"Do you want to go to Space Camp this summer?" This question arose during a conversation
with my mother when I was in seventh grade. I actually thought she was just joking when
she first said it. She told me she wanted me to experience immersion in another culture
and language. When she was in college, she had received an opportunity to go to America,
but she had to give up this chance because her mother became sick. As a result, she
strongly recommended that I take this trip. However, I had never been to America or
taken a trip by myself, before I went to Space Camp in Alabama. I was scared and
worried, but, in the end, the great experiences at Space Camp had a significant effect on
my ability to make American friends, my decision to study in the United States, and my
career goals.
First, it was really fun and interesting to talk with American students. After camp
started, I talked with the Japanese friends I had met at the airport because I was too
afraid to speak in a language I had studied for only three months. However, I wanted to
make American friends because I thought it was senseless to come here if I only talked
with Japanese friends. On the second day, we were divided into teams with three to five
Americans on a team. I tried to use my poor English to make American friends, but it was
really difficult. First, I could not even introduce myself without looking at my note
book in which I had written a few sentences down. Second, the Americans had never had
any Asian friends, so they were surprised when I bowed, and they asked me many questions.
They tried to understand my English, which sometimes took a few minute, even to ask
where the bathroom was. In fact, one of these friends still writes me a couple of times
a year, and I send him Christmas cards. From this experience, I learned that despite
different languages, we still can understand each other and be good friends.
After camp I realized how it is great to study in the United States and to know another
culture. Then I went back to Japan and spent my next three years in a Japanese junior
high school. However, I simply could not forget about Space Camp. When I was fourteen
years old, I decided to go to America to study more about American culture and my own. I
told my parents, and they both supported my decision. I discovered Cushing Academy in a
catalog and came here for summer school in 1994 when I was fifteen years old. During the
summer session, I made a lot of friends and enjoyed classes, trips and activities very
much. After summer school, I visited some other schools, but in the end I decided on
Cushing Academy.
As the result of the great experiences I had at Space Camp, I became interested in
studying international cultures. Since I have been at Cushing Academy, I have been
looking to lessen the cultural differences here. I am president of the International
Club, which is composed of all international students. I have organized many events such
as an International Day which introduced many different cultures and civilizations. It
was very successful because many people wanted to share their experiences and cultures;
they helped me with the event. One day in the future, I would like to take my study of
international cultures one step further by studying political, economic, and social
aspects of different traditions. I hope everybody will live together and work for a
peaceful and comfortable world.
"Do you want to go to Space Camp this summer?" This one little conversation between my
mother and me changed my whole life. Space Camp gave me the opportunity to make American
friends, to study in the United States, and to make a decision about my goals. As a
result, I am very thankful to my parents, especially my mother, for suggesting it.
Although it was only one week long, it affected me profoundly. It opened the way for me
to learn new things in America. As my mother could not realize her dream when she was
young, I will do my best to achieve it for both of us.
|