CET Japan

Why did you pick this program?

Although there were many options for Japanese language programs (Osaka, Tokyo, Hokkaido, etc.), what I wanted the most from this summer was a real taste of the culture.

I found Osaka to be the best option for this. The city is a food hub, and surrounding it are sites such as Kyoto and Nara, making it (in my opinion) the best location for access to culture.

Also, because it is less of a tourist site than Tokyo, I was able to practice Japanese more in Osaka since English is less commonly known there.

What was hardest part about going abroad?

Adjusting to different cultural norms was probably the biggest struggle. It took me a while to get into the habit of taking my shoes off before entering a house, not hugging people, not looking people straight in the eye, etc.

The culture is just so different from the way I behave and I went through a fair number of uncomfortable experiences before I finally got the hang of it. But I think this problem ended was positive in the end because it forced me pay more attention to why this culture upholds such different practices.

What's your favorite story to tell about your time abroad?

One weekend I went to Tokyo and a group of us went clubbing (word of advice: the trains don't run all night, so please know that beforehand so you don't find out at 2:00 am and have to walk around the city until 5 in the morning waiting for the trains to start running again).

After leaving the club we headed over to the fish market at around 3:00 am to watch a live tuna auction, then had sushi for breakfast. To me that just encompasses so many things I loved about Japan: ease of travel within the country, fun activities with friends, great food, and the excitement of doing something new because it just happened to be there.

Normally watching a tuna auction isn't everyone's idea of "fun" right after clubbing, but we sure had a blast.

What made this experience unique and special?

This program made Japan seem more like a home to me than a tourist spot. A lot of people go to Japan to be tourists, but going as a part of CET Osaka made even that seem like just another side activity. Through CET I took classes at an actual university, meaning I made friends my age and lived roughly the same lifestyle of any other Japanese student.

I imagine most people who visit Japan will make memories consisting of a cool building they took a picture of. Although I made plenty of those memories too, I also have ones like my favorite spot along the river, the small restaurant with the owners who we saw so frequently that we called them auntie and uncle (in Japanese, of course), the karaoke place we would visit for hours after school, the list goes on.

This experience offered me the chance to make Japan feel like a home, rather than merely some flashy place I visited and checked off my bucket list.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Don't be shy to make friends. For starters, you have the roommates who are already trying to get along with you (they wouldn't have signed up for the program otherwise).

Not only that, you also have the students at the university itself who you can also get to know. Some of our American students just started talking to random people sitting around during lunch time, and by the end of the program they had made good friends out of students who weren't even in CET.

In my opinion that's the most important aspect of this program. Everything else like eating good food and exploring becomes ten times easier and more enjoyable when you have Japanese friends who want to tag along on these adventures.

What is your favorite travel memory?

I am most interested in experiencing and exploring a culture that is very different from mine. I have traveled to many places in Europe and also within China, but my favorite travel memory goes back to the first year of my college life.

I traveled to Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in North China, with a few friends. It was right before the Chinese New year when almost all the Chinese people working outside were heading back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year with families, and we could only get a ticket for a hard seat on the train.

The painful 23-hour ride on the train was paid off by extraordinary experience in Harbin. The nature shaped by the freezing weather, the way the local people prepared and sold food, the fun of playing in thick snow and ice, and the interaction between north China and Russia are all deeply rooted in my memory.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I had been working for other study abroad programs in Shanghai before I joined CET Shanghai in early 2013. The biggest change for me is to grow from a “baby-sitter” to an educator.

An educator’s responsibility is to guide and train students to get the most out of the study abroad experience instead of taking away the challenges (especially the cultural aspect) from students.

It is certainly harder but much more meaningful than being a “baby-sitter”. Effective communication skills, good judgment, from experience, understanding of student’s background and patience are all needed to make it happen.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Students often say that the Shanghai experience has been a life-changing experience for them. It has an impact on student’s life choices in different ways.

I know a student who planned to establish a student club to promote Chinese language and culture creatively after she returned; a student who changed her mind to study public health instead of molecular biology after she was inspired by the person she met in China; a student who got his dream internship in New York City which owes a lot to the internship experience he had in Shanghai; and more and more students who fell in love with Shanghai and China and couldn’t wait to come back to start a career.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

As a Shanghai local employee, I am proud of my company and my supervisor who trusts local employees and offers many opportunities for local employees to grow.

CET is an organization which actively supports academically qualified students of all races, religions, origins, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. I proudly found such diversity and inclusiveness in our office in Shanghai too.

It is just amazing that every staff member in our office is trusted to be a “manager” of certain job divisions and we are all indeed committed to CET’s mission of equipping students with new skills, broader perspectives, and an appreciation of difference.