Recipient of the Joshua & James Haglund Memorial Peace Scholarship
"I think I’ve become a much more empathetic and understanding person by meeting and talking to people from around the world... My experience in Japan will be one I will never forget."
—Vivian
Studying abroad in Japan was a huge opportunity and I’m so grateful for the Haglund family’s generosity in awarding me the Joshua and James Haglund Memorial Peace Scholarship. Going to Japan taught me a lot about not just Japanese culture, but about the world and about America.
Being in Japan really taught me a lot about Japanese culture. I was put into various circumstances of varying formality and was able to learn about the manners and the small considerations that are prevalent in Japanese culture. A lot of the time I was in a university setting, especially in the Japanese tea ceremony club, so I was able to catch on to how university students interact with each other. There is a lot of consideration about what year of college you are in and of gender. While there are general trends of what formalities to use, it’s definitely not a hard and fast rule. The level of formalities all depends on the people involved and how familiar they are with each other. That’s what makes trying to properly copy these manners so difficult. Obviously, some amount of consideration is given for me being a foreigner, but by showing an effort by learning the language and mannerisms, I feel like I was able to form better friendships. Language is a huge part of culture. There are words in the Japanese language, especially greetings, that don’t have an exact translation into English. But these greetings are a common and crucial part of daily interactions. Since these greetings are used so often, I learned them early on in Japanese class, but it was only once I came to Japan and started trying to use them with my friends that I could really understand how these words were used in real life. Trying traditional Japanese arts also helped me learn more about Japanese culture. There are many traditional Japanese arts, but the ones I tried were tea ceremony and archery. Both involve a lot of etiquette and following certain forms. In tea ceremony there is a lot of consideration for the guests. Before a bowl of tea, sweets are served to balance the bitterness of the matcha. Although traditionally, people sit kneeling on the floor, chairs are offered for those who can’t. Although tradition is important, there are times when it makes sense to go against it.
During my time in Nagoya, Japan I also spent a lot of time with other international students. I’ve met good friends from Norway, Thailand, Guatemala, and more. There was a lot to learn about different cultures in comparison to Japan and in comparison to the United States. Before I studied abroad, I knew very little about other countries and cultures. Anything I may know about a country can boil down to stereotypes and devastating headliners and wars. But now, I can match faces to certain countries and what somebody has taught me about their home. And that means so much to me. I think I’ve become a much more empathetic and understanding person by meeting and talking to people from around the world.
By learning more about Japan and the world, I feel like I’m more able to understand and appreciate things about America. There is an image associated with America and I was able to benefit from that image when I told people I was from America. Other countries may not have a good relationship with Japan or have a worse global image, that may affect how they are treated. However people were always interested in which state I was from and what was famous there. During my time abroad, I think I was able to understand how others outside of America see it.
Studying abroad in Japan was the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m so grateful to have been able to go to Japan with the help of the Haglund family. I’ve improved my Japanese skill and learned so much about Japanese culture and so much about the world. My experience in Japan will be one I will never forget, not only because of the incredible memories I’ve made with friends, but also because of all the valuable lessons I’ve learned as well.