みんなさんこんにちは!Hi everyone. My name’s Matthew and over the next 3 months, I’ll be writing about my life in Japan. I hope that by reading, you learn more about what it’s like to live in Japan and go to Kansai Gaidai. I would also love to answer any questions you have.
I’ve lived in the USA for my entire life before coming to Japan. I’m a Junior at Elon University in the North Carolina. Elon University has a student body of about 5,000 and one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States. I’m majoring in International Studies with a minor in Business. I enjoy playing drums, running, and video games.
Back at Elon, I play drums in a band called Obsidia with three of my friends. Andre, our lead singer and keyboardist, writes all of our songs. Our guitarist is Andrew and our bassist is Brady. We play rock with a little bit of electronic influence. Before coming to Elon, Andre lived in Tokyo his entire life, and speaks both English and Japanese fluently. To say the least, I’m jealous of that.
This is Jenny, my girlfriend. The day I get back from Japan is our 2-year anniversary. She goes to school in North Carolina too, and is an incredible volleyball player. Even though she misses me as much as I miss her, she realizes what an amazing opportunity studying in Japan is, and is excited for me.
Because my major is International Studies, I’m required to study abroad during college. Japanese language and culture are so interesting to me that I quickly decided that Japan was the best place to go. Elon University has an exchange program with Kansai Gaidai, so it was easy to apply. Four other Elon students are at Kansai Gaidai this semester as well, and we are all good friends.
I decided to ask to stay with a host family, instead of living in a dormitory. I’ve only studied the Japanese language for a year and a half, and I think my speaking ability will really improve if I’m speaking Japanese every day with my family. I also wanted the chance to learn as much about Japanese culture as I could. This semester, I want to learn what it’s like to actually live in Japan, instead of only having a tourist’s experience.
One of the first things I noticed on arriving in Japan was how few of the signs I could read. Kanji is like a giant 10,000 number padlock on the safe that is the Japanese language, and I don't know the combination.
Despite that, living in Japan has been incredibly fun so far. My friends and I have done some traveling, mainly to Kyoto and Osaka. For spring break, we’re going to Tokyo for about a week.
I’ll put up a new blog entry about once a month. Like I said before, I hope to see lots of comments and questions! Whether in English, Japanese, or any other language, I’d love to answer any questions you have for me about Japan, America, Kansai Gaidai, the Kansai Region, or anything else!
Cheers,
マット