Vol. 5
January 25, 2010

Season’s Greetings from the International Center: Director Mike Matsuno～Once in a Lifetime
Home Visit Experience ～H

i Everyone!

We have had an excellent fallsemester! Remarkably, 51 international students from 13 countries and
23 universities arrived in early September. Their first semester came to a closeon January 10th. The fall semester was
full of interactive activities and events
hosted by the ISST* volunteer OGU student group, international students, thefour International Center Shoin Senseis,and the International Center staff.
This was the first year ever, the International Students, together with the ISST
members, hosted their own International
Center Kishibe-sai booth. They sold avariety of foods featured from five different countries. The foods included:
Kaiserschmarrn from Austria, dumplingfrom China, crepes from France, Kimuchi
Jeon from Korea, and peal milk tea from
Taiwan.

Top:
Japanese and KC teachers
Bottom: 51 international students withteachers

The remainder of the fall semester was
filled with a variety of sports events held
for both the international and Japanese
students. There was: basketball, soccer,
golf, ping-pong, and even “Salsa Dancing” led by Oliver Hamacher from Fontys
University in the Netherlands! Other social events included a huge karaokecompetition featuring the students vs.
teachers/staff at the Big Echo, Christmas
caroling, I-Chat events for Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas parties.
The cultural events included field trips toboth Kodaiji and the Uji sake brewery;
the Japanese language class field trips
to view the leaves changing, a fall barbeque; the English course class trips to the
Matsushita Museum, Bunraku, and the
Osaka Municipal Government Office.
While the social and recreation was
fun and plentiful, most of the international
students have often made mention of the“extremely heavy” workload they experienced in their university classes. They
spent the majority of their semester
studying Japanese language, Japansubjects in English, and the J-Bridge
courses in Japanese. The International
Center staff and myself, have had thegoal to offer international students a wellrounded experience with fun and enjoyable activities as well as a rigorous anddemanding Japanese language/studies
program. I have always promoted ourprogram as one of the most rigorous andchallenging Japanese language studies
program in Japan. Our four dedicatedJapanese language teachers hit the
ground running in September with thisyear’s students! They challenged theinternational students to really pushthemselves to reach their highest potential in Japanese. Most students havebeen very satisfied with the balance ofstudies and play. Lastly, thanks to all of

We need your help! Be part of an
exchange of “world cultures”! OGU’s
increased number of international
students have completely filled ourcurrent host family homes. If you oranyone would be willing to open yourhomes to international students whom
are currently living in an apartment or
dormitory for a “short-term home stay”
experience please contact the International Center. How about helping us
give students a taste of traditionalfamily life in Japan! For more details,
please contact the International Centerat Osaka Gakuin University.
Tel: 06-6381-8434
E-mail: inoffice@ogu.ac.jp

Top:
Students playing soccer at OGU Hiroba
Bottom: Mixed student group after the basketballgame

you, the OGU Faculty/staff/students,
clubs/circles, I-Chat staff, home stayfamilies, dorm staff, and the Suita Community, we have had the most exciting
fall semester at our International Centerso far. From all of us at KC, we want tothank you all and wish you a very wonderful New Year in 2010!
*ISST: International Students Support Team

Page 2

Host Family Meeting and Guest Lecture “Intercultural Communication at Home”:
Invaluable insight in your partnership with an International Student”

