Washburn University (Spring)
What it means to go abroad
Mari Owashi Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Department of Economics
I was able to spend a very meaningful spring break by participating in a short-term study abroad program at Washburn University in the United States.
I was placed in a university dormitory. I shared a room with an American roommate for three weeks. My roommate loved Japanese characters and was very interested in the Japanese characters on the stickers I had on my suitcase. This led to a conversation, and she said, "I like XX too, and the stickers you have are really cute! Can you recommend a store where I'll buy some next time?" The day after I arrived in America, I had breakfast with my roommate in the dormitory cafeteria. After that, I played sports at the university gym with my roommate and a student from Fukuoka University who was doing a language training with me. There were six of us in total, and we played two-on-two badminton, volleyball, and basketball in a match format. As you'd expect in America, we tried out a variety of sports in a gym as big as a gymnasium, and even did bouldering. This experience helped me to become closer to my roommate.
As a result, after a week in America, my roommate bought me American snacks and food. The reason was, "I want you to enjoy this life as much as possible." Hearing this, I was deeply moved by how blessed I am to be with such people. Personally, the most delicious snack my roommate gave me was a snack called "Sour Patch Kids." Simply put, it is a sour gummy candy that is very popular among children in America. Students also like it and eat it a lot. Also, by chatting during meals and before going to bed, I was able to learn about American culture, my roommate's dreams, what he was studying, and his family. The commute to college was quick because the student dormitory was on campus, and the view outside from the three-story window was wonderful, so I was able to enjoy my life every day.
After classes and on weekends, I went shopping, sightseeing, and drinking tea with 10 students from Fukuoka University and my American friends. I decided that if I came to America, I definitely wanted to eat pizza and hamburgers. My American friends showed me around, and we ate a lot of pizza and hamburgers. We all shared pizzas that were so big we thought we might burst. I also enjoyed conversations with many people while drinking Pepsi and Coke, so I had a very elegant time.
I was blessed with a wonderful encounter by participating in this training with 16 people from Fukuoka University. The reason is that we became so close that they stayed up all night to see us off, as we were returning to Japan one week earlier than Fukuoka University. Furthermore, they cried when we said goodbye at the end. For me, that scene was the most memorable event of this training. Because we always spent time together during classes, outside of class programs, and free time. At first, someone asked us, "Do you want to all go out for a meal together?" and we acted together, and before we knew it, we naturally started to get together and eat meals without anyone initiating the conversation. This happened within a week of the training starting. We mainly went to eat things that you can only get in America, such as Spanish restaurants, steakhouses, cafes, and hamburgers near the university. In Japan, I never ate with a large group of people, so it was my first experience, but it was very fun. After returning to Japan, I started eating alone, and I missed it very much.
Although my stay in the US was only three weeks and ended quickly, I was able to spend my days there for much longer than that. Overall, I don't think my language skills improved through my one-month study abroad. I was able to have everyday conversations, but I think this is more a result of getting used to speaking in English rather than an improvement in my English ability. In fact, for a few days after returning to Japan, Japanese often sounded like a foreign language. Rather than that, there were many times in the US when I couldn't express my thoughts in English, so I think my communication skills and interpersonal skills improved rather than my English ability. Therefore, while I think that learning English is important in short-term study abroad, I think it would be better if you also paid attention to intercultural exchange and improving your communication skills. I am truly glad that I took this training course. If I hadn't participated in this training course in the US, I would not have met the people from Fukuoka University, and my roommate who became a very kind and important friend, and my friends from Washburn University, because it was fate that allowed me to meet them. I will treasure this connection and continue to keep in touch with them in the future. Immediately after returning to Japan, I made a promise to go on a trip to Fukuoka and meet the people from Fukuoka University. I will definitely meet my friends from the US. It was a very happy time.