Every Year we have many students traveling abroad on both short and long term exchanges and trips. In addition, every year there are many students studying here from many countries around the world.
　Last year we had students studying in Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, New Zealand, and Croatia.
　The following reports were written by three of those students.

No border any more!

　What kind of impression or image do you have in mind when you hear the name of the place, "Vancouver, Canada"? You might imagine that there are many Canadians of European decent, and most of the cities are surrounded by vast nature and forests. However, my stereotype of Canada has changed through my experiences while studying there.

　I studied in Vancouver for ten months as an exchange student from Ikuei Gakuen High School. I was shocked that there were so many immigrants from so many different countries, such as China, the Philippines, Russia, and India. This was similar to my school, which was called Cambie High School. My friends there were from many different backgrounds.

　Cambie High School especially had many Chinese people. My host family was also Chinese, so I had the chance to learn Chinese as well as improve my English. I also took a Chinese language class at Cambie. My Chinese friends were so friendly and helpful with my studies, and therefore I was able to improve my Chinese skills.

　As you might imagine, Japan is a popular country to the people of Canada. So there are Japanese restaurants, food stores, a book store, and even a Japanese convenient photo machine. These places clashed with my stereotype of Canada and really impressed me. Many Chinese people had knowledge and an interest in Japan as well. So it was always a good topic of conversation and a good opportunity to recognize and learn about each other's culture.

　One of the best opportunities to form great friendships was at camp, bowling and skating in P.E. class! I made friends with people with no regard to racial or ethnic background. I think this happened because we shared in positive activities together.

　Have any of my stories about my experiences broken your stereotype of Canada? It was great to be able to learn about foreign languages, culture, and customs firsthand; especially English and Chinese. And at the same time, my friends were able to spread and expand their own knowledge about Japanese culture and language. The "boundary" between me and the other countries had fallen during my great opportunities I experienced in Vancouver. The "boundary" I used to imagine between Japanese people and people of other countries was not even there! My own "boundary" disappeared completely.

　So if you are wondering whether or not you should study abroad, I strongly suggest you should. There might be things that you don't expect, but you will overcome these obstacles and come to realize that you learn from them. The challenges are an important part of the brilliant experience of living and studying abroad. You will come to see things in a different light, unlike you had before. This might change the course and widen the road of your future path. I guarantee you will be successful once you decide to be! Any "boundaries" you may have, like I had, will surely disappear.

I'll never forget
my time in Sweden.

　Last year I studied for 10 months in Koping. Koping is a very small town, but people were so kind and I could also enjoy a lot of nature there.

　Swedish is the official language of Sweden. When I went to Sweden, I couldn't speak Swedish very much. So I had to go to a language school for foreigners, Komvix. At the school, the teachers taught Swedish in Swedish! I was very surprised and confused. In the beginning, it was very hard for me to understand what the teacher was saying. But day by day, little by little, I got to understand, and felt very delighted.

　I also attended the Ullvi Gymnasiet, which is a public high school, and I chose the media program. Because I was going to both Ullvi and Komvix, I could atted only a few Ullvi's classes. But what I felt through the class was that the students and their teachers were very close. It was a big difference to school in Japan. Students also have many opportunities. For example, they have no uniforms and less school rules, they could wear whatever they want and change hair colors. But it means that they need to control themselves and be independent even when they are young. Teachers don't say ﾒstudy more!!ﾓ So, if you study hard by yourself.

　 In the family in Sweden, commonly, both parents work. I stayed with two Swedish families, and both of them were two-income families. They are busy but they are used to having a cup of tea together and try to have conversations with other family members. They like having tea with their family and friends. And in Swedish there is a word for having tea, "fika". I love this word.

　During my stay in Sweden, I talked a lot with my host families, their friends, and my classmates in Komvix and Ullvi Gymnasiet. After the New Year, I could chat in Swedish with them, but they were also good at English too. A 12-year-old boy could have easy conversations in English. I think one of the reasons is TV. In Sweden they import many English or American TV programs.

　But I was most surprised how little they know about Asia. Most of them had been thinking that people in Japan speak Chinese! This was shocking to me. I thought Japan was a famous country all over the world, but they only know the name of it. They didn't know much about the culture or the people of Japan. On the other side of things, it was very interesting to learn about another country and culture. As I learn about another country and culture. As I learned about Sweden more, I realized that in Japan there were lots of things, which I didn't know. Now I'm going to university and studying Japanese and other cultures of the world. It helped me see Japan and the rest of the world in a new light. I'll never forget my time in Sweden.