In November of 2009, the first Host
Family Meeting was held by the International Center. Ten host families ofcurrent international students enjoyed apresentation given by Professor Kazuyuki
Yasuda from the faculty of International
Studies. The topic of the presentation was
Clinical Psychology ~ Intercultural Communications at home. The event was bothinformative and well attended. Many
thanks to everyone who participated.
The first half of the event featured family introductions and the sharing of stories
and their experiences with their current
international student. Discussion topics
ranged from the challenges of preparing
vegetarian dinners, student allergies tofish, shoe etiquette and family shower
schedules to money talk and economics!
It was a great opportunity for everyone
involved to exchange their open and honest opinions. The follow-up lecture by Dr.
Yasuda summarized the various opinions
and provided feedback for everyone in-volved.
The primary lecture points outlined in
Dr. Yasuda‘s presentation included thefollowing: “The intercultural experiences
you currently face can be both rewarding
and challenging. Average Japanese expectations would never be a natural intuition of any of the international students.
Your experiences may actually change
your perspective about the way you lookat many things. Perhaps you may be often
asking yourself the question: “Should I
expect the international student to follow
my family’s Japanese customs so strictlyor should I be more flexible and attempt
blending or adopting their customs as
well?” When you encounter challenging
situations, in which you may not fully understand at that moment, it helps determine how interculturally sensitive and truly
global you really are. Understanding andappreciating the perspectives of others
actually demonstrates at what level you
understand yourself. As a result, howmuch you understand and know yourself
will unveil how well you understand andappreciate others. As you play the role ofparent to an international student, keep inmind, it also requires demands similar toraising your own child. Likewise, being aparent to a guest student helps us matureand grow similarly to when we raise ourown child. The acknowledgment of thesesimilarities rewards both you and yourinternational guest with invaluable experiences.
As a host family myself, I personallyextend my heartfelt thanks to all otherhost families for extending your warm
hospitality and opening your homes tohelp develop OGU‘s educational programs. Your homes serve as true learning
grounds for all international students. We
look forward to conducting similar meetings in the near future and hope that families continue to participate.
Thank you.
(T.K.)

Cambridge University Queens College Study Program:
Kazuki Mori (A senior majoring in International Studies)
Each September, OGU selects students to attend a study program at Cambridge University Queens College,
where they have the remarkable opportunity to study economics under Dr. Murray Milgate. Although it is very
difficult for some Japanese students to learn economics instructed entirely in English, the students who participate in this program become very stimulated by their study experience. Kazuki’s dream came true when hebecame one of the selected candidates. Currently, as a senior at OGU, he is an ISST member and uses manyof the skills he has learned during his overseas experiences.
The following is Kazuki’s story:After I returned from my study
abroad in Sweden, during the firstsemester of my junior year, I was
searching for a new goal. One of myteachers in the International Studies Department mentioned to me that if I took a
special economics class at OGU, there
was a possibility I could apply to go to
Cambridge University for an economics
program. That became my new goal! The
special economics class was instructed
via video conferencing, on the OGU campus once a week, by an economics professor from Cambridge University. The
main points of the course outlined internationalization based on economics and thesystems of the global economy as awhole. I didn’t have sufficient knowledgeof macro or micro economy, historicalaspects of world economy and knew limited economic terms. Therefore, in the
beginning, it was often difficult for me tokeep up with the content of the class.
A year later, I was finally able to go to
Queens College. There, in addition towhat we learned in the video conferencing

coursework, we were exposed to a variety
of topics such as: comparison of GDPs ofAmerica, Japan, England, France andChina. Further, we learned how thesecomparisons tied to the world’s economy
and how each country’s economy survived after changing events such as thecollapse of the Bretton Woods System,
the Oil revenue downfalls, the economiccrisis in Mexico, the affects of the end of
the Cold War and the burst of the bubble
economy, etc. Moreover, we studied
about the role of the International Monetary Fund and World Banks. Two of themost useful things I learned, were theeffects of the Lehman shock and the everaccelerating sinicization process. Although I studied at Queens College for
only two weeks, it was an honor for me to
be instructed by such a great authority on
economics, Dr. Murray Milgate. Likewise,
my free time there was rewarding, and I
enjoyed my entire experience. If I were tonote one regret, it was not having morebasic history of the world’s economy. Had
I a more solid foundation of basic economy, I could have asked more questions
and participated in more dialogue with Dr.

