Kymberly SEMMENS

Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Exchange to Kansai Gaidai University, Japan

Leaving Australia, aboard a plane filled with mostly Japanese people, I had little expectations and no idea of what lay ahead. The idea of studying at a prestigious university in Japan seemed like a dream that would never come to fruition, and without the Cheung Kong Scholarship, it would have remained that way.

Once I arrived in Japan, I was immediately consumed with excitement. I was in a place where everyone was speaking the language I had so much passion for, a language I had been striving to master for at least the last six years. It was my chance to soak up as much culture and new information as I possibly could. I was originally worried about meeting other students in the same boat - what if I couldn’t make friends or have a good roommate? But as soon as I arrived, I was bombarded with friendly faces and foreign accents from all over the world. Within the first week, I had made so many friends (both local and foreign) that I was worried about remembering all their names. From that point on, every weekend was spent living amongst the Japanese: catching a train or riding our bikes to new and unfamiliar places, travelling around the countryside, talking to the locals, asking questions, buying souvenirs and taking countless numbers of photos! It was honestly the experience of a lifetime! Also, the language classes at my university were so rewarding. I was learning so much! My language skills improved dramatically because my classes were only taught in Japanese. Outside the classroom, I was able to utilize what I had learned. Seeing Japanese kanji symbols written on just about everything also helped reinforce my language skills.

Having the opportunity not only to study Japanese in Japan, but also to travel around when we didn’t have classes, was amazing. Seeing how the Japanese lived in their beautiful country was an experience like no other, whether it was taking the bullet train to Kyoto, walking among tiny side streets lined with traditional Japanese restaurants occupied by geishas, or catching a night bus to Tokyo for a friend’s birthday, and to party like we never did before.

During my time in Japan, I visited Kyoto, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka, Hyogo Prefecture (where I participated in a 10km race and came first in my age group) and many other surrounding places. I have gained so much from this experience. I have made many friends that I have kept in contact with, some of whom have actually visited me in my hometown. The friendships I made in Japan are friendships that will last a lifetime. The experiences I had in Japan are ones I will remember for the rest of my life. I feel I have grown so much as a person and it is all thanks to the opportunity the Cheung Kong scholarship has given me.

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