Program Reviews

World Campus Japan really was one of the most intense and fun experiences of my life. I got to be with an international group and to know Japan not from the point of view of a tourist, but as a member of a local community. Living with host families really makes you emerge in the japanese culture, and learn all the aspects of it.

But more than that, WCI - Japan taught me that one to one, we can change the world. It showed me how great it was to get out of my comfort zone, try new things and help people. It showed me how great it was to mix with other people with diferent cultures and how much we can learn from it. We interacted with so many people and touched so many hearts... I was overwhelmed when it was over. It was a lifetime experience.

I totally recomend it :)

I never expected that the host family experience would be so great - was just thinking it would hamper our social time - but I have made friends for life! Staying with local families is THE way to see a place and really learn about life there. Hostels / hotels are the same around the world but a family home gives you safety and an insight to the traditions & customs of that culture.

The experience of students / participants from many other countries was great - I felt that not only did I travel to and learn about Japan - but so many other countries - I know I will travel to meet those close new friends in their home countries one day - have plans to already!

working together with local communities was not only a team effort, hands on learning and very rewarding but gave me confidence to begin a new career path. Overall this is a life changing and wonderful experience in a safe structured environment but yet with room to grow and find yourself!

I went on World Campus the summer of 2009, right before my exchange in Japan, the first time I would be living there, getting me great contacts and a chance to trial-by-fire. World Campus gave me a great opportunity to ease myself into it, while meeting some amazing people and getting to do things that make my friends jealous to this day. The chance to live in multiple Japanese households really gives you a unique perspective on life in Japan, really appreciating the local nuances inside what can seem a homogenous culture. Plus, they know all the cool places in their area that the guidebooks don't tell you about, like the ninja castle in Iga, not to mention the second-only-to-kobe-beef Iga beef! It was great for my Japanese as well, as class can only prepare you for a certain amount, especially the more natural Japanese you hear and use at home. The only negative was that I went for a month and a half (a half program back then) and people went a bit stir-crazy with all the events and planned stuff, but they do a great job in preparing you for that as well as reducing the length of the programs a bit. The two days off a week also really help :-) All in all, World Campus was a memorable experience for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go!

The program was a great opportunity for me to go to Japan. I had studied a lot about it and I wanted to visit, but I wanted more than just travel. The program took care of the travel and arranged host families for me (great people, great experiences), while I could concentrate on learning Japanese, Japanese culture and society. I also made friends all over the world on top of that.
I eat all food so I didn't have any complaints, on the other hand it was the opposite the host families wanted to give me special food, but because I eat everything I didn't know what to tell them I liked.(there were vegetarians on the program)
The program allowed me to access places that I could never have accessed on my own and learned me much about Japan. On the other hand, one also learns about one's own country, because of all the questions from fellow participants and Japanese people.
Japan was magnificent, but also exhausting. The events themselves and the community interaction were quite agreeable, but instead of coming home and relaxing on the computer, the host family wants to entertain you and take care of you and so on, which makes every day very very full. But also very fun, of course. ;)
What to take on this program:
-Excitement
-stuff from your country (should have brought more)
-An open mind towards other cultures
-A good night's rest before the program starts
-Some money for drinks in summer (Japan is hot) and other stuff you'd like to buy
-English skills (well if you can read this you'll probably be fine)
-Smiles, lots of smiles

I have to say that the experience I had with World Campus was one of the best, most influential experiences of my life! Not only did I get to see the vast beauty of Japan, I was able to experience the dynamic interplay of the city verses the country, witness festivals, religious temples, assist with community-building and noodle making--you name it! Not only that, but I was able to learn and interact with people from all over the world, be immersed in the language, and discover just how small (or if you think about it, how big/different) our world really is. I would recommend this program to anyone who is really looking to get something out of a summer adventure, who wants to make an impact in the lives of everyone they encounter, AND who wants to experience what it really means to visit and possibly become a part of Japan.

I cannot imagine any better way to experience Japan. This program really focuses on learning about the culture, coming from the amazing host families and many opportunities to interact in the community. More than that, you meet participants from all over the world, and become part of a global community that continues long after the program is over. It has been two years since I participated, and I can still say that it has been the most influential experience of my life. Give this program a close look... you won't regret it!

This will be an unforgettable experience. It's truly a place where individuals from all walks of life and regions of the world come together and open up, sharing experiences, thoughts, and lives with others. You certainly experience Japan in a way that you would not as a tourist, forming lasting bonds with your host families, community supporters, staff and other program members. I would not say it is the most environmentally conscious program (thus the 9 on the impact), but there is no question about the good intention of the staff and community members involved. All in all, I recommend this intimate experience of Japan and a diverse group of to-be family!

I spent about three months in Japan although strangely, I have enough memories to fill a year! They are as vivid and colourful as if it was yesterday. I remember with an incredible accuracy my first thoughts when I heard about WCI; the excitement, the taste for adventure, the anticipation of learning and meeting strangers from all over the world. I also recall the uncomfortable feeling that accompanied me in the last days before I left for this life-altering trip.

