Students wishing to study abroad from Akita University
Reports on study abroad experiences

Hello. My name is Karin Kyoya, and I am a student in the English Language Teachers Course of the Faculty of Education and Human Studies. I am currently studying at St. Cloud State University in the United States for one year. St. Cloud is a city in the State of Minnesota, and the atmosphere is very similar to that of Akita City. It is a beautiful and natural place with the Mississippi River and many lakes. The university has a lot of international students from all over the world, so the support for international students is excellent. The university is actively involved in LGBT, racial issues, and feminism so that all students can live a comfortable university life without any trouble.
 
At the university, for two semesters, I mainly took classes related to English education, which is my major. American universities require a lot of preparation and assignments from the students, which can be tough, but there are also many opportunities to discuss the topics with your classmates, and many of the classes focus on the practical, so they are tremendously beneficial. In English education classes, I actually made my own tests and lesson plans, and also observed and analyzed the EAP (English for Academic Purpose) and IEC (Intensive English Course) classes that are offered on campus to international students. In the second semester, I also took classes on feminism and racial issues in addition to my major. These are topics that have been widely discussed in the U.S., but I had never really thought about them before, so it was a great opportunity for me to broaden my knowledge.
 
I was also involved in various activities outside of class. First of all, as a club activity, I belonged to JP Network, an organization for Japanese people and people from other countries who are interested in Japan. From the second semester, I was selected as a member of the executive committee, and I planned and organized sports events, Halloween parties, excursions, etc., as well as Japanese culture classes. Working as a member of the executive committee was very busy and there were many difficulties, but I think it was an incredibly valuable experience for me to take leadership using English and to cooperate with other members. Off-campus, I also launched a project to introduce Japanese culture at a local elementary school. We played karuta (traditional Japanese playing cards) and fukuwarai (laughing) with the children on the theme of the Japanese New Year, and I was so happy to see that everyone showed a strong interest in Japan. I also had four months of summer vacation, so I volunteered at a daycare center on campus. I struggled at first to communicate with other staff in English while working, but gradually got used to it and became better at teaching the children.
 
At St. Cloud, I was able to have many wonderful experiences that I am sure will help me in my future life. One of the most important things is the connections I made with people. I was able to make friends not only with Americans but also with people from all over the world. We all come from different backgrounds, so there were times when we clashed with each other, but as we shared each other’s culture and ideas, I was able to gain a variety of perspectives, whereas before I had only seen things from my own perspective. I believe that the friends that I have come to truly trust, overcoming language and cultural barriers, will be an asset for the rest of my life. I will continue to work hard after returning home so that I can use the experience I gained here in the future.