MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion
Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
Narrative
Studying abroad in Japan was arguably the best year of my entire life. By going to study at Okayama University in Okayama, Japan, I not only developed my Japanese Language skills but also grew and matured as a person. I managed to get a very authentic experience by fully immersing myself into the culture. I was able to do this by meeting people and going to izakaya, joining a circle, and joining a club.
Right before going to Japan, I was worried that my language skills would be insufficient after only tree semesters of Japanese instruction, so I decided to attend the full-immersion Middlebury Summer Language School at Mills college in Oakland, CA. For 8 weeks I spoke, read, wrote and listened to only Japanese. Because of this, when I arrived in Japan, I was able to communicate with Japanese students on an intermediate level. I met an exchange student from India who was fluent in Japanese. He in turn introduced me to his friends who would often invite me out for food and a drink. In these informal learning situations, I found that my Japanese speaking and listening improved the most. I also found myself practicing new grammar and vocabulary that I had just learned that morning.
I was also fortunate to be placed with a tutor who belonged to the Futsal circle (small soccer on astro turf) at Okayama University. My friend Mark from Thailand and I were the only foreigners in the circle. Everyone was curious about why I chose to learn Japanese and what I thought of their country. They had fun trying to practice what little English all except for a couple of them knew, so once they ran out of English, we basically communicated in Japanese the entire time. This proved to be difficult because the Japanese being shouted at you during a Futsal match is very different than the Japanese you learn in a classroom! I made good friends with some of the guys in the circle and we went out to eat together often. Circles in Japan are much less strict that clubs, so my experience with those guys was fun and carefree overall.
During the beginning of the second semester at Okayama University, I decided to join the Shorinji Kempo Club. This turned out to be a very different experience from the circle I was in previously. Every time I showed up to practice, I would sweep the leaves outside of the Dojo with the rest of the first year students. Practices were 4 days per week and people often stayed 1 to 1 1/2 hours after practice ended. I learned a lot about the sempai/kohai relationship in Japan and how important a role it plays in the culture. I also got a glimpse of the famous Japanese work ethic which starts long before entering the workforce.
Because of the above experiences, I was able to learn and enjoy at the same time. Although I loved the classes as well, especially film class, I felt that by taking a risk and diving head-first into the culture, I was able to grow by leaps and bounds. Doing this also gave me a lot of time to reflect about what kind of person I am. When you don't understand what's going on around you, your thoughts tend to turn inward. I think that anyone seeking to improve themselves should go to a culture very different than their own and meet as many people as he or she can!
Right before going to Japan, I was worried that my language skills would be insufficient after only tree semesters of Japanese instruction, so I decided to attend the full-immersion Middlebury Summer Language School at Mills college in Oakland, CA. For 8 weeks I spoke, read, wrote and listened to only Japanese. Because of this, when I arrived in Japan, I was able to communicate with Japanese students on an intermediate level. I met an exchange student from India who was fluent in Japanese. He in turn introduced me to his friends who would often invite me out for food and a drink. In these informal learning situations, I found that my Japanese speaking and listening improved the most. I also found myself practicing new grammar and vocabulary that I had just learned that morning.
I was also fortunate to be placed with a tutor who belonged to the Futsal circle (small soccer on astro turf) at Okayama University. My friend Mark from Thailand and I were the only foreigners in the circle. Everyone was curious about why I chose to learn Japanese and what I thought of their country. They had fun trying to practice what little English all except for a couple of them knew, so once they ran out of English, we basically communicated in Japanese the entire time. This proved to be difficult because the Japanese being shouted at you during a Futsal match is very different than the Japanese you learn in a classroom! I made good friends with some of the guys in the circle and we went out to eat together often. Circles in Japan are much less strict that clubs, so my experience with those guys was fun and carefree overall.
During the beginning of the second semester at Okayama University, I decided to join the Shorinji Kempo Club. This turned out to be a very different experience from the circle I was in previously. Every time I showed up to practice, I would sweep the leaves outside of the Dojo with the rest of the first year students. Practices were 4 days per week and people often stayed 1 to 1 1/2 hours after practice ended. I learned a lot about the sempai/kohai relationship in Japan and how important a role it plays in the culture. I also got a glimpse of the famous Japanese work ethic which starts long before entering the workforce.
Because of the above experiences, I was able to learn and enjoy at the same time. Although I loved the classes as well, especially film class, I felt that by taking a risk and diving head-first into the culture, I was able to grow by leaps and bounds. Doing this also gave me a lot of time to reflect about what kind of person I am. When you don't understand what's going on around you, your thoughts tend to turn inward. I think that anyone seeking to improve themselves should go to a culture very different than their own and meet as many people as he or she can!