Konnichiwa Tomodachi! Hello Friends!
Today I want to share more about my study abroad program in Japan at Kansai Gaidai University. KGU is located in Hirakata city in the Osaka prefecture of Japan and about thirty minutes by train from the Osaka city center. The University has two main campuses; one containing the residence halls and classrooms the other containing the main office buildings for teachers and departments.
Kansai Gaidai was established in 1945 and is known for its superior foreign studies and liberal arts education. Here, students can learn languages like English, Chinese, and Spanish and participate in various activities like Spanish club, guitar classes, and even American football. The university is also famed for its large Asian Studies Program. This program welcomes students from all over the world to study in a unique environment and give them the exchange experience of a lifetime. The academic schedule and atmosphere is similar to that of a typical western university in many ways. But it also provides enough of a difference to add to the experience of studying abroad and in a Japanese school system. Classes in the program range from East Asian history to media and film to manga drawing. So it is easy to find classes similar to one’s field of study or classes that are totally different.
Programs and events were often put on by the residence staff and the Center for International Education to increase interaction between exchange students and Japanese students. Some of the events included day-trips to other prefectures in Japan and even small dinner parties.
KGU is also unique in its exchange program relationship with Maryville College. There have been many students from MC to study there and vice versa. My dorm neighbor knew my friend, a student from MC who had studied there the semester before—Katherine Zacapa!!
My favorite part of KGU and the Asian Studies Program was the ability to meet so many people on a daily basis whether through classes or even during lunchtime. The ability to form a community among culturally different people is not only challenging but can be very rewarding and I can only hope to continue to form relationships like that as I meet people from all over the world.
