15)

Anabel Hirano graduated in May 2013 with a degree in History and took Japanese 100-level classes to prepare for her Fellowship. She grew up attending a Japanese bilingual school, and although she has not studied Japanese since high school, she found that it came back to her quickly. She also studied Russian and Spanish. She has experience as a Trombone and Piano teacher, has interned with the San Francisco Youth Orchestra, and was a member of the Oberlin Orchestra that toured China and Singapore in 2011. She also was a member of Oberlin Steel and the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble. Her last two years at Oberlin, she developed a passion for teaching that started with the Oberlin WAVE program in the summer of 2011. She was not fazed by the difficulty of tutoring six year-olds and returned for 2012. During 2012 Winter Term, she was an assistant ESL teacher for beginner students in San Mateo, California. She tutored with America Reads and was the Student Assistant to the President. Anabel brought her love of teaching and music to JFO.

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Anabel’s Exquisite Experience in Japan Corpse
Anabel’s Exquisite Experience in Japan Corpse

Anabel Hirano ‘13, JFOU Fellow

Actually, I wouldn’t say my experience in Japan has been “exquisite.” “Fulfilling,” “challenging,” “eye-opening,” maybe. But, Exquisite Corpse is an incredible game. You can play it with any number of people, but the magic number is 3.

The Glee Club
The Glee Club

Anabel Hirano ‘13 & Lisette Lorenz ‘12 , JFOU Fellows

In the fall of 2013, the Japan fellows founded a club called “Great Language Engagement in English,” or “GLEE.” GLEE’s main purpose is to provide an alternative venue in which English language students can develop their language skills outside of the classroom.