Hey-my name is Bethany Nordstrom. I am a 17 years old girl from Arizona, USA. I came to Japan as a foreign exchange student through Rotary Club International. I have been living in Kishiwada City, Japan for the past nine months!! During these months, I have attended Izumi Senior High School here in Kishiwada.
Life as a student in Japan is totally different then as a student in America.
I can still remember my 1st day here in Japan, my host mother bought me a bike and told me
that this is how I will be getting around! Even to school I thought-I have
never ridden a bike to school in my life! Just last year, I was driving
myself to school! The bike has turned out to be fun and very convenient.
Then I found out about wearing a uniform to school! What a first! Now its
not so bad, it does make mornings easier in deciding on what to wear, especially
when you are running late!! Lets see- should I wear this navy blue skirt
or this navy blue skirt!!I think the only thing about the uniform is that
it makes me stand our more! Imagine seeing a blond hair, blue-eyed girl
in a school uniform riding a bike amidst all the black hair, brown eyes
students! I have been told that it’s an unusually sight in Japan!
At school, everyone is really nice! I think I have learned the most about Japan from my friends! They are also the people that I have learned Japanese  from! I cannot say that I am fluent because I am far from that but I can get around by myself!
School is can be very hard though. I really cannot understand much, only words here and there. Then I try and put it all together. Even English class is done all in Japanese and written in Kanji (which is the hardest part of Japanese to learn)!! I think classes are the hardest part because the words that they use are not words that are part of an everyday conversation so I have not learned them yet!! But my friends tell me that sometimes they do not even understand what the teachers are saying!! At school, students stay in one classroom all day, only the teacher’s change. Sometimes that can get very boring but you do get to know your classmates better! School is also very fun!! First, I am the only student at my school allowed to have blond hair. My friends are not allowed to dye their hair! Also, since I am the only foreign exchange student at my school, everyone knows who I am! So they all say hi so me all the time! I never know who they are but I always say hi back! Also this year does not count for me credit wise so I have all kinds of classes with different grades. That way I can meet people in different classes then my own and also make lots of new friends!!!
A funny story- Lets see!
One day it was raining really hard. It was also my first time to ride my bike in the rain with an umbrella. So there I was in my school uniform, on a bike with an umbrella in one hand and the other on the bike! The wind was not helping either-the skirt just kept flying up, and there was nothing I could do!!! I had no hands free to hold it down, glad I had decided to wear shorts under my skirt that day!! Try going slow on a bike in the wind with an umbrella and trying not to hit other people’s umbrellas! It’s impossible!! I must of hit everybody I went by! By the time I got to school, I was soaked from head to toe! I have gotten to the point now that I can keep my head dry but the rest of me-I think I need more time!!
What I have learned- I cannot even begin!!
One thing is to believe in yourself and in your dreams!! Never let others push you down, always stand tall!!Try everything- you will never know what’s it really like until you try it! Have an open mind! As the saying goes-Don’t judge a book by its cover or you will miss out on something great!!!
Be able to laugh at yourself! I guarantee that you cannot to through life without making mistakes! I have made more this year then I want to admit but I have learned that it’s ok because that’s the only way you learn.
I encourage everyone to travel and experience new culture first had- I guarantee you that it will change your life forever!! I know this year has changed mine!! |
Experience in Japan
by Raghunandan Mantri, a foreign exchange student at Izuko
Hello everybody,
I am Raghunandan Mantri. I am 15 years old. I am Indian. I am Rotary International Exchange student of year 2001-02.
I am a student of Izumi high school, Kishiwada. I am going to say about
my experience in Japan as a student.
First I would introduce myself.
I am from India. I live in the city of Jalna, which is situated into the heart
of India. It is in the state of Maharashtra. I am R.I.Dist. 3130[Rotary
International District]. I am fond of learning languages. I wanted to learn Japanese
and wanted to know more about Japanese people who live in totally different
life. So, I chose Japan as my host country.
I was very happy when I got my
choice and started to learn Japanese in my own country. I was very happy and
excited about my new experience until I sat on the plane for Japan. But there
were some things which I had heard from other people about
their experience . These worries started in my trip by plane.
First of all I heard that
there are many earthquakes in Japan. So, it worried me much because I heard
about the earthquakes of Kobe, Tokyo, etc. The second problem was my food. I am
pure vegetarian and I do not even eat egg. I also heard about the food in Japan.
Many people say that there is problem for vegetarians in Japan because Japanese
eats every kind of non-vegetarian food and that these foods are their daily
life food. This was the main thing I was worried about. Can I get vegetarian food?
Will I have some problem? Will I be forced to eat the non-vegetarian food?
I also heard about the other
problem like people in Japan are not friendly because people here are shy and
they do not know English, so, they do not want to talk. So, there can be
problem of friends because no one can leave without friends. The other problem
is Japan is very expensive than India. So, I was thinking how could I do my
shopping if I need. But this was not such a big problem because I have to do a
very less shopping because I am a student. As I am a Rotary Exchange Student, I
have to stay in three to four families. So, there was some felling going in my
mind. How would be my host families? Will they be kind to me? These were all
the things going in my mind during my flight.
But when I came to Japan there
was a big sigh of relief. It was not so difficult as I thought. About the
earthquakes, there are very less earthquakes in my area. Already, most of the
peoples in Japan had built their buildings as earthquake-proof, i.e., there is
a very small chance of destruction due to earthquakes. About food, I am getting
pure vegetarian food. No one had forced me even to eat an egg or
non-vegetarian. There is even some Japanese traditional food like tempura, etc.
I have no problem of food and I am getting nourished and healthy food.
About the problem of
communication, the people here are friendly and helpful. Even they do not
understand you, but they try to understand and try to help in the way they can
help and there are some people who know good English. Japan is expensive but
there are some things and also some shops, which are same price as in other
countries. So, I did not have a problem, but still I think it is not so easy as
you live in your own country. And about my host families. I had past three
months in Japan and present I am living in my first host family. I am living in
three families and they all are Rotarian families. My first host family is very
kind and good. They are always worried about my health and food. They are very
kind.
These were all my personal
problems. I came to Japan as a pre-college student. So, I have to attend school
and study like other Japanese students. I am student of Izumi high school from
last three months. But before coming to Japan there were some worrying which
came to my mind like can I study and understand in Japanese what the teacher is
saying? Will I have some special classes or just like other students? How could
I understand the textbooks when all are in Japanese? Will the schoolteachers be
kind to me? Will I be able to make many friends?
But, when I started my school I
came to a conclusion that I was not so difficult as I thought. Well, I could
not understand totally what the teacher is saying but get the point on what
they are talking about. I have some special classes to learn Japanese but for
other subjects I have to be just like other students. I try to understand my Japanese
textbooks, which give me a good practice of Japanese. My all teachers are kind
to me. They help me in the best way they can. I made many friends and all help
me. They are also eager to know about India and to get the differences between Japan
and India. They help me to improve my Japanese and I help them to improve their
English. We have clubs after school and every student belongs to some club(s). I
belong to Brass Band club. I play Percussion. I enjoy my club and have no
problem in my club because all help me. So, now lastly I conclude that
living in Japan is totally different and enjoyable and I am very happy here in
Japan. But there is difference between the experience of peoples and this was
my experience.
Bye-bye. (Sayonara)
And thank you for
reading my experience in Japan.
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