Author: pizza

Living in a dormitory for the first time brought many things I wasn’t used to. For instance, it was difficult to find the right time to talk to American roommate, and there were times when I wasn’t able to communicate well. It was on my birthday that I felt that things had changed. My roommates surprised me with a big American-sized cake and a nice present for my birthday. I was deeply moved. By sharing this special day, I realized the joy of dorm life. I also appreciate being able to use shared appliances, and my roommate lets me use the coffee maker and microwave. This was a great help as I flew here and couldn’t bring my things with me. I believe that I am contributing to a good life for my roommates by washing the dishes and taking out the trash. Through these experiences, I learned the importance of helping and understanding each other while living in the dormitory.

However, living in a dormitory also has its challenges. Sharing household chores with roommates requires an understanding of the differences in each other’s lifestyles and tastes. For example, when it comes to cleaning the common space, each roommate has a different way of maintaining their room, and a different sense of how often they should clean. Also, careful consideration must be given to protecting the privacy of roommates. I love listening to music, and I want to create a relaxing atmosphere in my room. However, in a dormitory environment, the walls are thin, and sound can easily leak outside, so I need to be careful if you have roommates. I try to keep the situation appropriate for both of us by adjusting the volume of the music modestly and using headphones. It is a learning process to get along with my fellow students from different backgrounds, but I feel that over time we have come to understand each other and have been able to create a comfortable dormitory life.

Girls Dorm Room Flat Poster. Dormitory Interior | Girls dorm room, Girl …

It’s almost two months since the semester started, but the cause of my stress continues to be the language barrier. It’s painful when I can’t understand what the teacher is saying during class. The most difficult thing for me is not being able to express my opinion the way I want. I would like to exchange opinions with more people. However, when expressing my opinion, I must be especially careful with my words to avoid making mistakes regarding what I want to say. Currently, I have very little participation in discussion classes. During discussions, what is in my mind is the fear of what would happen if I spoke up and made a mistake. Furthermore, I may have expected the teacher to give me preferential treatment because I could not speak English, but I was naive.

However, I understand that just worrying about things will not change the current situation. I thought it was important to first accept my current situation. It’s natural that learning a new language is challenging and time-consuming. I realize that the important thing is not to be negative about my situation, but to calmly assess my situation and think about what to do next. Another thing I noticed about my mind is the direction of expectations. I was directing my expectations toward others, like I expected my teachers and friends to be considerate of my language barrier. However, I realized that success is more realistic when you set your expectations on yourself instead of on others. I think having expectations for myself makes me more confident and brightens my own life.

My American university expected the following: First, let’s talk about life. I thought it would be difficult to make friends, because I thought it would be difficult to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak the language. I thought the food would be more greasy than in Japan. I wasn’t sure if they would suit my taste. I thought the campus would be larger and more town-like. Next is the learning aspect. I thought the class would be more of a discussion rather than a lecture format. That’s what an American exchange student who had previously come to Japan said, and I thought the homework would be harder than in Japan.

Most of the above expectations were met. Making friends was easier than I expected. Since it is difficult to go out into town, there are many places on campus where people can gather. As I expected, the food was greasy compared to Japanese food. The campus is smaller than I expected. However, since it’s a small campus, I’m happy to meet someone while walking around the campus. However, I like it more than I expected. Classes include many discussions and activities. It was new for me to see my teacher tell jokes during class. Homework is very hard. It’s a little more difficult for me than I expected. All I can say is that any gap between expectations and reality pleases me. I’m really looking forward to the days ahead.