Alumni Voices: From Foreign Land to Forever Home – by Chelsea TAKAHASHI, Rennes 2 University, France

BACKGROUND

 I can still remember quite vividly what I thought and felt when I first arrived at AIU in late August 2017: the air was heavy with humidity, the cicadas were chirping incessantly, and greenery surrounded me at every turn. There was a calm in the air that I felt I had never experienced before. Entering my dorm room through a sliding door and taking my shoes off at the Japanese-style entrance, I set my bags down and stood still. I had to take a moment to comprehend that I had actually made it to Japan, on the other side of the world, and all of my own accord. And so I began my time at AIU in a sort of dreamy haze.

When I decided to go to AIU, I was living in France and working on my Master’s Degree in International Relations at one of AIU’s partner universities, Rennes 2 University. As an American, I already had (and was having) my “living abroad experience” since I had begun living in France 4 years prior. Still, going to Japan was an older dream of mine, back when I was in middle school and high school. Not to say that I wasn’t enjoying my time in France, but in the back of my mind I always wondered about how I could make it to Japan someday.

 For my Master’s Thesis, I decided on a subject regarding issues of nationality, ethnicity, and cultural identity among ethnic Japanese living overseas before, during, and after World War II. It turned out to be very difficult to find sources on this matter while in France, and my Japanese language skills were minimal, making it difficult to interact with primary resources. As such, my research advisor encouraged me to do an international exchange in Japan, which many of my classmates in International Relations also ended up doing for research.          

  I gladly took up his advice and started researching the options that were available to me. I was a graduate student with little financial means, who was then just a bit too old to be receiving financial support from my parents, so I knew I would have to do thorough research on costs. Additionally, unlike other students applying to study abroad in Japan, studying Japanese was only one of several goals and I wanted to go somewhere where I could take relevant courses on Japanese history and politics in English. As a Master’s student, it wasn’t necessary for me to think about credit transfer, but I had to make sure that my study abroad resulted in obtaining the knowledge and accessing the resources I needed to write my thesis.

AIU happened to be the perfect choice to meet all of these requirements: all classes taught in English, including a variety of Japanese history and political courses, a robust and intensive Japanese language program for international students, and in an area that was far more affordable than a larger city like Tokyo. Having come from the Southwestern United States, I was a little hesitant about the weather since I had heard about the harsh winters and heavy snowfall, but it was a minor detail compared to all of the benefits.

ARRIVAL

It may sound strange, but one of the things I first had trouble adjusting to was being once again surrounded by my native language, English. After four years in France, I had grown used to hearing English only occasionally while I lived, worked, and went to school all in French. Now there were so many students of dozens of different nationalities all around, which required using English as a lingua franca at any given time; and since all the classes are in English, all class discussions had to be done in English as well. Still, I was in Japan and was determined to improve my Japanese skills for both my research and my own personal interest.

I had tried to study a bit of Japanese on my own before coming to Japan, but none of it ever really stuck. However, in the Japanese language courses I took at AIU, everything suddenly started to click and studying became less of a chore and more of a delight. The more I learned, the more the signs and product labels all around me started to reveal themselves; it was like slowly wiping at a foggy window to finally see everything clearly. Conversations between Japanese students also started filtering into my ears as more than just sounds and I would get the sort of excited rush one might get after figuring out a difficult puzzle.

After I felt I had progressed to a certain extent, I started looking for materials in Japanese for my thesis research. I happened upon a memoir in the Nakajima Library that was written by someone who had gone through the very historical events I was researching. Of course I couldn’t read every single word or understand every single sentence right then and there, but I was astonished to realize that I was actually reading the text and following the flow of the narrative. From there I ventured to the Prefectural Library in Akita City and pored over old newspapers, taking photos of articles written during the time period of my research subject. I had gone from being in a dreamy haze to being in a constant adrenaline rush, wanting to find more, read more, research more, learn more. I was constantly making connections between my research and the contents of my courses on the Japanese Constitution, Sino-Japanese Relations, and others.

Of course, I didn’t spend all of my time studying: my time at AIU was incredibly busy. Knowing I only had a year in this place, I felt pressured to experience and take in as much as I could. My exploration started with the AIU bus trips arranged by the university to take students to nearby landmarks, such as Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate, and expanded from there. Since I was a graduate student and therefore a bit older than my peers, I think I had a somewhat higher sense of independence and initiative. I participated in Community Outreach programs, interacting with local students in English from preschool to high school levels, I did a short home stay in a small fishing village, I joined a traditional dance club, I washed dishes in the cafeteria for extra cash, I sat as a judge panelist for a drone video festival, I wrote a short review article on a local theatre piece for the local newspaper – I don’t think I refused a single offer that was thrown my way during my entire study abroad. While my thesis was coming along with no problem, there were times where it was almost an afterthought, I’d become so engrossed in my life here in Akita. My life back in France had become a distant thing in my mind.

I would say that all the experiences I had are a reflection of AIU and Akita’s unique circumstances; things that can be experienced “only in Akita.” The truth is that Japan is facing multiple societal challenges such as low birth rates, an aging population, depopulation of rural areas and increasing migration into urban areas, economic stagnation, and others. However, for those interested in these issues that are particularly affecting rural areas, it can be difficult to find a way to study and reside in these areas without advanced Japanese language abilities from the get-go. AIU offers the opportunity for international students of any (or even zero) Japanese language level to actually come and reside in the Japanese countryside while not only taking courses on Japanese culture and society in English but also while living on a campus that provides English-language support in all aspects of daily student life. The Japanese language program for international students is also rather robust, meaning that living on an all-English campus need not prevent those who want to progress in Japanese from doing so. Additionally, despite all the local challenges to be faced, AIU is a public university of Akita Prefecture that is pro-actively trying to give back to the region by getting students, faculty, and staff involved in local projects and encouraging initiatives for regional revitalization. What this means (and to me this is very important) is that not only can one study and observe the challenges being faced by the region, but one can also participate in and get a firsthand look at the prospective solutions to tackling these issues. This, I believe, is what truly distinguishes AIU from the rest.

RETURN

 Before I knew it, it was already time to say goodbye and head back to France to finish my Master’s Degree. I had missed France and was looking forward to going back, but saying goodbye to Akita was filled with many sorrows. I made sure to take the JLPT before I went home, and was able to boast about my N2 certificate to anyone who cared to listen. After returning to France, I joined the local Japanese conversation club to keep up my skills, and after getting my degree I tried my best to find a job where I could use Japanese as well. I wasn’t entirely successful on that front but I did land a job working at the office of a university that also happened to be one of AIU’s partner schools, Rennes School of Business. Although I only spent a brief period at the Rennes School of Business, the experience convinced me that I would like to continue working in university administration.

Certain circumstances brought me back to Akita Prefecture in 2019, and my very first official job in Japan was in the international office at another university in Akita, Akita University. However, I longed to return to the immersive international environment at AIU, and to my delight my job application was accepted in 2022. To this day I am working in the Center for International Affairs as an Outbound Exchange Coordinator where I help AIU students choose their study abroad destination and aid them in their preparations so that they may have an excellent experience abroad like I did.

If you’re reading this and plan on coming to AIU, don’t hesitate to stop by the Center for International Affairs office and say hi!