I believe the exchange experience is based on your personality and how you go about living your life whether it's in your own country or another. Don't expect strangers to come up to you and talk to you. You need to be the icebreaker.
No one talks to me in my country too and i dont want to talk to peoples also my parents i dont talk with them because i dont want talking a lot ... the only problem about exchange is that my country studies level is low
I agree. I had the same experience as her at first but when I moved to live in the UK. There was no language barrier, (maybe something like 'dialect/accent' barrier which I struggled with at first) but I was quiet and had nothing to say, as all the anxiety of actually talking with English natives was just too much and I was mostly treated as if I didn't know the language. Luckily, I had found myself a great friendship group and soon enough I was able to understand and communicate with others better.
Well that's dumb. It should never be one sided. That's some little kid stuff. Even when I was in High School, I didn't care who I was talking to. It's a little rude to be like "Oh. You didn't break the ice. Therefore, that's your problem and you're the weird one." Instead of saying such a thing or thinking in such a way, You could've been the one to break the ice. But nah, instead you'd rather think that or say that. If they talk first they talk first. It's always hard for any foreign exchange student to talk, it's understandable and obvious. So why make it harder for them?
I am currently in Japan (for three months) and I agree with you completely, especially with the part with the language barrier. Most times while all my friends are talking at school I don't know what to say so I just stand and watch them talk. I think that it's great you made this video, because many students have such high expectations when going to Japan and end up getting disappointed when they get here. I really love Japan and it's really amazing here, I don't want to leave next month :( however it can get a little hard sometimes.
Not scary, it is troublesome. Why can I talk to you, although I can not communicate with you? I do not want to embarrass. If you can speak Japanese, why do not you talk to them?
Tiara Wawa puedes verlo así o como una nueva experiencia, ella lo dijo ves el lado positivo de todo e ignoras lo negativo, no le veo el problema a hacerlo y si hay algo negativo lo puedes hacer positivo por ti mismo, no ignorando el problema sino solucionándolo O seria lo que yo haria
I am currently half way though a 3 month exchange in Kyushu, Japan. I can completely relate to everything you said in this video. I went with the expectation that i was going to have the time of my life. But it was a very difficult adjustment. People are friendly, but communication is very difficult and it does get lonely especially when I don’t know how to join in conversations. I am living with a host family, and everyone is so lovely except my host sister who isn’t very inclusive or friendly towards me, and it’s difficult because as we share a room and are in the same class. Honestly, I am having a great experience but it isn’t perfect and it’s important for everyone to understand this before going on exchange ❤️
Exactly!! Btw I think for host siblings it can also be tough - they're dealing with puberty and then suddenly some random foreigner shows up for them to share their room with?? What? I can understand why some of them might not be the nicest towards exchange students. Of course that doesn't make it any easier for, but you will probably both learn a lot from that situation 😊
Japan can be brutal for foreigners. I was there for 8 years and over time it really messed with my head. Lots of attention but a peculiar kind of attention that can end up leaving you feel like.. hmmm invisible somehow, yet overexposed, which I know are opposites but, thats the only way I can think of right now to describe it. It is really hard to explain how you feel because it is so far out of most peoples experience, on one hand you have the Japanese people who think they understand you based on too much Hollywood and then the people at home that have no frame of reference to understand the "crowded isolation". Then when I came home it took me so long to adapt properly, a couple of years to adapt back to Australian life. I am so glad I have my Japanese wife and 3 Australian Japanese children because in my house it's a kind of cultural blend that feels just right to me.
I'm currently studying abroad as an exchange student at a Japanese college and have spoken with several students who have mentioned it's a bit scary or intimidating to them to start a conversation with a foreigner. And these are college students who are older than highschool students (heck even some adults I've spoken to have mentioned that). So maybe the other students were just a bit intimidated and that's why they didn't start talking to you. I've only been in Japan for a couple of months, but the first week it was a little bit lonely since only a few students came and spoke to me after the initial interest in a foreigner died down (I'm an introvert so I'm not really used to striking up conversations with stranger much less in a foreign language ^^' ) But after that I started to reach out and talk with others and actively invite them to hang out or get food and that's when I started forming relationships and things like that lol On another note it is kind of like being a freshman in college (at least for me). At first I had no friends but after actively pursing others I have formed some really close relationships~ Being placed in any situation where you suddenly have no acquaintances/friends and are in an unfamiliar place is a challenge and can lead to some great personal growth if one faces the challenge with the intent to change/grow as a human. I feel like studying abroad is just another one of those challenges some overcome to progress as a person. I feel like i'm rambling lol but to sum it up I think it's important to become an extroverted person and be the one to reach out to others rather than wait for others to reach out to you :)
My dream is going to japan, wither it's a exchange of holiday. For the culture, daily life, anime and just the experiences. This video brought some light on student exchange. Thanks
I’m going to Japan for high school and I’m so nervous and they told me that I should start learning how to speak Japanese (I’m only in grade 8) I’m scared
And I’m in grade 8 aswell and I plan to exchange to japan for 2nd year of highschool but I’ve been studying Japanese for 3-4 months to get ready, without knowing the language it’s going to be very hard communicating
I got a scholarship to study in Japan (exchange).I'm very nervous about it and I am trying my best to improve my Japanese right now.I've been watching your videos lately and really helped me.Thank you so much :)
My high school year in Japan was very tough at times but I still can't help but feel that it was the best 'time' of my life. I'm 24 now and I do think it's somewhat sad I can't think of another time in my life that comes close. I think I was very lucky back then, I made friends fairly easily and not only that, I found one very beautiful friend who I truly feel must be some sort of soulmate. I still love her dearly. I also - by sheer luck - got placed at a high school focusing on arts which had always been a dream of mine. I still sometimes wonder if I should have been more brave and tried to actually pursue arts after graduating high school... but whatever happens, I had that one year truly filled with so much love and goodness and I'm so happy I had the chance to go. Most difficult for me back then was my host family; we had a hard time understanding each other (not because of the language barrier). I am forever thankful they took me in and took care of me for a whole year, but I do wish they would have been a little more compassionate / tried to understand me a little better at times? This is a horrible thing to say but our misunderstandings instilled an insecurity in me that I haven't been able to overcome since. I'm sure they did give me valuable lessons on how to act more mature and be more considerate of others though. And perhaps I am spoiled because my parents at home are not strict at all :) All in all, I sometimes feel I must have used up all my luck back then. I'm from Germany too, by the way!
duciellin yah like I wanna go when I’m 15 or 17 bc I’m from Canada and like most country’s I wanna be here when I turn 16 and stuff but I’m 13 now and I realy want to go I just don’t want to ask bc of the money because my brother uses all of mom and dads money on video games and Xbox stuff and we are basically poor bc of my brother we still have money just not a lot bc of the economy and stuff with taxes so I understand
@@이은333 Get good grade, apply for a scholarship, and save up doing summer job or maybe an actual job. I am 13, and I am gonna go when I am 15. You can do it too!
I was in china as an exchange student (for just 2 weeks) and for me, personally, it was pretty good, BUT only because many friends and people from my school went there aswell. So I wasn't that alone and allways had familiar people arround me. The times when I actually was alone (for example in the evening) werent that great at all. It was hard to communicate with the family and the general mood was *really* awkward. Sometimes it gets really uncomfortable, even though I never had problems with them and they were really nice and welcoming (They really tried to comfort me as much as they can) I would still recommend everyone to try it out just because it's an amazing experience and I feel like it made me atleast a bit more confident and mature (atleast in some way).
@@ellianna6512 I don't think it has a name, it was with the partner school of my school back then. I can recommend working holiday visas though. I've had a great experience with that and they are available for many countries.
When I go to university, I want to be an exchange student in South Korea. I'm a Korean-American so I've lived in America my entire life, but I really wish I could connect back to my Korean roots. I've been to Korea for vacation a couple times and I really liked it. I liked the atmosphere of Korean places. But I'm curious as to how LIFE is in Korea, especially as a uni student. I need to brush up on my Korean, though... i'm afraid that people will judge me because I am Korean but cannot speak Korean well. Thank you for making this video. It's always nice to see a realistic perspective on exchange programs, or anything really. Sets the expectations at the appropriate height so we don't get disappointed :) And like you said, it's just life.
