• Study Abroad
  • The University of Auckland
  • What was your most memorable/impressive experience?
    Many people in New Zealand have more than two ethnical identities. I used to think if people born in Japan, they are "Japanese", which means they have only Japanese identity. But, here in New Zealand, even if you call New Zealand local people as "New Zealander", their identities can be mixture of Fijian and British, or that of Chinese, Samoan and British. I was shocked to know how many identities people in New Zealand have, but also it was quite interesting for me to know more about cross-culture.
  • What was your proudest accomplishment during your stay?
    When I got brilliant grades on my courses after I kept pushing me hard for it. Catching up with each lecture was extremely difficult for me because English is not my first language, but I proved myself that as long as I tried my best for small but necessary steps, such as constant reviews and previews, someone would definitely see my efforts and encourage me more. Without any assists from professors and friends, I would not have achieved my goal with the satisfying grades.
  • What skill did you gain the most (academically or socially)?
    I can express whatever I want freely without considering reputations because I gained more confidence. Before studying abroad, I often relied on others' ideas, and did not have my strong opinions in many aspects, but this behaviour was not suit for surviving outside of Japan. Honestly it was hard to express what I felt to others directly at first, but when I did that everyone always accepted me, so I could gradually express what I thought. Because of that, I like to talk to people who I have not met before and I feel like I become friendlier.