Vol. 2
July 15, 2009

What does “Internationalization” on the OGU campus really mean?

The focus of our previous newsletter examined the value ofsending OGU students abroad aswell as the benefits and the pricelessexperience they receive in terms of language, cultural awareness, and global
life skills. Currently, only a relatively
small fraction of Japanese students will
participate in any short or long term
exchange program during their four
years at OGU. Therefore, it is essential
to work on gradually internationalizing
our home campus to expose our “homebound” students to different ways ofthinking, communicating, and interacting.
Initiatives in both Europe and parts of
the US to make use of and further develop the internationalization process
within home university campuses havebeen widely discussed and regularly
practiced. Until recently, the mission to“internationalize” the OGU campus was
not made a university-wide educational
priority, primarily because most people
were not certain how to embark on thistask. But I believe the time is now. In
order for Japan to compete globally andfor OGU to compete domestically, weneed to be progressive thinkers andmove forward to internationalizing the
OGU campus.
“How?” You might ask. The processof “internationalization” could include awide variety of strategies, policies,classes, and activities. OGU could: havemore foreign faculty teaching on campus; offer a larger number of courses inEnglish focusing on international issues
and subjects; integrate global issues,
case studies and internships into theregular Japanese courses; establish more
faculty led short-term programs abroad;host more faculty and staff exchanges
with other foreign universities, and encourage more international joint research projects with other foreign faculty. The list is endless.
However, the incoming international
students who come to study at OGU
every year are perhaps the most powerful internationalization mechanism on
campus. Many people on campus do notrealize the value and positive affect of

having international students from up to
20 countries on our campus and as partof our OGU family. For example, someof our international students take regularJapanese courses and seminars together
with OGU Japanese students. Others
join sports, cultural clubs and circles on
campus. Many participate daily in IChat and others socialize and study outside of the classroom with our Japanese
students.
For the majority of our OGU students, who will not have the opportunity
to study abroad-, the chance of meeting,talking, making friends, and spendingtime with our international students willat least present them with an authentic
window and special opportunity to learn
about people from other countries andcultures, how others think, communicate, and live. Their friendships with
the international students could also
become the catalyst for our Japanese
students to become interested in studying in a foreign country. The international students help our students understand that “being different is okay,” andmany of our students experience a“paradigm shift” by learning that although we may look different physically, we are all still very similar. We all
belong to the human race.
Faculty that teach the international
students in regular courses, seminars,
English courses, J-Bridge classes, andJapanese language courses, have all
highly complimented their commitment
to study and learn and their endless effort to work hard. They often comment
about what positive role models they arefor the OGU students.
There is no actual method to measure
how much influence the international
students have on our students and on our
campus. However, if you talk to OGU
students who frequently visit I-Chat or
the international student lounge in
Building #1, you are sure to hear positive comments about their friendships
and experiences with them. Ultimately,
the international students have direct
influence on our students and help promote campus-wide awareness of internationalism. Naturally, their presence pre-Mike with Dr. Nico of Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University in South Africa

pares our OGU students to understandinterconnectedness of peoples and cultures; build acceptance of different cultures, values, and attitudes; and encourages our students to appreciate global
diversity. Furthermore, they contributemuch value to our Japanese students’ 4year college education and experience at
OGU.
This coming fall semester, we will
host 52 incoming international students
from 12 countries. These students are
the “kake hashi” to the world for ourJapanese students who will not be able
to go on an outbound study abroad or
exchange program. Moreover, they are
the lightning rods that help launch theinternationalization process on our campus and within our classrooms. Let’s
join together in welcoming, inviting, andfacilitating the interaction of these newinternational students with our Japanese
students. Feel free to invite the international students to join and participate inany classes, seminars, and off campus
class activities. It may take some workand energy to initially get the international and Japanese students to intermingle, but once things get started, the rest
will be easy!
Marcel Proust once said, “The realvoyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having neweyes.” For our students, the interaction
with the international students offers
them the chance to open these “neweyes” of discovery.
Mike Matsuno
International Center Director

Page 2A Message from New York: Takahiro Aoki
A senior majoring in foreign languages, Takahiro studied at DowlingCollege in New York for one year and returned to Japan in May of 2009.

