Voices from program participants
Exchange student: South Korea/Indeok University (4 months: 1 semester)
Reason for studying abroad
At Kansai International University, he met an exchange student from South Korea and became interested in South Korea, and realized that broadcasting media technology had developed due to the strong influence of K-POP culture, and that it was very different from Japan. I was concerned about this, and felt that there was a limit to what I could research on the internet or in literature, so I applied to actually learn about it locally.
Why I decided to study abroad
At Kansai International University, I met an exchange student who came from this university and told me, ``My university has a department that specializes in broadcasting,'' and when I was comparing study abroad destinations, I was impressed by the university there. I decided to go because I was most attracted to the curriculum.
About the local atmosphere and university culture
The university is located in the northern part of Seoul, and there are restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets around the university, making it a calm and comfortable atmosphere. I had the impression that the university had a lot of old buildings, but all the faculty members and students were very kind and always asked if I was having any trouble or if there was anything difficult, which I was grateful for. .
Subjects taken locally
I learned about Korean people and culture, understanding media communication, tourism service Japanese, Korean basics, Korean speaking skills, etc. Impressions about the class
When I first started studying abroad, my language skills were low and I often had trouble keeping up with the speed and content of conversations, but luckily I was able to meet students who were interested in Japan, and I was able to teach them the content of the classes. I took the course while being asked to do so. Also, after class, I received class materials from my professor, and by preparing and reviewing before attending class, I was able to understand the content of the class.
About interacting with local students while studying abroad
There was a student in the department who was interested in Japanese anime and manga, and he talked to me and I was able to deepen my friendships with other students. Additionally, the university where I studied abroad had a Japanese language department, so I took Japanese language courses and deepened my friendships with the local students there by teaching them each other's language.
Thoughts after studying abroad
It was a great experience for me to learn about Korean culture, its origins, and current social issues in Korea, as well as hear opinions from Koreans that I couldn't find on the internet or in literature. I was also able to learn languages other than Japanese and English, and although it was a short period of about six months, I felt it was well worth the trip.
Message to students considering studying abroad
No matter which country you go to, making friends and experiencing the culture of that country will always be a great benefit, and there was never a moment when I felt like it was a waste of time. , I recommend going. Even if your language skills are insufficient, there is a good chance that your language skills will improve rapidly depending on your lifestyle, so I don't think you need to worry. Although we live in an era where everything can be found on the Internet, there are many things you won't know unless you go, so I think it's worth giving it a try. Let's have a little courage!
Exchange student: South Korea/Shangmyung University (4 months: 1 semester)
Reason for studying abroad
I have always been interested in Korea, and since I came to IU, I thought it would be a good idea to study abroad as a new stimulus for me, so I applied.
About the local atmosphere and university culture
Since it was a big city and a place where tourists came, the town was bright and lively every day. The university building was clean and well-equipped. There is an affiliated junior high school and high school on the university grounds, so I often saw not only university students but also junior high and high school students.
About interacting with local students while studying abroad
I participated in a program called the "Buddy Program" run by my host university that allows international students to interact with local students. I also joined a club called "SISO," which is a group of local students who want to interact with international students.
Subjects taken locally
Basic Korean, leisure content, modern Japanese culture, education and personality, introduction to Korean culture, etc.
Thoughts after studying abroad
It was my first time to go to Korea and I was full of anxiety, but I was able to spend a fun and fulfilling four months there because I had Japanese ladies living in the same dormitory. They helped me a lot with things I didn't understand, and although I was very worried about the language and couldn't pronounce it well and couldn't communicate, I was able to grow a lot by learning basic Korean there. Listening to a language spoken by a native speaker will greatly improve your listening skills. It was good because I was able to improve my speaking by learning how to respond to them.
Message to students considering studying abroad
You can't understand the local situation unless you actually go there, and even people who already have language skills were often confused if they had never spoken to a native speaker. Image training is important, but no matter how much image training you do, you often end up failing. I think it would be good if you could experience various things in other countries without trying to do well from the beginning.
Overseas internship: Vietnam/iCraft JPN Vietnam Co., Ltd. (14 days)
Training content
- BPO (enter PDF contents into Excel)
- Document Japanese check
- Check the condition of real estate rooms and clean them
- Observation of sales activities
- Translation of Vietnamese documents
- Creating taxi usage details
- Setting up the venue for the lecture
- Gather information needed by companies
I participated because I wanted to change my personality of relying on people right away.At the training site, there were many people who could not understand Japanese, so there were many situations where I could not immediately rely on the people around me.Therefore, I had to think and act by myself in various situations, and I was able to naturally acquire the ability to think and act on my own.Also, by living in a different environment than usual, I was able to reconsider myself.
Before my job hunting got underway, I was glad that I was able to find out what kind of things I was attracted to and what interests me.
This was my first time abroad, and my lack of English proficiency made me anxious before the trip.Since this is an opportunity like this, I would like many people to participate.
Overseas internship: Vietnam/ISV VIETNAM CO.,LTD.(14 days)
Training content
- [Main duties] Check program operation, report problems, check according to test specifications
- [Other] Programming learning
In the overseas internship, I had a valuable experience of "working at an overseas company".The main practical content is to check whether the programmed software works correctly.
While communicating with the Vietnamese staff, I checked in detail whether there were any problems with the operation.I learned a lot while working at an "IT company" that I had been interested in before participating in the overseas internship.Since I use a computer every day, I felt that I could work smoothly if I knew the basic operations of a computer.
It was my first time abroad and I was nervous and nervous, but it was very easy to spend there and I didn't have any major problems.The employees working there were kind and sometimes went out to eat together after work.
In my free time, I also studied programming.It was very difficult, but I was able to experience things that I could not learn professionally at university, and it broadened my horizons.I thought I would study more in the future.
Exchange student: Taiwan/National Taichung University of Education (1 year)
I spent a year as an exchange student at the National Taichung University of Education in Taiwan.When I am in Japan, I only use English in class, so I decided to study abroad because I wanted to improve my English skills by speaking and listening to English on a daily basis. rice field.
The reason I chose National Taichung University of Education as my study abroad destination is because there are not many Japanese students.Other universities I studied abroad had many Japanese students and Japanese departments, so I thought that using English would not suit my purpose of studying abroad.In fact, I met only one Japanese person at the local university during my study abroad, so I think I had more opportunities to be involved in English than at other universities.
The level of content in each class was high, and it was difficult to keep up.However, I feel that I have grown as I have learned a lot in class.National Taichung University of Education has a partner for international students who can't speak Chinese.The partner was very interested in Japan, and we had a lively conversation about travel and other topics.In addition, I played baseball in club activities, and I made more friends.Not everyone can speak English satisfactorily, but they tried hard to convey it, and we had a fun conversation.
Studying abroad will definitely lead to personal growth, and I believe that your language skills will improve dramatically, so I would encourage anyone who is interested to take on the challenge.
Global Study: Indonesia / Yogyakarta (12 days)
After obtaining a disaster prevention specialist qualification in a university training course, my desire to deepen my knowledge of disasters and disaster prevention became stronger.Therefore, I went to Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia for a global study and participated in a program on disaster prevention.
What left an impression on me was Mount Merapi, which I visited on the second day.I was impressed by the efforts of the local community to recover from the situation in which buildings and roads were buried in volcanic ash due to the volcanic eruption of this mountain.It was an opportunity to discuss disasters with local students and learn about various values and deepen understanding of diversity.
After graduation, I would like to find a job at a company that has an overseas base, and make use of the experiences I have gained over the past four years, including global studies.
