Introduction

It has been almost 4 month since I returned to Japan but I’m still missing sweet memories at Indy. My purpose of the study abroad was to learn real English at English-speaking country so I was looking for an English school in the U.S., which does not have many Japanese student. Actually I didn’t even know Indianapolis until I found IUPUI. It was the biggest challenge of my life to get out of my country to study English. I missed my family, my friends, language, and etc. Many times I thought about going back to Japan, but thanks to a lot of support, I could finish my whole plan. There is a phrase “Midwest goodbye”, which means most of midwesterner can’t say goodbye without the long conversations. They love people, and they take great care of us. I can’t thank you enough for anyone who helped me out in any way, shape, or form.

School – Program for Intensive English 

At PIE, I studied with students from all over the world. It was really refreshing experience for me to study with people from other countries. I do not know if it’s because I’m Japanese or not, I had difficulty participating classes at first. I was not confident with my English ability, and that made me shy. My teachers and classmates were always kind to me, and thoughtful. They allowed me to make mistakes, and to try anything. Thanks to them, I could continue to study for almost a year, and I got 100 percent of confident with my English.

People & Homestay Experience

I spend most of my time in the U.S. with my host family. They definitely made my life wonderful. My host dad and mam was very understanding and mature people so they were always with me and enjoyed the gap of our culture. With them, we watched TV, went to museums, go cycling, and talked a lot about things like history and my future. Their children were all  grown up so they do not live with their parents any more, but they took care of me as a host family. We went to their workplace, IU main campus, events of music and Halloween, and…. I cannot mention everything here! All of the experiences were priceless time because It was my dream to experience the daily lives of people in the U.S., and I just enjoyed every moment with them. Also, I think that experience has broadened my horizons.

College Friends

JCC (Japanese Culture club) was also a big part. I had not joined any community of college students until I found JCC. Most of the members there learned about Japan and their age was close to me so It was easy for me to communicate with them. We hung out a lot, like eating Japanese food, watching American football at Lafayette. They always welcome students who are interested in Japan, and of course Japanese student. Why dont you become a member of them?

Conclusion

As I have mentioned so far, the attraction of Indiana is the people anyway. I may have gotten most of my personal story out of here, but wherever you go, there are only people who are kind, easy to talk, and helpful. I would choose P.I.E. even if I were born again. Thanks to all involved and I suggest you stop by Indy as a gateway to the USA too!