OGU students with Dr. Milgate

Milgate. Regardless, he was always sokind to answer my basic questions. Cambridge is a University town, so it is one of
the greatest environments for any student
who would like a quiet place to do research.
Much time has passed since my returnfrom Cambridge and I am pleased toshare with my underclassmen, at Osaka
Gakuin University, my study abroad experiences and the many valuable lessons
gained throughout my student life at OGU.
During the final weeks before my graduation, I will give my best effort to share myimportant message each and every day
with as many people as possible!

Page 3

～The Special Feature: Federal Republic of Germany ～Osaka Gakuin University currently has three partner universities in Germany: The University of Trier, FH Mainz University of Applied Sciences, and Bayruth University. The partnership with the University of Trier, signed in 1995, hasbeen particularly active with student exchanges almost annually. The following are featured essays authored by former and present exchange students from both OGU and the University of Trier.

The Mutsuko Ayano Scholarship: The University of Trier -GermanyOlder than Kyoto, in 1984, Triercelebrated its 2000 year birthdayof existence as Germany’s oldest
city. This area is famous for its beautiful
river and hilly scenery with vineyards surrounding the city area. Even today, after
entire sections of the city was destroyedin WW II, Trier has been rebuilt and now
stands as one of the most historical areasin Germany.
Today, there are 13,000 students attending the University of Trier along with alarge enrollment of international students.
Since 1993, OGU has been partners inthis international network, sending one or
two students a year to study at the University. The irony of this exchange programis it would not have existed, if not for the
tragic murder of Mutsuko Ayano in 1983.
Her shocking death devastated thepeaceful, quaint city of Trier, and became
the catalyst that would create the Japa-

nese studies program at the University ofTrier and later the exchange program with
OGU.
Thanks to the parents of Mutsuko
Ayano, a special foundation was established in her remembrance. Due to the
Mutsuko Ayano scholarship foundation,
OGU students are able to attend The
University of Trier.
Mutsuko Ayano was a “kind and gentle
person, just the kind of person you want inan exchange student”. A Rotary Scholar,
studying for her masters degree at the
University of Trier, she was attacked androbbed and later died in the hospital on
November 1983. One of Mutsuko’s life’s
wishes was to create a bridge between
Japan and Germany and share this dreamwith other students and hoped they would
pass her dream forward with enthusiasm.
As a result of the scholarship, her dreamhas become a reality.

Mutsuko Ayano Street in Trier

During her stay in Germany, shewrote profound and meaningful letters to
her family back home in Japan. A collection of those heartfelt letters were published in a book titled “Mutsuko ~ The
Tragic Ending of a International Student’s Life in West Germany”. If you areor anyone you know is interested inreading the book, there are a few copies, published in Japanese, available atthe International Center.

Sadly, the OGU German Department will become history once the freshman class of 2007 graduates. The following
is the testimony of two OGU German Studies majors who previously studied in Germany. Senior, Hiromi Wakai and
Junior, Tomohiro Kishino. Hiromi has been a strong role model for his underclassmen and on several occasions has
shared with others his treasured experiences in Germany. His most impressive message to all reveals the true
meaning of studying abroad and how one’s opportunities can become endless once they travel to another country.

“Reasons I went to Germany: My Life Abroad”: Hiromi Wakai (Senior)Wow, foreigners are amazing!”

