My first semester in a Japanese university
Habib Mohammad Ali | Sunday, 1 March 2009
Staying thousands of miles away from home for higher study must require some sacrifice in life. This means keeping oneself away from his/her own cultural attachment like interacting in an environment where always new stimulus, information and above all a set of different cultural codes hammer in the mind to construct a new reality. This reality shapes the 'Construction of Self', our own identity in a different world. This theoretical approach is a little bit difficult to understand for those who have not passed away from his own culture for at least some four months. I also had a very strong commitment before coming to Japan that I would do my higher study without caring about homesickness. But after four months, the concept of homesickness creates problems for at least a few minutes a day. But this sacrifice also adds some new things like an overlapping between life and education towards creating a real understating about the goal of a human being. This translates into a negotiation between emotion and the feeling towards the goal of future career within the understanding of self in a newer world.
When my flight of Cathay Pacific took off Hong Kong Air Port, I got the real feelings in air traveling, as the flight took a charming turn over the mountain, surrounding Hong Kong city, and through the white cloud towards my destination, Narita Airport, Japan. The announce of air turbulence made me a little bit afraid near Beijing, although after landing in Narita Airport, I felt happy and completely safe. The first impression after landing in Japan was from the prefecture-bus service. Here, the bus drivers drive the bus and also do the job of putting the luggage into the box at every bus station very swiftly. Connected with modern telecommunications system, the drivers drove the bus in such way that it was more than my plane journey from Dhaka to Narita.
New land with new faces -- my first day in the University started with a formal reception by the University authority. I am the first Bangladeshi to get scholarship in this institution, and a first Muslim. As a person of third world, I was always a little bit shy to say something, but all the people took me from their heart and this bond helped me to regain my confidence to interact in a different world where all things were unknown to me, from phone-calling to eating. I was introduced with every essential thing by a South Indian student who came here one year before in the same programme. I can't go without praising his closeness towards me - especially when I remember the event that the wheel of my luggage was broken, he took it onto his shoulder- I told I should get it. But he never let me do it. He was just like my elder brother showing me all the ways in this new horizon.
The educational approach in Japan differs from our country in that writing assignment, paper and presentations are the main focus at graduation level. I have come here to a specialized programme that is offered by three professors. I am very lucky to say that one is a German, another is Indian and the other is a North American (USA). How a student from a third world country captures education from three dimensional approach dose matter to write for my readers.
The teaching method of my German professor is very personal in that he always tries to focus on the concept, touching the emotional level of a student. This is the opposite side of one way teaching in the class, such as a teacher comes and gives lectures after that goes away. His argument is: learning is such a process that is based on our needs and on emotional platform. When we relate any concepts of our study with our real life experience, then we hardly can forget it. I have found its real implication in my four-month attachment with him. The remarkable concept I have learned from him is about Construction of Social Reality, theorized by Sociologist W.I.D.G. Thomas. Its core message is "if a person perceives a situation as real, it is real in its consequences." In other words, our behavior depends not on the objective reality of a situation but on our subjective interpretation of reality. The consequences and results of behavior make it real. For example, a teenager who is defined as deviant might begin to act deviant. He makes his label real. People perceive reality differently, and when they decide how they are going to view a person or a situation, they act accordingly. Since we all perceive reality differently, our reactions differ. Our definition of a situation as good or bad, to be embraced or avoided, dictates our response to it.
My Indian professor was a former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University. I have received something new from his class also, and this carries a very important message for the newcomers and students. In his first class, he told me, "You must keep your optimism alive." I don't get the reason of such advice, but after some time I discovered it why. Frustration is a very normal phenomenon that always creates problem in human mind. People ranging from poor to rich, from educated to uneducated suffer from frustration following their unlimited needs to survive in the exiting reality. Only optimism is the real medicine to this problem. For example, if someone becomes frustrated, he /she may be derailed from the real speed of life to achieve something great, but if he/she keeps optimism as a shield against frustration, then the way of life will be very easier, and the second best option can be achieved finally.
