MLO 5: CULTURAL INTERNALIZATION AND LANGUAGE IMMERSION
5.1) Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
Study Abroad Narrative
Studying abroad at the University of Shiga Prefecture was without a doubt the best experience of my life. Naturally, I was able to improve my Japanese language skills, and also open my horizons by learning, and accepting, different aspects of Japanese culture into my life. By immersing myself in Japanese culture I was truly able to appreciate the uniqueness that Japan has to offer. By doing clubs, socializing outside school, and meeting new friends I was able to get the absolute most out of my study abroad experience.
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Before going to Japan my biggest worry was that my Japanese language skill was not going to be good enough to communicate effectively with native speakers. In order to give myself some practice, and a much needed boost in confidence, I would Skype with my Japanese friends. Nearly every day I would talk find someone to talk with, which was great practice. This allowed me to keep in touch with my friends who already returned to Japan as well as calm my nerves about my ability to communicate in Japanese.
Upon arrival at the University of Shiga Prefecture, I was placed into a buddy program with the rest of the incoming exchange students. All exchange students were assigned a buddy who would help show us around town and answer any questions we may have had. I was very fortunate to be paired with a buddy with whom I shared many interests with. This made me feel a bit more comfortable talking with my buddy at first because I was able to talk more about topics that I was very passionate about, or at the very least interested in. Perhaps the most valuable experience I gained from my study abroad experience was conversing with people outside of the classroom. Being able to apply what I learned in the classroom to real life events was extremely rewarding and helped boost my confidence. Once I became more accustomed to living in Japan I started to branch our and participate in festivals, go to shrines, and experience a lot of Japan's rich cultural history.
While my experiences outside the classroom proved to be invaluable, what I was able to learn in class was equally as rewarding. Each semester I had three core Japanese classes that each focused on a different aspect of the language. One class was dedicated entirely to grammar and vocabulary, the other dedicated to Kanji and written Japanese, and the last was all about listening and speaking ability. Each class complimented the next, and infused elements from our previous lessons seamlessly. My favorite part of each class was learning with other students whose first language was not English. I was able to interact with people from Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and even Spain. Using Japanese as the medium language, we were able to use what we learned in class to converse and learn more about each other. When I became particularly confident during my second semester I decided to take a Korean language class taught entirely in Japanese. By taking this course I was able to learn basic Korean, as well as solidify my understanding of Japanese grammar structure. Learning a third language via my second language was a truly unique and rewarding experience.
I finally realized that I was completely immersed during my last few months in Japan when I was able to live on my own without any assistance. By the end of my study abroad experience I was able to reschedule a missed package delivery by phone, ask for directions, and even cancel my cell phone contract without any help. Being able to put my language ability to practical use helped me acquire the ability to do such things which seemed daunting before my arrive in Japan. Surrounding myself in Japanese language and culture was the best way for me to improve, and it is an experience I hope to live again in the near future.
* To see evidence of my adventures/experiences in Japan, check out my Flickr page!
Upon arrival at the University of Shiga Prefecture, I was placed into a buddy program with the rest of the incoming exchange students. All exchange students were assigned a buddy who would help show us around town and answer any questions we may have had. I was very fortunate to be paired with a buddy with whom I shared many interests with. This made me feel a bit more comfortable talking with my buddy at first because I was able to talk more about topics that I was very passionate about, or at the very least interested in. Perhaps the most valuable experience I gained from my study abroad experience was conversing with people outside of the classroom. Being able to apply what I learned in the classroom to real life events was extremely rewarding and helped boost my confidence. Once I became more accustomed to living in Japan I started to branch our and participate in festivals, go to shrines, and experience a lot of Japan's rich cultural history.
While my experiences outside the classroom proved to be invaluable, what I was able to learn in class was equally as rewarding. Each semester I had three core Japanese classes that each focused on a different aspect of the language. One class was dedicated entirely to grammar and vocabulary, the other dedicated to Kanji and written Japanese, and the last was all about listening and speaking ability. Each class complimented the next, and infused elements from our previous lessons seamlessly. My favorite part of each class was learning with other students whose first language was not English. I was able to interact with people from Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and even Spain. Using Japanese as the medium language, we were able to use what we learned in class to converse and learn more about each other. When I became particularly confident during my second semester I decided to take a Korean language class taught entirely in Japanese. By taking this course I was able to learn basic Korean, as well as solidify my understanding of Japanese grammar structure. Learning a third language via my second language was a truly unique and rewarding experience.
I finally realized that I was completely immersed during my last few months in Japan when I was able to live on my own without any assistance. By the end of my study abroad experience I was able to reschedule a missed package delivery by phone, ask for directions, and even cancel my cell phone contract without any help. Being able to put my language ability to practical use helped me acquire the ability to do such things which seemed daunting before my arrive in Japan. Surrounding myself in Japanese language and culture was the best way for me to improve, and it is an experience I hope to live again in the near future.
* To see evidence of my adventures/experiences in Japan, check out my Flickr page!