Sorry if I am late for replying. But I wanted to tell you not to be afraid to come to Korea as an exchange student. You will be very well cared for and loved and do not worry that you are Korean but cannot speak Korean, we understand well and will praise you well for the phrases you have learned. Even though you are Korean, we can tell if you grew up here or not just by the simple things like the way you wear your socks or lipstick so people will know quickly that you are new in town and will most likely help you. As for student life, it can be quite difficult, I will not lie. There is alot if pressure in students to be the best but do not be discouraged 😊 Just a tip if you decide you are to come, you must know the alphabet well, it's called hangeul and is simple to read because you can sound it out. It will help when going into cities and asking for street names so you can match the name with the signs, but some signs are in English as well. I am Korean so you can trust my word when I say we look after foreigners 🤗😘😊
im from iraq but i moved to america when i was like 8 or 9 so american culture and english are a lot more dominant in me than arabic or iraqi culture. i wanna go to iraq to see how life is also like because i have much more memories of the US in me than iraqi. however, i at least can speak arabic fluently since i was born there and know the arabic alphabet. only problem for me is reading because it takes actual effort to read unlike in english where everything i read, i automatically can.
I also had a very strong language barrier, but after three months (I'm currently in my fourth month (not pregnancy btw)) it is much better, at least for me. I talked to many people, INITIATED many talks, even if it's just "whats the next lesson" or asking what is this in Japanese, how has your weekend been and so on. So I feel like my classmates are accepting me as a normal classmate, because I behave just like a normal classmate. I am more included than some "outsiders" in the class! Also, I think people don't forget about the bad things, they just learn from them, the year is not always fun, but still the best year! Even until now I learned so much about how different a culture can be, and how a language reflects a culture (some words are only in a specific language, or the same word has different connotations in different languages). I learned more Japanese in three months than I would have learnt in over a year of normal classes in my country (which is btw Germany as well lmao Also damit schon mal hallo an alle Deutschen). So the bad experiences make the year EVEN BETTER! I am trying to get less introverted by pushing my limits! It's just so different from everything else one experiences in their life so it's so valuable, or at least that's what I think by now. Maybe my opinion changes after I stay a bit longer. Who knows!
@@Kxkelclfl I mostly learned it while I was there. I knew how to introduce myself when I arrived, but not more than "My name is Aaron and I am from Germany". I could hold some simple conversations after maybe half a year. Well and obviously it only improved during the exchange, and in the end when I left I could sometimes even have a short normal conversation without having to look up words and stuff. But "how long did it take" is not a question I could answer, because there is no point where you are finished learning a language. And I definitely wouldn't have known enough to be able to live there in the end. I think if you want to know at least like the most common 2k words, speaking, listening, reading and also writing, you'd need at least two years to get that right. But that is only a guess. :D Hope I could help
I haven't been on exchange before, but I really want. Me and my family going to host an exchange student from Thailand in September and I'm super excited! :D
@@fhearrbod858 i had a really good year with my thai sister. she enjoyed her time here, in hungary. next year i'll go to thailand for two weeks to visit her and her family:D
My experience with exchange to Japan was great! I enjoyed it alot, Since I'm also a extrovert I made lots of friends! I'm gonna go back in the future. At the moment, I'm in Year 11, I did the program for a 10-11 months in Year 10, though I missed my friends and family in AUS. I did enjoy that experience. If you have an oppurtunity to do something, DO IT! :)
@@Rin-td7kq Well, I applied for a scholarship and somehow I actually got one. But if you don't get a scholarship the prices for a year program can be between 10,000 - 15,000 Dollars. I went with the AFS Exchange Program. You also need to bring spending money, because they don't cover that for you. Part 1"
everything has its own ups and downs. do i say that my year in japan was one of the best and most exciting times of my life? yes, of course! i even want to go back! but, it absolutely had its negative sides. i had an abusive host mother who subsequently got banned from hosting students after her treatment of me, and had hard times where i had to go into the bathroom at school and cry for a bit. or the stress of having SO MANY things to do and expectations. if i had to turn someone down for something, i would feel extremely guilty. but at the same time, i met the most amazing people that i still love today and my second host family is now just my family across the world :) i wouldn't give up the experience for anything tbh
@@nazito4you that makes me very happy to hear! a lot of people don't talk about the bad experiences that they had because they are embarrassed of it. i would only tell my family the good parts, but that just isn't the whole story. just like a lot of things in life it is the times that make you smile that make it worth it and really stick with you the most :) if you are thinking about going on an exchange, i would recommend it!
This was really great to read! I love Japan and it feels like my home. A few years ago my family went on vacation for 2 weeks. I already know I want to live there when I’m older and I would love to go on an exchange next year. I have high hopes but I also know it’s going to be hard, but when I’m in Japan I really feel like I belong
I’m also a very shy person so it would help me a lot, I have a lot in common with Japanese people I’ve met though and I feel comfortable talking to them
I have always regretted not doing an exchange. I'm in mid-life now and have tried to make up for that by seeing as much of the world as possible. I was intimidated by the idea. I was simply scared to try. I regret it. You are brave to have even stepped forward to try and a culture so different than your own. Bravo!
Oh gosh I had so many embarrassing misunderstandings while on exchange in Japan because I wasn't used to the culture so I regret a lot of things I said. I often have to think about them and it makes me cringe sooo much. Exchange was probably the best experience of my life but definitely also the hardest one so far! Totally get what you're saying. And lunch breaks were always so awkward because I wouldn't be able to join the conversation and had to make such an effort to get them to say something to me too. Realistic videos like these are great! I would love to hear stories of your difficult times :)
maybe Japanese girls are just envy with your beauty beacuse you attract boys attention, especially a boy the girls have a crush on (?) I know it's sounds cliche, that drama things, but most of Japanese student were like that.
Transcendental Apperception some of them, in some anime theres a lot of foreign character. then I wonder if japanese guy really like foreigners, especially with blonde hair.
Hi. I'm new here. Your story reminds me my high school time. I'm Japanese living in Japan. A German exchange student came to my class. Actually I almost didn't talk to her because I wasn't sure how to talk because my English was pretty bad. And I wasn't just mature. Now 'm so regret that. If I'm in the same situation now, I act totally different :)
HI SOPHIE!! Can you make a more in depth video or like "story time" type of video on what kind of difficulties do you experience in your Japan high school? I don't mean to dig up the past negativities, I'm juz curious hehehe
I was exchange high school student i Japana. I was supposed to stay for 5 months,but I ended the program after 2,5 months. for me it was really difficult experience, mailny because I felt so lonely and out of place, and I should be considered lucky,because my host family spoke my native language. Anyway, the exchange left me with depression, or maybe the depression took seriuos form during the exchange? for me definately it wasn't the best time of my life :(
donor of lie With what program did you go? Usually with programs like AFS you have to do some psychological tests to see if you're independent enough to go on exchange. Btw that's sad, exchange should be a good experience :(
It was scholarship program from the japanese government via embessy of Japan... If you would ask me that time if I was independent enough I'd say: of course! And my problems in Japan really surprised me. Now I know that I'm not so sociable and any kind of exchange just won't work for me. Although that exchange was a total failure, I went to Japan some time later, and then again and again :) Anyway, I can't tell that the time was wasted!
It was totally free,but I don't remeber how it was called (if it had any particular name). It was organized by the embessy of Japan, we had to fill the 20+ pages of form and there was an interview in the embessy. I visited the website of the embessy few years later and there was no loger that scholarship so i guess it was cancelled...
I started watching your videos about a year ago when I was preparing for my own exchange (I went to Hungary, not quite Japan, but still an exchange). I loved your videos and I just found your channel again, after not watching for about 10 months. My exchange will come to an end this week and this was exactly what I needed to watch to help bring my year to a close. I'm grateful that I'm not the only one that feels this way. Thanks for the great videos :-)
Isolf, Hungary was amazing. I loved every second of it and would do anything to go back. Igen, tanultam magyarul, és nagyon tetszik a nyelvet. Nem vagyok folyékonyan és szeretnék többet megtudni. My hungarian isn't the best, my grammar could definitely use some work. I'm much better at understanding than speaking and writing.
It's so good to hear! I always hear that how bad is Hungary and also our neighboor countries hate us. I can see your grammar is pretty good, but there some mistakes in it :) :D For your luck Hungarian is the language where you can understand the wrong affixes (like tags). Can I ask where are you from? :)
This is the most relatable and down to earth video i've ever seen about this matter, and it's 100% true . I wish someone told me this kind of things before i did my exchange experience, GOD bless you.