When I was in high school, I was
surprised when I would see foreigners walking along the streets of Japan.
I was raised in Hokkaio where far fewer
foreigners reside in comparison to Kyoto or
Osaka. Therefore, I could never imagine
having the opportunity to communicate withthem one on one. Even more, goingabroad was never on my to-do list. Yet, in
my sophomore year in college, I traveled toGermany as an exchange student for ayear and had too many precious experiences to mention here.
I first became interested in Germany asa result of T.V. In the fall of my junior year
at high school, I was required to select auniversity I would attend in my future. At
that time, I never dreamed I would go to auniversity in Germany. Coincidentally, one
day I watched a TV program highlighting
the culture and beauty of Germany. It featured the beautiful streets, nature, food withportions 3 times larger than Japanese portions, and what seemed to be delightful
daily German life. The TV program sparked
curiosity that I never felt before. It wasthen, I made up my mind: I would some-how study in Germany during my university
years.
Once I entered my home university, I
worked hard towards my goal to study
abroad in Germany. In the summer of mysophomore year, I successfully reachedthat goal and set off on my new journey.
My new life abroad was much more challenging than I had ever expected. I quickly
realized that what seemed to be averagecommon sense for a Japanese person,
didn’t work most times in Germany. As aresult, I didn’t have any friends and experienced a period of anxiety and depression
during the beginning of my stay. However,as time went on, I made friends and quickly
began to understand better, the culture andhistory of Germany. I even found it fun! I
also introduced Japanese culture to others,
which helped me to appreciate culturaldifferences and realize there are different
ways of thinking. From then on, I tried not
to judge everything so harshly, but rather, I
began viewing things from a different perspective and even started looking at myhome country of Japan more objectively.
I started studying German as a way tolive in Germany, but in the end, I found that

the German language was actually only atool to communicate with others during mystudy abroad experience. It was my increased understanding of other culturesand other people’s way of thinking that wasmost valuable and became the most important lesson I learned during my time away.
If I were to leave you with only one important message, it would be the notionthat studying abroad is not only about
studying a language. More importantly, it is
the language you acquire that is the key toincreasing your level of intercultural awareness and widening your opportunities. Why
don’t you take a step in this direction?

Hiromi (center) with local students

Page 4“Benefits to a Student Studying Abroad ”: Tomohiro Kishino (Junior)Istudied at University of Trier for a semester in the fall of 2008. I would like toshare with you what I learned from mystudy abroad experience.
What I attempted do during my stay in

Tomohiro (center) with local students

Germany was to keep a sense of curiosityand an open mind in everything I encountered. While, it was challenging to do something new in a very different environment, I
gave it all of my effort to have courage andremain strong. Although I failed several
times and felt depressed, every time I overcame one obstacle, I matured and gained alittle more self-confidence. I believe a positive attitude is the most necessary aspect toensuring your study abroad experience
becomes a meaningful success story.
If I ever had the opportunity to study inGermany again, one of the things I would
concentrate on more is communicating withinternational students from all over theworld, as well as those from Germany. I
think this would give me a better overall
experience as well as more motivation to
become interested and try even more newthings.
Through your study abroad experience,
you will learn more than you would everknow if you stayed in Japan. If after reading
this newsletter, you are interested in studying abroad, take the first steps to prepare
for a study abroad experience. Meet withthe staff at the International Center at OGU.
More important than anything, is to takethat first step, no matter how scary, andbegin your dream. Have courage, take arisk and go for it!

Three OGU students are currently studying at University of Trier: Mizuki Nakagawa (Foreign Languages
major), Sayo Morimoto and Yui Natsume (both majoring in International Studies). This newsletter features
Mizuki’s report from Germany.

“My Overseas Life With A Lot of Support”:
Mizuki Nakagawa (a sophomore majoring in Foreign Languages)

It has already been four months since I
began my studies in Germany. Here, I
will share parts of my journey and tell
you about one of the most famous events
during this time of year in Germany,“Weihnachtsmarkt (The Christmas market).
First, I studied German at the GoetheInstitute in Bonn for a month before the fallsemester began. Bonn used to be the capital of West Germany before the Berlin Wallcame down. Bonn is a small, quiet community. As the birthplace of Beethoven, thetown hosts the Beethoven Festival. The
streets are full of music and events and I
felt fortunate to be able to attend. At the
Goethe-Institute, most of my classmates
were business people, and I was the only
university student. In the beginning, I wassomewhat worried about life in Germany,
but a student from Hong Kong who knew
the town well, befriended me and showedme around. All of the classes were, ofcourse, taught in German only, so it was
hard for me to keep up with the instruction.
Thanks to my helpful classmates, we all
became like a family in the end.
After my study program in Bonn wascompleted, I moved to Trier. Trier was as

