AIMS Study Abroad Report: Fall, 2014

Name / KIRANA, Candra Ratnayu /

Home University / Universitas Indonesia /

Faculty of Humanities / 4th year

Duration of study abroad Monday, September 8th, 2014 ~ Wednesday, February 4th , 2015

2014 9 8 2015 2 4

This report will talk about my experience in joining AIMS7

Program. AIMS7 Program is a student exchange program for

students studying in ASEAN countries and Japan. The

program allows students to study in the host university for

one term while experiencing new things and cultures. In the

host university, the activities are divided into two areas,

which are intra-curricular and extra-curricular. In-

tra-curricular activities include in-class courses and research while extra-curricular activities are

outside-class activities. Waseda University, as the host university, offers various courses for the

AIMS students to take. For exchange students in School of International Liberal Studies (SILS),

all the offered courses are advanced/intermediate courses which are taught in English.

Regarding my student life, Waseda University was an excellent place to study. This university was

multicultural, despite rumors saying that Japan is a country of homogenized culture. The School

of International Liberal Studies (SILS) has students from various countries with many cultural

backgrounds. The international students mostly study there for student exchange programs, but

there are also international students who are there for full year programs. To prove this point, I,

for instance, made friends with people from the Netherlands, Korea, France, Thailand, Taiwan,

Malaysia, China, Italy, and England. I also had several Japanese best friends who spoke fluent

English in SILS. Besides the point that I could learn many cultures, I also could learn to speak

English on a daily basis. Furthermore, I was taking Japanese courses from the Center of Japanese

Language. Being friends with Japanese girls who were fluent in English helped me to practice and

talk in Japanese.

AIMS Study Abroad Report: Fall, 2014

The table below lists the courses that I took in Waseda University.

No Course Titles Credits Descriptions and Achievements

1 Film Studies 4Unlocked knowledge about film realism and

formalism and the growth of film industry.

2.Language, Society, and Cul-

ture2

Unlocked knowledge of Japanese society and

its arts since the very beginning.

3. Comprehensive Japanese 1H 5Mastered the very basic level of Japanese

language.

4.Hybrid Cultures and Identities

in Latin America2

Unlocked knowledge about how diverse and

hybrid the people of Latin American coun-

tries and their cultures are.

5. Culture in Context 2

Unlocked knowledge in terms of perspectives

of culture and the way in which people per-

ceive different cultures.

6.The Pacific Rim and the

Twenty First Century World4

Unlocked knowledge on Pacific Islanders,

their cultures, also how other countries per-

ceive them.

7.Think and Speak: Japanese

Conversation 11

Sharpened the skill of conversing in Japa-

nese.

Besides the multicultural environment, the classes that I

took there were also the best. Being one of the world class

universities, Waseda has top lecturers. Most of the lecturers

from the classes I took were passionate, so they delivered

the class materials with much energy and passion. For me,

the most exciting classes were the classes about the Pacific

Islands and the hybrid Latin American identities. There is

no doubt that this judgment is because of those classes’ lec-

turers. The Pacific Studies’ lecturer, Greg Dvorak, was vocal in delivering the materials and his

aims to educate the students about the Pacific. Meanwhile, Shigeko Mato, the lecturer of Hybrid

Identities in Latin America, was more than passionate to talk about the various cultures and

identities in Latin America. Even though my major is English, I enjoy so much learning about the

cultures of the Pacific Islanders and the Latin Americans.

AIMS Study Abroad Report: Fall, 2014

After talking about the good side, now I would like to talk about the difficulties of studying and

living in Japan. There were several problems emerging during the study period in Waseda Uni-

versity. The first problem was language. In Japan, it was hard to live by

without being able to speak Japanese. With only English in the pocket, it

was not easy to adapt to the new environment. Then the second problem

was the distinguished living cost. To be compared with Indonesia, the

living cost in Tokyo was very high. Furthermore, during the winter time,

the living cost got higher because of the rocketing electricity bill and win-

ter clothing necessity. The third problem, which was related closely to the

previous one, was funding. With the escalating living cost, it was ex-

tremely difficult for the students to use money only from their parents.

Unfortunately, working was not an option unless the students could speak

Japanese. Thus, financial and communication problem could be said as the main difficulties in

living and studying in Japan

The whole experience of studying in Waseda was exquisite. It was a rare and rewarding experi-

ence. I, as a participant, became braver to lead a life in a whole new environment even when I did

not master the national language of the country. However, I was so grateful that I was starting to

learn and speak Japanese. Learning a new language would only do me good, especially when I was

living in the country. In my opinion, understanding to Japanese language and cultural heritage

was the most wonderful reward of joining this program because I really like to learn other coun-

tries’ cultures. I also find that ASEAN and Japan are all Asians, so we have dots that connect us

together. For example, Japan and Indonesia have bonds since the colonial times. If you come to

Indonesia, you would see the proof saying that the bonds are still apparent until now. Even though

our cultures are sometime different, we all hold our own contexts and versions of Eastern cultures.

Overall, AIMS7 Program gave an abundance of benefits to the

participants, including me. This program has broadened my

knowledge and rewarded me with priceless experiences. There

are various activities that I have not mentioned above. These

activities will be described by the pictures I attached below.

Lastly, AIMS7 and hope this encourages you to

come to Indonesia!

AIMS Study Abroad Report: Fall, 2014

Pictures of Activities

a. Oguni Snow Country Short Trip

b. Class Activities

a. Holidays and Friends

AIMS Study Abroad Report: Fall, 2014