Ｑ．Where did your study abroad take place? How were the studying and/or living conditions there?

I went to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. QUT is an international university, so students are from around the world and there are various countries' communities and events.

At QUT, the teachers were friendly and answered every question till I understood even if it was outside of classes. Studying was hard but there is educational support. The campus is clean and there are many places to study alone or in groups, so the environment was good to concentrate on my study. There was also a student support office, HiQ, and I asked them not only about how to write reports but also about how to get a transportation card and which buses I should get to come to QUT.

【写真】キャンパスの様子

Ｑ．How was your student life and what was the most memorable experience over there?

At QUT, I studied a lot with my friends after classes in the library, which is one of the most memorable experiences in my daily life there. There were so many assessments, which was hard for me. At first, I could not get what the teachers said and catch up on the lectures. However, my friends helped me and they tried to understand what I wanted to tell them. I am sure I could not pass the courses without them and appreciate them for everything. I spent the most time with my university friends. They were from different countries, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brazil, and so on. We taught each other about our own countries and they gave me multiple viewpoints. I could not speak well but they always tried to get what I wanted to say.

【写真】現地の学生と交流する様子

Ｑ．What is the most important thing you learned on your study abroad program?

I learned the importance of helping each other. I realized that asking for help from other people is not shameful and everyone helped me when I was in trouble in the city as well as at the university. I also learned that speaking incorrect English is not shameful. The most meaningful thing is expressing my opinion, not correctness. Communicating with my friends was really fun, and people praised me for trying it. Getting good results is of cause important, but the process and challenge are more valuable than that.

Ｑ．What was difficult for you while you were there? Was there anything you wished you had better prepared for?

Listening to English with Indian and Chinese accents was difficult. Their English had some distinctive features that were very hard to get, so I could not talk much with students from India and China. From this experience, I thought I should have listened to English with various accents and watched some movies or drama series instead of listening to the academic materials. Languages are naturally mixed and I guess it is better to get used to the sounds of English with a wide range of accents.

Ｑ．Do you feel that your English communication skills have improved?

My communication skills in English have certainly improved, especially in listening and speaking skills. When I watch foreign moves in English and listen to Western music, I can comprehend what the actors said and the lyrics of the song more than before. Furthermore, when foreign customers come to my workplace, I am now able to deal with these clients in English. My friends and host family said my English has absolutely improved.

【写真】ホストマザーとピクニック

Ｑ．Could you tell us about your discovery of cross-cultural, or international, differences?

I noticed the difference between Gakushuin University and QUT. I have many QUT goods, such as caps, T-shirts, bottles, sunglasses, and bags, and all of them are actually free items from the university. Anyone can get them for free as long as one is a student of the QUT on campus or at participate in some events held by the university, so many students seemed to join the events from QUT. On the campus, many students and teachers were putting QUT items on and I could feel that I'm a member of QUT.

On the other hand, Gakushuin publishes some papers or magazines about its history and activities. There are some university goods but we need to buy them in the shop and there is not much variety of these items. I think the paper is good because there are things that one is only able to express in words. In short, by comparing Gakushuin and QUT, the difference I realized was the approaches each institution takes to increase the engagement from students--either by offering freebies or publishing papers.

【写真】QUTからもらった無料グッズ

Ｑ．Did you find any diversity, or intra-national differences, within your host country?

The difference I found within Australian society is how to think about the history of Australia. I attended a public event on Australia's National Foundation Day holiday on January 26th. This day is called "Australia Day" and there were various events and stage performances in the city. During the day, many people put on some items that are printed with the Australian national flag, the Australian Aboriginal flag, or the Torres Strait Islander flag. My host mother put items of the Australian national flag on and held a party with her friends.

On the other hand, I saw a lot of people putting items of the Australian Aboriginal flag. I got a pin painted with the Australian Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. Which flag item to put on shows whether the person regards the day as deserving a celebration or not, because the day is both national foundation day and the day that marks the start of colonization by white people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are native tribes of Australia and they have suffered persecution from white people from that day. So, some people insist that it is wrong to celebrate it and those people tend to put items of the Australian Aboriginal flag or the Torres Strait Islander flag on. From this experience, I learned about the different ways of thinking about Australia's National Foundation Day among Australians.

【写真】イベントで貰ったピンバッジ

Ｑ． In what ways are you planning to use what you gained from the study abroad experiences?

I realized the world is so big and I want to work and live outside of Japan. Studying abroad changed my future plan and will affect my career. In my daily life, I now have more interest in what happened and is happening in the world. I think I should know it because ignorance hurts someone. I will collect global information via some media and interact with foreign people.

Ｑ．What advice would you give to those who are planning to go study abroad?

Going outside of Japan is a very brave act and you should be proud of yourself to go to other countries. On study abroad, there are many hard things but you will also experience interesting and exciting things. If you are in trouble or have difficulty, you can ask people for help. Try to do whatever you want to do and have memorable experiences.