MORE GLOBAL Keio Students’ International Experiences (2)

From left:
Kenji Kokuho
Fourth-year Student at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law
Studied at the University of Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM

Eri Fumoto
Fourth-year Student at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law
Studied at Darthmouth College, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Yu Iiyoshi
Third-year Student at the Faculty of Economics
Studied at the National University of Singapore, SINGAPORE

Three Keio students, who participated in exchange programs with universities in the UK, US, and Singapore, came together to talk about what their initial goals for studying abroad were, what they studied in the partner universities, and about their lives overseas. Living and studying abroad can have its ups and downs, but meeting various people from all over the world gives students a chance to deepen knowledge, broaden horizons, and discover a new self.

Please tell us why you decided to participate in an exchange program.

(Kokuho)
During my high school years, when I used to do nothing but play baseball, we received a guest speaker at our school who spoke about a child soldier with a gun. This is when I realized for the first time that there are many people in the world with completely different circumstances, and it sparked my desire to know more about societies outside Japan. My interest in other countries grew even more studying international politics at the Faculty of Law at Keio University and being involved in an international forum where I interacted with students overseas. The international politics I study here at Keio is mainly from an American perspective, and as I had always been interested in learning more about the British perspective, I decided to participate in an exchange program to study at the University of Manchester.

(Fumoto)
In my case, I was quite comfortable being here in Japan, but I wanted to put myself in an unfamiliar foreign environment for a period of time during my university life to learn things about myself that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. I chose to study in the US as I wanted to live in a politically powerful country where people of different races and nationalities come together. Among the many American universities that focus on postgraduate education, I chose Darthmouth College because of its commitment to offering quality undergraduate education

(Iiyoshi)
Because I decided to study abroad in my second year of university, my reason was more lighthearted. English was one of my favorite subjects in junior high school and I had a yearning to study abroad, but this enthusiasm was lost in high school when I was studying for my entrance exams for English. One day, after I was accepted into Keio University, I picked up a guidebook on exchange programs in the lounge area on Hiyoshi Campus. As I idly turned the pages, my desire to study abroad started to come back to me. I am interested in the business management of small-to-medium-sized companies, which there are a lot of in my hometown, so I chose to study in another Asian country at the National University of Singapore rather than focus on American business studies, which is oriented toward large companies. I lived with four Singaporean students and one Vietnamese student in the student dormitory. Apart from our private bedrooms, there was a living room, kitchen, and a shared bathroom. We spoke entirely in English. There are many sightseeing spots in and around Singapore, but I told myself that I can come back any time as a tourist when I get a job after graduation and decided instead to focus on university and study at the same pace as the local students. Having said that, my life in Singapore was not all about studying. In the athletic tournament between dormitories, I competed in badminton, which I played during high school, and won. We all rejoiced together and I was able to build close friendships.

(Kokuho)
I lived with three students from the UK and four from China in the dormitory. Living with students with different nationalities and from different environments and cultures in which we were brought up, was not always smooth sailing, but this was part of the study abroad experience. The atmosphere at the University of Manchester was very international where around 12,000 of the 40,000 or so students were international students who came from 154 countries, many of them from Europe, Asia, and Arab countries. In such a global environment, I became keenly aware that the only identity you have is your nationality and name. In Japan, if I tell people I major in international politics at Keio University, people will get an idea of who I am, but I was acknowledged only as “Kokuho, the Japanese guy” while I was overseas. I had a certain confidence in myself up till then; for example, as a member of a student body in Japan, I was involved in the organization of an international forum. But these experiences were not recognized at all overseas. In a way, living abroad was a very humbling experience, but I think it was a good thing. This is the interesting thing about studying abroad and it was a great opportunity to reflect on who I am.

(Fumoto)
You do get lonely, but the process of self-reflection and enjoying an environment in which you are free to study your interests is what makes studying abroad attractive. Besides international politics, I took courses in linguistics and Native American studies, and through this I was able to broaden my perspective and understanding. At the same time, I actively participated in extracurricular activities. I joined the gospel choir and performed for a local audience and also made maple syrup with a team of students where we went and stayed in a mountain hut to collect sap from the maple trees in below 20 degrees weather. I also volunteered to teach junior high and high school students, and meeting the students and teachers from those schools was a wonderful experience. But I also had difficulties with some of my classes. There was one course for which, as a preparation for class the following week, I had to read around 10 essays that were around 20 pages each, and I started to fall behind with work. I eventually had to admit to myself that I couldn’t keep up with the classes, and I remember crying out of disappointment and frustration. But when I consulted my lecturer, I was given kind words of advice. I also opened my heart to my classmates, and by doing so we were able to share our struggles and help each other out. Even if you try hard not to get disheartened, there are some things you cannot solve alone. One of the things I learnt through studying abroad was that in times like these, you can open up new avenues just by mustering the courage to approach the people around you.

(Iiyoshi)
I was planning to focus on business studies, but I really enjoyed this one econometrics course, which awakened my interest in the mathematical approach to business studies. By studying abroad, I was reminded of the core studies a business major should undertake in. As my dormitory and campus were close to each other, I found it easier to focus on my studies, and being in a different environment from that of Japan also encouraged me to work harder. As a result, I did well in my studies, which gave me confidence knowing that I can be successful through hard work and effort. When I returned to Japan, my field of interest expanded beyond econometrics to micro and macroeconomics and other subjects, and I now have a more concrete vision of what I want to do in the future.

(Kokuho)
Because the environment you study in and the kind of relationships you build are things you have never experienced before, studying abroad is a great chance to discover new things, and it’s also the process of growing up and finding out who you really are.

(Fumoto)
But at the same time, you can’t take a passive stance and expect something to change just by studying abroad, because essentially the only thing that changes is your settings like the language and environment. The important thing is to choose what you want to do in terms of study or other activities and put things into action.

As part of the commemorative project for its 50th Anniversary, the Keio University International Center launched the Keio Tomodachi Program (Buddy). In this program, small “Buddy” groups are formed comprised of international exchange students studying at Keio University and Keio students who have previously participated in an exchange program organized by the International Center, with the aim to give these students the opportunity to interact closely with each other.

On Thursday, October 16th, 2014, the program’s “Kick-off Meeting” was held at Hiyoshi Campus. Students meeting for the first time gradually broke the ice and got to know each other through fun Keio-themed quizzes and other activities.

Members of each group are encouraged to take their own initiative and make plans for group activities and events. It is hoped that international exchange students will be able to enrich their experience at Keio through their interaction with the Keio students and learning more about Japanese culture, and in turn, Keio students are expected to broaden their international perspective through communicating with the international students.