From an Exchange Student at Meiji to a Meiji Student

had already started to feel love for Japanese culture and Japanese language when I was a child. My mother is Japanese and I was raised bilingual in Vienna, Austria. In that foreign country I hardly had any chances to use my Japanese or to get in contact with this culture. Still I was always fascinated by every aspect of Japanese culture I sensed because the Japanese way of thinking and speaking is so very different from in Vienna.

I have wanted to be admitted to Meiji University for more than eight years. When I was in high school I had my first contact with a Japanese teenager. He was a student of Meiji University. He showed me the Izumi Campus near Meidaimae Station from outside and I was astonished by the buildings. This became my incentive to study Japanology which I then did in Vienna after I had finished school. With much luck and effort I received a scholarship for Meiji (it was possible to choose from three universities and I was appointed to Meiji). I have studied social psychology here as an exchange student for one year, but I would like to study more. So after finishing my Bachelor in Japanology in Vienna, I submitted an application for the Master program at Meiji University. With much discipline I passed the test – I'm studying sociology now.

The professors here are very friendly and a real cornerstone to me. They do not give me the feeling that I am an outsider and at the same time they do not treat me better than the others. They just treat me like a regular student from Meiji University, just like the Japanese students, so it feels great to be here. As a Master's student I have a closer connection to the professors, the relationships are not distant but rather intensive. It is not unusual to engage in common activities, such as eating with the professors or going to a symposium together.

My best memories are from the period when I was an exchange student for one year. I met so many wonderful people here. I would never have gotten to know them if I had not studied in Japan. I learned so much not only about Japan, but also about France, Korea, China, Taiwan, etc. I started to respect and love these cultures. The friendships were so intense that I learned not only to cry from sadness, but also from joy and happiness. Most of these friends come from various other countries, but I still have regular contacts with them. This is one of the best presents I have received in my life.

I am often surprised by the indirectness of the Japanese. I had many difficulties with understanding Japanese in the beginning. Although I know the language, communicating is sometimes very hard because the Japanese are used to speaking in a roundabout way. In Austria everybody is very direct and I was raised with this directness. After some months I learned to understand the Japanese better. I learnt a lot from books and I learnt even more from conversations with the Japanese. This is something that I can only experience by staying in this country. Every day is full of new experiences.

Another thing that I have to get used to is that young Japanese people like to do many things alone. They need to take time for themselves; they even go to lunch or dinner alone. It was very impressive for me because in Austria it is the opposite. Austrians are always together with others and they avoid being alone.

The Meiji University is rather big when I compare it to the faculty of Japanology in the University of Vienna. I study at the Surugadai Campus and every time I enter the building I am fascinated by its size and magnificence. What I like most is the library and the beautiful cafeteria with the great view. The library is huge and encompasses many floors. I also like the area where the Master's students and the PhD students study. In our “open space" we can have undisturbed work time, distanced from the undergraduate students so that we can concentrate on our research. Another positive aspect is that the university is open until 10pm, even on weekends.

I would like to continue my PhD at Meiji University and I want to learn more about Japanese society, culture and relationships. Another personal goal I want to achieve is to give a presentation about my research in a Japanese symposium.

I recommend to every student who wants to study here that they should approach the Japanese students. Japanese people are rather shy. Even when they are interested in you they hardly approach you. You have to take the initiative yourself and go to the people. You have to learn to cope with the patience and the inflexibility of the Japanese people. They love rules. There are rules everywhere and this may be difficult for foreigners, especially for Austrians, but one has to accept them after all.