I'm going to Japanese language school in 20 day's, and I'll be staying in Osaka for 2 months. I'm a little bit stressed about it, but i have a friend form Poland who is studying in Osaka, so i know that everything okay. Still I belive that this time will be amazing. ~OMG girl I love how you pronouncing english word's. I know that you are fluent, but the way you speak is just incredible awww~
I am currently in Spain for exchange and something that really annoyed beofre coming was that people would tell "it'll be so fun! Just like a holiday on the beach all day" to what I would respond "dude, it's gonna be hard though too, like I'll be living semi independantly at a youn age in a foreign country and all" and then they would think that I was regretting my decision to go exchange which I defintely was not, I was still dying from excitement to start this new chapter of my life. Peopl just don't get it. The thing is that I had gone on solo trips in host families beofre and despite that being super differnet from exxchange it had kind of prepared me for some of its hardships. The thing is that exchange really is hard and difficult but at the same time it is incredibly rewarding. I have experienced many harships on exchange, but also many moment of happiness and pride that I did not get back home. It's an oppurtunity for self improvement to me and like all rewards, it take work. People shouldn't expect it to be the best thing in their lives and people DEFINETELY shouldn't expect it to be easy, but I can understand why some people might consider it to be one of the best decisions in their lives for how rewarding and fun it can be as well as difficult. As for me, I'll just have to wait and see, but I am enjoying it quite a bit so far, despite having a hard time at the same time. I also happen to be making videos about my exchange experience here and I really hope to show more than one side of this exchange in my upcoming videos :)
I skipped through your videos and I see some similarities between us. Both 21, german, female, and studying something to do with neuroscience haha :D Anyways, in my program at university we have to do a semester abroad and for some reason I just really felt like I wanted to go to Japan and do an internship over there. So I sent out e-mails to several professors and one lab at a university in Nara prefecture ended up accepting me and even financially supporting me. I was there for 5 months and spent another 3 weeks travelling afterwards. Now, just half a year after returning I kinda have this itchy feeling of wanting to go back to Japan, at least visit, (that's how I ended up on your channel, watching videos about Japan). I fully expected this was going to be the case, so I swore to myself back when I was still there to always remind myself it wasn't actually THAT great. Same as with you, I don't regret it AT ALL, I had a great internship, visited many places, learned so much about the culture and some Japanese (I still suck at it but I've finally picked it up again). But. I feel especially Japan is a tough country to feel at home as a foreigner. Friends who were exchange students in America told me you're basically the star of the school and everyone wants to get to know you. But Japanese barely speak English and always keep a distance. I found people to hang out with (mostly other Internationals though) but it wasn't enough time to form deep friendships and when I finally felt I was going somewhere I had to leave. You start to feel pretty lonely really soon and if you go outside, the cities don't feel as familiar as in Germany. Especially when my best buddy there left back home, the last month before going to travel got pretty depressing to me. I think it is true that people mostly remember the good things. I am glad I went there, I learned so much, and especially that I travelled afterwards (first time travelling alone, it was great) but I try to remind myself to appreciate the feeling of home and belonging and my few close friends in Germany. You just never notice unless you leave.
I haven't tried exchange yet, but I'm so excited for you that you are going to Japan again and I'm staying tuned for your videos that you will make there !! 😍😍😍
I heard that there’s a lot of bullying in japan, and I hope no one tries to bully me if I go because I’m gonna stand up for myself, I just don’t want my experience ruined by bullies
I'm planning to study in Japan (exchange). I don't know when, cause of my school, but I hope soon. Because of thys channel, more like, because of someone other from Europe was there, I made up my mind. My mum approved, so now it all matters on the school and if I'll be able to learn enought of Japanese before I'll go there. Hope It'll be soon! Can't wait to see my Japanese friends!
That ending was kind of wild xD I loved it! Thanks for this fun video, it is good to know the ups and downs, thank you very much! I love seeing your videos in my subfeed, keep up the good work!
And that’s why I never say “it was the best year of my life” and leave it there, I go on and on about how hard it was, but at the end it was the best year of my life
I had a phenomenal time in Japan and it was the best experience of my life. The worst parts of it were actually interactions with other foreign "friends" there, which weren't that bad even when they were unpleasant. Mostly just thinking I was good friends with somebody and then being left out of trips/events/etc. Oh also I tried to maintain a long distance relationship while I was there which ruined a lot of my days, with arguments and such. So I think Japan was amazing to me because all the worst parts about my experience were not the fault of anything to do with Japan. It was foreign friends and my long distance relationship. I can't wait to go back to Japan now that I don't have that baggage.
The Code Provider I've been here 8ish months and yea I can say the same, most of the downsides of my exchange has been being excluded from other foreigners. I've had some bad experience with Japanese, like at some point my relationship with my school club went downhill and I have no idea why, also with host families being obsessed with schedules and being on time. But for the most part my relationships with people here have strengthened, I actually look forward to school everyday even though I don't understand classes.
I’ve experieced Japanese education as a student before. In my opinion, some exchange students (from various places of the world) don’t think very highly of their school in their home town. I would say so myself. But I do think that some schools in Japan aren’t very good either. Their student culture and the lack of optimism or positive energy a school has. The middle school which the person I dated attended as student was supposedly a very miserable place. And I think as individuals we adjust differently in unique ways and also according to different places based what we hear and make expectations.
I was an exchange student to the USA for 6 months and it was SO lonely in the beginning because I was in a small town where everybody knew everybody and there were so many snow days I only went to school for one week in the first month. There were very difficult times but I grew so much from having to rely on myself and having to believe in myself that looking back, it was really one of the best experiences of my life also because of the bad parts :)
my suggestion: first, learn their traditions, culture, languages and stuffs. You can learn that by watching anime or reading manga but I prefer watching videos on youtube sometime second, is take things easy and enjoy it at first then you'll get used to it. I myself, want to be an exchange student in Japan because I wanted to have fun and enjoy their culture, I didn't just want to study there hardcore you know. and third, don't take things seriously. best way possible is joining a club in your interests. and also btw, think about the things you'll expect when you exchange schools. People tend to have fun when they exchange schools because that is one of their goals, and they dreamed it.
More often, I hear people describe longer trips to foreign countries as "difficult, but ultimately worthwhile" rather than presenting a picture that it will be an amazing, flawless experience. That's the expectation I have, at least.
I have studied 6 years of my life in my own house...and when I entered a school in High School I faced these problems and still am. But if I never came out to face them and actually go to a school I would never be prepared for the future. May it be United States or Puerto Rico...I will be ready. And yeah I understand that being an exchange student is not always as you see in anime and that it will bring certain problems but it prepared me to manage these situations. Good video btw 👍👍!
Im starting my exchange soon in Yokohama japan. I’m quite worried because I know as a very tall western girl I’m goi g to stand out. I’m also nervous my host family will be too reserved to converse with. Although I have my reservations I am so excited. My exchange is short however I wouldn’t say it’s a vacation. Like she said, it’s life. I feel as though I am going to be an observer more than anything else
I went on an exchange to Germany last year and I enjoyed it but at the same time I was starting to get lonely but mine was very short (about 10 days) so I was alright because I knew I was gonna go home soon and I'm even doing it again this year :)
always be real to your self first then others never let anything put you down no matter where you are in the world before you go to another country learn the language so you don't feel left out
Hey,,I feel you,,I'm also in Japan right now,,I started school 2 weeks ago,, and Im pure foreign,,not half japanese,,my mom decided to live here in Japan with my brother,,and my dad was left in Philippines,,actually japan has the best country,,they are respspectful and well disciplined,,The surroundings is neat,,people are nice,,I've just got 4 friends :D,They can speak english language that's why I can communicate with them,,but sometimes there's some people that can laugh at you yeah that's normal because you're from other country,,But we need to be strong,,I'm studying nihonggo,,I don't know what they are talking about,,and I also experinced what you said that "Maybe they are talking about me",,I dont know what they are talking about,,Sometimes,, I can see them staring at me while laughing,,and i'm just like I dont care if you're laughing,,but There's alot of friendly japanese,,You can't just expected that there's no bad people,,We just need to be strong and friendly so people can treat you nice.