The first month is about getting out of your comfort zone (pushing it further and further), making the first and most important learning about the unique Japanese culture, meeting people from all over the globe and learning from them. Life in host families, the Japanese environment and being in the program allows you to create a new life for yourself. A life in which honesty, trust and personal responsibility are at the foundation of the new character you become. Visiting incredible sites such as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Museums, the Hiroshima A-Dome and Matsumoto Castle were some of the great opportunities we had. We also had meetings with different guest lecturers such as two A-Bomb survivors; a university doctor that spoke about communication and the chairman of the board of education of Ueda. We also had the incredible chance to assist in the peace ceremony in Hiroshima on August 6th, the Ueda Washoi event and the Buddhist week in Omura! Unforgettable moments…

Having a handful of members leaving after the first month when Session 1 was finished, the priorities diverted from the initial learning to the creation of a big family in Japan. Experiential learning became internal communication learning (among the participants) and the bonds between the participants grew immensely creating a priceless international network. Also, dealing with these 14 different cultures and evolving in the Japanese culture allows you to naturally start introspecting and adjusting your thoughts, behaviours, etc, to international standards. The environment changed radically as we passed from big cities to the isolated city of Uda in the Nara prefecture. The second face of Japan was about to be revealed…

As the World Campus – Japan program came to an end, the last month in Japan became a moment of reflection about the changes and learning brought by WCI. Members shared their last memories together in what became their life in Japan. We had different important events such as the visit to one of Toyota Corporation’s manufacturing plants and the meeting with their P.R. representatives or the ExxonMobil presentation where some of us had the opportunity to communicate with important management members. Giving classes to students and assisting university courses where we would integrate or share international opinions to the topic were also on the menu. Finally, some members had the most difficult task of the program – leaving for home. The strong family created by the hard and good times of WCI made it incredibly difficult to let those people go. I myself sometimes had a hard time spending all my time with the same people every day but in the end, these friends, brothers and sisters who were part of me…. letting them go and leaving on my own was a tremendous task.

Finally, back home, it’s only then that you discover the real changes that operate in you. Your mentality changed, your knowledge increased, your interest and priorities were reorganized and you acquired (want it or not) a certain form of discipline and an energy reserve that can allow you to function more and longer than before. Besides, you now have friends and family all over the world that support you, understand you and that want to hear what you have to say. Facing your real self again, your environment and the person you became allow you to make final changes in your person and fix what had to be fixed and lets you take another great step towards wherever you are going.

To describe World Campus International in a few words, I would say: “Life changing, learning, appreciation for your own background, respect for others and yourself, lifetime opportunity and most memorable”.

If ever you are interested in WCI, please be in touch; I can only wish you can experience what I experienced as it might just change your life and in the long run change the world for the best.

Getting on well with people from other nationalities is always the biggest challenge to a number of individuals serving on various community development programs. Miss-interpretation of body language and at times language terms used is a challenge and always hinders quality inputs in most of negotiated community proposed development projects for donor consideration. My participation in the World Campus International 2007 Summer Global Educational Program helped me to gain more understanding and skills on how to innovatively collaborate in a mixed community of cultures to clearly sell my ideas with less resistance based on various differences.

The WCI program is designed to create an environment for sharing and freely accept or intelligently ignore each one's opinions with or without any physiological torture.

I greatly credit World Campus International Global Educational program that fit in almost every one's professional area and exposes everyone to extensive opportunities as well as gaining life-long knowledge and skills on how to live in a diverse community of people as friends, partners, brothers, sisters and not as enemies any more. Thank you

Robert

I took part in the WCI Japan summer program for one session a couple of years ago, and it was my second time in Japan.

The program offers some of the best opportunities to really get out and learn about Japanese traditions and day to day lives through living and bonding with your families, and the daily excursions around.

The families are all soooo excited to have you stay with them that any apprehension you feel before you start evaporates almost immediately. They often bring you to meet their family and friends in the community and are so kind its really a touching experience. Even though you normally only stay with any one particular family for about a week, by the end of your stay you'll realize what kind of attachment you've had with them, its really an amazing feeling.

WCI also provides the chance to go on various excursions to historical sites, cultural exhibitions and also visit some modern facilities in the region you're staying at. The great thing about these day trips is you never really feel like your on some normal tour, as there are activities and knowledge exchanges going on between your group and the hosts all the time.

You also get some downtime to freely explore on your own, although by the end of those 4-5 days you are usually ready to get back into the WCI swing of things! The arigatou event (Thank-you event) that you put on at the end of each stay for the host families and community was the first time I'd ever been involved in some kind of 'production', and it was really a great time for both the families and everyone in WCI putting it on.

All in all it was a great experience, if you are looking for a chance to really visit and experience Japan this is probably as close as you can get without living there, and I guarantee you'll never be wondering what to do next thanks to this fantastic program! Highly recommended!!!