There’s always a first time in
everything: First steps, first words, first day of school, and so much more.
With these first times, most of the times there are people who are there to
support us along the way as we try to accomplish these “first times”.
Adaptation in an event or in a society is always easier when we have someone we
know who we can ask for help or guidance. But in a situation wherein it is one
of your “first times,” and yet you are all alone and a stranger to everyone as
you try to adapt to it, how will you act on it?
This is one of the situations
that I will be facing next month. It will be my first time to study in Japan
for 10 months, a thousand of miles away from my home country. Even though it
will be a wonderful experience, it is scary to think of the fact that you will
be staying in Japan for 10 months, with no one you know to ask for support and
all.
2 months ago, I received a packet
from the school that I will be studying to this school year, International
Christian University, which is in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. In the packet,
there were a lot of papers to fill up and accomplish, including the application
for the on-campus dormitory and off-campus stay. Reading the details and comparing
prices, I realized that the on-campus dormitory is cheaper than outside the
school, so I chose to apply for the on-campus dorms. There were 6 dorms in
which I could apply for, they are: 2nd men’s dormitory, Canada
house, global house, zelkova house, oak house, and ginkgo house. Upon reading
at the testimonies of some dormers in their respective houses, only the 2nd
men’s dormitory (2MD) got my full attention. It’s not that the rest are not
worth it, but it’s because I feel that my personality belongs with those in
that dorm. I also want to contribute to the activities of 2MD since it would be
their last year in operation. Plus, it’s the cheapest dorm to stay. So without
hesitation, I applied for 2MD.
A month later, I got the results
of the dormitory application. I was so happy to see that I got accepted in 2MD!
It really got me excited! Plus, I got accepted in the scholarship for free stay
in the dorm, which means I don’t get to pay any single yen for the dorm! :D
My excitement is also added with
great nervousness and fright. Since I will be a foreigner to Japan and it’s
like starting all over again, I will need a lot of support to adapt in it. 2MD
said that it will be a buddy-to-buddy system, and that 2MD is a family, in
which I can ask for help when I need it, which means that I won’t be having a
hard time in Japan at all.
To my future dorm mates, I hope to see you soon, and I hope you will guide me in all the challenges I will face as a foreign exchange student. :)
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