September was a successful month without any mishaps or significant obstacles. I made
significant gains in learning the Japanese language and can proudly report that I can do basic
shopping and move about campus and outside without having to worry about the language
barrier as I can communicate the basics without needing a translator or interpreter present.
I have bought all the required textbooks for both the Japanese class as well as the literature unit I
took up and it has aided my active class participation. I get along with the lecturers and show
marked improvement with each class. I started the Japanese class with little understanding of the
language and no reading understanding, but I can now make sentences and am improving my
reading and writing.
I have learned a lot in the Literature class as well, and through the enquiries, to the lecturer, I
have gotten a new experience in the understanding of Literature. I also took up an International
Relations class which has further opened up the world to me through the diverse nature of the
students in class and their perspectives of their countries as well as my own. I enjoy the
International Relations classes most of all. They take a more interactive approach than the
Literature and Japanese language classes as we get into discussion groups for the first half of the
class. We get to exchange a lot about our home countries as well as with the lecturer.
The out-of-class experience has been equally fulfilling. At the time of writing this, we are
currently winding up preparations for the Sodai International Students Festival. Each region
where international students joined from is expected to participate and I took part in the
preparations for the Middle East-Africa region. There shall be foods and dances showcased from
all participating regions. I took part in preparations for the food stand and painting the banners in
particular. The preparations and rehearsals gave me a glimpse into the diverse attractions of all
regions across the globe. I am looking forward to participating in the festival. Joash and I took
some time to chat with our new Japanese friend, Tachibana, whom we also taught to cook ugali
and eat without the aid of chopsticks.
I also got the opportunity to tour Hachioji city twice in as many weeks, during the weekends. I
have experienced the different nature of the transport sector here, especially the etiquette in
buses, and I am now well versed with the norms and operations of the buses and payment
systems. I also got to eat at a hotel which was quite a unique experience as I had to fry the beef, I
had ordered myself. The hotel staff were kind and offered guidance on how to go about it.
I have joined a soccer circle and plan on taking another outdoor activity by the end of October. I
hope to be better at my Japanese by then because it is the main obstacle to joining clubs here.
The kindness of the locals has added to the wholesome experience that I have enjoyed so far and
smoothed out the process of settling in and adapting to a new environment. The lecturers always
ask us if we have been experiencing any difficulties in our stay so far and the dormitory staff
even offered umbrellas when it started raining. I love the whole experience and hope to make
more friends and interact in the coming days.