What inspired you to travel abroad?
I wanted to gain work experience in Japan.
Why did you choose the JaLS internship program?
I chose the internship program at Hokkaido JaLS because I wanted to gain work experience in Japan. Also, since it's a combined course I could also practice and improve my Japanese language skills by choosing this program.
My graduation day at JaLS
What was your favorite part about Japan?
I loved the surrounding nature, the food, and the kindness of the people who are living there. It made me feel at home.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The fact that I met so many people from so many different countries. I'm still in contact and good friends with a few of them.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
They answered my questions when I had questions and they assisted me during my internship activities. They were really kind and helpful.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wish that I would have talked to more people, but since I'm shy I could not manage to do that.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
I attended the Japanese language school from 9:30 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. Then I had lunch at the cafe until 1:30 p.m., and after that I had my internship from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. I went home after that and I had dinner at the shared house.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I went to visit tourist spots like the Sapporo television tower with my roommates from the shared house. I also enjoyed going to karaoke or shopping and watching a movie. I also sometimes went somewhere with classmates from the language school, like to Mt. Moiwa, for example.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I stayed at a shared house. I loved the fact that so many people from so many different countries were living there. They were all very kind and I really enjoyed my time together with them. Also, two of our roommates were Japanese, so we could also practice speaking in Japanese that way. They were very kind too, and good at speaking English.
Would you recommend your program to others? Why?
I would recommend my program to others because you can gain work experience in Japan in this way while being able to improve your Japanese language skills at the same time.
What is one thing future participants should know about your program?
It might be scary at first to go to Sapporo by yourself, but JaLS will make you feel at home right away. Of course the internship program is pretty intense, since you have to come up with events for the Japanese people who are studying English in the same building by yourself and since you also get Japanese business classes, but you will get used to that eventually and you will learn and experience a lot of new things.
Now that you're home, how has your time in Japan impacted your life?
I'm planning to go back to Sapporo and I want to become an English teacher at JaLS there in the future, so I have studied for a TEFL certificate in order to reach that goal at home.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
I think that the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is the fact that you get to experience things you would never experience in your own country. Like meeting a lot of people from a lot of different countries, for example.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Getting to know more about other cultures and getting to know new people from all over the world.
