Global Village

Global Village is an international camp held each year by my exchange organization JFIE. They give out 10 scholarships which waives the food, travel and participation fee. Considering I would have to travel by plane to get there (it is in Tokyo) and that I have to pay to participate, I need to get the scholarship. At least, if I don't get it. I'm not going. I don't have that much money to spend on a four day camp. Below the essay I wrote, it isn't my best, but it will do.

I have also included english translations for the Japanese-impaired amongst you.

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日本　(Japan) was once a place of mystery to me, after a short two week school trip visiting various places and seeing some of the best that Japan has to offer; I was quickly swept up in a wonderland romance with the 文化 (culture) , the food, 日本語 (language) , quirks and the people. This first visit strengthened my will to continue my study of Japanese not only at (school and University) 学校　と　大学 but resolving to one day, revisit the place that so excited me. With this message still engraved in my heart when I discovered the opportunity to take it one step further and dedicate 10 months of life to learning the intricacies of Japan, I simply leapt at the chance.

三十か月後で。。。(Around 30 months later) after rubbing the genie lamp, I received my wish and now, ここ　に　いる (here I am), living and breathing in a small yet fantastic group of islands in Asia. Being currently located on Kyuushuu, I have found that the experience this time to be quite different. Outside of the fashion centre of 東京 (Tokyo), the rich cultural heritage of 　京都 (Kyoto)　and ever amusing 大阪 (Osaka), lies Nagasaki. It is here that I am, and it is here, outside the normal places of Japan that I found myself experiencing something that cannot be touched in a two week sightseeing trip. I am finally getting to know the real Japan.

This, so far, has been and I believe will be the period of my life that opens my eyes and mind to the delights and subtleties of cultures so diversely different from my own. There is no skimming the surface of a multi-faceted unique country, I have been given the irreplaceable chance to discover the depths.

Being a 留学生 (exchange student)　in a smaller, out of the way city feels a little awkward at first. 皆さん (Everyone)　looks, 学生 (students)　wave, in the beginning I was a novelty. Something I will admit to enjoying but at the same time it is hard to get to know anyone when all they do is wave. It is only after this initial phase passes that you can begin to know others for who they are and mostly, suprisingly enough, I have found them to be 人間 (human).

Albeit, they do things differently here, they take off their くつ (shoes), sleep on ふとん (futons), having artificially intelligent トイレ (toilets), they eat different 食べ物 (food), speak a different language and laugh at different jokes however all in all, they are 人間 (human). I find this very comforting. That despite all the obvious opposites in our lifestyles, cultures, upbringings and experience, we are still inevitable joined by our humanity.

Even when we can't find the words or pictures to communicate ( at least not completely coherently) we rely on our expressions, our 笑顔 (smiles), our bodies and the tone of our 声 (voices) to convey what is inside of us. Essentially, we use what is human, what is shared between every living person, to appreciate and speak to one another without words. Naturally, communication is vital to understanding each other but I think that the appreciation of other worldly practices and customs are just as important.

日本　に　いる間　に, (While in Japan) I have made おもいで (memories) and 友達 (friends) from different backgrounds, not only 日本人 (Japanese) but also American,　中国人 (Chinese)　and French, and although we can't all communicate to one another we do our best and know that in our differences lie our similarities. These people are all helping me to become a worldly person that savours other cultures and I will hopefully use the skills and experiences learnt in order to make more friends and memories in the 未来 (future).

そう言うわけで。。。 (For that reason) in the spirit of international communication, appreciation, friendship, harmony and learning that I would dearly love to attend Global Village so that I can open my mind even further to other cultures and become a globally-thinking citizen and to teach others about my own culture, オーストラリア　の　文化, (Australian culture) so that other people may learn to cherish it as I do. Languages and cultures are of a great importance to the shaping of the world, their preservation is vitally important but I think that the knowledge that comes from appreciating diversity and uniting together as people of the 世界 (world)　is of greater importance for a happy 未来 (future). United we stand, after all.

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That is all I have time for right now.

Love,

Ashley-chan