>> From Waseda to France
Shungo Yoshida
4th year student at the School of Law
I made up my mind to study abroad after travelling to France when I was at high school. While I was at high school, although it was my first overseas trip and I was continually impressed, I was also disappointed in my language ability. Being unable to communicate, in not only French but also English, left me feeling highly frustrated. After this experience, I was committed to study abroad and talk with various people.
At a party with friends in the dormitory
Then, in my second year, I went to study at the Rennes Institute of Political Studies in France. But when speaking with the French, I couldn’t pick up what they were saying or keep up with the speed of their speech. Also, because most of the exchange students couldn’t speak French, conversation was held mainly in English. However, I was extremely troubled as my English was poor. Despite this, I tried my best to speak with them, and after a while we became friends and became able to talk together. Just before returning home we laughed when talking about “how did we communicate in the beginning?”
On a short trip to Normandy with a group of local students and exchange students
By the way, I think there are many people who tell studying abroad was a lot of fun. I also had an extremely enjoyable time. However, it was not always fun. There are tough times such as the difficult study, relationship problems and missing Japan. I couldn’t attend my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and having to study for a test while looking at pictures of my classmates having a great time was very trying. Despite that though, I can proudly tell that my life studying abroad was enjoyable, including the hard times. Regardless of faculty, department, language or country, please take up the challenge of studying abroad where you can experience both the bitter and sweet sides of life, and enjoy the joys of youth with unforeseen friends in a foreign land.
