Japan: CSEP W25 Jennifer Léveillé McFarlane
My favorite part of going on exchange was…
My favorite part of going on exchange was going on a full-day trip with ten of my Japanese friends and my Finnish friend, Saana, to go visit Kumamoto and hike Mount Aso. We drove three hours to Mount Aso in the middle of the night, because the goal was to enjoy the sunrise on the top. During the hike we stopped to enjoy the view of the open sky filled with stars, places that my friend Rukia would spend his teenage summer in. We reached the top and ate a cup of ramen all together. We ran into a field of purple flowers, and the aisle felt like it was out of a Ghibli movie. Along the way down we took pictures all together, took an hour-long group nap, and finished with a cone of ice cream. Half of our group went back home, and our car stayed to complete the activities we planned. Rukia and Gustav showed us all of their elementary, junior high, middle, and high schools and their parents houses. We finished the day by watching the sunset at the beach of Arao Higata.
Going on exchange challenged me because…
Japan is on the other side of the world, and they have a language and culture much different than in Canada. Learning Japanese is very difficult, and it is challenging to practice it in real life. I put myself in a lot of situations where I went to do activities on my own and no one around me spoke only Japanese. I had to challenge myself to only use the Japanese that I learned in class.
I recommend going on exchange because…
It is amazing, and the experiences make you grow so much. Your knowledge on the language, culture, way of living, habits, food, people, and everything really. It also challenges you to put yourself out there and be more confident in social interactions. Going on exchange makes you see the beautiful places that make that country stunning.
Also, you make friends from all over the world, and in the end, it gives you more reasons to explore the world even more!
The coolest place I visited while on exchange was...
It was the Daigoku Parking in Tokyo. My dream was to see the places and the modified cars just like in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift. I was speechless and the happiest person ever. It was an experience that I will forget. I booked a package deal on GetYourGuide with Gaijin Tuned. A modified orange Lexus RC-F came to pick me up, and they drove me to the Rainbow Bridge, the Daigoku Parking, A-Pit Super Autobacs, and the Tokyo Tower. Unforgettable experience, I had the chance to take the most iconic pictures and get amazing merch.
