THIS YEAR'S EXCHANGE STUDENT'S
EXPERIENCES
At present, we have 22 students from Canada, the United States, Croatia, New Zealand, Kenya, China, Venezuela and Brazil studying in our International Program here at Sendai Ikuei. Let's take a look and see how the students are doing, and what kind of experiences they are having. Let's see what their impressions are.
　


■New Zealand
Francesca Short
Mahurangi College

 　 The first thing that struck me about Japan is that there are hardly any foreigners. New Zealand is full of people from other countries - especially Asians, so they don't really stand out but here people do tend to stare a bit and it took me a while to get used to it!
　 Before I went on this exchange people told me a lot about Japan so I had a lot of expectations but these weren't necessarily correct. For example, I'd heard that sashimi is horrible, but it actually tastes really nice. And also, Japanese people are so friendly to foreigners. I'd heard exactly the opposite so I was so happy to find out it wasn't true! Japanese technology is so more advanced than in New Zealand, especially the mobile phones, they are so cute.
　 I've lived here for one and a half months and so far my time here has been better than expected - I especially like being in the Taiko club. There have been so many good times here already with my host family and friends. It is great being an exchange student, everyday I experience something different and Iﾕm looking forward to everything else that will happen here.

■Brazil
Renata Salvador
Rotary Exchange		 　 I came to Sendai Ikuei almost a year ago. I will be leaving in a few weeks for Brazil! I have enjoyed my stay in Japan very much and now that I am going to leave I am very appreciative of how many nice people I have met in Japan and the school. I really enjoy Sendai and how there are many things to do. All my friends here have been very nice to me with helping me learn the Japanese culture.
　 I would like to thank all of the people that have made my stay easier when my Japanese was only a little. Thank you so much for including me in everything and thanks to my class for introducing me to new Japanese words. Thank you Sendai Ikuei!

■Croatia
Dora Grosinic
2 High School, Zagreb 		　 I came to Japan looking for a life changing experience, learn Japanese culture and language, also to meet a lot of interesting people. Lots of things surprised me here because everything is different than in my country, but it wasn't very hard to adopt the Japanese lifestyle. Japan has many beautiful places and customs Iﾕd never heard about and I feel very happy and special because I was the one that was given the opportunity to see all the great things Japan could offer. My main goal here is to learn the language as much as possible because I plan to use it in my future. I think it is very important that Europe becomes closer to Japan and I feel more people should learn Japanese; in the future I would like to teach others Japanese. I want to meet many Japanese students here, but it surprises me how shy teenagers are! From the moment I heard that I would come here I knew it would change my life, and it did. I feel more independent and mature, although sometimes I miss Croatia, but I am very happy here because everyday I fall asleep knowing that I did my best that day and learned a lot and that I am one step closer to my main goal - fluent Japanese.

■U.S.A.
Cameron Glogau
Rotary Exchange		 　 When I came to Japan I was amazed at how friendly the people were to me. Whenever I greeted someone, I always got a smile and a positive response, which made me feel welcome even though I was from a different country.
　 It was also interesting to see the many things like cars, home appliances and electronics that were so advanced. It was fun for me to discover new gadgets that are standard for Japanese life.
　 It is really cool that everyone wants to speak English to me. They can practice their English on me and I can practice my Japanese.

■Canada
Cory Sweet
A. L. Fortune Secondary School 		　 When I came to Japan for the second time I still didn't know what to expect. Now that I have been in Sendai for a few months, I can say that the Japanese people are very,very nice. It seems like my host family has spent a fortune on me.
　 School life is very fun, but I haven't been able to make friends with any of the Japanese boys due to the language barrier. However, quite a lot of the cute girls want to be friends with me regardless of language.
　 Walking around town I have seen art everywhere. Sendai is beautiful with stone and metal as Canada is with plants. Quite often there will be social workers sweeping up leaves off the street or trimming hedges, and there is rarely garbage anywhere but trashcans. Sendai is by far the cleanest city I've seen.
　 Before I came here I waited six months and it was well worth it. After I return to Canada I will come back to Japan many times in the future.

■Canada
William Berkhout
Rotary Exchange 		　 The first thing I noticed when I came here was the amount and advancement of the technology. In Canada, all our cars do is drive. Here in Japan, you can drive, look at a GPS, watch TV, a movie, and even play video games. I think you may even be able to surf the web.
　And the food here is fantastic. In Canada I never really liked rice, fish or tofu. That was changed the morning after I arrived here. I ate more rice and fish that morning than I had ever previously eaten.
　 The people here are really nice as well. They've been really interested to hear about other countries, especially younger people.
　In all I've absolutely enjoyed this experience, and would suggest it to any, no, everyone I know.

■Canada
Min-Jen Lucas Yu
George S. Henry Academy 		　 After coming to Japan for 2 months as an exchange student, I find that this well-known pacific Island is not all about electronics and cars. The unique Japanese culture is so authentic, as a result everyday is a new adventure; everyday has something new to explore. Interesting sight-seeing areas are everywhere, decorated with never-before-seen technologies that might just blow you away. However, all these details can easily be seen through television or be told by someone else. I have experienced something that cannot be taught through the textbook nor anybody- I have seen the heart of Japanese people.
　 Coming to Japan was not easy, but the love and caring provided by my host family made my life seem like a piece of cake. The mother, who is the backbone of my family, provided endless time and caring to the kids and me. Although communication and adjustment was difficult at first, patience was given by the family. In result, lots of laughs and great memories were shared.
　 Although the love for basketball is great in my heart, I have experienced something greater through the Japanese basketball players. As the practices end, everyone would have gatherings and have a little group sharing. For the first time, I have felt the close bond of hearts. I realized that in order to be a great time, we can not only work together, but also have our determination as one.
　 The heart of responsibility, care and working together as one is something I have experienced in Japan so far. However, I have not got enough of Japan. There are still so much unexplored aspects of Japanese for me to discover. I acknowledge that being an exchange student is a chance in a lifetime, and I will value this opportunity and make the best out of it!

■Canada
Daphne Cheng
Steveston Secondary School 		　 First of all I would like to say I feel very proud to have been chosen to participate in the exchange program. Before I came, most of my knowledge about Japanese life was from comics and TV. It is very interesting being able to live in the actual environment. Even though this is my third visit to Japan, everything still seems attractive. For example the "OFURO" Japanese take every night. Honestly it took me one and a half months to figure out what the water is for. Not that I hadn't taken a bath ever before but I had no idea how it works in Japanese families (the shower hose is attached to the bathtub in my country). The funniest thing is that my host family thought that I had been using it all the time until I told them! This is only one of my many "omoshiroi" experiences in Japan and I am sure I will find the rest of my stay as cool and exciting.
　 　
　 　
CONTENTS