My Wonderful Experience
Corey Yamaguchi
Seinan Gakuin University, Japan
Well my time is up in Japan and all I can say is that I’m going to miss it so much. I’ve accomplished so much here in this country. Since I was a little kid it’s been a dream to live in Japan, and now I can check it off of my bucket list. I studied at Seinan Gakuin University and it was an amazing experience. I got to meet people from around the world, who are no longer strangers to me but are now considered my brothers and sisters. Living in Japan we shared great memories and had learned so much about the rich culture. Being Japanese studies major this exchange went hand in hand.
I was able to experience things that I could only see in textbooks and through the internet. Also I was able to pick up the language that much faster by being forced to use it every day, though I wouldn’t consider that to be a bad thing. When I said that I accomplished a lot of things in Japan, I wasn’t joking. This also showed that I actually learned some Japanese while I was there.
In the picture above are my family members that I have lost contact with for about 20 years.
All I was left with was a letter dating back to the 80’s and an address that seemed out dated. Well lucky me, they still lived at the same address, and when my parents came up in March. I was able to contact them and arrange a meeting with them. Let’s just say that the lunch we went to was quite difficult because of the language barrier and me being the only one that could translate for everyone. Better yet it’s another check off of my bucket list and I’ve made lifelong connections. If I had the chance to go back to Japan, I’d be there the next day. If you’re thinking about doing the exchange program, don’t hesitate and just do it. It’s something you will not regret.