I would say that if you can't handle situations like having to meet new people, going to a brand new place, cultural shock etc. then you shouldn't go. I thought these exchange programs said this as well so people can actually make the most of their time there. Whatever happens there is what you make of it. It is incredibly hard to travel to a foreign country and live there with 0 experience, no friends, brand new culture etc. that I find it strange people would expect it to be a walk in the park. If you don't let the hard or bad stuff get to you, it will end up being the 'best' time of your life.
I’ll be leaving in a few months, where I will be hosted and will be going to one of their high schools for two weeks. Does anyone have any tips? Like what I should bring, manners, etc? Thank you.
as im 13 right now on your first time going there i recommend that you lear japanese a couple years beore your trip any japanese in japan is very praised.japanese are very shy so break the ice and socialize.BE KIND thats very big
Omg thank you so so much gor this video!! In general, I am soo glad that I just found your channel :D I am currently on an exchange in Thailand and I definitely know what you mean... Sometimes I just feel like I really want the last 4 Months (6 months already passed) to be over really soon so that I can live ny normal, free and definitely easier life in Germany again.. but as you said, then I start thinking: wait, wtf my parents paid a lot of money for this and this is supposed to be the best year if my life..... Ahw Nun ja, schöne Grüße also aus Thailand... Vielen Dank für das Video welches mit praktisch direkt aus der Seele spricht haha 👼🏽
I can totally relate on this. Lmao. I actually envy people like you who will just stay here in Japan for 3 months or a year because after that you will go home on your country. Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. The culture, the people, the nature. Everything. But sometimes its really too much. I didn’t go to school for 3 days when I was in Junior here. I didn’t answer any calls from my teacher because I don’t want to explain myself. Then, I cried at the morning when I thought I’m ready for school again. Lol. Sorry for my bad english btw!
I'm not trying to criticize but you can't base your experience off of everybodys. Also, you can't always wait for people to go to you. Even though I have no say because I've never been on exchange but it's my freedom of thought.
I'm Bulgarian, I used to leve in Itlay because of my parents job. Since I was little I was the brave one that did not care about what other kids tought, once I went to Italy that changed. I still have friends there I chat with (evnen if I am back to Bulgaria) but I can simply say I hated the 11 years I spent there. I can immagen how hard it can be to be in a place with with such a different colture as Japan, maybe it's less harsh if you know soon you will be back to your normal life.
I just loved your inglish accent! Anyway, thanks a lot for the advices. I'm brazilian and one of my dreams is to go to study in Japan and maybe even live there. I had read a lot of japanese literature in the last year and I'm loving so much that I just become so excited no meet Japan. (Sorry for my english, I know it is quite bad)
7 лет назад
What do you do for living? / still studying? / What is your next destination to visit?
I went to South Korea one month for exchange and it was great! I am from Austria and I went to a Korean all girls school on the countryside but the people were incredibly nice^^ Of course especially the younger people were shy at first but I think bc I was super close to my exchange student all her friends an classmates could open up to me more easily and I wasn't left alone
Something like that happened to me when I hosted a Danish girl. I thought I was boring cause she didn't talk to me that much and sometimes I got bored with her. Guess her interests and personality didn't fit with what I expected 😞
HI, my son who is 15 would love to spend some time in a Japanese school after his exams but we dont know where to start as he would need a host family etc. Any advice please? Great video!
The programs will have host families that choose your child. Youll have to go on websites and maybe even conventions. They dont choose everyone. Only the best. Theyll have a couple of interviews with your son and then let thr host families choose him.
I’m trying to go to japan as soon as possible. I wanna go in a high school exchange to just... get away from my mother mainly. She isn’t really the nicest and yeah... I just wanna try living away, finding new friends and everything.
People always bow at each other,,It's sign of respect,,even at the mall,,People always greet each other ohauou gozaimasu (good morning) and Konnichi wa (Hello or good afternoon) How respectful,, They don't throw garbage everywhere,,They Don't steal the stuff that was left on a place,,Japanese are well disciplined,, even on the escalators,, walk on the right and stand on the left,, Wait the stoplights to turn green even though there's no car and no people wants to cross the road,,You'll clean the table where you ate at a mall,, but in restaurants you can left the table messy,,(but they don't left it so messy),,they don't hire janitors on school,,We are the one who cleaned our rooms.Japan is great!
how do you become an exchange student? Like how do you sign up for it? Also I would probably be super happy if I was an exchange student in Japan because I'm a very social person!
I was offered to go on an exchange during the summer to study Russian (I'm from the US) but I'm not going :( I'm still only 15 ugh, even though the program starts at 13.
I live in France and I wish I could go on exchange in an English-speaking country. UK (I have an American accent though...) or Canada or the USA... How did you get to go to Japan as an exchange student anyway ?
How long will it take for me to learn Japanese if I live there without any knowledge of japanese? Because I might go to japan for a year as an exchange student
well in my country they welcome us but our school didnt really recommend unless you took the japanese course language .. it will be easier if you learn full japanese and my school recommend to make friends there before you go to the class ... well find another. student that same as you which they study abroad too
im scared because of how i look like.. i have a huge nose and a lot of ppl say that theres bullies in the schools and the teachers dosent do anything... i really want to go there but..
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I believe the exchange experience is based on your personality and how you go about living your life whether it's in your own country or another. Don't expect strangers to come up to you and talk to you. You need to be the icebreaker.
yopparaiiii well shit
No one talks to me in my country too and i dont want to talk to peoples also my parents i dont talk with them because i dont want talking a lot ... the only problem about exchange is that my country studies level is low
I agree. I had the same experience as her at first but when I moved to live in the UK. There was no language barrier, (maybe something like 'dialect/accent' barrier which I struggled with at first) but I was quiet and had nothing to say, as all the anxiety of actually talking with English natives was just too much and I was mostly treated as if I didn't know the language. Luckily, I had found myself a great friendship group and soon enough I was able to understand and communicate with others better.
Esactly
Well that's dumb. It should never be one sided. That's some little kid stuff. Even when I was in High School, I didn't care who I was talking to. It's a little rude to be like "Oh. You didn't break the ice. Therefore, that's your problem and you're the weird one." Instead of saying such a thing or thinking in such a way, You could've been the one to break the ice. But nah, instead you'd rather think that or say that.
If they talk first they talk first. It's always hard for any foreign exchange student to talk, it's understandable and obvious. So why make it harder for them?
I am currently in Japan (for three months) and I agree with you completely, especially with the part with the language barrier. Most times while all my friends are talking at school I don't know what to say so I just stand and watch them talk. I think that it's great you made this video, because many students have such high expectations when going to Japan and end up getting disappointed when they get here. I really love Japan and it's really amazing here, I don't want to leave next month :( however it can get a little hard sometimes.
Tiara Wawa what program did you go with?
Not scary, it is troublesome. Why can I talk to you, although I can not communicate with you? I do not want to embarrass. If you can speak Japanese, why do not you talk to them?
Tiara Wawa what is your exchange organization?
Tiara Wawa puedes verlo así o como una nueva experiencia, ella lo dijo ves el lado positivo de todo e ignoras lo negativo, no le veo el problema a hacerlo y si hay algo negativo lo puedes hacer positivo por ti mismo, no ignorando el problema sino solucionándolo
O seria lo que yo haria
Did you speak Japanese on a conversational level?
I am currently half way though a 3 month exchange in Kyushu, Japan. I can completely relate to everything you said in this video. I went with the expectation that i was going to have the time of my life. But it was a very difficult adjustment. People are friendly, but communication is very difficult and it does get lonely especially when I don’t know how to join in conversations. I am living with a host family, and everyone is so lovely except my host sister who isn’t very inclusive or friendly towards me, and it’s difficult because as we share a room and are in the same class. Honestly, I am having a great experience but it isn’t perfect and it’s important for everyone to understand this before going on exchange ❤️
Exactly!! Btw I think for host siblings it can also be tough - they're dealing with puberty and then suddenly some random foreigner shows up for them to share their room with?? What? I can understand why some of them might not be the nicest towards exchange students. Of course that doesn't make it any easier for, but you will probably both learn a lot from that situation 😊
Hey! Do you mind telling me what program you used? Everywhere I look they only offer a full year
Japan can be brutal for foreigners. I was there for 8 years and over time it really messed with my head. Lots of attention but a peculiar kind of attention that can end up leaving you feel like.. hmmm invisible somehow, yet overexposed, which I know are opposites but, thats the only way I can think of right now to describe it. It is really hard to explain how you feel because it is so far out of most peoples experience, on one hand you have the Japanese people who think they understand you based on too much Hollywood and then the people at home that have no frame of reference to understand the "crowded isolation". Then when I came home it took me so long to adapt properly, a couple of years to adapt back to Australian life. I am so glad I have my Japanese wife and 3 Australian Japanese children because in my house it's a kind of cultural blend that feels just right to me.
