Today, we received a report from Mariana, Estefanía and Camilo about their exchange program so far. Let’s give it a look!
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Since we came in September, we have had the chance to get to know a lot from Kofu, Yamanashi and Japan! In September, we experienced the Japanese summer for the first time. It was very shocking at first, because since the humidity in Japan can be very extreme, we needed some time until we could get used to daily life and the weather. Nevertheless, we used the time before classes to explore the surroundings by visiting shrines or other touristic places.
On the one hand, Mariana and Camilo have gone to two different festivals. It was very fun to experience this beautiful part of Japanese culture in person. The things we enjoyed the most were the food and the performances, such as Wadaiko. Also, the people were always very welcoming to us and sometimes they even asked us questions about our time in Japan!
On the other hand, Estefania has been part of the Noh Theater Club of YGU since the end of September. Because of this, she had the chance to perform a piece of No Theater at the YGU University Festival (樹徳祭). She told us that this was a very enriching experience for her, because she has always been drawn to traditional Japanese arts in general and because she could perform with honorable Noh senseis. Despite being her first time practicing this traditional art and requiring discipline and compromise, she performed very well and was praised by her senseis! From now on, she is looking forward to studying the Noh theater more in depth and sharing this knowledge eventually in Colombia.
Apart from that, since the beginning of fall, all 3 of us have been enjoying all the lectures and classes at YGU. We truly feel this is the best program in order to deepen both Japanese language proficiency and knowledge in Japanese culture. In the beginning, it was challenging for all of us because of the language, but as the time went by, we could adapt gradually to the requirements from the university. Until now, we got to know very charming and welcoming people from all over the world and we consider that this was a huge factor for us to be more comfortable since our arrival. The Japanese culture and people have mesmerized us so far and we hope to experience more wonderful things from now on!
