During the summer, I went to study abroad in Sapporo, Hokkaido (located in the Northern part of Japan). Since I had been to mainland Japan twice, I wanted to try and visit a different part of Japan. I thought it would be a nice experience, and since Hokkaido is known for their dairy products I was especially looking forward to eating sweets there. Prior to going abroad I had been studying Japanese for about 5 years and practiced speaking with some of the students at Hawaii Tokai International College, the college next-door to West Oahu.

 

Choosing the most memorable experience is too difficult, but I would say the one that stayed with me the most were the ones spent with friends. They taught me that I did not need a lot of friends to be happy, as long as I had those few special ones who I could rely on. It was such a fun experience singing, laughing, and talking together until 4 in the morning. I got to learn new slang from the local students, something I definitely could not have learned from class or a textbook. My diction also improved as well as my knowledge of Japanese culture.

 

After coming back, the Tokai students told me that my speech had became a lot smoother than before and that I actually sounded more like a native speaker. Personally, I feel like one month is not enough time to learn a lot, but it definitely was enough for me to be more comfortable with speaking the language and to work on my speaking flow.

 

Overall, it was a fun and amazing experience. But it is an experience that is hard to describe in detail because everyone experiences it in a way that is unique to them. For me I had my share of good and bad experiences while there. Some I was able to deal with off the bat while some took some time to sort out, but in the end I have learned from them, which is what’s important.