I'm shook because I read this is an Australian accent for some reason then you actually were Australian
Finally- an Australian who went to Japan-
I'm currently studying abroad as an exchange student at a Japanese college and have spoken with several students who have mentioned it's a bit scary or intimidating to them to start a conversation with a foreigner. And these are college students who are older than highschool students (heck even some adults I've spoken to have mentioned that). So maybe the other students were just a bit intimidated and that's why they didn't start talking to you. I've only been in Japan for a couple of months, but the first week it was a little bit lonely since only a few students came and spoke to me after the initial interest in a foreigner died down (I'm an introvert so I'm not really used to striking up conversations with stranger much less in a foreign language ^^' ) But after that I started to reach out and talk with others and actively invite them to hang out or get food and that's when I started forming relationships and things like that lol On another note it is kind of like being a freshman in college (at least for me). At first I had no friends but after actively pursing others I have formed some really close relationships~
Being placed in any situation where you suddenly have no acquaintances/friends and are in an unfamiliar place is a challenge and can lead to some great personal growth if one faces the challenge with the intent to change/grow as a human. I feel like studying abroad is just another one of those challenges some overcome to progress as a person.
I feel like i'm rambling lol but to sum it up I think it's important to become an extroverted person and be the one to reach out to others rather than wait for others to reach out to you :)
Well, did you introduce yourself properly? Sometimes formal introductions aren't as calming.
It's true ^^
My dream is going to japan, wither it's a exchange of holiday. For the culture, daily life, anime and just the experiences. This video brought some light on student exchange. Thanks
I’m going to Japan for high school and I’m so nervous and they told me that I should start learning how to speak Japanese (I’m only in grade 8) I’m scared
Yea you should definitely try to learn
And I’m in grade 8 aswell and I plan to exchange to japan for 2nd year of highschool but I’ve been studying Japanese for 3-4 months to get ready, without knowing the language it’s going to be very hard communicating
Microphone Mcguggles hey man what’s your Instagram we can talk about it. I’m planning on going too
Sushii my Instagram is @mcguggles_
omgod I wanna do that!!! But I don’t know how to
i am going to study in usa next year and i am so nervous
Lola G.G Good luck ^-^
I am scared of everything but I want to live this new experience. Thank u so much
thats so cool! dont worry you will have fun!!
Lola G.G I know how are you feeling! Last year I arrive in Germany and I'm almost done with it
Ana Pau oh I love to hear that, It makes me feel not alone in this kind of adventurd. Thank you for your words and enjoy your course in Germany.
I got a scholarship to study in Japan (exchange).I'm very nervous about it and I am trying my best to improve my Japanese right now.I've been watching your videos lately and really helped me.Thank you so much :)
Summer Scribbles Did you go there yet? How is it?
Are you now in Japan? How was it?
HOW IS IT??
I think he might’ve died
How do you get a scholarship to study in Japan???
My high school year in Japan was very tough at times but I still can't help but feel that it was the best 'time' of my life. I'm 24 now and I do think it's somewhat sad I can't think of another time in my life that comes close. I think I was very lucky back then, I made friends fairly easily and not only that, I found one very beautiful friend who I truly feel must be some sort of soulmate. I still love her dearly. I also - by sheer luck - got placed at a high school focusing on arts which had always been a dream of mine. I still sometimes wonder if I should have been more brave and tried to actually pursue arts after graduating high school... but whatever happens, I had that one year truly filled with so much love and goodness and I'm so happy I had the chance to go. Most difficult for me back then was my host family; we had a hard time understanding each other (not because of the language barrier). I am forever thankful they took me in and took care of me for a whole year, but I do wish they would have been a little more compassionate / tried to understand me a little better at times? This is a horrible thing to say but our misunderstandings instilled an insecurity in me that I haven't been able to overcome since. I'm sure they did give me valuable lessons on how to act more mature and be more considerate of others though. And perhaps I am spoiled because my parents at home are not strict at all :) All in all, I sometimes feel I must have used up all my luck back then. I'm from Germany too, by the way!
Did you know japaneese beforehand or did you learn it while living there? How long did it take you to learn japanese?
I hope I can go on exchange one day, but I don't want to ask my parents for too much money. What age do you think is good?
15/16/17 x
jinsmilkbun thank you 😊
Baia yo sólo vine a hacer mi tarea, ahora veo muchos comentarios diciendo cosas interesantes
duciellin yah like I wanna go when I’m 15 or 17 bc I’m from Canada and like most country’s I wanna be here when I turn 16 and stuff but I’m 13 now and I realy want to go I just don’t want to ask bc of the money because my brother uses all of mom and dads money on video games and Xbox stuff and we are basically poor bc of my brother we still have money just not a lot bc of the economy and stuff with taxes so I understand
@@이은333 Get good grade, apply for a scholarship, and save up doing summer job or maybe an actual job. I am 13, and I am gonna go when I am 15. You can do it too!
I was in china as an exchange student (for just 2 weeks) and for me, personally, it was pretty good, BUT only because many friends and people from my school went there aswell.
So I wasn't that alone and allways had familiar people arround me.
The times when I actually was alone (for example in the evening) werent that great at all. It was hard to communicate with the family and the general mood was *really* awkward.
Sometimes it gets really uncomfortable, even though I never had problems with them and they were really nice and welcoming (They really tried to comfort me as much as they can)
I would still recommend everyone to try it out just because it's an amazing experience and I feel like it made me atleast a bit more confident and mature (atleast in some way).
Oh, I'm at the J-Day aswell next week o/
prepare yourself to get "hi"-ed
Wasn't able to find you - let's just pretend I said hi
what program did you use to be an exchange student?
@@ellianna6512 I don't think it has a name, it was with the partner school of my school back then.
I can recommend working holiday visas though. I've had a great experience with that and they are available for many countries.
When I go to university, I want to be an exchange student in South Korea. I'm a Korean-American so I've lived in America my entire life, but I really wish I could connect back to my Korean roots. I've been to Korea for vacation a couple times and I really liked it. I liked the atmosphere of Korean places. But I'm curious as to how LIFE is in Korea, especially as a uni student. I need to brush up on my Korean, though... i'm afraid that people will judge me because I am Korean but cannot speak Korean well.
Thank you for making this video. It's always nice to see a realistic perspective on exchange programs, or anything really. Sets the expectations at the appropriate height so we don't get disappointed :) And like you said, it's just life.
Sorry if I am late for replying. But I wanted to tell you not to be afraid to come to Korea as an exchange student. You will be very well cared for and loved and do not worry that you are Korean but cannot speak Korean, we understand well and will praise you well for the phrases you have learned. Even though you are Korean, we can tell if you grew up here or not just by the simple things like the way you wear your socks or lipstick so people will know quickly that you are new in town and will most likely help you.
As for student life, it can be quite difficult, I will not lie. There is alot if pressure in students to be the best but do not be discouraged 😊
Just a tip if you decide you are to come, you must know the alphabet well, it's called hangeul and is simple to read because you can sound it out. It will help when going into cities and asking for street names so you can match the name with the signs, but some signs are in English as well.
I am Korean so you can trust my word when I say we look after foreigners 🤗😘😊
Creó que es algo que la gente le tiene miedo al inició, pero con el tiempo te vas a ir acostumbrando
im from iraq but i moved to america when i was like 8 or 9 so american culture and english are a lot more dominant in me than arabic or iraqi culture. i wanna go to iraq to see how life is also like because i have much more memories of the US in me than iraqi. however, i at least can speak arabic fluently since i was born there and know the arabic alphabet. only problem for me is reading because it takes actual effort to read unlike in english where everything i read, i automatically can.
I also had a very strong language barrier, but after three months (I'm currently in my fourth month (not pregnancy btw)) it is much better, at least for me. I talked to many people, INITIATED many talks, even if it's just "whats the next lesson" or asking what is this in Japanese, how has your weekend been and so on. So I feel like my classmates are accepting me as a normal classmate, because I behave just like a normal classmate. I am more included than some "outsiders" in the class!