The US professor is also an important aspect of my learning in Japan. He has developed his own theory to cope with any critical situation that may victimize anyone at any time. This lecture is a part of his lecture in California State University, Fresno, USA. This is really new and a part of life science theory in this modern age. His class made me understood how these developed nations are advanced than us in every aspect of life. The pattern of nurture and development of a human being through different institutions in their society make them solid from every dimension of life.
My learning in Japan is confined not only in class, but also in other aspects of social life in Japan. It covers all the cultural occasions like Christmas, EID, Deewali when we share our feelings with one another. There is a pleasant international centre in Mito, Ibaraki where I go for learning Japanese language every week on Saturday. Here people from all over the world gather and find the opportunity to interact and share their feelings. I had to sing my national anthem at the last year-end cultural function and also got the opportunity to say about my country for a few minutes. My preparation for such ambassadorial role was not so good in Bangladesh due to pressure of my job. However, after coming here, I took the preparation by reading from online to take the option to say something about my homeland. In my speech, I always try to indicate that we are only nation who fought for Mother Language in this world. The independence of mother language means the freedom to think in own language and thereby constructing the worldview independently. This creates the ideology of a nation and nationalism in turn.
My life is Japan became hard when the question came that I had to cook. First month I had a little bit problems, but sooner I became a very good cook and now I enjoy cooking, and also shopping in the big shopping mall. The big shopping malls are also a nice part of the city here. From Brazilian grill chicken to famous Salmon fish, you will get in fresh. The best butter, the best milk, the best bread and also the best beef from Australia are available here. This is the real side of Japan, as they believe in service that they will give you is number one. From a normal Japanese people, I got this understanding once I was trying to buy eggs. Two different rates are hanged on a basket of eggs, written in Japanese language. I did not understand it. The discount rate is for the regular customers, who have cards and the other for the non-members, which is a little bit higher in rate. I asked a Japanese people about it, he indicated the low price given there. He was correct. But, he forgot, may be, that I was new here. After a few minutes, when I went to the counter to pay the bill, he came before me again after searching me all the ways of the shopping mall. The reason is only that he indicated the lowest price and it was attributed to the member card. He offered me her card to buy the eggs to this discount price, as in the mean time he understood that I was new there. Then I replied: my friend, I had the member card. Then, he felt alright and convinced himself that he helped me.
The Japanese people are very quiet, gentle and systematic in interaction. They are also active in keeping their identity alive in the form of language of interaction and of living in the exiting reality. Their divorce rate is very low and the role of women in constructing a society, especially to a family, is very remarkable and a topic to set an example in the world. This is a very important aspect of my learning that has found how a developed community exits and works for their own business regardless of how much they are rich or poor and which political ideology they belong to. I have not found here any such thing that can make me feel that I have come here from a different horizon. They always offer a very friendly reception to anyone, but it must vary from person to person. I have come here with a very important status, which is based on my ability to interact with a multi-cultural community and the ability on how I react to them.
I have met with varying nationality in different location of the world. But here I have got a quite different impression from the people. Those people are not only from Japan, but also from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, UK and from USA. Here the social environment makes them very cooperative following their own cultural and representative role. For a student like me, it is the same. The very stimulating feelings I have remarked through this intercultural communication especially when I shared my emotional side stemmed from homesickness and other reason. All responded in that way, "Try to keep cheerful and well, and be always with the best things". They always encourage my study in Japan so that I use my tenure in learning and achieve the best thing of life. This means side by side with study, it is also important to learn on how one should live in a society which is far from his/her geographical and cultural context. Really, if I stayed at my home, I would never have such exposures and also would have had nothing to carry in the bag of my feelings.
My overall perception on this island always tries to suggest that every citizen of the whole world should visit Japan to learn them for a while. They never expose their emotions to the foreigners at the first sight- you have to pass some time with them. In your tenure, if you don't come, you are missing something very unique from this nice and green world. From educational perspective, their ongoing strategies to produce, shape and process knowledge have reached certain distinctions which should be followed by the whole world to make a peaceful and sustainable community.
