Life as a BEKKA program student at Osaka International University

• Posted by: Admin
• Jumat, 14 Juli 2023
• Has been read 337 time(s)

I am Made Mirah, a final-semester student of Japanese Literature at Udayana University. During my seventh semester, I had the opportunity to participate in BEKKA program at Osaka International University. The BEKKA program is a Japanese language teaching program for foreign students provided by specific Japanese universities. As this program is designed for foreign students, each class consists of students from various nationalities. My class had classmates from Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even the United States. Among my classmates, I was the only Indonesian student. This situation required me to communicate with my classmates in both Japanese and English. We also exchanged cultural knowledge with each other. It was both exciting and challenging.

In class, I not only learned about the Japanese language but also learned about their culture and way of life. I learned about important holidays and events, Japan's seasons, and the Japanese people's societal norms. Once a week after school, I participated in an extracurricular activity called the English Speaking Society (ESS). During this extracurricular activity, foreign students like me joined in various activities alongside Japanese students currently studying at the university. We learned English together, promoted extracurricular activities to prospective students during the school festival, and exchanged stories with one another.

During my time in the BEKKA program at OIU, I also had the opportunity to participate in volunteer activities. One of them was volunteering at Kansai International Airport. In collaboration with Japan Railways Group (JR Group), this activity aimed to assist newly arrived foreign tourists to obtain their train cards. I also encountered tourists from Indonesia and helped them during their arrival.

In addition to volunteering at the airport, I also participated in a volunteering activity called mochitsuki in the Kadomashi area. Mochitsuki is a traditional activity of making mochi together in preparation for the New Year celebration. I, my friends and the local community of Kadoma City worked together to make mochi. These mochis would later be distributed to the surrounding community. I could engage directly with the Japanese community while learning about their culture and language.

Being a student in the BEKKA program at Osaka International University has provided me with many unique and valuable experiences. I have learned so much during my six months of living in Japan. Living alone in a foreign country has proven that I can do things I never knew I could.