My Experience As a Youth Exchange Student

Short Sharing

  It was November 27, 2015. A day to remember. I was traveling on my own from Fukuoka to Kagoshima by bullet train. As a 16-year-old teenager, it was the first time being alone in a foreign place without family or friend. The idea of leaving my hometown and going to Japan as an exchange student seemed adventurous but fun. Thoughts raced through my head, should I be excited to be somewhere I did not know the language or the people that I would be meeting there and staying with?

  Being the most special one, I had to travel the furthest to meet my hosting family, unlike others who met their hosting families at the Fukuoka International Airport. Some people might be wondering, where is Kagoshima? Kagoshima, a seaside city on Japan's Kyushu Island, the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. It is well-known for Sakurajima, an active volcano that faces Kinko Bay.

  My two-week stay in Kagoshima was memorable and enjoyable. It was my pleasure to meet my hosting family - the Miyashita family. They treated me as part of the family and always put me first before themselves. I was totally impressed by the strong bonding among the family members especially the bond between a sister and a younger brother. Reika, as the elder sister who always takes good care of Yuichiro, her younger brother.

  I had learnt a lot about the Japanese traditions and cultures especially the tea ceremony which is known as 'Chado', a traditional ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea - 'Matcha', together with traditional sweets to strike a balance with the bitter taste of the tea. The preparation of the ceremony was not as easy as I thought because the entire process was not only about drinking green tea but also preparing a bowl of tea from one's heart.

  Another thrilling part would be the day I wore the Japanese traditional clothes - 'Kimono'. It is always worn for important festivals or formal events. It is also a formal way of clothing associated with politeness and good manners. On the other hand, to share my hometown's culture with my hosting family, I brought along Sarawak's 'batik' and 'sarong' as souvenirs.

  Besides staying in Kagoshima for two weeks, I headed back to Fukuoka by bullet train and took domestic flight to another city - Izumo, part of Shimane Prefecture where it is located in the Chugoku Region, the north of Hiroshima. In Izumo, I met my second and third hosting families, the Oono family and the Sakane family.

  I was amazed by the legend stories of how people discovered the Izumo Taisha - one of the most important shrines in Japan. It is always considered as the oldest shrine in the nation as it has been existed in the early 700s. Moreover, Izumo Taisha is famous of its 'God of Marriage', which attracts married couples to visit to wish for a better marriage life.

  One of the most interesting moments during my stay would be cooking my hometown's delight for my hosting families. The one and only dish I had ever prepared on my own would be the Malaysian Chicken Curry, the classic cuisine that often served as part of the festive banquet. To my surprise, my first ever Chicken Curry was not as bad as I thought.

    Apart from that, I participated a ski camp being held in Niimi, Okayama. It was great to meet and mingle with people from different places such as Osaka, Tokyo, Okayama and Hiroshima. The first time involving in a ski camp literally motivated me and gained my self-confidence.

  Uniquely, this youth program had somewhat transformed me to be a better person. Why? By involving myself as an exchange student, I had improved my social networking skills and became a more mature minded person who could confront more challenges. Thus, I strongly urge my friends to take part in such beneficial program.