- Notes from Japan — the Life of an Exchange Student
- Amanda O'Neil
- Amesbury High School
- Amesbury, MA
This school year so far has been an adventurous, life-changing experience. I am an exchange student living in Saitama, Japan, through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. I was here only two weeks before school started. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that my first month in Japan was one of the hardest times of my life.
As a member of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program students are to introduce themselves to their host families, schools, and Rotary clubs. The first opportunity I had was to say a short speech in front of my whole school on the first day. This experience was very intimidating, and this was also the first chance I had to use my Japanese in a speech. My Japanese was far from perfect, but I was able to get through it. The first two weeks were very difficult because no one would talk to me. I decided that I was not going to let this set me back, so I set up a plan... I made sure I had a smile on my face all the time, and I made an effort to talk to my classmates. This did not work right away; no one would speak to me, and there were constant stares, pointing at me, and whispers about me. I am a “gaijin,” a foreigner; I have big eyes, so I am pretty and exotic to them. At times I felt really stupid, embarrassed, and nervous, that I was not going to be accepted by my peers. Then I changed my strategy, and walked up to anyone who would listen and spoke to them about the weather, sports, and Japan. It worked, people started coming up to me and asking questions about America, and what I like to eat (the Japanese love food). This led to invitations to their lunch tables, after-school activities, and sports events. This allowed me to speak with them and they were surprised that I could communicate with them, though in a limited way at first.
I have been living in Japan now for about five months. I can understand almost everything that is said, and my conversational Japanese has come a long way. I have gone on many trips, and explored many aspects of Japanese culture. This experience I feel has allowed me to make lots of life-long friends from around the world.
Everything is really different in Japan, especially their school system. There is a lot more respect for the teachers, and the care of the school building. When teachers enter and leave classrooms, everyone stands and bows. Every student is given a cleaning job weekly to help maintain the school and grounds. This really surprised me at first, and it shows in many aspects of Japanese Culture. The kindness and respect strangers have shown me is incredible. This has changed my perspective on life and I want to pass on what I am learning.