Last year, I made a decision that would change my life: to move to Japan and experience being a student here for a year.
I come from Spain, so it was a bit scary because there are many differences between the two countries. And if that wasn’t enough, I had never studied Japanese before. But without hesitation, I hopped on a plane and landed in a whole new environment with a vocabulary consisting only of: こんにちわ and ありがとう.
As a few days went by, I realized a harsh truth: making Japanese friends without knowing Japanese is almost mission impossible. I was devastated. But then the language exchange program appeared to save me. And not only was I put in contact with one Japanese student, but with two!
The first time we met, I was a bit nervous and ashamed of my limited knowledge of Japanese. My language partners were super friendly, and their English was so much better than they liked to admit. The first encounter was a success, but what happened next was even better. With every meeting, they started to feel more comfortable, and we got to know each other more. They brought me typical Japanese snacks to try, so I did the same. We exchanged languages but also cultures.
I got to learn a lot about Japanese society—the kind of things that you can’t read anywhere but you can discover only when you engage with people. Meeting them made me feel confident about speaking Japanese. I realized that Japanese people are happy when foreigners speak their language, even if it’s far from perfect. I also noticed that when we are used to our own countries, we stop viewing them as special. My language partners told me how much they like European historical buildings while I was thinking the same about Japan. Thanks to this exchange, we also learned to view our countries with ‘visitor eyes.’
So, if anyone is wondering whether they should enroll in the program, I would advise them to do it—even if it appeared daunting at first. Not only will you improve your language skills and confidence, but you will also make amazing friendships that will broaden your perspective and challenge your previous beliefs!!!
(LAVAO LIZCANO ELVIRA, Universitat de València）
I come from Spain, so it was a bit scary because there are many differences between the two countries. And if that wasn’t enough, I had never studied Japanese before. But without hesitation, I hopped on a plane and landed in a whole new environment with a vocabulary consisting only of: こんにちわ and ありがとう.
As a few days went by, I realized a harsh truth: making Japanese friends without knowing Japanese is almost mission impossible. I was devastated. But then the language exchange program appeared to save me. And not only was I put in contact with one Japanese student, but with two!
The first time we met, I was a bit nervous and ashamed of my limited knowledge of Japanese. My language partners were super friendly, and their English was so much better than they liked to admit. The first encounter was a success, but what happened next was even better. With every meeting, they started to feel more comfortable, and we got to know each other more. They brought me typical Japanese snacks to try, so I did the same. We exchanged languages but also cultures.
I got to learn a lot about Japanese society—the kind of things that you can’t read anywhere but you can discover only when you engage with people. Meeting them made me feel confident about speaking Japanese. I realized that Japanese people are happy when foreigners speak their language, even if it’s far from perfect. I also noticed that when we are used to our own countries, we stop viewing them as special. My language partners told me how much they like European historical buildings while I was thinking the same about Japan. Thanks to this exchange, we also learned to view our countries with ‘visitor eyes.’
So, if anyone is wondering whether they should enroll in the program, I would advise them to do it—even if it appeared daunting at first. Not only will you improve your language skills and confidence, but you will also make amazing friendships that will broaden your perspective and challenge your previous beliefs!!!
(LAVAO LIZCANO ELVIRA, Universitat de València）