Köln Cathedral and the Christmas market

small and quiet as Bonn. Some sites, whichshouldn’t be overlooked, include the Trier
Cathedral, Porta Nigra (a symbol of Trier),
and the Trier vineyards.
At University of Trier, it is easy to makefriends because there are many Japanesemajors who are interested in Japan and canspeak Japanese. However, if I were to
speak to them in Japanese only, my German language skills would never improve. I
try to communicate with them in German.
You may have heard about the famous
Christmas markets in Germany. These
markets are held all over Germany during acertain time of the year. The city streets aredecorated in theme and are illuminated withthousands of lights. Sidewalks are linedwith many small market stands where
Christmas ornaments, German sweets anda host of German traditional foods can bepurchased. One thing I would highly recommend to anyone who has the chance to visit
is a taste of the Glühwein (hot wine). Germany is very cold in the wintertime, but thiswine makes your body warm up quickly andtastes delicious! It is sold in a speciallydesigned cup featuring each city logo. A
shopper could collect each cup for souvenirs. In addition to the market stands, every
Christmas market includes a traveling carnival with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round,and other entertainment events. At the endof each evening, the sound of huge church
bells chime harmoniously to mark theChristmas Market closing time. Thisseemed to be a traditional German custom.
Lastly, I have had so much fun and sucha wonderful experience during these past
four months as a result of the warm support
from all of my friends here in Germany. I

Three students studying at Trier
give special thanks to Julia, Christine andJohanna whom were all former exchange
student to OGU. They came to the airport tomeet me, invited me to their homes, andshowed me all around Trier. All of themtruly support me in many ways. I feel grateful for this opportunity to study in such abeautiful environment surrounded by such
good friends.
The snow is now falling in Germany. I
look forward to enjoying this season, as
well as even more exciting experiences in
my next seven months remaining here.

Page 5International Students’ Report: Sabrina May & Jacqueline Unkelbach
Both Sabrina and Jacqueline are exchange students from University of Trier. They currently live with host families
and enjoy their life in Japan. Here are their impressions of Japan throughout the first few months of their exchange.

Sabrina: Incredible Japan!

I

have been in Osaka for over threemonths now and so far it has been avery enriching experience! As a student
enrolled at University of Trier, in my homecountry of Germany, I am majoring in Japanese Studies. Unlike most of the other exchange students at OGU, I have been on aprevious exchange to Japan during highschool. Although, not everything is completely new to me and I can communicate inJapanese, there are still so many things to
be discovered and more incredible experiences that I can learn from.
Of course the courses offered at OGU
are very helpful and I have learn a lot sofar. However, I am learning an incredible
amount from the extracurricular activities aswell. I recently joined the Koto Club at
school and the other club members are
extremely nice and very open minded. Although I do not yet know them very well,they include me in their activities and therefore give me the chance to practice speaking Japanese consistently.
I also greatly benefit from living with a
traditional Japanese family. I am staying
with a host family for my entire time in
Osaka and I am really grateful for this opportunity. I feel it is them who teach me themost. Often, their interest in my home coun-

Sabrina playing Koto at the Christmas event

try inspires me to ponder the cultural differences and our discussions about various
topics helps to change my point of view
from time to time. They also help me improve my Japanese and better understandthe Japanese culture and its lifestyle. Both
my host parents and host brothers areteaching me more than I could possibly
have imagined before coming here. Even
my host parents’ children are teaching me
new things everyday. I am amazed by how
knowledgeable Japanese children are andby how devoted Japanese parents are to
their children. For me, watching Japanesedaily family life, helps me to better understand the Japanese people, their culture
and their way of thinking.
I am really looking forward to the months
ahead in Japan. Especially since the firstfew months have turned out so much better
than I could EVER imagined!

Jacqueline: Amazing Japan!

