26.(SA・イギリス)中川 - Tokyo Woman's Christian University

What was the most memorable/impressive experience?

One of the most memorable experiences for me was the volunteer work I participated every week. While interacting with people of diverse backgrounds I was exposed to various ideas and values that broadened my horizons as a result. There was a great change for me in terms of my way of thinking, simply because of the people I met there. The time I spent with them is always a memory that I will treasure.
What skill did you gain the most (academically or socially)?

I think what I gained the most from my study abroad experience is the openness to a range of thoughts and ideas, and to admit and finally to accept the differences. Various values and ideas were brought in front of me while interacting with people of diverse backgrounds throughout my time in the UK. I was extremely overwhelmed at the beginning but was able to appreciate those new thoughts and to understand each other after all.
What was the biggest hardship you faced?

There were a lot of difficulties, but among all it was my English that had not been improved as expected. I felt frustrated when I was not able to express my feeling accurately, and I felt anxious because of the inability to sense how much my English had improved. Although I had known it would take a long time to master the language, I wanted to be able to use English much more freely as soon as possible.