These days technical people, scholars and students from across the globe are gathering in Japan to synthesize their own perceptions and thus set a culture at least to guide the newcomers in their homeland. I am just one of them with a newly constructed self to learn something and to get it back to my motherland, Bangladesh.
[The write of the article was the Public Relations Officer at East West University, Dhaka. Currently he is on leave. He can be reached at [email protected]]
When my flight of Cathay Pacific took off Hong Kong Air Port, I got the real feelings in air traveling, as the flight took a charming turn over the mountain, surrounding Hong Kong city, and through the white cloud towards my destination, Narita Airport, Japan. The announce of air turbulence made me a little bit afraid near Beijing, although after landing in Narita Airport, I felt happy and completely safe. The first impression after landing in Japan was from the prefecture-bus service. Here, the bus drivers drive the bus and also do the job of putting the luggage into the box at every bus station very swiftly. Connected with modern telecommunications system, the drivers drove the bus in such way that it was more than my plane journey from Dhaka to Narita.
New land with new faces -- my first day in the University started with a formal reception by the University authority. I am the first Bangladeshi to get scholarship in this institution, and a first Muslim. As a person of third world, I was always a little bit shy to say something, but all the people took me from their heart and this bond helped me to regain my confidence to interact in a different world where all things were unknown to me, from phone-calling to eating. I was introduced with every essential thing by a South Indian student who came here one year before in the same programme. I can't go without praising his closeness towards me - especially when I remember the event that the wheel of my luggage was broken, he took it onto his shoulder- I told I should get it. But he never let me do it. He was just like my elder brother showing me all the ways in this new horizon.
The educational approach in Japan differs from our country in that writing assignment, paper and presentations are the main focus at graduation level. I have come here to a specialized programme that is offered by three professors. I am very lucky to say that one is a German, another is Indian and the other is a North American (USA). How a student from a third world country captures education from three dimensional approach dose matter to write for my readers.
The teaching method of my German professor is very personal in that he always tries to focus on the concept, touching the emotional level of a student. This is the opposite side of one way teaching in the class, such as a teacher comes and gives lectures after that goes away. His argument is: learning is such a process that is based on our needs and on emotional platform. When we relate any concepts of our study with our real life experience, then we hardly can forget it. I have found its real implication in my four-month attachment with him. The remarkable concept I have learned from him is about Construction of Social Reality, theorized by Sociologist W.I.D.G. Thomas. Its core message is "if a person perceives a situation as real, it is real in its consequences." In other words, our behavior depends not on the objective reality of a situation but on our subjective interpretation of reality. The consequences and results of behavior make it real. For example, a teenager who is defined as deviant might begin to act deviant. He makes his label real. People perceive reality differently, and when they decide how they are going to view a person or a situation, they act accordingly. Since we all perceive reality differently, our reactions differ. Our definition of a situation as good or bad, to be embraced or avoided, dictates our response to it.
My Indian professor was a former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University. I have received something new from his class also, and this carries a very important message for the newcomers and students. In his first class, he told me, "You must keep your optimism alive." I don't get the reason of such advice, but after some time I discovered it why. Frustration is a very normal phenomenon that always creates problem in human mind. People ranging from poor to rich, from educated to uneducated suffer from frustration following their unlimited needs to survive in the exiting reality. Only optimism is the real medicine to this problem. For example, if someone becomes frustrated, he /she may be derailed from the real speed of life to achieve something great, but if he/she keeps optimism as a shield against frustration, then the way of life will be very easier, and the second best option can be achieved finally.
The US professor is also an important aspect of my learning in Japan. He has developed his own theory to cope with any critical situation that may victimize anyone at any time. This lecture is a part of his lecture in California State University, Fresno, USA. This is really new and a part of life science theory in this modern age. His class made me understood how these developed nations are advanced than us in every aspect of life. The pattern of nurture and development of a human being through different institutions in their society make them solid from every dimension of life.