M

ore than 4 months have now
passed since the 2009/10 exchange students arrived in Osaka.
These past 4 months have been full of new
experiences, that at first view, are very
different from our western culture. I arrived
after approximately an 11 hours flight from
Germany. When I arrived in Osaka, my hostmother picked me up at the bus station andtook me to my new home. I should mention,that my home in Trier, Germany is locatedbetween beautiful vineyards and an abundance of lush nature. You can imagine that
it was a big change for me to begin my newlife in the center of such a big city as
Osaka. I was really surprised, when I
looked out of my bedroom window to a viewof nothing but busy streets, and concretebuildings. Another surprise for me is theJapanese bathroom in my host family’shome. It is not just one simple room like weJacqueline with other students in Hiroshima

have in Germany, but rather, consists of 3
rooms - one shower/bathroom, a separate
toilet and a detached room with a sink andwashing machine. One other interesting
thing for me are the toilets in Japan. They
are not as simple minded as I would haveexpected. The toilets switch on the lights foryou, preheat the seat and even flush foryou – how will I ever live without this when I
return home?! Naturally, I could give examples such as these for hours.
In my opinion, the most memorable is,that we exchange students have had thewonderful opportunity to meet and build
relationships with so many different types ofpeople. No matter if they are students or
staff from OGU, other international students, our host families or the nice combini
owner from next door. Sharing the newexperiences in Japanese culture and dailylife is invaluable. Becoming familiar with theJapanese teaching-style, trying all the new
foods, managing homework and daily life,
speaking Japanese (for example buying
train-tickets), traveling to Tokyo, Hiroshima
or Kyoto and last but not least singing Karaoke all night long! The time I have spent
with all of the people I mentioned and having their support made my experience inJapan even more awesome and enjoyablethan I could have ever imagined!.

～OGU Students’ Report～
Report～“A Treasured Experience”:
Daichi Misaki (A sophomore majoring in International Studies)H

ello! I have been studying at The
University of Mississippi since lastAugust. I would like to share withyou, my daily experience, and how I spent
the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in
the U.S.
I often think…….“Thank God, I am
Japanese”. This was my honest feelingwhen I had a bad experience at a restaurant one day. The reason I say this is because this area in the US has poor customer service. As you may already know, in
the US, it is customary to pay all wait staff
for their service. Of course, I knew about

this before I came here, but had never experienced this before. Let me tell you about
one of my service experiences I had with avery bad service waitress. While at lunchwith friends the other day, the waitress fromour table argued with other restaurant staff
and complained a lot while we were eating.
There was no way we could enjoy lunch, so
I wrote $0.00 for her tip on the tab. Whenshe saw the amount of the tip I had left her,
she was furious and remarked, “I servedyou, so why don’t you give me a tip?” Oneof my friends paid her a tip, so nothing badhappened to him. However, I felt uncomfort-

Daichi with Tim’s family

Page 6able to see what a poor attitude she had
towards customers. This was quite different
from any Japanese staff I had ever seen, so
I had a difficult time understanding her
point. It seemed as if she served customers
simply for the money. This is only one example of culture shock I experienced.
Next, I will share with you the two big
holidays I spent in the U.S. I spent Thanksgiving Day with Wesley’s family, who cameto OGU on a short-term summer program in2009, and Christmas Day with Tim’s family,
who was an exchange student from
Dowling College in New York. First,
Thanksgiving Day is the day to celebrate
the first harvest and is celebrated annuallyon the fourth Thursday of November. On
this holiday, family members and relatives
who live far away gather and eat turkey,

pies and a huge home cooked feast in fellowship. Secondly, although Christmas Day
seems to be the day for lovers in Japan, thetrue meaning of this day is to celebrate thebirth of Jesus Christ with family members
and relatives. Christmas presents startpiling up under the Christmas tree about aweek before Christmas. Americans value
family time together. During these two holidays, they happily share family memories,
recite their friendly stories and tell jokes to
one another. The houses I visited werefilled with warm and happy holiday cheer. I
cannot thank Wesley and Tim’s families
enough for welcoming me into their home
as if I was a member of their families during
the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
I have learned a lot from my life in American. My experience has helped me learn a

lot about America, myself, and even given
me more appreciation for many things I
neglected to notice in my home country ofJapan. I will continue to do my best in thenext semester at The University of Mississippi. I am forever grateful to those people
who gave me this valuable opportunity to
study abroad in the U.S.

