アメリカ（１年留学） Ａさん

帰国まで残り数日となりました。
最初の頃は長いと感じていた留学生活ももうあと数日で終わってしまうのだと感じると実感が湧きません。
親も知り合いも友達もいない。日本語を話す人間も同じような留学生もいない。そんな中でこの9ヶ月もの留学生活を終えようとしてることが自分でも信じられません。
正直に言ってこの期間は自分にとって楽しいものばかりではありませんでした。
留学する前に望んでいたような自分の思い通りに全てが事を運ぶこともそうなかなか上手くは行きませんでした。
何度も来たことを後悔して何度も苦しい思いをしてその度に自分がどれほどの素敵な人たちに支えられているのかを感じさせてもらいました。
この期間ずっと私が少しでも居心地良く過ごせるようにと様々な配慮をしてくださった周りの方には本当に感謝をしてもしきれません。
何よりも長い間家に住まわせてくれたホストファミリーにこそ感謝をしたいです。
彼らのおかげでいろんな経験をさせてもらえいろんな人に出会えいろんなことを教えて貰えました。

Finally, the day is coming when I leave. I’m so exciting to meet my family, friends and rice.
I can’t stand live without Japanese food and rice. If I study abroad again after that, I won’t leave Asia.
I felt this study abroad is like forever when I came to here first, but now I’m going to finish this.
I can’t believe that I had been stayed here without my family, friends and pets for 9 months.
I wrote it last month report, “There was a time that I felt regretful, but I couldn’t easily make any excuse for my own choice.It’s better for me to handle it alone and bear with it.”
Everything is my first and sometimes it was gonna be hard for me, but I had no choice except for stand it because I chose this life by myself, but thanks to that I learned a lot of things and could changed my thinking and something.

There’s so many differences between LAA and my school.
LAA students are so active, powerful and amazing, they are caring and respect each other.
They are taking Bible class, I had never learned Bible, so it’s challenging for me sometimes because I’m beginner about that, but the others has knowledge to a considerable extent that they can tell their opinion to each other.
There’s other spiritual activities in this school.

We pray and invite speaker in the chapel every Friday. This is the one of the important spiritual activities.
We listen to their valuable experience and sometimes students become speaker. Before each periods we pray for something too. I don’t have customary something like that in Japan, so I was surprised and confused a little bit when I saw that strange act first.
I always come up with my question and curiosity about your culture of spiritual.

Every month, we go to some place and serve as a group. I hadn’t served to community in my school, but I was interested in that. My host parents aren’t Adventist, just christian. They go to church and serve dinner for homeless people every two weeks Thursday. They have experience that accepted Japanese exchange students two times. I often hear that have experience that accepted exchange students from LAA students.
I understand LAA students are actively contribute to people outside of school.
It’s sometimes hard to act spontaneously for some people even if you want to help people outside of school like that.

I didn’t go but some people went to Bible camp. They tried to know about God and Bible more in there. There are some outside activities in this school. It’s good opportunity to get more knowledge about own religion. Japan school has outside activity but just school trip. We go to the other city or country and get to know about there. It seems like same, but different purpose.

There are so many activity based on Adventist Education in this school. Those have a lot of benefits to student.Students grow up here. School has important role of the formation of their personality. Their personality go change to right or wrong, depend on how and what teach them,
LAA student has a full of kindness, that tells me how much Adventist Education good is and gives benefit to them. I’m so appreciate came here as a exchange student because I could know how they are good and kind for me. I made a good opportunity and experience thanks to them.

I didn’t believe in God before, but I came here I thought it’s good for people.
Thanks to this awesome school I learned american culture and so on. I’m so appreciate I came this school.