Yoko Uchida, PhD

I am a visiting researcher from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology AND second-semester student at the AGC program, working on a statistical learning project with Dr. Luca Onnis.  My specialty is phonetics and speech perception, and I came here to broaden my research area by addition of cognitive psychology approach and carrying out experiments in a highly academic atmosphere.

It was my longstanding dream to come here.  One day in the winter of 2005, right after a big project I was involved in was finished, I was in my office doing routine work, and all of a sudden, this idea just popped up to my mind: “My next goal is to do research at the University of Hawai’i.”  At that time, it was almost a next to impossible dream to me, since I had never been to Hawai’i, and the traditional sabbatical system in Japanese universities (so-called “zaiken”) had been abolished.  Besides, my daughter was only 2 years old.  It appeared there was no hope, but I decided to nurture the idea in my mind while carrying out everyday duties and on-going projects.  That’s why I was overjoyed 3 years later, when I applied for a new program which started in my university to send faculty members abroad for research purposes, and was successfully offered a one-year leave.  I immediately contacted the SLS department, and Dr. Ortega who learned my backgrounds bridged me to Luca.  I got here on New Year’s Day this year.  Where there is a hope, there is a way!

Almost 9 months have passed, and I am glad my “intuition” was right.  I found the research topic as well as the coursework in the program suitable for me.  With numerous new activities and events I took part in both in the department and in everyday life (I wish I had space to write about my ukulele and hula experiences during summer time :)   ), I sometimes feel as if I had lived here for 2 years.  Communication with the locals and learning about Hawai’i Pidgin has enriched my understanding of Hawai’i.  A bonus for me is that I get to see how my 8-year-old daughter Marina is acquiring English.  I have had to encounter the sad fact (hahaha …) that I need to spend twice as much time to learn new things compared to Marina as well as the majority of my younger classmates, yet I believe the upmost priority for active researchers is to refresh and update their knowledge, and the time is worth spending.

For almost anyone in a field related to Second Language Studies, the SLS Department has something to offer, and I think it is a place to consider for a sabbatical.  I am sure this one-year experience will be a treasure for me, and I will surely miss Hawai’i once I go back to Japan.