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Exchange Program
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Exchange Student (April 2008 - March 2009) from Northern Arizona University |
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I believe that choosing Japan as my destination for foreign exchange was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been like had I not chosen to participate in an exchange to AGU. The first week I was in Japan, I decided I liked it so much that I extended my stay from one semester to a year. Now that my time is almost over,
I know there isn’t a single thing I would’ve changed. I got to experience so many things and go so many places.
One of the best things about studying abroad is how tight-knit the exchange student community is. I can honestly say that the friends I have made here are going to be friends I keep for life.
It was almost easier to make friends here than in the U.S. because we already have the same basic interests to begin with. Another thing that made my exchange so much easier is the helpful staff of the IEC.
There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for one of us exchange students. My entire one-year exchange at Aoyama will be something impossible to forget. |
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Exchange Student (April 2008 - March 2009) from University of Vermont |
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It seems as though many of the international student I have met while here fell into a similar category as I -- in middle school it was Anime; in high school we dabbled in Japanese language learning; once in college, we began to realize the prospect of becoming proficient in a language universally recognized as both challenging and unique was a goal worth achieving.
Despite having surrounded myself with people and things Japanese for the past 5 to 10 years, I had previously neither had the opportunity to visit Japan nor the support and immersion necessary to feel confident and comfortable with the language. In awe and in light of the drastic language ability increase I witnessed in returning exchange students, I felt the most efficient way to achieve proficiency would be through first-hand experience -- dive right in as they had. As it turns out, my most comforting memory about this experience as a whole is that I will have come away from it having no regrets. |
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I chose to stay for the year long exchange. Based on accounts from all of the stories I had heard, no matter where one travels, the first month of the exchange experience is spent wide-eyed, but closed-mouthed -- the excitement is there, but the comfort is not yet. The next is said to be full of opportunity -- places to see, people to meet -- but may also be accompanied by feelings of homesickness and culture shock. It's not until the 3rd or 4th month (for those staying for a single semester, the last), that one really begins to find his/her comfort zone, beginning to feel like he/she has found a second home.
While there are truths behind that analysis, I went through the stages a bit differently. I wish I could pat myself on the back and say it's as a result of being well prepared, but I know that it's because everyone at AGU, staff, teachers and most certainly friends/classmates, were supportive and expressed a constant enthusiasm with regard to helping me settle. I was made to feel as though I had been a member of the community here for years from day one!
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In complete contrast to inexperienced beliefs about living within Japanese society, everyone I have had the pleasure of meeting here has been open, unreserved and interested in making my stay as fulfilled as possible. In the end, it seems my reasoning to stay for the year was best, not as a way to work around culture shock, but because the assimilation process happens so quickly when going to AGU that initial language barriers are quickly overcome and life-long friendships are immediately formed -- one year isn’t long enough!
Classes, clubs, circles (groups of people with a common interest or a subsidiary of a club) provided by Japanese universities are all amazing opportunities to improve one's Japanese while likewise being the best way to meet people you may not normally get to within such a vast student population. The members of AGU’s clubs always strike me as being overjoyed at having the chance to meet a foreign student interested in participating in activities with them. My time spent with the many clubs and circles I joined while at AGU have, without a doubt, provided me with experiences and memories that will allow me to someday tell my grandchildren about "the time I was the only foreigner in a Japanese rock band" or "the many times I ended a boxing or shorinji kempo club session drained and in pain, but walked away laughing with all the friends I made while there."
Inevitably, any experience abroad or at AGU will be defined by how one choose to spend time. But knowing beforehand that this facility houses some of the most helpful and accepting people I have met is a solid cure for apprehension. Even after this year is over, I'll always know that I have a second home at AGU.
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Exchange Student (April 2006-March 2007), from University of Washington |
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Before coming to Aoyama Gakuin University, I had feelings of doubt, I worried whether or not I would be able to communicate with people, understand what the professors say in class, or be able to fit in as a normal student in Japan. I had heard that Japanese universities were much different than my university back home, and I was quite worried about it. However, since the first day when I stepped on campus at Aoyama Gakuin University, I felt a sense of comfort to the extent that it felt a bit like home.
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| At Aoyama Gakuin it has been easy to find a balance between taking classes where I can focus on improving my language skills, and classes where I can challenge not only my Japanese skills but also my knowledge about Japanese culture, politics, etc. In addition to the academic aspect of my study abroad experience here, I have fond memories of sitting on the benches that line the main path of campus eating lunch with friends, getting together with other exchange students and enjoying the sights and sounds of Japan, and lastly spending time with the club I joined talking about the latest music, comedy, trends of Tokyo, things that can not be learned from class. When people ask me what I like about Japan the most, I’m quick to answer school. My time spent on the Aoyama Campus has been a large part of my study abroad experience. Not only has it been a place for me to learn, but also a place to meet people from all over the world, and make memories that will last a lifetime. |
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Exchange student (April, 2006- March, 2007) from Moscow State University (Russia) |
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I think that people have all kinds of opinions and views about Japan. But we don't know whether those opinions are correct, without visiting the country.
I have visited Japan before coming to AGU. I stayed with Sasai family, a host family in Okayama prefecture. They were such a nice family. As I remember, when the day of my home country returning approached, I became very sad and even cry. But even now we have no obstacles to keep in touch.
This year is very special for me as well. It is hard to believe that I am a third year student at Aoyama Gakuin University. I am really grateful that, at Moscow State University, I was selected as an exchange student among a number of students who were studying Japanese. As a matter of fact, I did not really expect that my experiences at AGU would be so interesting and intriguing. However, there are so many interesting things in the students' life at AGU.
I did not know what "Sa-kuru" (Circle) was, and I thought they were talking about Sakura (Cherry blossoms), until I found out later what Sa-kuru was. I am in the Sign Language Circle. We get together, doing what we like, and have a great time. Being in a Circle helps me in both learning Japanese and making friends. During the summer break, we are scheduled to go on "Gasshuku" trip. I wonder what Gasshuku is like, but I imagine it would be fun.
Exchange students who are studying Japanese learn many things about Japan and Japanese people, but I do not feel that our knowledge about Japan is enough yet. Questions like "what is __?" and "what do you call __?" are our best friends when we study Japanese. I wonder if communicating in Japanese will ever be easy for me someday, because misunderstanding happens very often.
Here are some examples of embarrassing situations I have experienced. Five years ago, I came to Japan for the first time. One day, my teacher took me to a restaurant. When it was time to go home, we waited for the elevator.
When the elevator arrived, I said to my teacher, "After you," and got on the elevator the last, thinking that I was being polite. Then I looked at my teacher's face and realized that I did something wrong. I did not know what it was at first, and then I understood my mistake.
When I was a sophomore student, I came to Japan with friends for the third time. I still laugh remembering what happened during the visit. Two of my friends stayed with a host family. They tried to give the family a souvenir brought from Russia, but it took one hour before the family accepted the gift. The reason for that was, when my friends offered the traditional honey (Hachimitsu) in a pot, they explained that it was Hanamizu (snot). The family was probably reluctant to receive such a traditional Hanamizu.
Another example is about my Japanese history teacher and a group of students who came to Japan. They were in a subway station during a rush hour. In Russia, subway stations do not have station attendants like the ones in Japan.
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They saw a subway attendants pushing people into the train, and thought that there was no space for them and they need help. So, two of the attendants were pushing for a minute or two by our students with their knee and elbows and of course these two managed to get on the train.
As I started, the more I have a feeling that my knowledge about Japan and Japanese language is growing rapidly the more often I remind myself to remember all I have just written about. |
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