Written by : Rania Keona Aji
Edited by : Purbi Bajracharya
After Japan opened their borders in March, the APU campus has been revived with a bustling atmosphere this semester. Students pour in and out of lecture rooms, greeting at least one friend in between classes or when they are on their way to their club’s performance or when they are rushing to get lunch in the cafeteria.
This spring, the campus has not only received international students from all over the world but also welcomed many exchange students who are equally excited to experience the multicultural nature of APU’s international campus and Japan’s distinctively well-known culture.
For many students, border measures due to the pandemic drastically changed their study plans. The uncertainty was relatively higher for those coming to Japan as exchange students, as they had to consider the possibility of taking online classes from their homes which would defeat the purpose of the exchange program.
This was the case for Justin, a history major from the University of Hertfordshire. Originally, he was bound for the 2020 fall semester for a year-long exchange program, but he had to do an entire semester of exchange at APU from the UK. However, the unlikelihood of being able to enter Japan caused him to apply for a leave of absence to postpone his exchange until the following fall semester in 2021.
For Justin, the online experience as an exchange student was a challenge due to the 9-hour time difference, specifically because language classes are always taken in Japanese real-time. However, he praises his professors and his Japanese language instructors, since “they put extra effort and tried their best to accommodate [us].”
On top of that, Justin highly recommends the APU Buddy program, in which exchange students are paired with Japanese students to ease their transition to student life. The online experience was enhanced because he got to become friends with his buddy, which got even better as he arrived in Beppu as he describes, “They take you around and help you with Japanese, they help you out massively.”
Emily, a third-year student from SRH Hochschule Heidelberg, talks about APU’s big international community and interactive student activities as one of her main reasons for choosing APU as her exchange program destination. Since students are involved in a variety of activities all over campus, it adds to the feeling of being “an actual student” after endless hours of online classes. “It’s really nice because I can participate and have a normal student life,” Emily points out that it makes her even more motivated to go to campus than usual. Even though she majors in business, she emphasizes on how convenient it is to take classes from other majors. It allows her to broaden her horizons even further. She feels as though she truly belongs here and is excited to do even more during her time here in APU.
Whilst talking about APU’s unique curriculum, we should definitely mention APU’s Japanese language programs. Dalila, a second-year economics major from Heinrich Heine University, is taking Japanese Foundation 3 this semester. Even though she has taken Japanese classes before, she believes that the intensive four classes a week structure as well as learning through unique projects challenges students contributes to the fast improvement in students’ Japanese speaking skills.
With many new experiences, especially those in entirely different countries, comes new lessons. Chandra, a second-year student from Oxford Brookes University, talks positively about experiencing a different university culture and making new friends. “I met so many new people and the atmosphere is great, I wish I could do one more semester,” she reflects just like the other exchange students who only have until this August to get the most out of APU and Japan. For incoming exchange students, Chandra advises to go through the semester “as stress free as possible by trying to work ahead.” She emphasizes the importance of being open to both cultural differences and to the people around you. Especially since Beppu is uniquely located in a rural area, there's so much more to experience authentic Japanese culture. Keeping those in mind, Chandra reminds incoming exchange students to “just enjoy and explore!”