ENG
INA
U to U Osaka International University Scholarship
Let me introduce myself, my name is I Dewa Gde Anom Segara Giri, more familiarly called Anom. I am a student of the 2016 Japanese Literature study program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University. I was given the opportunity to study Japanese especially at Osaka International University (OIU) through the U to U (University to University) route. The scholarship that I received is a scholarship to study in Japan for 1 semester, with the selection process carried out by the Japanese Literature Department of Udayana University with Osaka International University in Japan, without going through the selection of the Japanese Embassy. The program that I participated in through this scholarship was the Japanese Studies program specifically called Osaka Kokusai Daigaku Ryuugakusei BEKKA at Osaka International University. This program lasts for approximately 6 months, starting from September 9, 2019 to February 6, 2020. Unlike the scholarship from Monbukagakusho which provides full facilities, in this BEKKA scholarship the facilities obtained are only facilities for university lectures, such as tuition fees . For living expenses, airfare, as well as other accommodation must be provided by each individual. But there is no need to worry, because universities in Japan will always supervise and provide support to foreign students who are studying at OIU. In addition, to support the costs of daily living, scholarship recipients are also given permission to do arubaito or part-time work, which I think is very helpful for financial matters, and is also a really fun way to mingle and learn about life. Japanese people and improve Japanese communication skills.
Before coming to Japan, the university had given several recommendations for a suitable place to live for the ryuugakusei. During the Ryuugaku period, I chose an apartment located in Osaka Prefecture, in the Hirakata area to be exact. The distance from where I live to the university is not too far, this is because this apartment in Hirakata was Senpai's recommendation before and was always chosen by every ryuugakusei from the Japanese Literature study program when receiving a scholarship to study at OIU. Besides being close to the university, this residence is very practical and comfortable to live in because it is also close to shopping centers, entertainment venues, and the train station. This apartment also provides facilities that in my opinion are very complete for daily needs and also for learning, ranging from kitchen utensils for cooking, electronics such as refrigerators and televisions, as well as internet networks available in the form of free Wi-Fi. Not only that, the owner of the apartment and also the guard at the apartment was very kind to me and other Ryuugakusei friends. At that time I lived in an apartment together with 3 students from Indonesia, 1 student from Canada, and 1 other person from China.
After completing the apartment contract process, it was followed by a new student admission ceremony or called nyuugaku shiki which took place on September 14, 2019. The event was attended by all ryuugakusei and was also attended by Japanese students or OIU gakubusei, so that from the start I could start studying at OIU. get acquainted with all foreign students as well as Japanese students. Furthermore, in the event, directions were also given about lectures, transportation to university, the rules applied at the university, facilities, clubs, and also courses. Then the Nyuugaku shiki ended with a meal together and a message from the foreign student representative. Furthermore, after the nyuugaku shiki, a written exam is held which is used to divide the classes of foreign students based on their abilities. Furthermore, in the event, directions were also given about lectures, transportation to the university, the rules imposed at the university, facilities, clubs, and the subjects that will be studied in lectures. After the nyuugaku shiki ended with a meal together and a message from the foreign student representatives. Then, the activity was continued by holding a written exam for scholarship recipients, which would later be used to measure self-efficacy and divide classes of foreign students based on their abilities. The class is divided into four types of levels, namely chuukyuu (basic), joukyuu 2 (intermediate 2), joukyuu 1 (intermediate 1), and finally choujoukyuu (advanced). Based on the results of the exam, I was placed in the joukyuu class 2. Furthermore, during the lecture period, the joukyuu and choujoukyuu classes had several special things, namely being able to choose additional courses that Japanese students took apart from the compulsory courses which were only intended for foreign students. As for the mandatory joukyuu class lectures in questiond is mojigoi, bunpou, koudoku (dokkai), choukai, nihongo komunikeeshon and bunshou hyougen. Furthermore, the elective courses that I took were nihonjijou tokubetsu kougi, dentoubunka kenkyuu, nihongo nouryoku shiken taisaku.
The elective course, namely dentoubunka kenkyuu, is divided into several sub-sections that teach various things about Japanese culture. In the culture class, we were taught like ikebana which is the art of flower arrangement. Then there is also a karate class which will be displayed on graduation day. There is also a class that discusses pop culture in Japan from time to time. Then the class that became my favorite was a lesson about kimono, which is traditional Japanese clothing. The most valuable experience for me while attending lectures at OIU was when I was registered to take part in the national level kimono competition which was held in Osaka on December 9, 2019. The kimono competition was participated by various Japanese people, and was divided into 3 competition categories. The first is the furisode category, which is for kimono models that have longer sleeves and are more stylish. Furthermore, the second category is tomesode, which is a kimono with a very formal model, usually used only for official activities such as weddings. The last one is gaikoku-bu, which is a special category for foreigners who study kimono. During the competition, I managed to get 3rd place in the gaikoku-bu category. After successfully winning as a representative from Osaka International University, I had the opportunity to meet with the OIU rector to talk and take pictures together.
I am very grateful for being able to receive a scholarship at OIU because there are many activities that can be done together with foreign students and Japanese students. One of them is the Osaka Tour which is held by the campus and is attended by all foreign students and also Gakubu students. We were invited to tour famous places in the Osaka area, such as Doutonbori with its iconic Glicoman, then to the kimono museum, visiting Osaka-jou or Osaka castle, and finally to the Abe no harukasu Building which is the tallest building in Osaka reaching 300 meters. Next is the Osaka International University International Day activity which is a cultural festival (bunkasai) organized by OIU. In the festival there are various activities performed by students as well as various food stalls. In addition, there are also several other activities such as Christmas, ryourikai, Halloween party, shinnenkai, volunteer of kansai airport and many other activities. This ryuugaku program ends with a graduation ceremony or called shuuryou shiki.
Being able to have the opportunity to study in Japan, especially at Osaka International University, is a matter of pride for me. Getting a scholarship to study in Japan for 6 months was a very meaningful experience, because as a student of the Japanese Literature study program who also studied Japanese language and culture, I got a direct and real learning about the lives of people in the cherry country and also sharpened my skills. I'm about speaking good Japanese. For me, studying Japanese Literature is indeed difficult, but as long as there is a goal to be achieved, then we will still be able to be excited to achieve that goal. To get this scholarship, it is not enough just to be smart, but also to be supported with maximum effort to go through a lot of processes and this will surely give a positive result that will be useful for ourselves. Keep believing in myself, and sticking to the principles and goals that are within me, so I can also get this OIU scholarship and change my views and thinking patterns to a wider direction. As an alumni of the Osaka International University scholarship program I was able to become a global-thinking individual. Thank you Udayana University, thank you Japanese Literature Faculty of Humanities.
UDAYANA UNIVERSITY