Earning credit in Japan
Guess what? Every year Fanshawe sends two students to Japan.
Last year Anthony Schaefer and I wrote essays and were selected to go from Fanshawe's International Department. After completing his language teacher's training, Anthony returned last October because he missed it so much. Here are seven BIG reasons why you should apply this year:
1. If you have ever wanted to travel, what a chance to do it
Airfare to/from Japan is around $2,000 and Fanshawe pays for it! Traveling to Japan, where the language barrier is somewhat daunting, and being hooked up with contacts, and set up in a university full of young people, makes the transition exceptionally fluid and you can concentrate on the adventure instead of worrying about the little things, such as where to live, how to find your way, and so on.
2. Location
Ibaraki is full of natural beauty. We stayed at the Toyoko Inn and could hotfoot down to the Pacific Ocean in 15 minutes. Our first day was spent getting lost in the mountains, which we could see from our hotel window and swallowing up the view. We stayed in the city of Hitachi (named after the electronics company) and known for its heavy industry. We were 120km away by train from Tokyo, which is the next reason to apply for this experience.
3. TOKYO!
There is so much to do in Tokyo. During our month in Japan, I made two visits. There was sumo wrestling, Kabuki theatre, sushi (made from the “first catch of the day”), kitschy, neon “love” hotels - where one can stay overnight, or “rest” for a few hours, (wink, wink), and just aimlessly wandering around that can be most fulfilling.
4. Museums and art galleries
This is something I was into, considering I was finishing the Electronics (Robotics and Automation) program here, and Japan has a deep history in that industry, which consequently means museums! I saw the Honda robot ASIMO in the Miraikan (but due to my impeccable timing missed the demonstration) and many wicked exhibits. Levitation using magnets was probably the coolest one, but there was some great stuff on LEDS, transistors, how the Internet works and much more.
Tokyo is a world class city, so it attracts some of the greatest art exhibits in the world. In the Turner Retrospective, we saw a Daniel Hearst (an artist known for pickling animals: sharks, cows and the like. If you saw the movie “The Cell” with Jennifer Lopez and can remember the pickled horse cadaver, than you're familiar with his oeuvre.) There were also paintings made in part from poo! (elephant dung), and other thought provoking works.
5. The food
I love gummy yummy seafood. In some places, little sushi travel in front of you on a conveyor belt as you eat and you can pick off a new morsel as it tickles your fancy. The cashier counts your plates when you're finished and you pay accordingly.
The food is just very different. Our complimentary breakfast at the hotel (which Anthony ate maybe twice and never again) was rice balls, miso soup, pickled vegetables and delicious coffee. I crave it now.
In Japan, McDonalds's have McPorks, flaky-fatty chocolate pies and their small-sized coffees are around the size of a mouthwash cap. No time to stop? There are vending machines all over the city where the coffee, hot or iced, (the lattes quite popular in Japan) comes in a can, as does beer, ice cream and green tea to get your Zen on.
6. Almost everyone there is Japanese
Considering many Canadians say “multiculturalism” is our defining trait, this makes for a different experience. You are a minority and occasional source of intrigue. Our experience was wonderful in terms of how helpful people were, and how well we were treated as international persons. It broadens your worldview to understand that other perspective, of being an outsider in a sense, and to grasp that there are other cultures out there that can dominate a landscape aside from our Canadian one.
7. All the little differences
Take our typical day. We would walk to the train station, maybe buying a $3 umbrella from the Lawson variety store to guard against the rainy season of summer.
Through the train windows, enroute to school, we'd pass by the ocean, the rectangles of the rice paddies, the wooden homes with tiled roofs...and somewhere out there, ornately carved shrines and temples were hidden in the midst.
School involved language and culture classes, as well as developing lesson plans, and field trips to a Kindergarten class. We would teach English and perform puppet shows with a lot of heart, and low-production values (cute animal faced paper cut-outs glued to sticks.)
Time to refuel. At the grocery store, as elsewhere, prices are relatively comparative to Canada's. In the produce section however, it was not uncommon to see the $4 apple or $80 cantaloupe. With so many people and such sparse land area, some fruits become a luxury.
Even bath time could be as adventurous as a trip to the local onsen. This is a communal bathhouse where everyone can scrub down and bathe naked together. Fortunately or unfortunately, these are now segregated by sex.
The cultural exchange is an adventure. It also looks great on a resume, changes your perspective, future decisions, and life. I remember lying in bed asleep and awaking to the ground gently rocking our seventh floor lodgings: our first earthquake. So I can very sheepishly say that if you apply for this trip, it just might rock your world.
If you would like more information on how to enroll in Fanshawe College's International Exchange program please contact the International Department in E 2025 or at 519-452-4150.
