The University of the South Pacific
Sonoda Womens University Exchange
November 27th to December 25th 2013
Report Compiled by
Shivani Pillay
January 24th 2014
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Table of Contents
1.
Acknowledgment ........................................................................................................................ 3
3.
Arrival: Airport ........................................................................................................................... 3
5.
Orientation & Registration ........................................................................................................ 5
6.
Academics ................................................................................................................................... 5
7.
Social :International Students’ Activities:................................................................................. 5
8.
Your overall experience & how you have developed............................................................... 7
9. Advice ............................................................................................................................................... 7
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1. Acknowledgment
I would like to acknowledge the following people who have contributed greatly to the exchange
programme, without whom the exchange would not have been such a great success.
Firstly I would like to thank The University of the South Pacific for selecting me to be a part of
this programme. Secondly I would like to extend my gratitude to our corresponding officers in both
countries – Ms Ella Bennion from Fiji and Meiko Ono from Sonoda Womens University.
Next I would like to extend a big and heartfelt thank you to my Kobe host family the
Marimoto’s for accepting me with an open heart and arms into their home. Furthermore to the
Nakamura family of Shin-Oncen town for extending their kind hospitality during my short visit.
Moreover I would like to thank the Mayor and the town officials of Shin-Oncen town who
treated us like royalty when we stayed for 2 days. It was a great privilege to visit the beautiful costal
town.
I would also like to acknowledge our various teachers and student helpers who over the
exchange program, who put in their 100% into teaching us various aspects of Japanese culture even
though they did not speak a lot of English.
Lastly I would like to thank my fellow participants from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore
for making the trip extra special.
2.
Introduction
As a student of USP, to get to my classes I have to walk past the CELT building, which is where the
International Exchange Office is housed and every semester they put out advertisements encouraging
students to apply for their various programs.
Last year I finally got the courage to ask Ms. Ella about the programs they offer, what I’m
eligible for and what such programs would consist of, after gathering all the necessary information I
summoned the nerve to put in application form which was of a simple form containing my details and
a short detailed essay as to why I wanted to go on the exchange. Before I knew it, I was called for an
interview and emailed of my acceptance.
.
Finally the time had come! After exams Vineel and I went to an pre-departure
orientation, where we were given a tentative schedule of the days ahead as well as a brief run through
the program itself along with information about our host families. We were told of the weather in that
part of Japan for our stay, this was extremely important because at that particular point in time it was
Winter, and because we being from a tropical country had never experienced winter before had to
super prepared for what lay ahead.
This particular Cultural exchange program is with Sonoda Women’s University situated in
Amagasaki in the Hyogo prefecture of Japan. It is a short international exchange program over the
course of 4 weeks or so, which consists of various activities and classes that expose students to Japans
rich culture, history and tradition. It was an honor to have been selected as a part of this experience
and to go to such a place and show case my Fijian Culture
3. Arrival: Airport
Our arrival at Kansai International Airport was short and simple, as it was night
time during landing we could not see very much of the city. When looking at it, the airport
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when compared to the one in Fiji was very large. We collected our baggage and slowly made
our way to the customs desk. The serving officer was very nice and spoke good English. He
asked various questions about the program which I answered to the best of my knowledge.
After all the formalities were completed he wished me the best of luck and I was on my way.
So it could be said that the beginning of my trip started off on the right foot!
4.
Accommodation
Very apprehensively Vineel and I made our way through the arrivals door and there standing with a
clear sign and huge smile on his face was Kengo San. He was very polite and tried to answer our
questions to the best of his ability. Due to the near 13 hours of travelling I was exhausted and fell
asleep on the way to the hotel where we would be staying for the night. As it was too late to meet our
host family on that day.
The next day I stood quietly in the foyer of the International Exchange Office apprehensively
awaiting my host family’s arrival, not knowing whom or what to expect. What did they look like? Who
were they? Would they me? A hundred and
one questions swirled through my head at an
alarming rate. It was in the afternoon that I
met the Marimoto’s. They were a lovely
couple who took care of my like their own
daughter. I was very very fortunate to have
them as my host family.
My host father took my luggage by car
and my host mother and I went to the nearby
train station so that I could familiarize myself
with the system. Because they lived quite a
distance away, we had to catch two different
trains. First tom Tsukaguchi station we
caught the Hankyu line to Sannomiya and
then we caught the JR line to
Sumakaihinkoen. It wasn’t the easiest to remember I must admit and I did get lost quite a few times
but in the end I had mastered the train system! And to make things even better the Marimotos lived a
stones throw away from the train station. At their house I had my own room with a little balcony and
a study table, everything was lovely and there were no security issues. Japan is a very safe place to
visit, even by yourself. Otto San and Oka San were a nice couple that tried to make sure my stay was as
enjoyable and comfortable as possible. They made an effort to ask about my day and through the
Japanese lessons we got at University we were able to converse and I loved every moment of my stay.
