Looking back at my time in Japan, I can say
that it's been a tumultuous adventure – albeit, one of the most rewarding
experiences I've had thus far. I remember my first day in Kyoto, I didn't know
much about Japanese culture and could barely read Hiragana. Kyoto buses were
confusing and Google maps didn't help much either. Somehow I made my way to the
school, and already there were some new students waiting anxiously. I guess we
were all excited yet confused about what our lives would be like. I think I met
one of my best friends on that day (I didn't quite remember until she told me a
year later). For the first semester, I decided to live in the school dorm,
Shugakuin Global House. Living in a dorm
has its perks – you meet and bond with dorm mates instantaneously, it's close
to school, and you could even practice speaking Japanese with Japanese students
from the university. I was placed in the lowest level class （初級１）. Learning
without any knowledge of the language was challenging yet exciting. We weren't
afraid to make mistakes and the teachers had to be silly and act things out. I
attended three semesters and went from 初級１(Beginner 1) to 中級２(Intermediate 2). It's amazing
looking back and realizing how much one can learn in such a short amount of
time. I passed the JLPT N2 and worked in Kyoto for a year after school ended.
Learning a new language and living in a foreign country is life changing,
however, it is incomparable to the people I've met and the experiences we
shared. Being a student at KICL, I've made a lot of good friends from different
parts of the world – we studied and ate together, contemplated life and did
nothing by the river together, we cried and laughed with each other. We became
a little dysfunctional family and I'm truly grateful our lives had crossed in
such a breathtaking place.
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| Studying for the final exam. |
 |
| A
bunch of bananas for Halloween. |
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| Good
ol' Karaoke. |
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| Chilling
by the river. |
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