Cultural Exchange - Japan

Florence Lau
Newcastle, WA
Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart 2009

This summer, I had the thrilling opportunity to travel to Japan with my classmates. We were part of an exchange program in which we got to attend Obayashi Sacred Heart School for three weeks. The four of us who were in my Japanese IV class last year went on this trip together. We stayed with separate host families but attended the same school.

I had never before been away from my parents for such a long period of time (three weeks), never mind stayed in a stranger’s house for any amount of time. Needless to say, I was nervous and worried that I would not be able to make a good impression on my host family. When one meets a new person in Japan, one is supposed to say a specific phrase, but I was so anxious that I could barely remember those sixteen syllables. Luckily, I did manage to keep my cool and befriend my “host siblings” and their parents.

Going to school in Japan was also a completely new experience for me. Not only did the students speak a language which I barely understood, but I also came from a much smaller school where there were only fifty people in my entire graduating class. In Japan, there were fifty people in each homeroom. Because our school is so small, we do not have as large of a variety of classes as Obayashi School does. I was able to experience classes which my school does not offer, such as calligraphy, cooking, and swimming classes.

We got the chance to see the sights and experience Japanese culture in person. Our teacher took us to Kyoto to see the Kiyomizu Temple, and we were able to wander around downtown afterwards. My host family also took me to a studio to have a photo shoot in traditional Japanese make-up and dress. And of course, I was able to experience Japanese cuisine firsthand. My host family would cook different types of Japanese foods for me to try. Out of these foods, dipping cold udon noodles into a salty liquid was the most interesting because I had always eaten such noodles hot and already prepared in soup in America.

Visiting Japan was such a great experience for me because I was able to experience school life in a different country, could see how other schools are run, and get lost in a larger school. Even though I am Chinese-American, I have never been among so many Asians before. This made me feel like I fit in a bit more. Finally, I was able to see and enjoy some of the tourist spots of Japan, such as Kyoto and Kobe. I was thrilled that that I got the chance to watch my favorite musical, Wicked, in Japanese at Universal Studios.

Overall, I thought that my trip to Japan was worthwhile, and I am very glad that I had a chance to immerse myself in Japanese culture.