Daichi with Wesley’s family“My Aussie Life”:
Joohoon Song (A sophomore majoring in International Studies)Iam a Korean citizen who moved toJapan to play baseball in high school,
but I quit the sport once I enrolled at
OGU. Without baseball, I was bored andthe days all seemed to be the same. I knew
I needed to find more purpose for my university life. I knew that despite Korea andJapan’s close proximity, they were two very
different countries. Next, I wanted to learn
about the differences between Korea/Japanand other foreign countries as well. It wasat this time, I decided to study abroad. OGU
has partner universities all over the world. I
chose to study abroad in Australia because
I enjoyed wild kangaroos. Since I was thefirst OGU student to attend the University of
the Sunshine Coast, I didn’t have muchprior information about the university nor
the city. For this reason, I share my story. I
hope my experiences will be helpful for
potential OGU students who choose to
study here in the future.
The University of the Sunshine Coast is
located in Queensland, Australia. The smallcity is characterized by a country-side environment. There are kangaroos and many
types of birds in the city and there are
beautiful beaches nearby. Kangaroos and I
am a Korean citizen who moved to Japan toplay baseball in high school, but I quit the
sport of once I enrolled at the OGU. Withoutbaseball, I was bored and the days all
seemed to be the same. I knew I needed tofind more purpose for my university life. I
knew that despite Korea and Japan’s close

Joohoon with English program classmatesproximity, they were two very different
countries. Next, I wanted to learn about thedifferences between Korea/Japan and otherforeign countries as well. It was at this time,
I decided to study abroad. OGU has partner
universities all over the world. I chose to
study abroad in Australia because I enjoyedwild kangaroos. Since I was the first OGU
student to attend the University of the Sunshine Coast, I didn’t have much prior information about the university nor the city. For
this reason, I share my story. I hope myexperiences will be helpful for potential
OGU students who choose to study here in
the future.
The University of the Sunshine Coast is
located in Queensland, Australia. The smallcity is characterized by a country-side environment. There are kangaroos and many
types of birds in the city and there are
beautiful beaches nearby. Kangaroos andbirds look very cute, but they are in fact
dangerous wild animals. I often see warning
signs, which read, “Don’t come close.” During lunch, if we go outside on campus, birds
try to swoop down our heads, so we haveto be cautious when they are around.
The campus is located only 15 minutes
by car or 25 minutes away by bus from thebeach. City buses run regularly, but you
may want to check the schedule well inadvance, because the number of busses isvery limited. Mooloolaba is the most famous
beach at Sunshine Coast. People go here
to swim and surf throughout the week. Everyone enjoys the relaxed Aussie lifestyle. If
you come, why don’t you try body boardingor surfing? Currently, I am trying hard tolearn improving my swimming skills, so I
can then learn to surf!
My school schedule is quite busy! My
English classes begin quite early, at 8:40
a.m. every day. Therefore, I am often very
tired! My teachers are friendly and teachwell, but some have heavy Australian accents. To be honest, sometimes I have no

Joohoon with some USC students
idea what they are saying. The University
hosts students from all over the world: Switzerland, France, Saudi Arabia, Brazil,
Spain, China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany,
etc. I have made friends with students frommany different countries. However, it isdifficult to meet undergraduate students
because I am only in the English program.
Next semester, I will work hard in hopes oftaking regular undergraduate courses
During the first couple of weeks, classes
were too difficult for me. I felt frustrated andnothing seemed right. As time passed, I
built a circle of friends who always encouraged me, spent time with me, and took me
out for drinks. Gradually, I naturally became
used to my new study environment and mystress faded way. I even began to enjoy myclasses! While it is very important to acquire
the language of the country you study in,equally important, is to make new friends
and lasting memories, which will stay withyou forever. You may face many difficulties
in your study abroad experience. In the
beginning, you may first enjoy many new
things, but there may be times you feel
frustrated with everything. Although this is
my second study abroad experience, I
sometimes get lonely and depressed. For
example, when I first went to Japan, I
couldn’t speak Japanese very well anddidn’t like Japanese food. I lost 14 kilograms in the first two months and became

