[Study Abroad Experience Diary] Mayuka Miura, XNUMXrd Year, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Mayuka Miura, XNUMXrd year, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
[Destination] Kainan University (Taiwan)
[Study abroad period] August XNUMX, XNUMX to August XNUMX, XNUMX (XNUMX weeks)
[Type of study abroad] Short-term study abroad at a partner university

With a Taiwanese beer!Mr. Miura is second from the right

Why did you choose Taiwan as your study abroad destination?

　I wanted to be able to speak Chinese because there are many people who can speak English, and the cost of studying abroad was affordable.Also, because I am taking a civil service course, the two weeks during the summer vacation was convenient for me.

What kind of preparation did you do before studying abroad?

　Since I was studying abroad in Taiwan, I took Chinese classes for half a year with the first year students as part of my language study.However, since I could only speak greetings and basic sentences, I regretted that I should have improved my speaking and listening skills.

How are the classes going?

　There were eight days of classes in two weeks, all in the morning.The class was divided into advanced/beginner English and advanced/beginner Chinese, and was conducted only by Japanese students who participated in this program.The teacher was a professor at Kainan University.On the final day, the results were announced, and each team performed songs and plays.

How was your accommodation (university dormitory)?

　I stayed in a university dormitory for two weeks.The room was a four-person room with Japanese students who participated in this program.The curfew was 22:00, and the tutor came to call every night.The tutors were also staying in the same dormitory, so every night after XNUMX:XNUMX, we were free to participate and chat about UNO and playing cards in the lobby of the university dormitory.

Please tell me about the city where you stayed

　The staff at the store can speak a little Japanese and English, so I was able to use gestures after that.The toilet may or may not have toilet paper, so pocket tissues are essential.I couldn't flush the paper down the toilet.Other than that, it was basically the same as in Japan.

　The recommended event is the night market.There are shops in both Taipei and Taoyuan, where you can buy a variety of things quite cheaply.Of course, you can also bargain.Jiufen Old Street is a tourist attraction.The scenery and atmosphere were very nice, and I had a lot of fun because they sold a lot of things that I couldn't buy or eat in Japan, such as Taiwanese tea.We also visited various places.It was really fun.

Please tell us what you learned through studying abroad

　What I learned while studying abroad is that there are various ways of living in the world. When I was in a four-year university, I could only see the way of life of going to college and getting a job immediately after graduating.However, among the Japanese students who participated in this program, there were many who took a leave of absence and went on a working holiday, some who studied abroad for half a year or a year, some who went to university at night while working, and some who went back to university after retirement.Such people gave me opinions from various perspectives that I could not hear at university when I was hesitant about my future.Through this experience, I learned that there are many ways to live in the world, and that people who have various experiences can have more perspectives and opinions than others.

　So, I wanted to go out into the world more and gain more experiences to increase my potential and have a variety of perspectives.