I will study abroad at Mukogawa Women's University from April. I originally majored in Japanese and Japanese literature in Korea. So I was naturally interested in studying in Japan. But this is not the only reason for studying abroad.
I have rarely done any special activities other than studying while I was in university. I always studied and did not do any meaningful activities as a university student. But the students around them were doing various activities for the future such as language training and study abroad. So I decided to study abroad in order to try to have a wonderful experience abroad before I graduated.
And the reason I chose Mukogawa Women's University as a school to study abroad is because all the seniors actively recommended it. The contents of the class and the stories about various events at school sounded very attractive to me who are interested in Japanese culture. I also chose this school because I thought that the school facilities and scholarships were better than other schools.
Next is the purpose of studying abroad. There are three reasons for going to study abroad. The first is to gain Japanese language proficiency. Because I major in Japanese, I am used to Japanese more than ordinary Koreans. But, I believe that knowledge learned in school alone is limited because, language is not an understanding activity that you read or write, but an activity that you use to hear or speak. It's embarrassing, but I have never been to Japan. So, I want to go to Japan and use Japanese directly while living there. Therefore, I intend to actively talk with Japanese people. I think that naturally I will improve my Japanese ability. This is the main purpose of my study abroad in Japan.
The second is because I am interested in Japanese culture. I heard that Japan was more traditional than other countries. For example, in Korea, when there is a festival, few people wear Hanbok. But, in Japan there are many people who wear Kimono and Yukata on the day there is a festival. Besides, I heard that traditional dances and songs were well preserved. When I was a freshman in university, I danced dance called "Suzume Odori" at school. At that time, I thought that the Japanese culture that preserves the tradition was wonderful.
Besides, I think that people live is also part of culture. So I would like to know how Japanese life is different compared to Korea now. For example, in Japan, I heard that children learn to have water they drink for themselves in preparation for earthquakes and various calamities. I would like to learn about the current Japanese culture as well as traditional ones.
Finally, the third is to do job hunting. I was also interested in working in Japan while majoring in Japanese and Japanese literature. And I'm going to study abroad in the fourth grade, so I would like to find a job in Japan. Even if I fail to find a job, the experience of trying to find a job in Japan will be a great help wherever I find a job.
I study abroad in the fourth grade, so studying abroad is the last school life for me. So, when I go to study abroad, I intend to have more experiences than anyone else. So I want to finish my last school life well. And based on that experience, I want to be a global human resource that will connect Korea and Japan in the future.
Three months have passed since I came to Japan. Since I came to Japan for the first time this time, I had various experiences for a short time. I will talk about the experience this time.
I will go to Mukogawa Women's University in Nishinomiya City. There are 10 international students including me. We are staying at the Teiwa Dormitory of Mukogawa Women's University. In addition, Mukogawa Women's University’s Japanese students also live together. So I was able to make many Japanese friends.
The dormitory is a newly renewed dormitory from April of this year. So when you show people a picture of the dormitory, everyone says, "It's different from what I thought." The room is a single room, but there are places such as a living room and a Japanese-style room, so you can talk a lot with everyone. I also had various talks while having a tea with everyone there.
At the school, we introduced two Japanese partners to foreign students. Everyone was very kind and taught us many things. I especially enjoyed going to travel with my partners. Since I can not see the sea in the area where I live in Korea, I was very happy to go to the sea with my partners. I want to go to Arashiyama with everyone next time.
I had a fun day like this, but at first there were some difficult things. The most difficult thing was food. Most of the dishes were the first to be eaten, so it took time to adjust to the taste of Japan. And it took me a while to get used to the fact that the direction of the car was reversed. At first, it was dangerous because I did not notice the car coming from the right. And it was also hard not to meet my family and friends in Korea.
However, everyone helped me and I soon got used to it. They took us to a delicious restaurant and taught us lots of fun places. And now I can eat Japanese food deliciously and I do not feel loneliness. I think that is all thanks to the kind Japanese people.
I also learned about Japanese culture. There are many places where Japanese culture is similar to Korea, but there are also different places. Especially, it was very strange to eat the soup with chopsticks. A Japanese friend also said that it was strange to see I eat soup with a spoon. It was fun to learn these differences.
And I was interested in Japanese job hunting before I came to Japan because I am in 4th grade. The strangest thing was that all Japanese were looking for work at the same time. In addition, it was impressive that everyone went to school hard even though they passed the company. That's why I also wanted to try job hunting in Japan next year.
I think I just came to Japan, but 3 months have passed. Maybe I think that life in Japan is so fun. I would like to experience more Japanese culture in the second semester. I want to have fun with everyone for the remaining 7 months.
When I first wrote this essay, I thought that 10 months was a very long time. But now I'm writing my last essay. Now I think 10 months is a short period. I think I was really happy during this time. Until now, I have come to Japan and have met various people and traveled, and have experienced various things. This time, I would like to talk about what has changed through studying abroad and my future goals.
First, I think that the biggest improvement was in language skills. In the case of listening, at first, it was just a matter of not knowing what was heard even when listening to the train announcement. However, now I can understand even if my Japanese friends concentrate on the broadcast that sounds difficult to understand. In the case of speaking, I don't know, but I heard from others that pronunciation and intonation became natural.
And in the case of reading, I think it is the most developed point. I majored in Japanese at a Korean university and always studied many Chinese characters and words. However, I often forgot the Chinese characters and words that I learned for study as soon as the exam was over. In contrast, I didn't forget much about Chinese characters and words that I learned naturally while living in Japan. In the case of writing, I think it has evolved along with reading skills. Therefore, I think my overall ability in Japanese has improved.
Next, I think I have grown as a person. I had never been abroad before coming to study abroad, and it was my first time to live alone without my family. Therefore, I was worried and difficult to adapt. But now I'm happy. Because I was able to develop my independence through studying abroad. From now on, I think that other countries as well as Japan can go alone.
And I think I've become a kind person who talks gently to the people I meet for the first time. I think Japanese people are basically kind to everyone at work. I was used to such kindness of the Japanese and when I returned to Korea during the winter vacation, I felt uncomfortable. It was because of some people who took a very clerical attitude to customers at work. When I first felt it, I felt very lonely. But I quickly got used to it and realized that something had changed. I think this is a good change. No one knows where I will be working from now, but I would like to be kind wherever I work.
Finally, I want to talk about future goals. I originally liked learning languages. It turns out that through studying abroad I like to learn not only about language but also about culture and people. Therefore, in the future, I would like to use this experience to find a job in a company that can use Japanese. Finally, I want to work for a Japanese company.
Long is long and short is short 10 months, but I think it was a very short 10 months. I think it was a fun 10 months. To be honest, some days I wanted to return to Korea because of homesickness. But now I just do not want to go home. I would also like to recommend Mukogawa Women's University to my juniors and I am grateful for this opportunity. I will never forget this experience.