Experiences in Waseda

Here's an essay I wrote about my experiences schooling in Japan for my scholarship report for JASSO. *Nostalgic* I miss going to school there, not as stressful (but equally fulfilling) as here.

The welcome packet all the international students got when we first arrived

Waseda in autumn. All the pine trees, tall and mighty!

Waseda University's iconic Okuma Auditorium

My short-lived stay in Waseda University as a one-year exchange student was not only academically-fulfilling, but also character-building.

Participating in this exchange program of the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) allowed me to be able to learn Nihongo under the guidance of native-speaker instructors through Intensive Japanese classes. My Japanese professors in Waseda University taught the lessons in a manner that was easily understandable to foreign students. Even though the instructors spoke only in Nihongo (they barely translated instructions and lessons in English), they used visual aids in order to better represent vocabulary words, which prove to be effective in remembering new words or phrases. In class, we also had dialogues and conversations as exercises for us to be able to practice Nihongo in the natural setting. We were also required to write compositions and deliver speeches in order for us to practice our writing and speaking skills. Since our class was comprised of multi-cultural students, the professors also facilitated discussions where we could share things about our culture and home country in Nihongo. Because of that, I was not only able to practice my Japanese, but I also got to learn many new things about my Korean, Iraqi, Chinese, Indonesian, Canadian and other foreign classmates.

Besides that, I was also able to take-up several elective classes that were equally enriching. I took up Biological Psychology since it was directly related to my course in my home university. I also got to learn more about Japanese culture by taking up Sociology of Japanese Culture and Society. In contrast, the Media and Communications subject I took had a very Western approach. These elective subjects had interesting approaches which somewhat varied to how they taught the same disciplines in my home university.

I miss these classrooms! So white and clean. And they had no stairs, and instead had escalators!

The facilities of Waseda University were also excellent and world-class. It allowed us to complete our study in an enriched environment where materials, technology and books were easily accessible.

The academic workload I had was manageable and it allowed me to not only dwell on my studies but also experience Tokyo and living in Japan first-hand. I attended the Waseda-sai (Waseda Festival) last November, which was a very huge school festival (one of the biggest school festivals in Tokyo) where students performed, sold delicious food and engaged in different cultural activities. I also took part in an English-speaking club that met twice a week, where I got to meet several new people and got to share and learn about the varied interests of the members. I also met several new people who lived in our student dormitory (which was for foreign students).

I would say that this experience was character-building because it challenged me to perform well in school while struggling with living independently in a foreign country. At first it was difficult to adjust to the very different academic system of Japan, especially because I arrived in Tokyo barely able to understand Nihongo. I felt very fulfilled because in six months time, I was able to learn the things I expected to learn, like understanding basic conversational Japanese.

Though my stay in Waseda University and Japan was short-lived, I definitely enjoyed it, and I would not have it any other way. I’m deeply thankful that my university and scholarship program (JASSO) were very hospitable in accepting foreign students like me and dealing with our needs. It was unfortunate that the March 11 earthquake prompted me to return back home at an earlier date, but if I had an opportunity to go back to study in Japan again, I most definitely would.