Also, I think people don't forget about the bad things, they just learn from them, the year is not always fun, but still the best year! Even until now I learned so much about how different a culture can be, and how a language reflects a culture (some words are only in a specific language, or the same word has different connotations in different languages). I learned more Japanese in three months than I would have learnt in over a year of normal classes in my country (which is btw Germany as well lmao Also damit schon mal hallo an alle Deutschen).
So the bad experiences make the year EVEN BETTER! I am trying to get less introverted by pushing my limits! It's just so different from everything else one experiences in their life so it's so valuable, or at least that's what I think by now. Maybe my opinion changes after I stay a bit longer. Who knows!
Didi you learn to speak japanese before going there or did you learn while you were there? how long did it take you to learn japanese?
@@Kxkelclfl I mostly learned it while I was there. I knew how to introduce myself when I arrived, but not more than "My name is Aaron and I am from Germany". I could hold some simple conversations after maybe half a year. Well and obviously it only improved during the exchange, and in the end when I left I could sometimes even have a short normal conversation without having to look up words and stuff. But "how long did it take" is not a question I could answer, because there is no point where you are finished learning a language. And I definitely wouldn't have known enough to be able to live there in the end. I think if you want to know at least like the most common 2k words, speaking, listening, reading and also writing, you'd need at least two years to get that right. But that is only a guess. :D Hope I could help
Well, you depressed me
art 躁鬱 Same💀💀😭😭
And now i can tell you: every point is so true
I haven't been on exchange before, but I really want. Me and my family going to host an exchange student from Thailand in September and I'm super excited! :D
So how was it?
@@fhearrbod858 i had a really good year with my thai sister. she enjoyed her time here, in hungary. next year i'll go to thailand for two weeks to visit her and her family:D
@@sz4va very nice
yep. i’m happy that i learned japanese before going through an exchange program. it’ll definitely be the most useful
My experience with exchange to Japan was great! I enjoyed it alot, Since I'm also a extrovert I made lots of friends! I'm gonna go back in the future. At the moment, I'm in Year 11, I did the program for a 10-11 months in Year 10, though I missed my friends and family in AUS. I did enjoy that experience. If you have an oppurtunity to do something, DO IT! :)
Can you tell me how much does the exchange cost? Because I want to do an exchange and I don't know how it cost. Thank you❤️💞🌸
@@Rin-td7kq Well, I applied for a scholarship and somehow I actually got one. But if you don't get a scholarship the prices for a year program can be between 10,000 - 15,000 Dollars. I went with the AFS Exchange Program. You also need to bring spending money, because they don't cover that for you. Part 1"
@@Rin-td7kq Part 2: There are 2 cheaper options if you don't want to pay that much. (Intensive Learning, 1-2 Months: 7500$ or Half Year: 10900$ AUD)
Thank you@@vixnlyn 💞💞 It's expensive 😂 I think I will choose the cheaper one.
Thank you again, if I need other answer I will ask to you!! 😅💞🌸💞
@@Rin-td7kq No worries, I'll reply if you want to ask anymore questions.
Thanks for saying the hard stuff about exchange, of course not everything can be perfect :3
everything has its own ups and downs. do i say that my year in japan was one of the best and most exciting times of my life? yes, of course! i even want to go back! but, it absolutely had its negative sides. i had an abusive host mother who subsequently got banned from hosting students after her treatment of me, and had hard times where i had to go into the bathroom at school and cry for a bit. or the stress of having SO MANY things to do and expectations. if i had to turn someone down for something, i would feel extremely guilty. but at the same time, i met the most amazing people that i still love today and my second host family is now just my family across the world :) i wouldn't give up the experience for anything tbh
that really inspired me you know
@@nazito4you that makes me very happy to hear! a lot of people don't talk about the bad experiences that they had because they are embarrassed of it. i would only tell my family the good parts, but that just isn't the whole story. just like a lot of things in life it is the times that make you smile that make it worth it and really stick with you the most :) if you are thinking about going on an exchange, i would recommend it!
@@NaraKwonPoD thank you so much, i hope i will get to go on an exchange!
This was really great to read! I love Japan and it feels like my home. A few years ago my family went on vacation for 2 weeks. I already know I want to live there when I’m older and I would love to go on an exchange next year. I have high hopes but I also know it’s going to be hard, but when I’m in Japan I really feel like I belong
I’m also a very shy person so it would help me a lot, I have a lot in common with Japanese people I’ve met though and I feel comfortable talking to them
I have always regretted not doing an exchange. I'm in mid-life now and have tried to make up for that by seeing as much of the world as possible. I was intimidated by the idea. I was simply scared to try. I regret it. You are brave to have even stepped forward to try and a culture so different than your own. Bravo!
Oh gosh I had so many embarrassing misunderstandings while on exchange in Japan because I wasn't used to the culture so I regret a lot of things I said. I often have to think about them and it makes me cringe sooo much. Exchange was probably the best experience of my life but definitely also the hardest one so far! Totally get what you're saying. And lunch breaks were always so awkward because I wouldn't be able to join the conversation and had to make such an effort to get them to say something to me too.
Realistic videos like these are great! I would love to hear stories of your difficult times :)
Japan is such a culture shock for many so people, and it's very very hard to get on in Japan unless you're very good at the language
maybe Japanese girls are just envy with your beauty beacuse you attract boys attention, especially a boy the girls have a crush on (?)
I know it's sounds cliche, that drama things, but most of Japanese student were like that.
Ervin Walker lol a harem bu the other way around
+Ervin Walker Doubtful. White girls are not so popular with Japanese guys while white guys are so popular with Japanese girls.
Doctorwho 787 it's called reverse harem :v
Ervin Walker yes mate that what i was referring but thx
Transcendental Apperception some of them, in some anime theres a lot of foreign character. then I wonder if japanese guy really like foreigners, especially with blonde hair.
Hi.
I'm new here.
Your story reminds me my high school time. I'm Japanese living in Japan. A German exchange student came to my class. Actually I almost didn't talk to her because I wasn't sure how to talk because my English was pretty bad. And I wasn't just mature. Now 'm so regret that. If I'm in the same situation now, I act totally different :)
HI SOPHIE!! Can you make a more in depth video or like "story time" type of video on what kind of difficulties do you experience in your Japan high school? I don't mean to dig up the past negativities, I'm juz curious hehehe
I was exchange high school student i Japana. I was supposed to stay for 5 months,but I ended the program after 2,5 months. for me it was really difficult experience, mailny because I felt so lonely and out of place, and I should be considered lucky,because my host family spoke my native language. Anyway, the exchange left me with depression, or maybe the depression took seriuos form during the exchange? for me definately it wasn't the best time of my life :(
donor of lie With what program did you go? Usually with programs like AFS you have to do some psychological tests to see if you're independent enough to go on exchange. Btw that's sad, exchange should be a good experience :(
It was scholarship program from the japanese government via embessy of Japan... If you would ask me that time if I was independent enough I'd say: of course! And my problems in Japan really surprised me. Now I know that I'm not so sociable and any kind of exchange just won't work for me. Although that exchange was a total failure, I went to Japan some time later, and then again and again :) Anyway, I can't tell that the time was wasted!
donor of lie Aw that's a pity! But it was useful anyway so it's certainly not wasted time ^^
What was the scholarship called? Did u go for free?
It was totally free,but I don't remeber how it was called (if it had any particular name). It was organized by the embessy of Japan, we had to fill the 20+ pages of form and there was an interview in the embessy. I visited the website of the embessy few years later and there was no loger that scholarship so i guess it was cancelled...
I started watching your videos about a year ago when I was preparing for my own exchange (I went to Hungary, not quite Japan, but still an exchange). I loved your videos and I just found your channel again, after not watching for about 10 months. My exchange will come to an end this week and this was exactly what I needed to watch to help bring my year to a close. I'm grateful that I'm not the only one that feels this way. Thanks for the great videos :-)
Logan Doran
Hi! I'm from Hungary and I'm interested in how you feel about us and about your year. Did you manage to learn our language? :D
Isolf, Hungary was amazing. I loved every second of it and would do anything to go back. Igen, tanultam magyarul, és nagyon tetszik a nyelvet. Nem vagyok folyékonyan és szeretnék többet megtudni. My hungarian isn't the best, my grammar could definitely use some work. I'm much better at understanding than speaking and writing.
