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

My name is Ayumi Akibayashi and I am a student of the Department of Regional Studies and Humanities, Faculty of Education and Human Studies. I had the opportunity to study abroad for one year at Hanbat National University in Daejeon, South Korea and I would like to introduce my life as an exchange student.
 
First, I would like to talk about my classes at the university. The majority of classes for the exchange students were mainly Korean language classes, but I also took the undergraduate classes recommended by my Japanese language teacher and the professor in charge of study abroad. The Korean language classes were easy to follow since the teachers taught us kindly and patiently. For the undergraduate classes, I took courses such as “Understanding Japanese Culture”, “Reading Japanese Novels”, “Capstone Design”, and “Interpreting Practice”. Although some of the classes were difficult since we were in the same classes as the local students, I personally enjoyed this form of practical learning more than the Korean classes. I was particularly impressed by the “Capstone Design” course and the “Interpretation Practice” course. The “Capstone Design” course involved finding out what we can do to revitalize the whole city of Daejeon and putting our ideas into practice. I learned a lot about Daejeon through this class, and going to other areas with other members of my class to conduct research became one of my favorite things to do. With the “Interpretation Practice”, as the name suggests, we practiced interpreting between Japanese and Korean, and I enjoyed the final exam where we had to present our interpretations in front of everyone as if we were actual interpreters. Both the “Capstone Design” and the “Interpreting Practice” were fresh and interesting classes that I had never taken at Akita University.
 
In terms of everyday life, I did not particularly feel any inconvenience due to the similarities between the Japanese culture and the Korean one. I made every effort to interact with the local students, and when I had problems, my local friends helped me and taught me things, and so I was able to reaffirm that friends are such a blessing. Thanks to the many local friends I made, I feel like I was able to improve my Korean even more. I drank a lot of alcohol while socializing with my friends. Even before I went to South Korea, I had heard that the culture involved a lot of drinking, but it was more than I had imagined. Whenever I went out with my friends or to school events, alcohol was involved, so it was sometimes rather difficult for me. There were no inconveniences in terms of living, but in terms of food, I think I had a little trouble because of the spicy food and alcohol. But those are also good memories now.
 
Studying abroad for a year was useful for the original purpose of improving my language skills and acquiring study materials for my future studies in Japan, but I am also glad that I studied abroad because I was able to make lifelong friends, broaden my horizons, and gain so much more than I had ever imagined. I am certain I will never forget my experiences in South Korea, and I feel reassured to know that my study abroad experience will help me in many situations. Through studying abroad, my interest in South Korea has deepened even more, and I will continue to be proactive about what I want to know and what I want to do.