Reverse Culture Shock

There are two things what have been difficult for me to adjust to. First of all, American people can assert themselves and they always think more positive than Japanese. For example, when I lived in my house in Spokane, my RA used to do positive thinking even if she faced difficulties. If I was in her position, I must have been too anxious to do so. Also, I realized that American people was not shy like Japanese, and they expressed themselves without shame, so I was really envious of them. In addition, our teachers in MFWI often praised us, and it makes me want to try harder. In Japan, I think it is not so usual for people who are students are praised greatly, and also, they are not used to being praised by someone because almost Japanese usually don’t have their confidence. However, I prefer American style to Japanese one, so I wanted to stay Amarica a little longer. Second, I didn’t feel much stress while taking classes in America. For example, when I was taking classes, my teachers were always bright and they were telling some jokes, and also, they were playing songs and gave us some candies, too! I was really surprised for that because these things are so unusual in Japan, but the classes were very fun, and I enjoyed learning English than doing that in Japan. In conclusion, it is difficult for me to adjust these things, but I had a really great time in America, and I believe that these culture shock will bring me new value.

When Life Gives Me Lemons

     When I face difficult things, I usually overcome them three ways. For example, our study abroad was cancelled because of the Coronavirus. When I heard this bad news, I was so depressed, and I felt really frustrated because I couldn't go out anymore, our homestay was cancelled, and also, I couldn't talk with my RA and my teachers anymore. It was the one of the worst news in my life, but I think it's not good to have been depressed all the time, so I usually do these to overcome it. First of all, I often try to think positively even if I face really bad situations. For example, I think that how much my English skills have improved during this study abroad, or how my values have changed since I came here. Second, I think about only fun things, such as my favorite singers, clothing stores, coffee shops, and planning of travel with my friends. By doing these. I'm able to be relax or calm myself down. Finally, I try to do whatever I want to. For example, I watch comedy shows on YouTube and listening my favorite songs. These things make me happy, relieved, and smile. For these ways, when life gives me lemons, I can overcome bad situations.

Why I Need English

     There are three reasons why I need English for my future. First of all, speaking English fluently is very useful. I can look at the world objectively if I speak English because I can know about way of thinking from people other countries. When I came here, I couldn't speak English fluently or understand quickly, but now I can do that little by little, so I'm happy. Also, our societies are becoming more internationalized than ever, so I want to know more and more about foreign cultures and foreign history. Second, I want to use English in my work in the future. I've not decided what my dream is yet, but I want to help poor people, such as Africans and Filipinos. For example, I want to join a volunteer activity for people who need help, so I must be able to communicate with people from other countries and speaking English is the way to do that. Third, I want to travel with my family and friends while I'm a university student or after graduation. For instance, I would like to go to France, Spain, Italy, and Canada. In addition, I'm interested in World Heritage, so I want to see and take pictures of places that are World Heritage sites. Now, one out of four people speak English all over the world, so I think it is very important for us to learn English or other languages. I think speaking English is difficult, but if I can do it, my life will be richer and more beautiful. For these reasons, I need English for my future.

My Living Group and RA

Cather

I live in Cather, and our RA are Daniela and Bella. There are 11 people in my group. They are very kind, reliable and so cute! Daniela and Bella are also kind, and they’re always help us when we’re in trouble. I like them very much. 

At a group time, our group often play a game, watch a movie or do our homework. The third day, Daniela made me and my friend cocoa, and it tasted great! While drinking it, we talked about our dream, hobby and our family. I had a great time there. Last week, we played a card game, UNO which made me so excited, and I felt very happy. Also, three days ago, the day was my housemate’s birthday. So, we celebrated her and we ate chocolate cake which was really good. My housemate looked very happy, so I felt happy, too! 

My First Week

My first week was very busy. On the first day, I went from Kobe to Tokyo to fly to the U.S. At that time, I was so nervous and worried about jet lag. I was a little bit sad because I wouldn’t see my family and my friends and eat Japanese food for four months, but I was excited to study abroad. When I was on the airplane, I didn’t sleep well, so I have been jet lagged for about five days. I ate pizza in the Seattle airport with my friend. It was my first time to eat American pizza and it tasted good! When I arrived in Spokane, our RA was waiting for us and holding a pretty sign. I noticed Spokane is colder than Kobe. There were snow on the ground, too. I was so happy because it rarely snows in my hometown. On the second day, when I went to breakfast in the morning, I was surprised to see the beautiful sky, houses, trees and animals. My hobby is taking photos, so I’m really happy. When I arrived at Commons, I ate breakfast with my friends, which was great, and I was very full.   

Among my housemates, there are two people who speak English very well, so we usually talk to each other in our house. Thanks to them, I'm able to speak English more fluently than ever. My housemates and RA are so kind, reliable, cute, too, so I feel very happy now. On the fifth day, I watched a movie while eating popcorn with my housemates and RA. The name of the movie was Cinderella. It was a little bit difficult for me to understand what they said in English, but gradually I could understand, and I began to like this movie more than ever. My first week was very busy, but I had a good time.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Akari. I'm 19 years old, and I’m major in English at my school. I'm from Kobe, Japan.  Kobe is famous for bread, sweets, fashion brand, and there are a lot of sharp slopes! Also, there are china town, harbor, beautiful sea and mountain. 

In my free time, I like playing the guitar, listening music, taking photos, such as flower, sky, scenery and so on. I like Taylor Swift very much, so I often practice her songs with guitar. My favorite kind of music is J-pop, jazz and western music. 

There are four people in my family. My father is architect, so he is very busy every day and I can’t meet him only on Sunday. My father is so kind and always helps me when I’m in trouble. And also, he likes cooking, for example, cakes, cookies and Japanese foods. They are so delicious! I love it. My mother is very neat. So she often scold me when I eat sweets with sitting on carpet. But, thanks to my mother, our house is always kept clean. My mother also like taking pictures too! So, we often go out to take pictures. My sister is high school student and 16 years old. She likes J-pop, and she is a big fan of ‘Mrs. GREEN APPLE’. Their songs are nice! We like to travel, so we often go out in holidays. 

   

I have not decided my dream yet, but I would like to work with using English, and take photos all over the world. So, I want to be able to speak English much better. I'll do my best for my future.