It all started in the middle of September, 2022. The end of summer brought a refreshing breeze, but the sparkling sun wrapped the Earth in a comforting warmth. My flight to Osaka is greeted with the perfect weather, signaling the start of my life abroad in Japan. I still had a week left until I needed to set out for school in Fukui, so I spent the time walking about Osaka’s gorgeous gardens, looking out over the vast sea, and visiting the myriad shopping malls to see what clothing and trinkets were on display. After a week, I left on a train to Fukui and spent the time looking out over the view sprawling alongside the train tracks. As the train bound further away from the city, not only buildings, but even rice paddies started to become a sparse sight. The train reaches a long tunnel beyond a thicket, and on the other side was a basin filled with human culture. Although weathered by the years, there were several wonderful little homes with simple gardens attached, spanning the entire length of the basin. I would consider myself more of a city person, but even I was left in awe by the wonderful sight. I wouldn’t have thought there to be such a marvelous society of people living together this far out from the city.

As I wasn’t very accustomed to the trains in Japan, I made it to Fukui Station a little later than I had expected. My friend and guide Miyu-san went through the trouble of picking me up in her car, so fortunately I didn’t have to struggle on my way to the school. It was a short venture by car to the dorms, but we spent the time talking about our respective scholastic majors and our interests. After a while, we crossed a small river and had arrived at Fukui University.

          I was late to orientation at this point, but I had already contacted the international department to let them know of my situation. I met my first friend in Fukui as the other international students and I were being shown to our dorms. As we were walking from the college with our luggage, a jovial and fancily dressed boy around my age starts a conversation with me. From the get-go, it was plain to see that he not only spoke Japanese well, but if he had told me it was his first language I would have been compelled to believe him. His name was Dai, and he had come studying abroad from Tianjin, China. As we talk about why the two of us wanted to start learning Japanese, I learned that Dai was much like me. We both took an interest in Japanese from our interests in manga, anime and other kinds of nerd culture in Japan.

          Another week passes, and I spend the weekend with the other international students at Fukui University. We’re finalizing all of the important documents needed for our insurance, internet contracts and residence cards that will be needed during our stay. As we move from the lecture building over to the library, one of the boys in our group talks to me a little, and it seemed that he felt rather nervous about the whole year that he was about to spend in Japan. He was the only student representative from Indonesia, and was unsure of whether he’d be able to handle the strain of a new environment with no familiar faces. I had started studying Bahasa Indonesian a half year ago out of sheer curiosity and interest, so I found this to be a good opportunity to display a little of what I know, hoping to calm his nerves. Put in simple English, the words that poured from my mouth came out as, “I will succeed!” Even I wasn’t quite sure of what I had in mind when saying such a random phrase. The boy reveals to me the meaning of what I had just said, and asks me in return, “You will succeed?” Not knowing how else to respond, I clumsily, but heartily answer, “Yes!” Afterwards, we ate lunch together, and I learned that the boy’s name was Alfath. It didn’t take long for us to become close friends.

            There were two students that also come from America, and I had greeted them a few times when we passed by each other, but I couldn’t really find an opportunity to become close friends with them over the first few weeks of school. On top of that, it felt a little “on the nose” to try and approach them just because we had come from the same country, so I felt all-the-more hesitant. However, the two of them were beginners in Japanese, so in the end, I would go around the dorm helping them out with any problems they were having. They would often apologize for having me help them out, but it was my pleasure to be there for others if my help was needed, so I didn’t mind at all. Over the course of the semester, I helped my friends with interpreting for the doctor’s appointments, talking on the phone with the internet company to resolve their issues, and translating websites and such for any trips we were planning. It was through this that I learned that I feel fulfilled by using my language skills to help others, and because of that, all I really needed in return from my friends was a simple “thank you.”

          As I came to know the citizens of Fukui, I was often told that, “Japanese people tend to be shy.” However, for the longest time I didn’t understand just what people meant by saying that. From my perspective, it felt that at best people were reluctant to approach me, and at worst it felt like I may be being ostracized. But night after night, I would casually talk with a clerk at the convenience store that I frequented to keep me awake for my studies. As we warmed up to each other, I felt that I understood the meaning of those words told to me to describe the people of Fukui. I was afraid that I was being avoided, but in truth, those around me really did want to interact with me, and the method of approach for that connection was that shy personality that I had heard so much about.

          Over the course of my time in Japan, I learned that what helps you get used to a new lifestyle is friends and the relationships that you make. Although a little run of the mill, I learned this fact in a rather storybook-like manner. The day before leaving Fukui for America I met one of the new students moving in to the dorms at Fukui University. I had heard that the room I had lived in for so long was finally filled by a new occupant. After hearing this, I rushed over to that room on the 4th story that I had spent half a year of my life in, and I knocked on the door. As I do so, the person on the other side responds in English, catching me by surprise. The door opens, and a man around my age appears. The man had come from Italy, and his name was Bruno. After greeting myself, I tell him that if he’s ever anxious about his stay here, that there’s a lot of kind people that he can depend on in our dorm. A few days later, Bruno had told me that the night I had visited him he was feeling terribly homesick. But because of me and my friends coming to see him, he said that he was able to find some peace of mind. When settling in a new place, what’s even more important than what you learn and where you go, it’s who you get to know and become friends with that really matters. If it weren’t for the help and kindness of those around me, I wouldn’t have been able to get through my new life in Japan.

            Now, being as clumsy at forming a conclusion as I am, I’ll try to end this letter off by saying this much. All of my fellow students around me, including myself, got a wonderful opportunity to improve our speaking, reading, and writing skills over the course of our 6 months together!