C

an I really study abroad? Can I
actually do this?

I remember these thoughts of insecurity following me from the time I was
selected as an exchange student until the
day I left on the airplane to New York.
Like a scratched CD they played over andover in my mind, “Will people understandmy English?” “What are classes in the
U.S. like?” “Can I keep up with classes?”“Are meals in the U.S. tasty? Yes? No? If
not, how will I be able to cope with all of
the new situations?” As my departure datecame closer, I revisited in my mind the listof hopes and wishes I dreamed of for mynew study abroad journey. I want to buy
many things in the US. I wanted to makemany new friends and have a good timewith them! Yet, I left Japan a little worried!
My worries stemmed from my limited
skills to speak English and my lack oftravel experience. I couldn’t even understand the English in American movies withJapanese subtitles. What's more, in addition to my challenges with English, I had
not even traveled overseas for more than
one week. My longest visit outside of Ja-

Takahiro with teachers at Dowling College

pan was back in high school on a shortvisit to Canada. Honestly, before leaving
for this trip, I couldn’t even imagine how
my plan to live in the US and study at an
American University would play out.
To my friends and teachers, I cleverly
masked my true feelings of uneasiness andpretended not to have a worry in the world.
I wanted so much to demonstrate to them I
was strong and certain about my new journey. Whenever asked if I was nervous
about going abroad, I enthusiastically replied, “No, I am excited to go abroad! I
want to leave for New York as soon as
possible!” I went on to say “I am not worried at all. I just can’t wait to go!” Deep
inside I knew that was not so and as aresult, I missed out on my chance to behonest and share with my teachers, friends
and family my true feelings before I left
Japan. Regrettably, I departed for New
York harboring feelings of self-doubt.
Alas, these feelings only further fueled thegrowing anxiety in my mind.
Unsurprisingly, I arrived in New York
confused. I myself didn’t even understandexactly how I felt about living in a foreigncountry to study. For example, in the pastwhen I visualized New York City, themere thought of it touched my spirit, andenergized me. I would even get goosebumps just thinking about it. Yet once I
arrived there, I wasn’t as impressed with it
and it didn’t appear the way I had always
imagined it to be. For the first few days I
didn’t feel excited about being in New
York at all. I was reluctant to allow anything to excite me. Honestly, I felt as if I
was trapped. I couldn’t bring myself torelax and enjoy my new adventure. However, one day out of the blue, I realizedthat the degree of excitement is different

for each individual and the acclimation
period or culture shock level might vary
for some also. In time, I did feel
“excitement” when I saw, heard andtouched new things in the U.S. Once I
allowed this to happen, my worries began
to fade away and my adventure became areal exploration! From then on, life in New
York changed significantly: I began tolook at things from a different perspective.
In fact, I found true pleasure in things I
disliked before and gained a new appreciation for things I already enjoyed. In essence, my experience in New York taught
me a very valuable life lesson: regardlessof what my circumstances or environment
puts before me; I am determined to face
any challenge whatever it is with confidence and drive from here forward.
Despite my initial reservation to go
abroad, in the end, I will take away frommy experience the invaluable lesson that
there are different angles of looking at theworld and everything in it. I have always
been disinclined to change my one-way
thinking and was hesitant to expand myhorizons and look at things through a different lens. Stepping out of my comfort
zone was a new concept and somewhat
scary for me. Therefore, I figured it wasmuch safer to just remain in Japan rather
than take any risks and possibly fail. I
realize now, that being so fixed in myways of thinking actually restrained mefrom being adventurous and taking any
risks even though I had the desire to learn
by doing new things in my life. In someways, I was my own worse enemy. Ironically, in the end it was my own fears ofleaving Japan to try a new experience
which forced me to give more effort tobecoming more open-minded. As a result,
I now understand myself and the world
around me more clearly! Why don’t you
be the next OGU student to take a risk, try
new things, and see yourself and Japan
from the outside in? You won’t regret it!

