Susan Cummings - TAS to Japan

Mon 31 Aug 2009

Susan Cummings, from Taroona TAS, is coming towards the end of her year exchange in Japan. She recently sent us an email to let us know what she’s been getting up to. She wrote:

Hi SEA!

Time's been racing by even faster than I thought it would! It's hard to believe I only have four months left in Japan.

My host family has been absolutely wonderful. I feel really at ease and home with them. We've been on a few trips together, to Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Tokyo Disneyland. All have been wonderful, and it's really interesting to see how the culture and language varies from city to city. Except, Disneyland didn't have very much culture, but it was extremely fun.

School has also been pretty good. Classes are hard to understand, but I'm under no real pressure to follow everything. It's even easier now that I don't have to try and keep up with maths and science - I get to study in those periods. I'm still shocked by how different my Australian school and Japanese one are, but it's very interesting to experience the different teaching methods. They're almost opposites. My school is very traditional, which adds an extra edge to it, but I came to learn about Japanese culture and I've definitely learned.

After school, I do the art club. I wanted to do the soccer club, but they didn't have a girls team. Then one day, one of the club leaders came up to me and said, "I heard you like art. Do you want to try the art club?" I loved it, and joined immediately. Often it means I don't get home from school until 7:30, but it's definitely worth it. I think all exchange students should join school clubs, especially the ones going to Japan. You make a lot of friends quickly.

Right now, it's summer holidays. It was much harder than I thought to get used to having summer between June and August, especially since it's so hot and humid - 30 degrees every day! School starts again on the 1st of September. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends again. I'm also looking forward to winter.

I really can't believe it's been six months - it just flew by. At first it was hard, but then it got easier and easier quite rapidly. My host family always makes me feel so at home that it's impossible not to settle in and enjoy myself. My Japanese has improved so much. Sometimes I stop and realise what I'm discussing, and go, 'I never thought I'd be able to talk about this in Japanese'.

Thanks very much for giving me this opportunity. There's four months left, and I'm going to make the most of them!

Best wishes,

Susan Cummings