“I have learned so many interesting things about different cultures”

Student of East Asian Languages and Cultures // VMU Bilateral Exchange studies in Japan, Kansai Gaidai University

Describe openly how you value your experience abroad.

Kansai Gaidai offered a great deal of courses, most of which were so popular and with a good reputation that many could not get them due to availability. That said they are all very interesting, and I am happy I got accepted into them.

The accommodation was also greater than I could ask for, it had anything one needed, and the dorms offered by the University were cosy and had all the accommodations, though one might not like paying for washing and drying clothes each time.

My expenses personally were relatively low compared to previous students going on a student exchange here, mainly because of how cheap yen became when I got here, I was very lucky, but even if you adjust the prices, they are all very reasonable, and university offers great deals in cafeterias, for which the food is of the highest quality from anywhere I’ve been to.

There are also all sorts of clubs and circles in the University, my experience with the volunteer club has probably been amongst the best experiences. The difference between clubs and circles is a matter of how seriously one takes a club if you were interested in playing a sport, but only joined for half a semester, it might be easier to join a circle for that sport rather than a club, because they take sport clubs very seriously here in Japan, but that might depend on the people in charge of those clubs.

Also, no matter how big or small a city is, there is always something fun to do, which is something I am not used to, every place has things like Karaoke or bars that will make one definitely not bored on a weekend.

The university does not care about one’s level of Japanese, there are so many students who have only started learning Japanese once they arrived in Japan, and they get by with no problems.

What surprised you the most about studying and living abroad?

How people treat you and are interested in learning more about the place you are from.

Describe your exchange period’s impact on your personal improvement and gained achievements.

I did not really live by myself that much before studying abroad, so this experience has been quite impactful on my ability overall to be independent. I feel accomplished being able to travel into major cities and talk with strangers that I would otherwise have not been able to do.

Describe study quality abroad and its differences from Vytautas Magnus University.

The study quality from my experience was really great, not just because of the great material available there, but mostly cause of how passionate and great the professors are, that is the main reason why the study quality felt high.

The biggest difference by far is how many different backgrounds there are in Kansai Gaidai, even amongst American students who made up the biggest percentage, they were all very different, and thus I have learned so many interesting things about different cultures that I could not see back in VMU.

How did you find a place to live?

The university provided dorms. Single room, it is not a big room, but it is cosy. They really make sure that the dorms are clean and furnished, which is also the responsibility of the person living there afterwards to maintain that condition.

But even outside of dorms, I went to Tokyo for a couple of days and it was not very difficult finding a place to stay using booking apps, people are quite welcoming if you follow the rules.

How well did you feel integrated abroad?

Very well, especially in the area I was staying in.