Life at the Thai Village Camp by: Kazutoshi Takaki
Kazutoshi is a sophomore at OGU majoring in International Studies. He participated in the Thai Village Camp
sponsored by Bangkok University with other Japanese university students.

I

selected the Faculty of International
Studies at Osaka Gakuin University
because I was interested in learning
about international collaboration and volunteer efforts occurring outside the classroom and around the world. For my firstadventure, I chose to attend the Thai Village Camp. Unlike OGU’s long-term exchange program, there was no required
language criterion for this program. I visited Thailand for ten days during thespring break and although my English
level still needs much improvement, it wasan exciting adventure!

Before my departure, I was filled with
mixed feelings about the camp. For instance, on one hand, I had never been
overseas before and I felt a little nervous.
At the same time, this camp was one of the
primary reasons I chose to study at Osaka
Gakuin University, so I felt utterly excited
to participate. Prior to my departure to
Thailand, I received very worthwhile advice, hints and tips from both the International Center staff and former camp participants that truly boosted my confidence Kazutoshi with children at the Thai Village Camplevel.
My time spent at the Thailand camp andPage 3away from Japan, became an unforgettable
and treasured experience for my life! I
experienced first-hand, the authentic Thailand rather than simply viewing it on TV
or reading about it in a magazine. Professor Mike Matsuno told me that throughthis experience I would come to recognize
the true meaning of “expressing thanks”,“business hospitality”, “using language asa tool”, and “acquiring courage to try new
things”. All of this came true.
For the first four days in Thailand, we
stayed in a hotel in Bangkok and enjoyedtouring the city. I experienced indescribable excitement when I saw the various
historical sites. Temples and Buddha images appeared everywhere I looked! I
could feel the easy-going nature and energy of the Thai people and observed their
deep respect toward the King. His photo
was displayed all over the city. I was left
with a positive impression of Thai people
and their appreciation for taking time toenjoy life and never become rushed orpressed for time such as in Japan.
The Thai village, situated in the countryside, was quite different from Bangkok
and the landscape of the expensive hotels.
Although slightly nervous to leave the city,
I was pleasantly surprised upon our arrivalin the village. The village school reminded
me of an elementary school in the Japanese countryside. The people and children
in the village were very energetic and kindand gave us a warm welcome upon our
arrival. After meeting them, I now understand why Thailand is known as “TheLand of Smiles”. The camp volunteers
were divided into three groups: construction, meals, and caretakers for the children
attending school. I was in charge of meals
and construction. My group helped prepareand cook the meals. We chopped meat andvegetables, and cooked them over charcoal. While cooking, I learned some Thaiwords from the other volunteer students.
They even game me the Thai nickname of
Som Chai. Though, the Thai university
students did most of the actual cooking;one day the Japanese students made curry.
The Thai students enjoyed it very much.
The construction group made cement by
mixing rocks, sand, cement powder, andwater. We carried the cement in buckets
and constructed a foundation retaining
wall. Next, we stacked blocks on the foundation to build it even higher. Even though
we were instructed to take a break every
twenty minutes, I didn’t want to just be aguest. I tried my best to work hard andcontinue to help out as much as possible.
My biggest challenge was communicating with the other university student volunteers from Thailand. Some understood
English, but some didn’t. Despite notknowing how to say the words in English,
I used gestures and body language to communicate with them. I think I did well, but

