World Campus International is working with the North American-based marketing company, AsiaLearn as a partner to help get the word out about the World Campus — Japan program throughout Canada and the USA. They work with about 200 universities and attend around 400 study abroad events annually and are happy to let people know about our exciting short term programs in Japan. Each Regional Director has territories and contact information that you can find below. Please feel free to be in touch!

WCI bridges people from around the globe to become part of the world community. Various activities were offered as part of the program curriculum. From living with host families, getting to know Japanese cultures to communicating with various people from other parts of the world. With that, people’s views change!

Over all, this program is not a normal program because a sense of becoming a family happened for most of us. It started from our first meeting at the Narita airport, where almost all members came from all over the world. When we introduced ourselves to each other, we all made an effort to not let language and other differences become an obstacle. In the first several days of the program, we stayed together in an accommodation, where we got to know each other before eventually meeting local Japanese community members.

During our first city in Ueda, it initially felt strange to live with families as foreigners. But in the long run we felt very lucky to be able to experience the direct interaction and welcoming spirit by the locals. During the theme activities of Food and Society, we were taught about how Japan processes the land and their resources to produce food. Other memorable activities included the Firefly Festival, interacting with pupils from a junior high school, where we played, joked and studied together and also the courtesy call to the mayor’s office. And definitely, the “Arigato Evento” could not be forgotten.

The second city, Tama, was the last city for the first session. Tama was the “Hello Kitty city”, with the presence of the Sanrio Puroland amusement park. There were plenty of contrasts between Ueda and Tama. Tama is part of the greater Tokyo metropolitan with various modern and sophisticated facilities. This city theme was Population and Society. We were taught about the development of this city in the past 60 years. Metropolitan tours were very impressive because we got to know so much about the younger generation and how it contrasts with the older generations with differences but also with respect. Host family day was also very special for us, where we experienced things all day long with our host families. I even got to visit Tokyo Disneyland, the place of my dream! We also met Kyoko Nathalia Takahashi, she was a person of Mexican-Japanese descent and it was truly wonderful to be able to meet her.

Out of all of the participants only, I, Lita and Jackie were to only stay for the first session. We all wanted to join the second session and stay with our newly met friends until the program ended. The idea of leaving was really very sad and touching.

The third city, Toride shi, had a Community Revitalization theme. It was the beginning of the second session, where we met the 4 new members before Lita and I had to leave. Truly a very pleasant matter! My short stay in Toride shi taught me a lot as well about Japanese culture such as kite instruction, Koto (Japanese zither), Shakuchi, Karate, Bon dance, Takoage, and Turushi, as well as the production method of sake!

After returning to Indonesia for a short time, I was quite fortunate to have the opportunity to once again feel the fresh Japanese air, the beauty of city scenery and the height of the skyscraper buildings. Yes, I once again returned to Japan to join my friends in the second session! It was a surprise to the group and I really startled everyone! Possibly I was mad, I did not have common sense, but I dared to come back and was so happy! The fourth city, Mito shi, is the city proud to be the home of the sticky, protein filled Japanese natto and also gave WCI insights about nuclear energy during a power plant visit as well about an international business at the Canon Company. Mito, was also the city that had the nearby beauty of the sea. We experienced the Hanabi festival, the fireworks festival to celebrate the summer season. Truly a beautiful experience!

Hiroshima was the last city in Summer’s 2008 trip to Japan. The city theme was Peace and Conflict. On August 6, 1945, this city had been attacked by an atomic bomb and was destroyed. However, with lots of support and hard work, now Hiroshima is now one of the biggest cities in Japan and is very much alive. And on August 6 each year, many Japanese people along with people from around the world recall the incident by holding a peace ceremony as well as a lantern festival in the spirit of remembrance and peace. Words could not describe the environment where everyone gathered with mutual promises to always maintain peace between individuals, families, ethnic groups and internationally.

The end started our separation and really inauguration ceremony to what is to come because we successfully undertook the WCI Summer 2008 program. There were so many feelings that spilled into one- happiness, sadness, relief, frustrations, love, and many others. WCI was not only a summer season program but became part of our family. The experience we lived was now a beautiful new community that was created by us together. Yes, we felt very sad because of being together for so many days but we had to go back to each of our homes and other realities. However one day we will definitely meet again as an intact family. Yes, we are already planning the reunion party!!!!

