Abstract
In this narrative, an international exchange student, a young man from Guam, tells how his adaptation to his host country was facilitated through his participation in a social language learning space located on the campus of a national university in Japan. In his story, he recounts how his anxiety about being alone far from home was relieved by the opportunities it afforded him to make friends in a comfortable, relaxed environment. His story provides a glimpse of the affordances generated by students being mutually supportive, helping each other with their learning and social issues. He concludes his narrative by suggesting that, perhaps most importantly, the L-café provided him with opportunities to learn about himself as a person; in other words, it provided him with insights into his sense of self.
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© 2016 Daniel Tangonan
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Tangonan, D. (2016). Defining Experience through the L-café. In: Murray, G., Fujishima, N. (eds) Social Spaces for Language Learning: Stories from the L-café. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-53010-3_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-53010-3_12
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-70841-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-53010-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)