Student Reflection Papers. Japan. Student 1 The time I spent in Japan will be one I will never forget. When I first arrived at my

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1 Student Reflection Papers Japan Student 1 The time I spent in Japan will be one I will never forget. When I first arrived at my dorm in Ikebukuro I had my first taste of culture shock. My room was very small and I did not know how I was going to spend two months with this as my living situation. After about one week I was fine, everything I needed in a nice small space was very nice. My first day of exploring was very nice. People were very friendly to me where ever I went which was a big change from back in the states. People were very open to helping me when I was lost which was not quite often, but when it happened I was grateful for the help. School was a whole other experience, the school was very strict. When they said class is only in Japanese they mean only in Japanese. Even if I sat next to an American student, we still had to speak Japanese in class. Since classes were only in Japanese it made me focus more on what was being taught. It was actually a nice change since I learned a lot better that way. The teachers were so nice and supportive and would do anything they could to help out. The classes were fun. We did skits in class and had extracurricular classes that were held before school. There were many classes to choose from and I did the traditional dancing class and got to perform at the school s speech contest and it was a great experience. There were about 10 of us on stage and only two of us were American. It was fun when we finally got to perform, it went over very well. Granted, I was somewhat nervous performing in front of the whole school. I met so many amazing people while I was over there and from various states. I also made friends who are Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese. It was nice to see so

2 many different cultures and types of people at one time. The Korean students in my class invited me out to eat with them and it was great. We talked about where we were from and our different cultures. It was nice to see how even though we are from completely different places that we had something as simple as the Japanese language in common. As we talked we also learned that we had other things in common, as well. While I was there, not only did I learn Japanese, but I was able to experience the Japanese lifestyle. I had to commute like everyone else did, every afternoon and sometimes in the morning. The morning time was the worst time to catch the train. It was so packed to the point where I could not move my arms from my sides. I was very thankful that I had afternoon classes in the long run. The food there is great. I even tried octopus which was a huge step for me since I am a very picky eater, but I had to open myself up to new things. The portions were much smaller than the states and much more expensive. I took the train everywhere since it was the easiest way to get around and from the train stop I walked. I refused to take a taxi unless I really needed it since they can be expensive at times. One thing living in Japan taught me was how to save money. At times some things were a little too expensive for me. That was also a culture shock there as well. The one thing about Japan that surprised me the most was the weather. It was unbelievably hot at times, very humid, and there was no breeze. I was dying the first couple of weeks before I got used to the weather. When we got there it was the rainy season which speaks for itself, but the odd thing was it was still humid while it was raining and after the rain stopped. Then towards the end of my stay it became very hot. I know one thing I had to watch my health in this crazy weather. Luckily for me I did not get sick at all, because if I did get sick I would have to wear a mask whenever I went out in public wanted to avoid getting sicker. So I was very

3 thankful for their healthy vitamin water and C.C. Lemon which was full of vitamins and prevented me from getting sick. My time in Japan I will never forget and I will always cherish, as well as all the people I met while I was visiting. I can say that this experience changed my life. Every day while I walked to school I still could not believe I actually was able to be in Japan. There are not enough words to describe my experience. It was overall an amazing experience and if I could do it again I would definitely jump at the opportunity. Student 2 I never thought I would have an opportunity to go to Japan and study this soon in life. When I was asked if I would be interested in studying abroad, I didn t hesitate. I had a wonderful two months in Tokyo, and I can t wait to go back. I thought simply studying the language was good, but it s nothing compared to studying the language at its origins and getting personal with it and the people who speak it. I feel as if I ve learned so much more than when I was studying in America. I will never be able to forget all the friends I ve made, the things I ve learned, and the experiences while in Japan. From the first day at the airport we began by all talking to each other. I guess we figured we d need to get to know each other to help get us through our experience. At the dorm I stayed in, Tanashi, there was about 30 of us. It s a good thing we all were friendly towards each other because those trains were crowded! If we didn t feel comfortable around each other and that with being that close I don t think we would have made it through our time in Japan. If being that close on the trains didn t bond us, then the showers did. I m truly going to miss all of the students. They were all different and affected my

4 experience in their own way, not to mention all the people that lived outside of the dormitory. Nate, Ashley, Nancy The list can go on and on. Antionette, the student from Norfolk State that I traveled with, and I actually met two of them on the plane, I even sat next to one for the flight. The classes were taught in Japanese, which was a smart thing considering that there were two other nationalities of people: Chinese and Korean. They are amazing people, and I hope to stay in contact with them. They always had me laughing in class, and they were able to help when we were confused (a lot of them even spoke some English!), and they helped make class enjoyable. On the last day of classes, after our final, the Chinese and Korean students in my class presented me with a cardboard heart they had made, decorated with arts and crafts and their words of encouragement. I m really going to miss them. Being able to actually learn Japanese in Japan was exhilarating. I had always figured it would be easier to learn Kanji while in Japan, similar to how English words are going to be easier to learn in English speaking places. After learning a Kanji in class, we could see that Kanji being used in the wild, and we could experience it first-hand instead of only having a text-book to reference. The same thing goes for Japanese grammar and words. I recall one time learning the word for just right (choudoii) and the very next day, during my break from class I went to the convenient store and paid exact change. The cashier said choudoii and it caught me by surprise. I doubt I ll ever be able to forget that word now. There are entirely too many experiences that I ve come across in Japan: traveling to Aizu, the convenience store playing the exact same song everyday at 3 p.m., finding out the

5 true meaning of public shower, having all personal space invaded on the morning commute, going to the movies twice, eating chicken liver, going to the clubs Too many to name them all. I will never forget them, and I m so glad that I was able to experience them. One day, I hope to make that 15 hour flight again.