(Amanda Soeprobo, Indonesia)

Less than two months. It was a short amount of time but enough for a bunch of strangers from fourteen countries to come together. During that time we learned, we played, we had fun, we got frustrated, we overcame, we laughed, and we cried together. And as a group, we successfully completed the World Campus International summer program. Yay!! Congratulations!!

There were great times where everything was peachy and fun. From hiking Mt. Taro, to the walking tours of Tokyo, to attending the Peace Ceremony in Hiroshima. Everything was not always super happy though. There were also demanding times where we met challenges. From our first “Thank-you Event” rehearsal, to our struggles in “getting over the rope”, to our final goodbyes at the airport. Those were difficult times but we always somehow prevailed as a group.

It is hard to imagine the amazing experiences we would share when everyone first stepped off the bus at the Music Village in Ueda City. Everyone seemed so different and I did not know how the group would mesh together or how long it would take. Living together at the Music Village for the first few days obviously allowed us to connect sooner but I would like to commend everyone for being so open and personable to those that would join later. This program can only succeed if everyone works together, plus it is also a lot more fun when everybody gets along. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise for me to see such harmony in so little time.

Although WCI is not an academic program, it is undeniable to state that we all learned much during the tour. Staying with host families offered us the best opportunity to experience Japanese life and culture. What we have learned was not just relegated to Japanese culture either. Because we were such a diverse group, we were able to learn a little bit about the other countries too. We were all put in an uncomfortable situation in a country foreign to many of us with so many different personalities. Such as life, sometimes the personalities conflicted, yet we all learned about ourselves and how to handle such uneasy situations.

It might be cliché to say, but our little community was much like a family. Every one of us went through tremendous highs and deflating lows but we were always there for each other. Although we are parted now, our shared experiences will never be forgotten. Thank you all for the wonderful memories. It is very difficult not to get overly nostalgic when reflecting back on the tour but it was truly a super happy sunshine funtime.

(Guang Yeung, USA)

As Jackie mentioned in her entry, our program curriculum includes Japanese classes. I as a Japanese, receive English classes from Cody-sensei during this time. The truth is that my English, is not enough for me to smoothly follow the program. My greatest ambition in joining it, therefore, is to be able to speak English, and these English classes have been a great support.

Classes were carried out almost on a daily basis in Ueda city, but to my dismay, beyond Tama, the frequency dropped to once in every city since Tama. The diminution of such an enjoyable time is sad for me, but I’ve instead been enjoying the classes as much as I can.

Cody-sensei speaks slowly and teaches considerately. Mingled with a joke here and there, the English passes seem to fly by. Since he also corrects what I have written, this is my one opportunity to review my own English. I am assigned a lot of homework everyday, but since the program is only a little more than a month, I have committed myself to the daily battle.

Despite the drop in number of classes, I have many allies who assist me in comprehending the English and taking part in the program: the Japanese staff members, LOC members, and fellow participants. Among them, Jackie (mentioned above) always supported me with slow English that was easier for me to understand.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to send out a big Thank you very much!!

I am still very dependent on you despite the program being half over, but I hope to continue to put in my best efforts and live up to your expectations.

(Rie Hayase, Japan)

When mentally preparing for the trip to Japan, my excitement for what was ahead was all I thought about. It wasn’t until I was on the plane that I started to think about how many participants from session one would stay through the 2^nd session, and how many of us newly hatched eggs there would be.

As people often do, I expected that many people thought like me and therefore had an expectation that many would be doing the same thing: applying only for session two.

So I was quite surprised to find out that there were only four of us that arrived on the 17^th (two more joined us later). This meant that I and the three others would face a close knitted group that had already spent the past month together. In many ways this turned out to be true but I was surprised to see how good everyone was at “opening the circle” and letting the new people in. On my first day, a few people came right up to me and introduced themselves and asked questions about my flight and jokingly gave little inside facts about each other.

“She is really good at Japanese…” “And that guy, he can be a real goofball…”

The long days and tight schedule also helped bind us together. Right from the beginning we experienced so many things together. A lack of conversation was never a problem.

Within a few days I had a good sense of belonging and saw the group as a whole without distinguishing between the “new” and “old” members. It has taken longer to get to know some people but I don’t think it has anything to do with “new” and “old” participants but more with individual personalities.

(Signe Tinngaard Olesen, Denmark)

How to say thank you in a language you don’t speak.

