Alumni Spotlight: Matt Green

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Matt Green, originally from Chicago, is now 23 and is an administrative assistant for an international benefits consulting firm. He enjoys language acquisition, trying new and exotic foods, and singing in Japanese in the shower.

Highlights: When I originally got to Japan, I was so excited that I didn’t take the time to slow down to appreciate what was around me. Homesickness finally hit me extremely hard one month into the program. I felt my Japanese was getting nowhere and I really wanted to quit. It sounds corny, but one day, I was listening to a song in Japanese and it finally clicked. Everything began making more sense and I began to do a lot better in my morning Japanese classes. Japanese is a very difficult language for Americans to grasp, but the payoff is worth the hard work. It has even given me a greater appreciation for the English language.

My overall experience was phenomenal! I literally made friends from all over the world. I regularly keep in contact with them. My trip to Japan has made me want to visit other places in the world and delve deeper into the culture of my friends. I would recommend Kansai Gaidai to anyone who wants to take the plunge. The school is in the middle of metropolitan Osaka, traditional Kyoto, and beautiful Kobe.

Morning: I was fortunate enough to experience dorm life and participate in a homestay program while I was in Osaka, Japan. While I was in the dorm, a typical morning started off like any other college day. The dorms were very westernized so the culture shock was not as dramatic. The dorm is about half a mile from school, so it was maybe a ten to fifteen minute walk.

While in my homestay, my host-mother had breakfast and a boxed lunch ready for me every day. Morning classes were all in Japanese (for immersion purposes). So I woke up having to speak Japanese every day and it did wonders for my language acquisition.

Afternoon: All afternoon classes were in English and were taught by Western professors. I also had a language partner who dedicated time for me to practice my Japanese. The students at Kansai Gaidai were very friendly and it’s very hard to not find a native Japanese speaker to help you out. I spent typical afternoons hanging out in the International Student lounge constantly meeting new Japanese people who wanted to know more about where I am from.

Evening: When I lived in the dorms, I frequently participated in potluck dinners in my dorm. The international students were from all over the world, not just the US. My taste buds were able to experience Korean, Turkish, Ugandan, Brazilian and Indonesian cuisine.

While living with my host-family, evenings were spent watching Japanese TV. Sundays and Wednesdays were designated English days, so I had to help my host-mother and her nephew improve their English.