(February 1998 - September 1998)
We are Chinese students from Northeastern University. We stayed in Japan for about 8 months as NUPACE students. We really appreciated the experience. At Nagoya University, I studied a lot of about Japanese cultures and spirits in such short time. As Nupace students, many special chances were given to contact with Japanese families and Japanese customs. It was pretty good chance to acknowledge Japanese society. If you want to understand Japan, please come here.
(October 1997 - September 1998)
Fang and Yang (October 1997 - September 1998)
Huang (February 1998 - January 1999)
(October 1997 - September 1998)
"I've studied here as a NUPACE student for one year. During this one year, I had many experiences and could make a lot of foreign friends. The NUPACE program gave me a chance to learn Japanese language and culture, making me know another country apart from my own country. You have no way to know any country deeply unless you live and learn its culture by yourself. Furthermore, there are many international exchange events here that you can join as same as I have done. Thus, I enjoyed this program so much. Thank NUPACE staffs very much for giving me this opportunity." (Piyawan Sukuri)
(April 1998 - September 1998)
(October 1997 - September 1998)
"Firstly, I would like to thank God for His blessing which has led
me to be involved in the excellent NUPACE Program. When I arrived in
Nagoya for the first time, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan but
its leading role in very advanced technology. I was completely
illiterate in Japanese except "sayonara", which was the title of
famed kid's song I loved when I was at kindergarten.
At that time, I felt strange here and I thought that I was living in
another world I never knew before, but I did not want to find myself
lonely any longer here and actually it encouraged me to master
Japanese to get an understanding of Japanese way of life. So, thanks
to the comfortable NUPACE 101 Japanese language class for making me
happy during my stay here and teaching me how man became be able to
communicate. I could feel the power of Japanese language in figuring
out the Japanese society.
I very much enjoyed my NUPACE classes which gave me a lot of good
experiences and a wide perspective in many fields of life, especially
in my major and the economic field in which I am interested. I could
learn and finally understood how Japanese established their society
system to become an advanced country in which modernity and tradition
coexist harmoniously.
During my stay here, I have had a good opportunity to make lifetime
friendships with some Japanese and other students from all over the
world, and deepen my understanding of world cross-cultural issues by
learning their cultures and experiences. I found Nagoya University
Foreign Students House where I lived to be a "global house".
Honestly, I love Nagoya where I have built a home in very much and I
feel that I will miss the country whose nature is so beautiful and
people so friendly and helpful. I will never forget a delightful
moment at the top of the very beautiful Mt. Fuji and also some of my
best NUPACE friends, my `Nihongo no Sensei`, and of course the NUPACE
office staff who treated me very kindly. Hopefully, we will be
together again someday in the future.
Thanks to the NUPACE office for the excellent program you have."
(Deny Hamdani)
(October 1997 - September 1998)
(April 1998 - September 1998)
"I will always cherish my first international experience in Japan
because of the things I learned and the lifetime friendships. I would
recommend the NUPACE program at Nagoya University to anyone
interested in Japan. Even if a student does not know any Japanese,
the program is very beneficial. For instance, my classmates and I
were completely illiterate on our first day in Japan. We were
definitely facing an overwhelming challenge because we were not used
to being unable to communicate and read such simple things as a
street sign or restaurant menu. However, after only fourteen weeks of
NUPACE classes, we were educated in Japan's history, culture,
economy, language, and much more. Furthermore, my classmates and I
are now able to have a simple conversation in Japanese.
Again, it was sometimes difficult and overwhelming communicating to
some students since they did not speak English or because I did not
speak Japanese. Naturally, I was tempted to not have long
conversations with them because of the difficulties in communicating,
but I strongly believed that everything I put into my experiences in
Japan, I would get back ten-fold. As a result, I have made lifetime
friendships with students from all over the world and learned about
their cultures and experiences. In addition, I have even made
business contacts by teaching English classes to Japanese
businessmen."
(Oct 1997 - Aug 1998)
"When I was in high school, a friend of my father visited Japan for a few weeks, and came back with so many wonderful stories, that it became one of my dreams to visit Japan. In college, the opportunity finally came in the form of NUPACE, but largely due to the anxiety of leaving the comfort of a home base and my insecurity in my language skills, I let application deadlines slip by. Finally, I developed the courage and applied to NUPACE in possibly the best decision I have ever made. This has been the most memorable year of my life. I woke up this morning and it was time to go back home. It does not seem real, because I have built a home in Japan. I will miss the life, the people, oh, and the food! Very delicious! NUPACE has indeed been a delightful experience, one I will never forget. Oh, and the classes are fun, too! Thank you for everything NUPACE! "
"Japan is a wonderful place where I have always wanted to live. Since my visit to Japan when I was four, I had many impressions of Japan that I wanted to confirm. I remember places I visited that I have been able to revisit since I arrived here. The temples and tourist attractions are beautiful, but I find the people here to be the most interesting part of my stay. The people here are always helpful and friendly in any circumstance. Before my arrival, I was concerned that I would not enjoy my stay in Japan because my language ability was low. I have found that somehow everyone overcomes the language barrier with a little patience and speaking very slowly. This is an experience that I recommend to anyone interested in studying in Japan."
"Nagoya may have a bit of a 'third city complex,' but it's not
nearly as bad as the Tokyoites say. There is lots of culture to
enjoy, with less of Tokyo's relentless anxiety to be "cosmopolitan."
At the same time, there is a large foreign community that is easy
enough to hook into. Beautiful old country towns are nearby, and the
Kyoto/Osaka area is in easy striking distance. Of course, I haven't
experienced the notorious summer weather yet . . ."
"The nice folks at the foreign students departments at Nagoya U. have
obviously done a lot of work preparing for our arrival. The Japanese
intensive course has been excellent; the foreign student counselors
are very helpful; I enjoy my cozy study-hutch at the International
Residence; and I am thankful that I am permitted to attend a variety
of courses and seminars. The professors I have met seem on the whole
happy to have me, and the department is kindly providing tutors for
us."
"All in all, this is such a good opportunity that I'm already quite
sure I want to do it again. I give it two thumbs up!"
"Japan is a relatively safe and clean country. I ride the bus and
subways which are almost always on time. Nagoya is the size of LA and
you can't get lost (I tried, trust me)."
Nagoya University is one of the best in the nation and extremely
competitive to get into. It has a population of 14,000 students and
3,500 staff.
"I love the program I'm in. Do I know enough Japanese to survive in
this country? Right now I am in an intensive language course trying
to master Japanese. So when I said I would learn to speak Japanese by
the end of my six-seven months I wasn't joking."
Who's a quick learner!
"The food here is delicious! I have tried dishes here which have a taste unlike anything in America. Some of the more notable foods are whole fish with head, bones and tail, eel, squid, octopus, wasabi, a personal favorite, and natto, which everyone should try at least once."
