Essay written by Marine
My Dream Has Come True!
By Marine Massart
(Participant Japan-Europe Mutual Understanding Scholarship Program 2008)
Click image to enlarge Participants Host Family Wadaiko Lesson Ooi High School Host Sister Downtown Tokyo While browsing the web one day, I came upon the website of the Japanese embassy in Belgium. I didn’t know then that it would be the begining of such an adventure ! So, I sent my application to the Japan Europe Mutual Understanding Scholarship Programme, JEMUSP for short. A while later, a Wednesday, after an interview during which I was terrified, I have to admit it, and my Japanese class, I went home. There, I turned on the computer and discovered, surprised that the results of the interview were already sent ! I opened the mail, read the first sentence and began to cry. I just couldn’t believe it, I was so happy. And so I was chosen to go to Japan for 5 weeks and represent Belgium there… Although I was a bit stressed out because of my exams at school, I couldn’t believe my luck, the opportunity that had been given to me was so incredible.
And so, on the 29th of June, only a week after the end of my exams, I left my home with my family to go to Brussels Airport. From there, I went to London, where I had to wait to get another plane for Tokyo. The flight seemed really long. Maybe because I couldn’t wait to get to Japan and meet the staff and the other European students. In the plane, I couldn’t sleep at all, I watched movies and twelve or thirteen hours later, I arrived in Narita airport. There, I met everyone and we had our first meeting in which we were given all the details about the first week we were going to spend in Tokyo. We then headed off to the hotel, in the centre of Tokyo.
The first week was incredible, although it was really hot. I had been told the summer in Japan was hot and humid, but I didn’t think it would be that extreme. Well, the first days it was only lectures and meetings and, although it was interesting, everyone just couldn’t wait to visit Tokyo. Up until then, the only place we were allowed to go was Tokyo Tower which was really near the hotel. So, after a few days, we finally had the permission to leave the hotel and discover the city. The first place I went to was Akihabara with a few other participants. I then visited other parts of Tokyo like Harajuku or Shibuya and it was absolutely wonderful !!!
After this week, full of discoveries, walk and shopping around in Tokyo, it was time to meet our host families. We were all waiting in the hotel’s lobby, just time for a last group picture and the first families (some came to the hotel to pick up the participants) arrived. I had to wait, along with Stewe, the Estonian participant for our english teacher who would take us through metro and train. We left Stewe at Ikebukuro station and got into the direct train which stops at Fujimino station. There, my host mother and my younger host sister were waiting. I was so relieved to see they looked really nice and, apparently they were really relieved too, to see that I could speak a bit of japanese. We introduced ourselves and went to eat in a nearby restaurant. There, we talked a bit more about ourselves and I discovered that, being at ease with them I was able to communicate and really talk, they were so nice. Although they didn’t speak english at all, I felt like it was gonna be allright. We ate, got back in the car and finally went home... Or so I thought. Mitsuki (my host sister) wanted to show me the school, Ooi Koukou, which I discovered was really, really close to the house. In the end, we we arrived at their home and they showed me around. I talked a bit about Belgium and, honestly, I was really surprised to see how curious they were about it… The rest of the family got home a while after. I got to meet Yuuki, my older host sister and the father, Yoshiaki. Who I had to call “papa”, as I had to call the mother, Mayumi “mama”. They even said they really considered me family the time I was there. Everything went really well for the first homestay day.
But I was still anxious about school. I began school the next day. Surprisingly, I woke up soon enough to take my time to get ready and I left the house with Mitsuki. It was raining that morning. Nevermind, we walked to school because it would be easier for me to remember the way. After a 10 minutes walk, we arrived to the school and, although I knew it would be like that, I was quite embarassed to see that all the students we met stared at me. Mitsuki took me to the staff room and headed off to her own class. And so my first schoolday began. I had to introduce myself about ten times in only a few hours and, I discovered that I would be something of a tourist in the school. I can’t say I’m not disapointed to not have had a real class. But it was then two last weeks of the semester so, nearly the summer vacations. We only had classes in the morning. The afternoon, Mitsuki asked her teacher if she could skip club activities and we got home. The day before, I had told her I really wanted to see Hana Yori Dango Final, a recent japanese movie and, since she also wanted to see it we went to the cinema. It was also the occasion to show me a bit the city of Fujimino. The movie only began in 3 hours so we had time to walk around. I found out that Fujimino was a really clean, nice place.
As the days went by I got to know my host family better and, after a few more days, I got used to school. I met friends of Yuuki’s and, since we got along quite well, they asked their teacher if I could come in their class. At first I didn’t really have a class, I just attended some lessons but now I was officially part of the 3rd year 6. Everybody welcomed me and the classes began. From there, I had fun at school, talking with various students and teachers. In an english class, I was advised to go to Kawagoe, also called Little Edo by some of the students and Hitomi, a girl from my class offered to go with me. The second week’s monday, after school and her club activies we went to Kawagoe. It was beautiful but, unfortunetaly the kind of market she wanted to show me was close. But it was okay we really had fun, that’s what matters. At school, everybody finally got used to me and even discovered there was things that we could speak about, like tv drama and music. A girl from my class even gave me a poster of an actor I like ! About club activities, I went to the tea ceremony club, which was really interesting although my knees hurt after… Calligraphy was definitely my favourite one ! The teacher and the students were really fun and I learned some kanji I didn’t know such as the name of the school.
On the last day, I had been told I would have to do a speech in the end of semester ceremony. I prepared a short speech, all in japanese. I was really nervous and I wondered if it would be ok. In the end, I had to do a “short version” in front of the teachers in the staff room and another one, longer, in front of the students. It made me even more nervous, but I managed to do it, somehow and it wasn’t too bad, I think.
After that, I had a week of holiday before the programme ended. But four days before going back to the hotel, I had. They told me I should change host families. Indeed, although I really enjoyed the times with the Josha, I didn’t do much during the day but watching tv. So it was difficult but I accepted and was send to another host family. They were really nice too but, in four days, you can’t really get used to each other. But I have to say I had fun there too, we visited and did lots of things in Tokyo and I even went to see Gake no ue no Ponyo in the cinema ! The italian participant was also living nearby so I got to see him too and we wore yukatas. I even played wadaigo, which is really a wonderful, fun thing to do. I love percussion instruments and, to be able to have a lesson with a real wadaigo teacher was something extraordinary ! And, after four days, we went back to the hotel. I reunited with the friends I had made on the first week and we spent our last days in Japan, walking around Tokyo.
And so, now that I’m back home, in Belgium (and to school), I thought about the stay, and the chance that was given to me. I had the opportunity to learn a lot, and I think I did. I will never, ever forget this month in Japan. When I said I learned a lot, I wasn’t only talking about the language, but also about culture and friendship. Even now I’m still in touch with my host family and my oldest host sister will maybe come to Belgium.
I am really grateful for all of this experience, so I’d like to say one last time, thank you.
(Photos by Marine Massart)
