Global friendships through my Japanese study – USAC Study Abroad News

Living and studying in Japan led to becoming friends with students from all over the world.

By Morgan Ramos, ’23 USAC Nishinomiya, Japan

While studying abroad, I had the opportunity to connect with people from a wide range of backgrounds. You might not realize it when you first set off, but studying abroad means you are not just interacting with American students — you are meeting people from all over the globe.

This experience truly broadens your perspective from an American viewpoint to a global one. When I went to Japan, I was amazed at how my friend group grew to be so diverse, bringing together a vibrant mix of cultures and viewpoints.  

When I first arrived in Japan, I was completely absorbed in the thrill of immersing in a world so different from what I knew. I had a group chat with other USAC students from America, so I had assumed that my only cultural experiences would be with Japan. However, I was pleasantly surprised on the first day of orientation to meet fellow international students from various countries around the globe including Wales, Australia, England, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, China, and even more. 

Throughout the program, I made friends with many of these students and a small group of us became close friends. Our main friend group consisted of students from Scotland, Sweden, Wales, and America. I learned so much from all my friends about their countries, culture, and daily life. We would all often go on trips over the weekend to hang out or visit interesting places, and sometimes we would say or do something that is normal to us but foreign to everybody else.

My friend from Wales would always say British slang like “we move” that I would always have to ask what they meant, and they were confused as to why I had never heard it before.

Another time, when I was talking with my Scottish friend about interesting things about our countries and she asked if I knew what their national animal is, but I had never thought about it, so I had no idea. When she told me it was a Unicorn, I assumed she was joking and when I told her to tell me the actual animal, she looked at me and told me she was not kidding, and that the Unicorn was Scotland’s actual, official national animal. I had never thought a country’s national animal could be fictional, but this specific conversation allowed me to rethink how I perceive other cultures and national history. 

I even experienced surprises outside of the program and its students. Me and a group of friends visited Arashiyama for a day trip and the streets were packed with tourists, as it was the most popular time for tourists to visit. We noticed that the crowd abruptly cut off towards the end of the road, and we decided to grab some lunch at a little pizza shop at the end of the main street which didn’t have many people. We sat in a few chairs to wait for our table to be ready and were sat down by the owner of the restaurant who spoke with fluent English. We talked with him about his background, and he told us that he previously studied in Canada for two years. We chatted for a while and learned that he is half Italian, and he opened the shop because he wanted to bring both of his cultures together. The pizza was easily one of the best I have ever had, and it was very cheap too. 

I learned so much more than I could have imagined from studying abroad. I owe most of that to being surrounded by a culture completely different from my own, but also just as much to being surrounded by so many different cultures from around the world. I met so many wonderful people, and I still message and talk to them all the time. I gained a greater appreciation for the variety of ways people live and think.

The friendships I formed were a highlight of my time abroad, and I remain grateful for the enriching and enjoyable moments we shared together. 

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