I do regret not studying English before
going to Thailand.
The Thai Village Camp taught me
many lessons. Amongst them was the importance to have gratitude toward otherpeople and to accept others without any
intolerance. Needless to say, it was a great
opportunity for me to meet Thai university
students my age. We all shared a common
goal in our international collaboration andvolunteer efforts to help others. Likewise,
the Thai university students seemed toenjoy their volunteer work because theychose it, not simply because they were told
to do it. Consequently, their positive anddiligent attitude encouraged me to adopt
the same outlook and enjoy my volunteer
work very much.
Essentially, my experience in Thailand
taught me a very valuable life lesson: “Onewill not achieve anything if they do nothave the courage to take a risk and try newexperiences. Taking the first step is themost difficult challenge, yet it is possible
and is the most crucial step”.
At the moment, I am dedicated to my
new goal and plan to study abroad on along-term basis. From today forward, I
will work hard to gain more selfconfidence and will make a more concentrated effort to improve my English skills
by taking the TOEIC course at OGU, andcontinue moving forward step-by-steponward bound!

Foreign Student: Johanna Lauer from the
University of Trier, Germany

Above: Johanna in an interview
Below: Listening to a lecture in JapaneseJohanna is an exchange student fromthe University of Trier and has been
studying Japanese for several years inGermany. In recent years, she has had
many opportunities to meet both Japanese
students and teachers at her home university.
Johanna currently lives with a host fam-

ily while attending OGU for her Japanesestudies. Initially, they spoke to her primarily in English. However, she eventuallyasked them to communicate with her inJapanese because she came to Japan for
full immersion Japanese studies and preferred the daily opportunity to practice.
The family was very understanding andquickly began speaking to her entirely inJapanese. Johanna really appreciated their
willingness to listen and grant her request.
Johanna has a passion for learning both
Japanese language and culture. She actively participates in various extra curricular activities at OGU. She especially enjoys participating in the OGU “A Cappella” group. It is a small choral singing group in which members all know one
another and even beginners quickly feel
successful. Johanna is the only foreigner inthe group and contends “all members talkto me in Japanese and interact with me nodifferently than any other member of thegroup”.
Additionally, Johanna is taking a seminar and Japanese history course with other
OGU Japanese students. During this class,she often records the teachers written notes
and then reviews them at home. While

taking undergraduate courses at OGU, she
was surprised to learn how very different
the Japanese university system is from theacademic systems in Germany. For example, in Japan, university students take general academic courses in the first and second years and specialized courses in thethird and fourth years. In contrast, German
students study general courses in highschool and take only specialized courses at
the university level.
Johanna is majoring in Japanese andEnglish Studies at the University of Trierand studies languages and literature in
Japan and several English-speaking countries. Classes are instructed in German, but
English Studies courses are instructed in
English at her home university. Two years
remain until she graduates, but her future
dream is to work where she can use her
Japanese language skills.
Finally, Johanna sends this message toall students: “Don’t be afraid to study
abroad. You can study abroad with confidence if you do the necessary research
about your destination. Enjoy your journey
and interacting with people in any hostcountry!”(T.K.)

Home Stay News by: Lee Yu-Hung from Taiwan

Trip to Taiwan with the Kobayashi FamilyY

our lunch looks delicious!
Did you make it yourself?”“Yes, I made it with my hostmother ” Yu-Hung replied.
One day, I passed by Yu-Hung
who was having lunch with her
friends. I was surprised to see herenjoying a lunch, which looked sotasty and delicious. It was a homemade lunch Yu-Hung and her hostmother created together. She is well
liked by her host mother and theyeven make her daily lunch together
each morning!

