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In Speicherstadt, Hamburg, Germany, known as one of the world's largest warehouse districts. It is characterized by its red brick buildings and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From Waseda to the world, and from the world to Waseda. "Study Abroad" reports on what students felt, learned, and realized through studying abroad, as well as cultural differences. This time, we introduce the experience of Matsumoto, who is studying in Germany after graduating from Waseda.

What I learned was the importance of taking the first step myself and cherishing my own individuality.

Yuki Matsumoto, 3rd year student, School of Commerce

Driven by a desire to study at a world-class business school, I utilized an inter-departmental agreement program within the Faculty of School of Commerce to study abroad in Germany for six months. The University of Mannheim Business School, where I studied, is known for its world-leading business education program, where students can study marketing and management in English.

Left: campus of the University of Mannheim, "Mannheim Palace," is a representative example of Baroque architecture, second only to the Palace of Versailles in size in Europe. The business school is also located within this palace campus.
Right: The interior of the palace (left), which can be visited by signing up for a campus tour. The library (right), which is used on a regular basis.

However, as I actually experienced life abroad, I came to think that the real purpose of studying abroad was "to get to know myself better." Life abroad wasn't all glamour; I struggled to keep up with classes and felt frustrated when I couldn't express what I wanted to say properly. Even so, I believed that each of those experiences was an opportunity to change myself, so I continued to initiate conversations and write a diary in English every day.

As I gradually built up my efforts little by little, I made more friends and my daily life became more enjoyable. "To grow even a little bit compared to who I was yesterday." I think this small accumulation of effort led to my self-confidence.

The class that left the biggest impression on me was "MKT301 Designing the Marketing Mix." Not only did we learn marketing theory, but we also actually managed our own accounts on LinkedIn, a "business-focused social networking service," and analyzed the social media strategies of companies. It was a practical class where we posted about our study abroad experiences, interacted with other students, and analyzed the content and engagement of posts from actual company accounts.

Furthermore, through my study abroad experience, I learned the importance of taking initiative. I volunteered with the soccer team "Basara Mainz," coached by former Japan national team soccer player Shinji Okazaki, traveled with my dorm roommate, and participated in the Frankfurt Tomonkai (*), interacting with alumni working locally. I also tried out for the university soccer team "Only Football" and played with teammates from various countries. I've come to believe that I should just try things that I previously thought were impossible for me.

* The alumni associations of Waseda University are called Tomonkai. There are approximately 1,400 registered organizations, and they are actively operating throughout Japan and around the world.

Left: Volunteering to sell tickets at "Basara Mainz." It was a valuable experience to use German. The second person from the left is the author.
Right: In Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, which I visited on a trip with my roommate from Colombia.

Furthermore, I was surprised to learn that in Europe, including Germany, the idea that "everyone looks for a job at the same time" is not necessarily the norm, unlike in Japan. There are various options such as graduate school, long-term internships, and working holidays. I heard from local friends that many people take a "gap year" to think about what they want to do, or to travel and do internships before deciding on their career path, which made me strongly feel the difference in values between Japan and Europe.

Studying abroad made me realize that there are far more options in the world than I had imagined. That's why I want to think about my future while cherishing my own individuality, rather than trying to conform to those around me.

Left: A photo taken at a meeting of the Frankfurt Tomonkai. The author is the second person from the right in the front row.
Right: With teammates from "Only Football." The university has 12 teams, competing in league and tournament matches each semester to determine the champion. The person wearing jersey number 85 is the author.

Things that surprised me when I went to Germany

Karl Benzstadion, the stadium of SV Waldhof Mannheim, a football club based in Mannheim.

I experienced firsthand why Germany is called a "football powerhouse." In Mannheim, where I lived, there was a club in the German third division, but despite being the third division, more than 10,000 spectators gathered for every match. I still remember being surprised and thinking, "Is this really the third division?" The stadium was filled with people of all genders and ages, including children, and I felt that football is deeply rooted in the lives of the people. We enjoyed German food and beer before the match, and everyone sang along to the team's chants on the train. The enthusiasm throughout the stadium was one of the experiences that made me feel the essence of Germany the most.

This is what Mannheim, Germany is like.

Located in the northernmost part of Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany's 16 states, it is the second largest city in the state after Stuttgart. It is the economic and cultural center of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area, one of Europe's largest metropolitan regions, and a university city with a population of approximately 320,000. The official language is German. The time difference is -8 hours from Japan (-7 hours in summer).