At the end of every city, the participants alongside the staff put together a show to thank the community we are staying in for taking such good care of us. It consists of some cultural pieces from some of the included countries on the tour, as well as a few Japanese popular songs. The entire event is designed to be something for the host families to enjoy as a whole, from grandchild to grandparent. What the host families see are happy faces, good feelings, and hopefully a humongous sense of gratitude.

But to tell the truth; most of us are not on this tour so we can sing and dance at the end of each week. It’s easy to question why we have to perform in a thank you event at all. I mean; we’re all saving up money for quite some time, so we can travel through Japan and experience as much of its cultural life as possible. So when we are asked to learn a song in a language we don’t all speak, we’re not too excited. The first week is especially difficult as it is a lot of work.

We can endure a few hours, but when we practice that Japanese song that we really can’t pronounce the name of for the 12th time that day, it’s just plain old tiresome work.

But then, when the first event day finally arrives, what happens?

We get up on stage, and try our best, even though we have an extremely busy schedule and are tired already. People who would normally never touch a microphone go up front, have fun and sing in Japanese complete with sign language movement! Is it because a bearded Norwegian staff member asks so nicely? Or because Hiro, the CEO, gave a clever speech about how important the event is for the communities?

Personally, I’m sure we do it for the people who pick us up every day, and let us relax for the rest of the evening when we come home tired. The same people who invited us into their families and make us delicious meals. It’s those faces we see smiling back at us when we look out from the stage during a performance. It’s the voices we hear cheering when we do our parts in the event.

If the host families and the wonderful local community did not enjoy the performance, the participants would definitely not be trying as hard. It all comes down to this being a way for us to express our gratitude for all that the community shares when we are visiting for a week or so.

Suddenly, all that effort that we put into it has a whole different value. And it becomes a lot of fun! So I sincerely hope that the host families will keep on enjoying the show for many World Campus — Japan tours to come, because I know the participants and staff will be there to put our hearts in it and make it grand.

(Henning K.W Rodtwitt, Production Assistant Summer tour 2008, also known as the Bearded Norwegian Staff Member )

Sorry, but this post is only available in Japanese at this time.

A video blog by the World Campus — Japan participant Christine Chung.

Since I came off the plane, people in Japan have been so wonderful to me. The locals have showed me where to go and how to get there even though communication has been difficult at times. I have come to realize how helpful the Japanese people really are. If you are in trouble or lost, they will find a way to help you regardless of any language barriers.

So far I have made many friends and I’m certain we will remain in contact long after this tour is over. I have also become really close with my host family, the Omori clan. They are the nicest people in the world. They remind me of my own family in the United States, always happy and joking around. They said that my roommate and I are a part of the family now, so we can ask and have anything we want. There are so kind!

One unforgettable memory that I have in this new world so far was visiting a forest filled with fireflies. They only light up for a short amount of time before they disappear. There was a pleasant summer breeze that only enhanced the serene atmosphere of that evening. It was such a beautiful moment in such a strange land.

However, the most touching experience so far for me in Japan was at a mentally handicapped facility in Ueda City. We played games with the patients, including with a small softball, soccer, and a number of other traditional Japanese games. I even tried walking on bamboo sticks, which is a lot more difficult than it looks. They gave us handmade origami to show their respect and happiness towards us. It was truly a moving and rewarding experience for all of us.

It’s only the beginning with so much more to come this summer!

(Egan Gibson – Thompson, USA)

One of the most neglected parts of training for any group project might the most important. The ability to work and cooperate as a team is fundamental for success. In as much, the first couple of days of staff training focused on building internal team bonds. Of course, trust and camaraderie takes time but all of the staff is eager to learn and work with each other.

Currently, we are staying in a house in the city of Ueda, Nagano. Living in such close quarters is a little cramped sometimes but it also promotes if not forces intimacy. Nothing speaks of closeness quite like being awakened in the middle of the night by the snores of your fellow staff members. Trust must also be high before you should ask someone completely inept to cut your hair. Although I do not like to brag, I must say, I did an excellent job on Henning’s hair (Production Team Assistant). His hair is mostly even and he can still go outside, albeit wearing a baseball cap.

Naturally all teams have certain items that symbolize their membership and for this World Campus — Japan squad it is our matching cups and chopsticks. I am certain we will all treasure these as they represent our shared learning experience in this pleasant house. Plus they are happy, fun, and colorful which I believe indicative of the upcoming tour!

(Guang Yeung)