It's so good to hear! I always hear that how bad is Hungary and also our neighboor countries hate us.
I can see your grammar is pretty good, but there some mistakes in it :) :D For your luck Hungarian is the language where you can understand the wrong affixes (like tags).
Can I ask where are you from? :)
This is the most relatable and down to earth video i've ever seen about this matter, and it's 100% true .
I wish someone told me this kind of things before i did my exchange experience, GOD bless you.
I'm going to Japanese language school in 20 day's, and I'll be staying in Osaka for 2 months. I'm a little bit stressed about it, but i have a friend form Poland who is studying in Osaka, so i know that everything okay. Still I belive that this time will be amazing.
~OMG girl I love how you pronouncing english word's. I know that you are fluent, but the way you speak is just incredible awww~
I am currently in Spain for exchange and something that really annoyed beofre coming was that people would tell "it'll be so fun! Just like a holiday on the beach all day" to what I would respond "dude, it's gonna be hard though too, like I'll be living semi independantly at a youn age in a foreign country and all" and then they would think that I was regretting my decision to go exchange which I defintely was not, I was still dying from excitement to start this new chapter of my life. Peopl just don't get it. The thing is that I had gone on solo trips in host families beofre and despite that being super differnet from exxchange it had kind of prepared me for some of its hardships. The thing is that exchange really is hard and difficult but at the same time it is incredibly rewarding. I have experienced many harships on exchange, but also many moment of happiness and pride that I did not get back home. It's an oppurtunity for self improvement to me and like all rewards, it take work. People shouldn't expect it to be the best thing in their lives and people DEFINETELY shouldn't expect it to be easy, but I can understand why some people might consider it to be one of the best decisions in their lives for how rewarding and fun it can be as well as difficult. As for me, I'll just have to wait and see, but I am enjoying it quite a bit so far, despite having a hard time at the same time. I also happen to be making videos about my exchange experience here and I really hope to show more than one side of this exchange in my upcoming videos :)
I'm going to study in Japan for a year! I'm nervous and excited 😂
How was it
Hey you! tell us about it QwQ
how was it duuude
And how was it?
Your English is getting great !💗
I skipped through your videos and I see some similarities between us. Both 21, german, female, and studying something to do with neuroscience haha :D
Anyways, in my program at university we have to do a semester abroad and for some reason I just really felt like I wanted to go to Japan and do an internship over there. So I sent out e-mails to several professors and one lab at a university in Nara prefecture ended up accepting me and even financially supporting me. I was there for 5 months and spent another 3 weeks travelling afterwards.
Now, just half a year after returning I kinda have this itchy feeling of wanting to go back to Japan, at least visit, (that's how I ended up on your channel, watching videos about Japan). I fully expected this was going to be the case, so I swore to myself back when I was still there to always remind myself it wasn't actually THAT great. Same as with you, I don't regret it AT ALL, I had a great internship, visited many places, learned so much about the culture and some Japanese (I still suck at it but I've finally picked it up again). But. I feel especially Japan is a tough country to feel at home as a foreigner. Friends who were exchange students in America told me you're basically the star of the school and everyone wants to get to know you. But Japanese barely speak English and always keep a distance. I found people to hang out with (mostly other Internationals though) but it wasn't enough time to form deep friendships and when I finally felt I was going somewhere I had to leave. You start to feel pretty lonely really soon and if you go outside, the cities don't feel as familiar as in Germany. Especially when my best buddy there left back home, the last month before going to travel got pretty depressing to me.
I think it is true that people mostly remember the good things. I am glad I went there, I learned so much, and especially that I travelled afterwards (first time travelling alone, it was great) but I try to remind myself to appreciate the feeling of home and belonging and my few close friends in Germany. You just never notice unless you leave.
I haven't tried exchange yet, but I'm so excited for you that you are going to Japan again and I'm staying tuned for your videos that you will make there !! 😍😍😍
I heard that there’s a lot of bullying in japan, and I hope no one tries to bully me if I go because I’m gonna stand up for myself, I just don’t want my experience ruined by bullies
I'm planning to study in Japan (exchange). I don't know when, cause of my school, but I hope soon. Because of thys channel, more like, because of someone other from Europe was there, I made up my mind. My mum approved, so now it all matters on the school and if I'll be able to learn enought of Japanese before I'll go there. Hope It'll be soon! Can't wait to see my Japanese friends!
Thanks. This video will be helpful in deciding how to go about preparing. So glad you made this video. Have a great day.
That ending was kind of wild xD I loved it! Thanks for this fun video, it is good to know the ups and downs, thank you very much! I love seeing your videos in my subfeed, keep up the good work!
Hm, wouldn't facing these difficulties contribute to making it the best time of your life?
That depends how you define "best time of your life" - for me, I'd rather label it "most valuable experience of my life" ;)
"Life is great, it's not just easy" - Jackie Chan
And that’s why I never say “it was the best year of my life” and leave it there, I go on and on about how hard it was, but at the end it was the best year of my life
I had a phenomenal time in Japan and it was the best experience of my life. The worst parts of it were actually interactions with other foreign "friends" there, which weren't that bad even when they were unpleasant. Mostly just thinking I was good friends with somebody and then being left out of trips/events/etc. Oh also I tried to maintain a long distance relationship while I was there which ruined a lot of my days, with arguments and such. So I think Japan was amazing to me because all the worst parts about my experience were not the fault of anything to do with Japan. It was foreign friends and my long distance relationship. I can't wait to go back to Japan now that I don't have that baggage.
The Code Provider I've been here 8ish months and yea I can say the same, most of the downsides of my exchange has been being excluded from other foreigners. I've had some bad experience with Japanese, like at some point my relationship with my school club went downhill and I have no idea why, also with host families being obsessed with schedules and being on time. But for the most part my relationships with people here have strengthened, I actually look forward to school everyday even though I don't understand classes.
I’ve experieced Japanese education as a student before.
In my opinion, some exchange students (from various places of the world) don’t think very highly of their school in their home town. I would say so myself.
But I do think that some schools in Japan aren’t very good either. Their student culture and the lack of optimism or positive energy a school has. The middle school which the person I dated attended as student was supposedly a very miserable place.
And I think as individuals we adjust differently in unique ways and also according to different places based what we hear and make expectations.
We celebrated our "ondokai" aka sports festival yesterday :D it was so fun!
Great video, very informative. Unfortunately I haven't been on a student exchange. But I would have loved to experience it. Watching from London UK.
I was an exchange student to the USA for 6 months and it was SO lonely in the beginning because I was in a small town where everybody knew everybody and there were so many snow days I only went to school for one week in the first month. There were very difficult times but I grew so much from having to rely on myself and having to believe in myself that looking back, it was really one of the best experiences of my life also because of the bad parts :)
my suggestion: first, learn their traditions, culture, languages and stuffs. You can learn that by watching anime or reading manga but I prefer watching videos on youtube sometime
second, is take things easy and enjoy it at first then you'll get used to it. I myself, want to be an exchange student in Japan because I wanted to have fun and enjoy their culture, I didn't just want to study there hardcore you know.
and third, don't take things seriously. best way possible is joining a club in your interests. and also btw, think about the things you'll expect when you exchange schools. People tend to have fun when they exchange schools because that is one of their goals, and they dreamed it.
I'm from Germany too and I also want to go to Japan. It's so cool that you made this video. I love it💖
More often, I hear people describe longer trips to foreign countries as "difficult, but ultimately worthwhile" rather than presenting a picture that it will be an amazing, flawless experience. That's the expectation I have, at least.
I am now 15 and in 2 years my mom is shipping me in a crate to Japan exchange student.
I have studied 6 years of my life in my own house...and when I entered a school in High School I faced these problems and still am.
But if I never came out to face them and actually go to a school I would never be prepared for the future. May it be United States or Puerto Rico...I will be ready. And yeah I understand that being an exchange student is not always as you see in anime and that it will bring certain problems but it prepared me to manage these situations. Good video btw 👍👍!
