KAWAI Hana | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Reason Why You Decided to Apply

When I was young, I lived in Vietnam, which gave me a sense of attachment and familiarity with the country. That's why I was attracted to the slogan of “becoming a bridge between Vietnam and Japan” and had the desire to participate in this program since I enrolled to APU. Moreover, I was fascinated by the characteristic of the SEND program, which allows me to immerse myself fully in the local life for a month. I thought, "I want to experience something I can't encounter during general travel!" and made the decision to apply

How the Program Helped You Grow

One thing I developed through the program is the mindset of "Let's give it a try, even if it's a challenge or if I fail." One of the experiences that shaped this mindset was when I ran a class in front of Vietnamese students. When I find myself in a situation where I have no choice but to do it, regardless of my feelings, I can challenge myself, and I felt that my courage grew a little.
Another area where I experienced personal growth was through the homestay experience. Living in Vietnam, I often felt that life there was more inconvenient than living in Japan. However, I approached the situation with the mindset of considering each experience as a valuable lesson and accepting it, so I quickly adapted to the lifestyle. Through this experience, even it was just a month experience, I gained the confidence that I could manage living in outside Japan.

Message for Students Interested in The Program

The moment when I felt truly happy to have participated in SEND was when I spent time with Vietnamese students. The time I spent with them has become precious memories for me, and I have met people whom I would love to visit again in beloved Vietnam. Additionally, I realized that teaching Japanese is one of the things that I find enjoyable. Japanese language learning support has become an area of my personal interest, and if there are opportunities that catch my attention in the future, I would like to take on challenges. Specifically, I am considering participating in the nonprofit organization "Youme Project," which provides Japanese language support to technical intern trainees, or taking on roles such as being a Peer Advisor at the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) or a Teaching Assistant for Japanese language classes, to assist APU students in their Japanese language learning journey.