How long have you been a DMM Eikaiwa tutor, and what has your experience been like so far?
「DMM英会話の講師になってからどのくらい経ちますか? また、これまでの経験はいかがですか?」
Yna
I've been a DMM Eikaiwa tutor for more than a year now. Every day I meet different people from different parts of the world, and everyone has a different personality.
It's quite challenging since my culture, the Filipino culture, is very different from other cultures. I have definitely become more open to listening to a variety of opinions during our lessons and also learned to put myself in my students' shoes so I can understand their perspective.
I enjoy teaching my students, and I feel happy whenever I give them a great experience throughout their whole class with me.
How did you decide on the design for your winning costume?
「衣装のデザインはどのように決めましたか?」
Yna
When I read the contest announcement, I was hesitant to participate because I knew I had a very small chance of winning. There was only one week to prepare, and I had never participated in a contest like this before. But then I told myself to just try – I could be one of the winners, who knows?
Then I brainstormed and came up with the idea of being a mermaid, though I was not totally satisfied with it, because I wanted to portray something with a darker character, and mermaids are too pretty and charming.
Eventually, I decided to be a siren. And since we do have a bathtub at home, I was positive that I could have a good representation of a captive siren and capture a creative shot in the water.
Was the costume difficult to make? Can you tell us how you went about putting it all together?
「衣装作りは大変でしたか? どのように組み立てたのか教えてください」
Yna
Everything was DIY. I bought anything associated with the ocean (shells, ferns, plants, clay for the starfish, moss, etc.) as well as skeletal hands to make the costume look creepy. And of course I bought latex paint for my face and body.
During the preparation for the shoot, my husband first glued tissue paper on my face to form the gills. Then he started painting my body while I painted my face. It wasn't that difficult since we'd already watched how to do it on YouTube.
The hardest part of it was the photoshoot itself, because I was literally lying in a bathtub full of cold water, trying not to soak my painted face and body. It took us a while to start because we had to arrange the wig, and we had to cover the thing that supports my neck with the wig as well. We took as many shots to capture the best pose. After everything, I felt tired and had neck pain!
Is Halloween popular in your country? How do people view it and/or celebrate it?
「あなたの国ではハロウィンは人気ですか? みなさんはどのようにハロウィンを祝うのでしょうか?」
Yna
Yes, Halloween is popular. However, we don't really have big Halloween celebrations in the Philippines in general. There are just some shopping malls that hold contests for children and let them trick-or-treat in the different shops in the mall. Also, some companies nowadays hold contests or encourage their employees to wear costumes.
One of my students was shocked when he first saw me. My face was green, my body was green. He really looked surprised, but as we continued chatting about Halloween, he sincerely told me that he was rooting for me to win the contest.
Congratulations on winning first place! Do you have any big plans for your prize money?
「1位獲得おめでとうございます! 賞金は何に使いますか?」
Yna
I wholeheartedly want to thank the staff for choosing me for first place! Thank you so much! I was in awe when I saw the announcement and I cried. I couldn't believe I won such a huge amount of money.
I will use the prize money for our home. We moved into our new house in 2021 and we still have a lot of improvements to make. Specifically, we will use the prize money to build a cantilevered folding gate and fence for our front yard. And when it's done, I'll be reminded of the memories from this contest every time I see it!
How long have you been a DMM Eikaiwa tutor, and what has your experience been like so far?
「DMM英会話の講師になってからどのくらい経ちますか? また、これまでの経験はいかがですか?」
Maki
I've been working with DMM Eikaiwa for two years and three months now. DMM Eikaiwa helped me a lot especially during the pandemic, when this job became my bread and butter.
The past few years I've been very busy with my full-time job so I don't have as much time to tutor. But I'm glad DMM Eikaiwa is flexible and understanding of our schedules!
How did you decide on the design for your winning costume?
「衣装のデザインはどのように決めましたか?」
Maki
I really had a hard time deciding on a costume. I knew that it would be difficult for me to pull off a superhero costume and I also knew that I needed to be creative and think outside the box.
Then I remembered that since childhood, I have been really scared of monsters that have bloody faces, so I thought "Why not try being one for my costume?" Maybe it'll also give me the courage to not be scared of them anymore.
Was the costume difficult to make? Can you tell us how you went about putting it all together?
「衣装作りは大変でしたか? どのように組み立てたのか教えてください」
Maki
It was really difficult because it took me a week to make the prosthetics on top of my hectic work schedule (I work 17 hours a day) and my usual errands. So the first thing I struggled with was how to manage my time.
The costume itself took me six hours to complete. Since I'm not used to wearing contact lenses, I needed 30 minutes to put them in each of my eyes. On top of that, I didn't have anyone to help me put on makeup, so I had to blend the makeup and put it on myself. It was my first time putting makeup on myself!
The day I wore my costume, I had a class with a new student. He was really shocked and scared, but eventually he became interested and asked a lot of questions about how I made the costume.
Congratulations on winning first place! Do you have any big plans for your prize money?
「1位獲得おめでとうございます! 賞金は何に使いますか?」
Maki
To be honest I wasn't expecting to win second place. I felt pressure when I saw some entries that were really amazing, but there was a part of me that knew I could make the Top 10 and luckily I was right.
This will be the best birthday gift for me since it'll be my birthday on November 26. This will be the best birthday for me in my entire life. Thank you DMM Eikaiwa! I will join again next year and I'll make sure to do my best to scare all of you!