FUKUZAWA Miu | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Experiences unique to your host country/university

My exchange in Azerbaijan was full of excitement, and I experienced new culture, language, and foods.
Some memorable Azerbaijani cultural activities were dancing and the tea culture. The people in Azerbaijan love dancing and drinking tea, so I have many wonderful memories of dancing to traditional Azerbaijani music and trying their local teas. Also, the existence of a strong language barrier was a unique experience for me. Since the official language is Azerbaijani, it was hard for me to speak with people outside of the university. When I spoke with Azerbaijani people using Google translate, and we tried to understand each other, I felt that was an experience unique to a non-English speaking country such as Azerbaijan.
However, my experiences were not all positive. As a Japanese person, I had different opinions on the subject of international relations compared to some of the Azerbaijani students, whose opinions were shaped by the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I also experienced difficulty in understanding values and culture that were completely different from my own. For example, parents who have a daughter in Azerbaijan are very strict, so they do not allow their children to go out after 8-9 pm. This made it difficult to hang out with my Azerbaijani friends at night. Developing an understanding of people with completely different values and building trust with them was an experience that was only possible because I went on exchange in Azerbaijan. I believe this experience will benefit me in the future.

Words of advice/encouragement for students who want to go on exchange in the future.

My advice is: ‘have an exciting and unique exchange experience’. Of course, places like the U.S. and Europe have high quality education and security which is attractive to students. However, before limiting your choices, I want you to remember that there is unlimited excitement and potential in countries that you may not even know the name of. I hope you have a unique exchange experience only possible through APU.