I greatly appreciated the cultural outings.
Which events or activities did you find the most satisfying and why?
I was part of the 新聞 (newspaper) club while at KCP. I thought it was a fun, collaborative environment. Even though I was only a level 1 student, I was able to write an article for the newspaper. I also enjoyed participating in the tea ceremony with my class; although I would have loved to join the tea ceremony club, as a level 1 student, I was not qualified yet. I signed up for a free calligraphy class, which was very interesting. I learned a lot, and plan to continue practicing my kana brush writing. I also greatly appreciated the cultural outings. For the summer short-term program, we went on a day-trip to Yamanashi Prefecture, which was a highlight of my trip. We got to see Mt. Fuji, a traditional replica village, a peach farm, and a temple. Later on, I was also able to visit Asakusa through KCP, and learn about the rich history and culture it brings to Tokyo. My favorite parts about my trip were learning about Japan's culture and how it brings together its old and new aspects.
What activities or materials did you find most helpful (e.g., pair work, drill practice, tests, small group sessions, textbooks, games)?
I thought pair work and games were the most useful to me. The pair work was helpful with conversation practice, while the games during group sessions were good for learning vocabulary and spelling. I also thought that the group oral exam (where groups of four wrote a skit and acted it out) was very useful as we got to put together everything we had learned and practice actually using it in a specific context.
Any further thoughts or tips for those considering the program or new KCP students?
I would recommend getting to know students from countries other than your own. Because I was staying in a dorm with many other American students, it was easy for me to just stick with them. I had to make an effort to get to know some of my classmates from other countries (China, Korea, Taiwan), but I was so glad that I did. Not only do I have friends I will keep in contact with as we continue to study Japanese separately, but because we didn't all speak the same language, we had to put what we had already learned to good use.
