An Amazing Experience - Alexander M. -
・An Amazing Experience
My trip to Tokyo has been an insightful and fun-filled adventure, but I cannot imagine what it would be like without the amazing experience at Mejiro Kenshin. Visiting Tokyo has been something that I have wanted to do for my whole life, so this experience of being here for two months really helped open up my eyes to an in depth look to what's it's like to live the life of a Japanese citizen. Life here has been very different compared to my life in Vancouver due to in part the fact that it is an oriental country. Primarily the pattern of what I do on an average school day differs here from that of mine at home. Waking up at around six o'clock daily is a completely new experience. Though it is one that I may not cherish, it really helped me feel like I was part of the city. I have also noticed that I get back a lot later than I normally do. Here I get home around 6 to 7 whereas at home I get back to my house at around 3:30. I believe this was due to the independence I was given. I noticed that this newfound independence in a completely new city really helped me grow as a person and was a great way to explore the city with my other exchange students. Another key factor in this trip was the opportunities that Mejiro Kenshin offered me. Not only did they teach us how to get along in Japanese by teaching key words and phrases, but also by enabling us to be fully able to read and write Hiragana. They have also taught us key parts of traditional Japanese culture like calligraphy and making some traditional art such as the hanko stamp. But most importantly the relationships that I have formed with the students have been something I will not forget. Not only have they welcomed us into their circle of friends, but they have made us feel like we can call Mejiro Kenshin our home away from home. From interacting with them during clubs to taking time out of their hard earned breaks and lunches to come to say hi and catch up with how we are doing, my trip to Tokyo been something that I will cherish for the rest of my life and Mejiro Kenshin has been a key part in making that happen.
Alexander M.