Yu-Hung has been living with the Kobayashi family since last February. Her
host mother is very kind to her and treats
her like a daughter. Her host father is avery intelligent man. He is very knowledgeable about various topics and is like ateacher to Yu-Hung. He often answers anyquestions she asks about the world.
During the Golden Week of this year,
Yu-Hung traveled to Taiwan for six days
with her host parents. With a twinkle inher eye she shared, “I was so happy myhost parents became interested in Taiwan.”
They visited Yu-Hung’s parents’ houseand home university. They also met her
university professors and many of herclassmates. You-Hung said with enthusiasm, “we had so much fun visiting Taiwan!”
During her time with her host family,
Yu-Hung became more interested in cooking. Although she could not cook when
she first arrived, she has learned how tocook Japanese dishes while helping herhost mother prepare family dinners. Her
host mother claims that Yu-Hung did not

Additional International Center News
1) Completion Ceremony
The 2008-2009 Japanese Studies Program completion ceremony was held on July 4, 2009. Twenty-four exchange students
from around the world along with one researcher were recognized for their remarkable accomplishments during a ceremony
to celebrate their achievement. Congratulations to all the international students! Many have formed special bonds with theirteachers, friends and host families that will continue throughout
their life. As a result, it was difficult to express their final goodbyes. Best wishes to all of them in the future!

2) Japanese Studies Program ~ 2009-2010
OGU will welcome fifty-two international students this coming September 2009.
Detailed schedule:

September 7 & 8: Arrive in Japan
September 10-12: Orientation
September 14:

Classes start

September 19:

Welcome Party 11:00-13:30

We are currently recruiting staff for the International Student
Support Team (ISST). The role of this team, mainly consistingof students, will be to support new international students during
their time at OGU. Join us in welcoming the new members of
our “OGU family” by volunteering your time to be a part ofsuch a great effort to help others and learn new things. If interested: please contact the International Center for more details.

3) 2009-2010 Study Abroad Exchange Program
As mentioned in a last newsletter, eighteen OGU students
will depart for their host Study Abroad University beginning in
July. The first student to leave will be Mr. Sho Saito, a senioreven know how to properly maneuver a
cooking knife in the beginning. She often
worried that Yu-Hung might cut or slice
her fingers while in the kitchen. However,
Yu-Hung was quick to grasp the skill andher host mother no longer worries about
her so much during their cooking time
together.
Her host mother is a very good cook
and Yu-Hung loves her “macaroni augratin” dish the best. Whenever Yu-Hung
expresses her appreciation for the greatflavor of any of her host mother’s homecooking, she is quickly given the recipe
and is shown how to prepare the dish. YuHung has learned to cook many dishes, yet
her best dish is “Omu-soba (omelet +soba).” She claims Omu-soba was a challenge to make at first, but her host mothertaught her how to efficiently wrap soba
with eggs and now she has become a master at cooking this dish!
Yu-Hung alleges, “I will definitely missJapan when I return to Taiwan, yet, I will
be forever filled with the fond memories oflearning to cook with my host mother.“(T.K.)

majoring in Economics. Sho will be going to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University in South Africa. He will send us periodic updates about current events,
such as South Africa’s preparations for hosting the 2010 World Cup.

Introducing Mr. Hiroyuki Kumei
The International Center consists of seven people: Director:
Mike Matsuno, Deputy Director: Noboru Goto, Section Chief:
Hiroyuki Kumei along with four other staff members.
In this newsletter, we would like to feature our Section Chief:
Mr. Kumei. He has been an employee of OGU for twenty-eight
years and for the past five years has been the “rock” of the International Center. Mr. Kumei is very modest about his accomplishments, is quick to credit others, and approaches IC projects
while always encouraging team effort. His interests include
baseball, especially the
Hanshin Tigers, and healso enjoys a nice coldbeer on his time off fromwork! Perseverance, commitment to students, professionalism and his caring
attitude are some of thetraits, which make Mr.
Kumei-san with international
students
Kumei very special! The
international students feel immediately at ease when they meethim. He has a desire to make all feel welcome and become an
integral part of the International Center family. He is very positive and patient and treats everyone with genuine kindness. In
fact, the international students even affectionately call out tohim “Kumei-san, Kumei-san”. Many truly respect his attitudeand he is loved by all! The secret word on the street is: Mr.
Kumei once had LONG hair in his youth and he loves the pop
group ABBA. Any truth to this trivia Kumei-san?