To top it off Oka San had an English to Japanese Dictionary, which saved me quite bit!
Moreover during our 2 night stay in the sunny costal town of Shin-Oncen, I was very lucky to
get a host family in which Oto San was an English
teacher, so communication was not a problem. The
Nakamura family welcomed me with open arms
into their heart and home. This community treated
us with a lot of love and respect. It was here that
Vineel and I got our first taste of snow and
although it was extremely cold we loved it very
much!
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5. Orientation & Registration
Orientation and registration was very easy with help of the lovely staff at the International
Exchange Office – Meiko San and Kengo San to name a few. All of the staff members and the
student helpers were so helpful and tried to assist in any way they could. During our
orientation we were given a nametag with our details and student ID and passwords on it.
This enabled us to use the computers in the lab to keep up with our families and other
personal and academic activities.
6. Academics
Sonoda Womens University is a beautiful campus and the courses there was very practical and
beneficial to the students lives. Courses such as pastry making, food and nutrition, teaching to name a
few.
Over the weeks at the university we had an array of classes. These included culture class,
Japanese Class, cooking class, English class and even dance class. For these
classes we had Japanese teachers who were not too fluent in English, but
they still tried their very best to help us understand what they were trying to
teach. Out of the many classes that we had, a majority of those classes were
Japnese class, which in itself was very important to us. Due to us speaking
little to no Japanese, we were taught basic phrases so that we could
communicate if we ever had to. Sensei Fujiwara was our teacher and she was
one of the best!
In alignment with academic the university
tries and succeeds brilliantly at integrating
Japanese culture in the learning curriculum so that
the students do not lose their culture and tradition.
An example of this would be Kendo Classes. Kendo
a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed
bamboo swords originally developed as a safe form
of sword training for samurai. This is taught to the
girls who have their very own team. We were even lucky enough to have a
class of this traditional Japanese sport. Additionally, we were also
privileged to witness a traditional Japanese dance as well as a tea ceremony
where we were dressed in traditional kimonos.
7.
Social :International Students’ Activities:
It can be said that our weeks were filled with a lot of fun and adventure. The host university tried to
incorporate a whole range of activities so that we could capture the essence of Japanese culture,
history and tradition. These activities arranged were the core of our whole trip and it was through this
that we the students got to view Japan and everything it had to offer as more than just tourists. Some
of the activities included:
 Visiting Osaka Castle
 Visiting Amagasaki Primary School
 Visiting Sonoda North Primary School
 Traditional tea ceremony
 Visiting an old Buddhist temple
 Traditional Japanese paper making
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

Visiting a beer factory
Visiting the cup noodle museum.
In addition to these events, we were taken to the Kobe Luminaire, which an event set up to pay tribute
to all the people that lost their lives in the great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. It was beautiful to see
the great amount of effort that the Japanese people put into remembering those who lost their lives in
that disaster
It is common knowledge that Sonoda Womens University
is known for its top notch tennis program, one cold
afternoon we were given the chance to hit a few tennis
balls with these pros and it turned into one very fun
afternoon filled with lots of laughter and fun!
Another fun-filled event that we partook in was the 1 night stay at Sonoda’s Ookayama
campus, which was up in the mountains of Tajima. It was an absolutely beautiful sight as
the mountains were covered with pristine white
snow. That night we enjoyed karaoke and playing in
the snow with the other girls from the university.
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8. Your overall experience & how you have developed
After this trip to Japan I can confidently say that It changed me for the better. One experience
in particular – I was still trying to catch onto the train systems and trying to find my way to
my station. I got on the wrong train and had to find my way back. I had no phone and no way
of contacting any one to help me and the people I spoke to had little to no knowledge of
English. I had to open my eyes and use my skills and resources to figure out which way was
what in the busy train stations and where I went wrong. It was a real eye opener for me – it
taught me that things are not always going to go your way; therefore you must be prepared
for everything life throws your way. I made some amazing life long friends who made this trip
beautiful in their own way and I learnt so much about Japan and its people along the way.
9. Advice
I would encourage everyone to apply for this truly amazing once in a life time experience that USP is
offering. It truly is wonderful and you get to learn so much about yourself, others and the astounding
country that Japan is – beyond what you see in tourist commercials. And if you are selected then
congratulations! Please research thoroughly before commencing on your trip. December is very cold;
therefore you need to wear a couple of layers under your clothes to stay warm! Other than that, Japan
is a place that you want to keep on visiting and I guarantee after this trip you will definitely want to go
back!
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