Page 7homesick for Korea. In the most difficult
times, my strongest supporters were always my good friends. It is the same here
in Australia. If you come to Australia as astudy abroad student, I recommend you
find many friends and that you try hard toenjoy your Aussie life in every way possible.
Time flies. I try not to waste not evenone minute. As much as possible, I want
to cherish my remaining months here andcontinue to experience everything notavailable to me in Japan! I wish everyone
much good luck with your preparations foryour future study abroad experience!
Exciting!

“My First Experience Abroad”:
Takayo Nakao (A Junior majoring in Foreign Languages)Hello, everyone! It has already beenfour months since I came to Helsinki, Finland.

from my host family, than the total amountof Christmas gifts I have received in myentire lifetime.

As you may already know, Finland is asmall country hosting rich nature and a
population of 50 million. It borders Russia tothe east and Sweden to the west. One thirdof the country is located in the Arctic Circle.
Interesting huh? Did you know that Finlandis the origin of the character Moomin, thesauna and is the birthplace of Santa
Clause! Christmas in Finland is rather quiet
compared to the Christmas markets in Germany. Most of the stores and transportation
systems are closed from 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed throughout
Christmas day. On Christmas Eve, people
get together with immediate relatives tofeast on a Christmas dinner featuring a
special dish known as Kinkku (pork ham).
Later in the evening, a person acting as St.
Clause, travels to each home to deliver gifts
for each family. Beforehand, little elves
known
as
Tonttu, assist
Santa Clauseby checking
with families
to see if theirchildren have
behavedthroughout
the
year,
wrapping gifts, and sorting out Christmas
cards from all over the world. Historically,
this story was only a fairytale, but recently,
people acting as Tonttu actually do work in
the Santa Clause Village. I received more
Christmas presents this past Christmas,

University life in Finland is equally incredible! I am majoring in Foreign Languages at OGU, but I study businesscourses here at Laurea University of Applied Sciences. Since I was not familiar withbusiness studies, I was nervous at the beginning. Finland is known to host theworld’s best education in business studies.
Interestingly, in the classroom, students do
not simply sit and listen to the professor
lecture, but rather, they complete groupprojects, give presentations, and submit
final reports. This is the basic style of mostcourses. I was surprised to see and experience such a different style of teaching/learning. Regardless, my group had a good
leader, and I worked very hard on the project. We completed the project successfully!
When I finished the course, I not only felt
relieved, but also, a true sense of accomplishment!

study abroad, I would have missed out on
this invaluable opportunity to witness how
students from all over the world, value theireducational experience. Today, I would liketo convey my sincere appreciation to everyone who played a part in giving me thispriceless opportunity to study in Finland. I
pledge not to return until I become fluent in
Finnish. For myself, as well as for all ofyou……..I will do my best!

Since my arrival, I have made friends
from many different countries and havelearned much about cultural differences andthe value of education. For example, themost surprising thing to me about students
in Finland, is their level of motivation andpositive attitude toward their studies andeducation. They place a high priority on
their studies and take seriously their educational experience. To the contrary, likemany other Japanese students my age, I
only applied to college because I was told
graduating from a university would help me
find a good job. Had I remained comfortably
at home in Japan, unwilling to take a risk to

Top: The first snow
Bottom: With St. Clause

Osaka Gakuin University/Osaka Gakuin Junior College
2-36-1 Kishibe-Minami, Suita City, Osaka 564-8511
Tel: 06-6381-8434 Fax: 06-6381-8499 Email: inoffice@ogu.ac.jp