Rotary Japan Article

I have to write an article for my school newspaper about my exchange year. I desperately need feedback from everyone, especially all of my Rotary homies and people on the Cultures Shocked Youth Exchange Community. The last sentence in the article (in parantheses) is dedicated to all those on the DC trip. Good times, good times... OK, so here we go:

Throughout my life, I have been exposed to a variety of international experiences. My parents have whisked me away to glaciers in Canada, manors in the United Kingdom, archeological digs in Israel, and lush valleys in India. Here at St. Joe’s, I have been fortunate to study two foreign languages, host two French students, learn about foreign relations, and participate in Model United Nations. All of these events have culminated into one grand finale: I will be spending my senior year in Japan as an exchange student through Rotary International Youth Exchange.

Besides the wildly fun necessity of becoming acquainted with the exchange student subculture, being an exchange student is not an easy task. The admissions process to Rotary International Youth Exchange (RYE) is grueling. Mine was intensified because I learned about RYE less than a month before the deadline and contacted the organization less than a week before the interview. The paper application is eighteen pages and requires, like most applications, recommendation forms and transcripts. Additionally, students must write sixteen short essays and undergo dental and medical examinations. The forms seemed to multiply exponentially and, within a week, I was responsible for nearly two hundred pages of paperwork. I can honestly say the application process was the most stressful time in my life.

After receiving my acceptance e-mail, I waited patiently for my country placement. My first choice was Japan; other country choices I could have made include Azerbaijan, Ghana, and Tunisia. Of course, more traditional countries such as France, Germany, and Italy are readily available. After receiving a placement in the Mount Fuji region of Japan, I immediately began the monumental task of learning its language. Japanese uses four writing systems: hiragana, katakana, kanji, and romaji. I taught myself hiragana in about two weeks and am currently working on katakana. Kanji, the pictographic symbols, will take me a lifetime to master. I already know romaji, simply because it is the Roman alphabet. In addition to a complex writing system, Japanese has a totally different syntax, or word order. English speakers say, “Mr. Yamashita eats tofu at 8:00 PM,” while the same sentence in Japanese would translate literally as “Yamashita Mr. PM 8:00 at tofu eats.”

Understandably, many people ask me what on earth I am getting myself into. Sometimes I wonder if I am going crazy by leaving my friends and family to experience a completely different culture and language for an entire year while missing graduation and prom. I realize that, yes, I probably am going crazy, but I really do not mind. I will miss St. Joe’s terribly, and I will remember everyone and all the amazing memories we have shared together. Unlike most students, I am not looking forward to the last day of this school year because I know it will be a heartbreaking day. However, I know that more amazing times await me in Japan, and I am ready to seize them and cherish the memories I will make.

By the way, if you have any questions at all about RYE such as the cost (it is a full scholarship, excluding airfare), admissions procedure (go to http://www.rotarynj.org/youth_ service/international.php), or hosting an exchange student for three to five months (my “replacement”), feel free to stop me in the hallway to ask me. Lastly, I am in desperate need of country flag pins (it’s an exchange student thing).