By Ruth Chiu
Mountain View, California
Asian Studies
I barely knew how to speak Japanese when I decided to study abroad there. On top of that, I had decided to live with a host family whom I wouldn't meet until a week after arriving in Tokyo. I was absolutely terrified. I wasn't worried about flying or going to Japan since I had visited once before. I was afraid of the change.
The exchange in culture and
language was the most valuable
and interesting part of the semester.
-Ruth Chiu |
The day to meet my host family came quickly. We made impromptu introductions of ourselves in Japanese and caught the train home, which was an hour away in Shin-Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, just on the outskirts of greater Tokyo.
As each day with my new parents went by, I felt more and more like I was at home. I helped cook dinner with my host mom every day after school, hung out with my family on weekends watching television and went on small trips with them. They helped me with my Japanese, and in turn I taught them some English. The exchange in culture and language was the most valuable and interesting part of the semester.
At school I studied new and old Japanese religions, the city and society of Edo (now known as Tokyo) and, of course, Japanese language. Having studied Japanese history at Macalester, I was prepared academically for the instruction I had at Sophia University, but something was very different. Physically being able to visit the temples we talked about in religious studies courses, seeing the city of Tokyo, and using all of what I learned in the classroom outside everyday was amazing; I was immersed.
Leaving Japan was so hard because I felt like I had lived there most of my life. I still think of my host parents often, and luckily they check their e-mail regularly so that we can continue our exchange.
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