EBERSTEIN Camille-AliceExchange student (France, Université de Paris) during six months

Life at NWU___My life at NWU
Ever since I was offered a university exchange to Japan, I knew where I wanted to study. I
needed a place steeped in history and steeped in traditional Japanese culture that would allow
me to study what I love most: ancient history and beliefs/religions. Having already studied a lotof Japanese history in France, I knew that Kansai was the ideal region. Nara seemed to be theperfect city for my studies, as it is human-sized (I thought it was important to do my very firstexchange abroad in a city that was not too big) and, just as I dreamed, full of history.
The Nara Women's University seemed to me to be a peaceful place
where there would not be too many people, and where I could moreeasily create a small social circle and ask questions to the teachers
if needed. It was also a university that interested me because of therange of subjects it offered. I was delighted to be able to study
history and culture, literature, a new language (Korean) and evenanthropology (something I had long dreamed of learning).
As I thought, it is a very livable university. The campus is very nice,peaceful, I was happy to just sit on a bench and enjoy the sunshine,
sit in the cafeteria to work or stay at the Dear Deer café to eat adelicious parfait. The fact that the university is not too big made me
feel good, like a second home.

I was immediately very well received and followed, whether by theadministration, the teachers or my tutor, Alisa. This helped me to feel good, I really had theimpression that I was cared for and concerned about (something that is not possible in Parisbecause of the number of students). It was the first time I had left France for so long and had tolive on my own, I was afraid it would be difficult, but thanks to everyone, it went incredibly well.
I never felt homesick.
I was also able to take advantage of the clubs at the university. Thanks to this, I was able tofulfill a dream and practice koto.

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The classes themselves were very enjoyable to attend. Since there were often not many students
in the classes, it was easier to talk with the teacher and participate. I was obviously a bit
impressed at first to be taking classes completely in Japanese on quite specific subjects (奈良学,文化人類学概論, 韓国語), but my teachers did everything to make sure I understood, which wasvery reassuring. I could also count on Alisa if I missed something.
And in addition to the courses, I was able to take part in activities within the university, such as
the trip to Ise jingu or the theatre event which I was very happy to organise!
This semester was very enriching for me, both on an educational and human level. I learned alot about Japan through the course content, but also by being immersed in a university like anyother student.

My life in Nara
I first discovered the city thanks to my tutor and friend, Alisa. Thanks to her,
I was able to discover the university, but also Nara and its surroundings. We
saw together the cherry blossoms of the Saho river, the Todaiji, theNigatsudo, a small animal café, Osaka Namba, the Hannya-ji, a kabuki show,
the Gion matsuri, the lantern festival,... I thus discovered various aspects oflife in Nara.
I also discovered the city by myself by going out very
often and walking without defining a destination.
That's how I discovered the botanical garden, theKasuga-taisha (my favourite sanctuary), the Narapark,... It's a city just like the university; very
pleasant to live in, peaceful, and where people areadorable. I was afraid that being a foreigner, I would be treateddifferently. But in Nara, people spoke to me directly in Japanese insteadof English, they didn't look at me in a bad way. It was even better for me, I
felt like I was part of the city.
I sincerely hope to be able to come back one day and continue exploring
Nara. Six months is not enough!

3My life in Japan
My life in Japan was obviously strongly linked to my life at NWUand Nara. I felt at home there. I was delighted to discover such
an amazing country, and that everything went so well. Studying
didn't stop me from travelling; I was able to go and discover
Japan with my friends or by myself. It was a real dream for me. I
discovered Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Tokyo and MountFuji. Besides allowing me to see other aspects of Japan, these
trips allowed me to learn more about the different local andregional cultures.
I am sad that I could not stay longer, as I would have gladly
studied for a full year at NWU and discovered more of thisincredible country and its equally extraordinary people. But I will
return to France with many memories and no regrets about mytime here.
Thank you all for allowing me to make my dream come true and for accompanying me during
these six months. I hope to see you again to live even more adventures with you!