The most important part of going aboard is not where you go, but who you meet and what kind of memories you make.
First-year student at the School of International Liberal Studies
PARK, Daniel jaewon
“Why did you come to Japan?”
If I had ¥100 for every time someone asked me this question, I could probably pay for my University tuition. Maybe half because it’s Waseda. But in all honesty, I still don’t know how I should answer back. Comparatively speaking, Australia is a great place to live. Although it has its own problem like any other country, the quality of life is second to none. That’s why when someone asks me why I came to Japan, I feel like they’re asking me why I had left Australia.
I had quit University in Australia and have been searching for what I wanted to do in life. During that time, I made a friend while volunteering at the Japanese Children’s Day (こどもの日) event in Adelaide. She was a Waseda SILS student studying abroad in Australia. That was more than two years ago now and I had no idea I’d be a student studying in Waseda myself. This is the story I normally go with to make it sound more interesting, but the truth is, it was an impulsive decision to come and study in Japan when my mother’s worries about my life were at their peak. I love my mum, but she’s still a mum. I’m sure most of us can relate.
I was born in Korea and moved to Australia when I was young for educational purposes. Now my passport says I’m Australian, so I often have to pause and think before explaining where I’m from. To Australian friends I am Korean, to my Korean friends I’m Australian, my Chinese friends tell me I look Chinese and my Japanese friends think I’m weird. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like and labels we use to identify ourselves often draw lines between one another. One thing I realized having lived in Korea, Australia and Japan, the cultural difference is not as significant as we perceive it to be.
In Australia. A photo with my best friend (left), and friends from Waseda to study abroad (right).
Going to a new place can be a challenge. The language barrier, cultural differences and everything in between. I think the most important part of going aboard is not where you go, but who you meet and what kind of memories you make. It’s an opportunity put yourself in a new environment and find out more about yourself. I feel very lucky to have met such wonderful people in Japan. I started my life in Japan at a share house, learning Japanese at a language school. During that time, I made wonderful memories with my classmates and the people that I lived with.
Left：Share House Soccer Competition
Right：Language school Christmas Party
I started Waseda University in the middle of the pandemic. I’m sure it was difficult and not ideal for most of the new students, but I tried my best to enjoy the little things when I could. I think studying in SILS and having classes in English made it easier for me to settle down. In my online Japanese classes, we had lessons where we would share personal stories and felt like connecting with one another, but when we bumped into each other on campus for the first time, all of a sudden it felt like we were still strangers. That’s why my favorite classes were First Year Seminar B and Introduction to History which were both held on campus. That’s where I made new friends who were very kind. I tread a fine line between being funny and weird, and it helps when you have friends who are kind and understanding. I’m quite older than my peers in the first year, so sometimes I worry that I might not be a good influence to my younger friends.
I feel very lucky to be studying in Waseda. In high school or when I was studying engineering, professors showed us how to get the right answers. But in SILS, it is eye opening to meet Professors that try to guide us to develop the ability to ask the right question not only to the professors, but to ourselves. My high school history teacher once told me, if you’re asking a question you can find the answer from Google in a minute, you’re asking the wrong question. It is only at universities you get a chance to meet and talk to professors at the top of their respective fields and at Waseda I feel so privileged to be able to interact with amazing Professors and also fellow students. During my time at Waseda, I want to meet as many professors and students that I can and absorb different ways of thinking. I am hoping this can help me find out what I want to do and who I want to become in the future.
At Building 11, Waseda Campus
～What surprised me the most in Japan～
In Odaiba
One thing that shocked me was the sheer number of people living in Tokyo. Lining up for 20 minutes to get into Costco just to find myself stuck in a conveyer belt of lines inside the warehouse playing Tetris with the carts. I used to give my seat up whenever there was an elderly lady standing in front of me in the train. Or like when letting someone with couple of items go in front of me in the supermarket. When there’s already three or four people behind the line, I wonder if it’s even a kind thing to do if I only let one person go in front. Living in Japan made me realize I wasn’t as kind as I thought I was. I just had a comfortable life and bit of time to spare. In these little moments of opportunities when I used to make an effort, I often just settle for not being rude. And just focused on trying not being rude, I sometimes forget how to really be kind. When I was in Japan as a tourist, I thought Japanese people were very kind. Having lived in Japan, now I worry about the emotional labor the customer service workers go through day to day. Also I’m really bad at reading the room (空気を読めない). I think living in Japan has helped me a little in that area.
