Johnny Klass (Ghanaian)
'Klass' restaurant/bar owner, 40
I went to Turkey; it was a nice vacation. It was great! I learned how to make kebabs from a Turkish friend who has 25 restaurant branches there. Having kebab on the menu has improved my business.

Takumi Amano (Japanese)
Deputy representative, 25
Foreign language skills can be very important in business, so I've put my main focus in this regard on English and Mandarin. I feel I've improved my Mandarin conversation ability, especially for business purposes.

Erika Shannon (Japanese/American)
High school student, 17
I passed my vocational college entrance exam. Vocational schools aren't as hard to get into as a regular college or university, but I was also able to pass a scholarship exam. It was, for me, the big accomplishment of the year.

Jack Shanks (American)
English teacher, 31
Like many people, I've had financial issues to deal with. But as of this year I've paid off my debt, which is a great feeling. It won't distract me any more from other matters, such as writing my novel.

Hikari Shimmura (Japanese)
English school staff, 22
I love hula dancing, and in August I won second prize in an international competition. I'm happy to have accomplished that, but I also feel disappointed not to have won first prize. Next year I'll get first prize!

Andy McCarthy (Irish)
Assistant English teacher, 34
My baby boy, Ronan, was born on Dec. 7, 2010 — my biggest accomplishment this year, and probably my whole life! I've almost finished a master's that I hope will get me a job in a university in the new year.

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