Orientation and First Weeks
When I first arrived at KGU, I didn’t feel too nervous or experience much culture shock as I had visited Japan many times before. On the first day after arriving, we were given a tour of KGU’s two campuses, the dorm, and facilities. We were also given advice on how to meet new people, how to navigate transit, and recommendations for places to shop and visit around the campus.
Accommodation and Living
I stayed in KGU’s international dorm, which housed both international students from a wide variety of partner institutions around the world and local students interested in studying English.
Each floor of the dorm was split into units of around 20 students, and I was able to become very close friends with all of the girls within my unit. We would always eat and go out together, and whenever one of us travelled to another place in Japan or another country, we would always bring back souvenirs to share with everyone. Because I chose to stay in the dorm, I was able to make friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.
Learning and Adaptation
As I mentioned, one of the reasons that I chose KGU was because of the courses offered. I knew I wanted my semester to consist of half language and half social sciences related courses, so I took two Japanese courses: Japanese Language and Kanji and Readings. In terms of my English-language courses, I took one on globalization in Japan and another on gender and sexuality in Japan. These two courses taught me a lot about modern Japanese society, aligning well with both my major and my minor.
Accomplishments and Challenges
I was placed in level 6 out of 8 for my Japanese Language course, and it was held 3 times a week, meaning it was not only a high level, but also frequent and intense. However, thanks to this course, my Japanese improved faster than it would have ever done if I continued to self-study back in Vancouver. My Kanji and Readings class was less intense but was extremely useful as it focused on reading and writing kanji, which are the Chinese characters used in Japanese. Through this class, I was able to read signs, menus, and other information easily, which made navigation around the country much easier.
Social and Extracurricular Activities
Outside of the classroom, I visited both Osaka and Kyoto many times on weekends and free days with my friends as they were both only a 30-minute train ride from the nearest train station. Both these cities are very different, with Osaka being loud, modern, and exciting and Kyoto famous for its quiet atmosphere and various historical and religious sites, but there was always something new to explore. My friends and I would try new foods, visit different places like aquariums, malls, zoos, and famous Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples. There was also a lot to do around campus, with the closest train station and mall being a 20-minute walk away from our dorm. On campus, there were also sports, hobbies, and language-related clubs that international students could participate in, but because of my schedule I wasn’t able to attend regularly. I was able to visit the Kendo club a few times and pick up the sport for the first time in over 2 years. Finally, the Resident Assistants at the dorm put together a dorm-wide fieldtrip to Ise in Mie Prefecture, where I made new friends, tried local food, and got to extract a pearl from an oyster.
