I am Max Hoffman from University at Buffalo. I have never been to a country in Asia before so when I first arrived in Japan, everything felt different. It felt like I had entered a new world. Japan's daily life is very different from my life back home so everything felt new and exciting. Everywhere I went I discovered a new part of Japan from gachapon shops to food stands on the street. The food is also so tasty here. Despite trying new foods nearly every day, everything tasted really good (except natto but I still recommend trying it).
The trains are also a big hurdle at first as they feel daunting and confusing. Lots of people moving around and signs that you can’t read make navigating it on your own scary. But after a week or so, it felt natural navigating them and I learned to appreciate how convenient they were. While at school I participated in the LOFT teaching assistant program and was an assistant for teaching English to Japanese students. I think this was a great experience in meeting Japanese students and I would recommend it for anyone else who finds it hard to meet other students while at Konan.
Given the short time frame of the trip and how busy the daily schedule is, I found it hard to study new Japanese and increase my vocabulary. That being said, speaking Japanese with my host family and other students significantly increased my confidence and ability to speak with the knowledge I already had. So to any future students considering this program I would recommend studying as much Japanese as you can before coming so you can practice speaking it while you are here and make the most of your time. I think another bit of advice that will enhance the trip is to try and explore. Almost everyday I was going somewhere new, whether it be by myself or with a group of friends. Doing this allowed me to make the most of my trip and I’m sure it will be much more memorable because of it. The 6 weeks absolutely flew by and I can’t believe it is already time to go home! I hope to return in the future.