My learning in Japan is confined not only in class, but also in other aspects of social life in Japan. It covers all the cultural occasions like Christmas, EID, Deewali when we share our feelings with one another. There is a pleasant international centre in Mito, Ibaraki where I go for learning Japanese language every week on Saturday. Here people from all over the world gather and find the opportunity to interact and share their feelings. I had to sing my national anthem at the last year-end cultural function and also got the opportunity to say about my country for a few minutes. My preparation for such ambassadorial role was not so good in Bangladesh due to pressure of my job. However, after coming here, I took the preparation by reading from online to take the option to say something about my homeland. In my speech, I always try to indicate that we are only nation who fought for Mother Language in this world. The independence of mother language means the freedom to think in own language and thereby constructing the worldview independently. This creates the ideology of a nation and nationalism in turn.
My life is Japan became hard when the question came that I had to cook. First month I had a little bit problems, but sooner I became a very good cook and now I enjoy cooking, and also shopping in the big shopping mall. The big shopping malls are also a nice part of the city here. From Brazilian grill chicken to famous Salmon fish, you will get in fresh. The best butter, the best milk, the best bread and also the best beef from Australia are available here. This is the real side of Japan, as they believe in service that they will give you is number one. From a normal Japanese people, I got this understanding once I was trying to buy eggs. Two different rates are hanged on a basket of eggs, written in Japanese language. I did not understand it. The discount rate is for the regular customers, who have cards and the other for the non-members, which is a little bit higher in rate. I asked a Japanese people about it, he indicated the low price given there. He was correct. But, he forgot, may be, that I was new here. After a few minutes, when I went to the counter to pay the bill, he came before me again after searching me all the ways of the shopping mall. The reason is only that he indicated the lowest price and it was attributed to the member card. He offered me her card to buy the eggs to this discount price, as in the mean time he understood that I was new there. Then I replied: my friend, I had the member card. Then, he felt alright and convinced himself that he helped me.
The Japanese people are very quiet, gentle and systematic in interaction. They are also active in keeping their identity alive in the form of language of interaction and of living in the exiting reality. Their divorce rate is very low and the role of women in constructing a society, especially to a family, is very remarkable and a topic to set an example in the world. This is a very important aspect of my learning that has found how a developed community exits and works for their own business regardless of how much they are rich or poor and which political ideology they belong to. I have not found here any such thing that can make me feel that I have come here from a different horizon. They always offer a very friendly reception to anyone, but it must vary from person to person. I have come here with a very important status, which is based on my ability to interact with a multi-cultural community and the ability on how I react to them.
I have met with varying nationality in different location of the world. But here I have got a quite different impression from the people. Those people are not only from Japan, but also from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, UK and from USA. Here the social environment makes them very cooperative following their own cultural and representative role. For a student like me, it is the same. The very stimulating feelings I have remarked through this intercultural communication especially when I shared my emotional side stemmed from homesickness and other reason. All responded in that way, "Try to keep cheerful and well, and be always with the best things". They always encourage my study in Japan so that I use my tenure in learning and achieve the best thing of life. This means side by side with study, it is also important to learn on how one should live in a society which is far from his/her geographical and cultural context. Really, if I stayed at my home, I would never have such exposures and also would have had nothing to carry in the bag of my feelings.
My overall perception on this island always tries to suggest that every citizen of the whole world should visit Japan to learn them for a while. They never expose their emotions to the foreigners at the first sight- you have to pass some time with them. In your tenure, if you don't come, you are missing something very unique from this nice and green world. From educational perspective, their ongoing strategies to produce, shape and process knowledge have reached certain distinctions which should be followed by the whole world to make a peaceful and sustainable community.
These days technical people, scholars and students from across the globe are gathering in Japan to synthesize their own perceptions and thus set a culture at least to guide the newcomers in their homeland. I am just one of them with a newly constructed self to learn something and to get it back to my motherland, Bangladesh.
[The write of the article was the Public Relations Officer at East West University, Dhaka. Currently he is on leave. He can be reached at [email protected]]