Im starting my exchange soon in Yokohama japan. I’m quite worried because I know as a very tall western girl I’m goi g to stand out. I’m also nervous my host family will be too reserved to converse with. Although I have my reservations I am so excited. My exchange is short however I wouldn’t say it’s a vacation. Like she said, it’s life. I feel as though I am going to be an observer more than anything else
how did it go if you've been there already??? I have some questions
I went on an exchange to Germany last year and I enjoyed it but at the same time I was starting to get lonely but mine was very short (about 10 days) so I was alright because I knew I was gonna go home soon and I'm even doing it again this year :)
always be real to your self first then others never let anything put you down no matter where you are in the world before you go to another country learn the language so you don't feel left out
Hey,,I feel you,,I'm also in Japan right now,,I started school 2 weeks ago,, and Im pure foreign,,not half japanese,,my mom decided to live here in Japan with my brother,,and my dad was left in Philippines,,actually japan has the best country,,they are respspectful and well disciplined,,The surroundings is neat,,people are nice,,I've just got 4 friends :D,They can speak english language that's why I can communicate with them,,but sometimes there's some people that can laugh at you yeah that's normal because you're from other country,,But we need to be strong,,I'm studying nihonggo,,I don't know what they are talking about,,and I also experinced what you said that "Maybe they are talking about me",,I dont know what they are talking about,,Sometimes,, I can see them staring at me while laughing,,and i'm just like I dont care if you're laughing,,but There's alot of friendly japanese,,You can't just expected that there's no bad people,,We just need to be strong and friendly so people can treat you nice.
I would say that if you can't handle situations like having to meet new people, going to a brand new place, cultural shock etc. then you shouldn't go. I thought these exchange programs said this as well so people can actually make the most of their time there. Whatever happens there is what you make of it. It is incredibly hard to travel to a foreign country and live there with 0 experience, no friends, brand new culture etc. that I find it strange people would expect it to be a walk in the park. If you don't let the hard or bad stuff get to you, it will end up being the 'best' time of your life.
Can I study abroad in Japan as a high school freshman ( grade 7) ? Can I own an apartment?! Can I speak their language if I take Japanese classes?
ME:*sees thumbnail* OMG SHES SO PRETTY YOU NEED TO GO GURL❤❤❤💪💪
Very useful video! I'm going on exchange to Japan in August🤗
I’ll be leaving in a few months, where I will be hosted and will be going to one of their high schools for two weeks. Does anyone have any tips? Like what I should bring, manners, etc? Thank you.
What happened ? Was is good ?
Great video! Very happy someone made a video about this! :D
Wow never thought about it that way thanks for sharing!! Could you make a video on all the troubles you faced and how you dealt with them in Japan?
as im 13 right now on your first time going there i recommend that you lear japanese a couple years beore your trip any japanese in japan is very praised.japanese are very shy so break the ice and socialize.BE KIND thats very big
Omg thank you so so much gor this video!! In general, I am soo glad that I just found your channel :D I am currently on an exchange in Thailand and I definitely know what you mean... Sometimes I just feel like I really want the last 4 Months (6 months already passed) to be over really soon so that I can live ny normal, free and definitely easier life in Germany again.. but as you said, then I start thinking: wait, wtf my parents paid a lot of money for this and this is supposed to be the best year if my life..... Ahw
Nun ja, schöne Grüße also aus Thailand... Vielen Dank für das Video welches mit praktisch direkt aus der Seele spricht haha 👼🏽
I can totally relate on this. Lmao. I actually envy people like you who will just stay here in Japan for 3 months or a year because after that you will go home on your country. Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. The culture, the people, the nature. Everything. But sometimes its really too much. I didn’t go to school for 3 days when I was in Junior here. I didn’t answer any calls from my teacher because I don’t want to explain myself. Then, I cried at the morning when I thought I’m ready for school again. Lol. Sorry for my bad english btw!
I'm not trying to criticize but you can't base your experience off of everybodys. Also, you can't always wait for people to go to you. Even though I have no say because I've never been on exchange but it's my freedom of thought.
I'm Bulgarian, I used to leve in Itlay because of my parents job.
Since I was little I was the brave one that did not care about what other kids tought, once I went to Italy that changed.
I still have friends there I chat with (evnen if I am back to Bulgaria) but I can simply say I hated the 11 years I spent there.
I can immagen how hard it can be to be in a place with with such a different colture as Japan, maybe it's less harsh if you know soon you will be back to your normal life.
do you have a video about the difficulties you experienced in Japan when you were an exchange student? thank you!
great video! been waiting for your vids
its kinda depression that im 23 now.. i wish i could go back in time and go to a japanese higschool TT
1:35 twins!!!!!! both beautiful!! 2:12 triplets!!!? all of them beautiful!
And how do you become a Exchange student to japan?
I just loved your inglish accent!
Anyway, thanks a lot for the advices. I'm brazilian and one of my dreams is to go to study in Japan and maybe even live there. I had read a lot of japanese literature in the last year and I'm loving so much that I just become so excited no meet Japan.
(Sorry for my english, I know it is quite bad)
What do you do for living? / still studying? / What is your next destination to visit?
I went to South Korea one month for exchange and it was great! I am from Austria and I went to a Korean all girls school on the countryside but the people were incredibly nice^^ Of course especially the younger people were shy at first but I think bc I was super close to my exchange student all her friends an classmates could open up to me more easily and I wasn't left alone
Hi, do you know what this exchange program is called?
Something like that happened to me when I hosted a Danish girl. I thought I was boring cause she didn't talk to me that much and sometimes I got bored with her.
Guess her interests and personality didn't fit with what I expected 😞
Presently the exchange rate is US$1 to 114.17 yen.
HI, my son who is 15 would love to spend some time in a Japanese school after his exams but we dont know where to start as he would need a host family etc. Any advice please? Great video!
The programs will have host families that choose your child. Youll have to go on websites and maybe even conventions. They dont choose everyone. Only the best. Theyll have a couple of interviews with your son and then let thr host families choose him.
did you get home sick? if so how did you over come it?
I’m going to 8th grade and I really want to go. To Japan as a high school
Omgod same!
How much Japanese do you have to know? Because I want to go to Japan for junior year but I’ve never learned Japanese.
I’m trying to go to japan as soon as possible. I wanna go in a high school exchange to just... get away from my mother mainly. She isn’t really the nicest and yeah... I just wanna try living away, finding new friends and everything.
If you do exchange can you stay longer then a year?
People always bow at each other,,It's sign of respect,,even at the mall,,People always greet each other ohauou gozaimasu (good morning) and Konnichi wa (Hello or good afternoon) How respectful,, They don't throw garbage everywhere,,They Don't steal the stuff that was left on a place,,Japanese are well disciplined,, even on the escalators,, walk on the right and stand on the left,, Wait the stoplights to turn green even though there's no car and no people wants to cross the road,,You'll clean the table where you ate at a mall,, but in restaurants you can left the table messy,,(but they don't left it so messy),,they don't hire janitors on school,,We are the one who cleaned our rooms.Japan is great!
how do you become an exchange student? Like how do you sign up for it? Also I would probably be super happy if I was an exchange student in Japan because I'm a very social person!
sketchy noodles try 4H
Is it worth the studying abroad life that does not feel the language or cultural barriers?
I was offered to go on an exchange during the summer to study Russian (I'm from the US) but I'm not going :( I'm still only 15 ugh, even though the program starts at 13.
She: Actually we’re on time Germany as well!
Me: DEUTSCHE BAHN
I live in France and I wish I could go on exchange in an English-speaking country. UK (I have an American accent though...) or Canada or the USA... How did you get to go to Japan as an exchange student anyway ?
I will go to Japan 2018/19 and I'm very happy you made this video! Thank you for sharing your story!
I'm going too!! And we have the same name haha :)
How was it?? :)
Can i attend high school again in japan even though I am already graduated from high school in my country
Nope
How long will it take for me to learn Japanese if I live there without any knowledge of japanese? Because I might go to japan for a year as an exchange student
You cant without japanese knowledge as far as I know
What are you studying in college?
her English is advanced so it took me understand her words
until I understand it,there're over 5years wow
Underrated channel ♥️
How many months did it take to learn their lnguage?
well in my country they welcome us but our school didnt really recommend unless you took the japanese course language .. it will be easier if you learn full japanese and my school recommend to make friends there before you go to the class ... well find another. student that same as you which they study abroad too
3:41, I happen to be OK with that part, because I don’t have any friends right now and I don’t plan to make any friends.
im scared because of how i look like.. i have a huge nose and a lot of ppl say that theres bullies in the schools and the teachers dosent do anything... i really want to go there but..