Last year Anthony Schaefer and I wrote essays and were selected to go from Fanshawe's International Department. After completing his language teacher's training, Anthony returned last October because he missed it so much. Here are seven BIG reasons why you should apply this year:
1. If you have ever wanted to travel, what a chance to do it
Airfare to/from Japan is around $2,000 and Fanshawe pays for it! Traveling to Japan, where the language barrier is somewhat daunting, and being hooked up with contacts, and set up in a university full of young people, makes the transition exceptionally fluid and you can concentrate on the adventure instead of worrying about the little things, such as where to live, how to find your way, and so on.
2. Location
Ibaraki is full of natural beauty. We stayed at the Toyoko Inn and could hotfoot down to the Pacific Ocean in 15 minutes. Our first day was spent getting lost in the mountains, which we could see from our hotel window and swallowing up the view. We stayed in the city of Hitachi (named after the electronics company) and known for its heavy industry. We were 120km away by train from Tokyo, which is the next reason to apply for this experience.
3. TOKYO!
There is so much to do in Tokyo. During our month in Japan, I made two visits. There was sumo wrestling, Kabuki theatre, sushi (made from the “first catch of the day”), kitschy, neon “love” hotels - where one can stay overnight, or “rest” for a few hours, (wink, wink), and just aimlessly wandering around that can be most fulfilling.
4. Museums and art galleries
This is something I was into, considering I was finishing the Electronics (Robotics and Automation) program here, and Japan has a deep history in that industry, which consequently means museums! I saw the Honda robot ASIMO in the Miraikan (but due to my impeccable timing missed the demonstration) and many wicked exhibits. Levitation using magnets was probably the coolest one, but there was some great stuff on LEDS, transistors, how the Internet works and much more.
Tokyo is a world class city, so it attracts some of the greatest art exhibits in the world. In the Turner Retrospective, we saw a Daniel Hearst (an artist known for pickling animals: sharks, cows and the like. If you saw the movie “The Cell” with Jennifer Lopez and can remember the pickled horse cadaver, than you're familiar with his oeuvre.) There were also paintings made in part from poo! (elephant dung), and other thought provoking works.
5. The food
I love gummy yummy seafood. In some places, little sushi travel in front of you on a conveyor belt as you eat and you can pick off a new morsel as it tickles your fancy. The cashier counts your plates when you're finished and you pay accordingly.
The food is just very different. Our complimentary breakfast at the hotel (which Anthony ate maybe twice and never again) was rice balls, miso soup, pickled vegetables and delicious coffee. I crave it now.
In Japan, McDonalds's have McPorks, flaky-fatty chocolate pies and their small-sized coffees are around the size of a mouthwash cap. No time to stop? There are vending machines all over the city where the coffee, hot or iced, (the lattes quite popular in Japan) comes in a can, as does beer, ice cream and green tea to get your Zen on.
6. Almost everyone there is Japanese
Considering many Canadians say “multiculturalism” is our defining trait, this makes for a different experience. You are a minority and occasional source of intrigue. Our experience was wonderful in terms of how helpful people were, and how well we were treated as international persons. It broadens your worldview to understand that other perspective, of being an outsider in a sense, and to grasp that there are other cultures out there that can dominate a landscape aside from our Canadian one.
7. All the little differences
Take our typical day. We would walk to the train station, maybe buying a $3 umbrella from the Lawson variety store to guard against the rainy season of summer.
Through the train windows, enroute to school, we'd pass by the ocean, the rectangles of the rice paddies, the wooden homes with tiled roofs...and somewhere out there, ornately carved shrines and temples were hidden in the midst.
School involved language and culture classes, as well as developing lesson plans, and field trips to a Kindergarten class. We would teach English and perform puppet shows with a lot of heart, and low-production values (cute animal faced paper cut-outs glued to sticks.)
Time to refuel. At the grocery store, as elsewhere, prices are relatively comparative to Canada's. In the produce section however, it was not uncommon to see the $4 apple or $80 cantaloupe. With so many people and such sparse land area, some fruits become a luxury.
Even bath time could be as adventurous as a trip to the local onsen. This is a communal bathhouse where everyone can scrub down and bathe naked together. Fortunately or unfortunately, these are now segregated by sex.
The cultural exchange is an adventure. It also looks great on a resume, changes your perspective, future decisions, and life. I remember lying in bed asleep and awaking to the ground gently rocking our seventh floor lodgings: our first earthquake. So I can very sheepishly say that if you apply for this trip, it just might rock your world.
If you would like more information on how to enroll in Fanshawe College's International Exchange program please contact the International Department in E 2025 or at 519-452-4150.
