Yuki Nakao is an ICU student spending her junior year studying abroad at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also one of four students to receive the JICUF’s Study Abroad Scholarship, which was inaugurated this year.

This is part one in a four part series highlighting the Study Abroad Scholarship recipients. The scholarship is intended to support ICU students studying abroad in North America and was awarded to four students who are respectively spending one year at Rutgers University, The State University of NY, University of California, Berkley and the University of Pennsylvania.

JICUF: Thank you for doing this interview, Yuki. I am sure that the many ICU alumni and friends that supported this scholarship are excited to learn more about you! Let’s start with a little background on your interests and studies.

Yuki: Thank you! At ICU, my major is in International Relations and my minor is undeclared, but my interests are religious studies and philosophy.

At University of Pennsylvania, I decided to focus more on the study of Middle East from both socio-political and cultural perspectives. I am taking courses like Islam in the Modern World, Foreign Policy in the Middle East and Introduction to the Koran.

This semester I will be taking a course called The Causes of War and Peace and a class on Oil and Grand Strategy.

JICUF: Wow, those are very topical. Can you tell me more about how your interests developed?

Yuki: Last March, I went to Israel and Palestine through a program hosted by the nonprofit Helping Children in Holy Land. The nonprofit focuses primarily on fundraising for children in Israel and Palestine.

In recent years, however, they have sent Japanese students to both Israel and Palestine on organized study tours and have sent Israeli/Palestinians to volunteer in Tohoku. The purpose is to learn the history and background of the politics and to think personally of how we can construct peace.

Until I went on this program, the Middle East was really far away to me. It was just something in the news, but this program turned it into a personal and academic interest.

JICUF: I completely understand.

Yuki: Another thing, I identify as Christian and I think I am “religious”. I go to church every weekend and also attend bible study. Visiting Israel and Palestine sparked something in me and I wanted to learn more about the clash between Christianity and Islam that everyone talks about.

To me personally, I don’t think the doctrine/values of Christianity and Islam are clashing. They share a lot of the same roots. However, the politics and history is very complicated.

JICUF: It certainly is complicated. Did you take part in this program through ICU?

Yuki: No, but some of my ICU friends who are studying abroad in the US right now at Georgetown (Yuki Kawano) and Edinburgh (Kazusa Ban) also took part in the study tour to Palestine and Israel one year before me and recommended it.

One of the most interesting parts of the study tour was our group discussion about peace. Basically, we learned how important it is to listen during conversation and to accept and respect differences. It sounds really simple for people to do on a personal level, but it is really difficult when it comes to nation states.

During the program, I was personally worried that Palestinian and Israeli students might fight during program, but it never happened. We all became friends and it reminded us that we are all the same when we forget about nationality – we are all equal and we all suffer.

JICUF: The sounds like a very powerful experience. Is that why you decided to Study Abroad?

Yuki: Well, that and I never really lived abroad before. I lived in Hong Kong the first 5 years of life because of my Dad’s work and then I lived in Japan ever since then. I really wanted to challenge myself and to see what it was like to live apart from family and my support system.

I also wanted to improve my English. My speaking and hearing is getting better, but writing is still hard. I’m still struggling.

JICUF: Can you tell me more about your experience at UPenn?

Yuki: Because I am interested in philosophy, I put a lot of importance on having conversations with many people with different values. As I mentioned, I never lived outside Japan so the diversity of cultures, opinions and thoughts I have been exposed to has been amazing. In Japan there are, of course, many different people, but nothing compares to diversity here!

Also, as I expected, Penn students are very diligent and bright. It is super challenging to try and keep up with everything. Studying abroad has really humbled me. I love it here though.

JICUF: Have you had a chance to get involved in extracurricular activities?

Yuki: At ICU I play a lead role in the Clumsy Chorus, but here I focus more on studies and I travel when I get the chance.

Over the fall semester and winter break I went to New York, Boston (for the career forum), Chicago, Los Angeles, Disneyland, Las Vegas, San Francisco. Over Spring break I will visit Mexico. I don’t travel nearly as much in Japan.

Other than that, I mostly study at UPenn. I never studied so much in Japan! Last semester was 3-4 hours of studying per day and during the finals I was stuck in library for 12 hours or more! This semester is even more intense. I find that I have to study 5-6 hours every day. I still read English really slowly so I have no choice.

On the upside, I found a really good church here. Ideally, I go every Sunday and we have community groups of 15 people that meet in addition to the weekly service. We do bible study, eat dinner together, watch movies, etc.

When I think about it, I’ve changed everything in my life since being abroad other than Christianity.

JICUF: Really! How so?

Yuki: My study habits, type of friends, all of that has changed, but my faith has stayed the same. Christianity has been the core of my life always and after I came here I reaffirmed it.

JICUF: Why do you think that is?

Yuki: I feel and depend on God much more here than when I was in Japan. There are more occasions that I feel insecure and weak.

Also, my home church is full of old people, which is nice and I love it, but here most members are college-age and at UPenn we share the same ideas about the present and future.

JICUF: What are your plans for the future?

Yuki: Actually, I am thinking of going to grad school in Japan! I eventually want to work in a Japanese Government ministry and be a diplomat. Before that, I want to study more about foreign affairs.

In the immediate future, my school year ends on May 12th and my mother and grandmother will come to visit and travel with me a little bit.

JICUF: That sounds like a great future plan! I have a couple more questions for you before we wrap up this interview. Please tell me how the Study Abroad scholarship has had an impact in your life.

Yuki: For one thing, I feel more of an obligation to study!

Seriously though,  I was funded by friends of ICU and people who graduated from ICU and I owe it to them to try my best. I really love ICU – all my friends love it – and I am really proud of being an ICU student. I will keep this pride even after graduation. This Study Abroad Scholarship reinforced a sense of belonging to the ICU community for life.

JICUF: Do you have any advice for students considering study abroad?

Yuki: It is hard to give advice because I am still in the middle of my year abroad, but I can tell you that I thought 10 months would be really long before I left Japan. In reality, the time has gone and is going so fast!

My advice is to encourage everyone to enjoy each day. Not just when they are on exchange, but ICU students should enjoy the whole college life experience.

I encourage people to appreciate what they have right now. I appreciate my friends and family so much more now that I am apart from them.  If students are still deciding whether to go or not, I really recommend they go!

There are some risks and it costs a lot of money, but what I gained here so far is – I can’t compare it to anything else – I would never have had this if I stayed in Japan and never came to UPenn.

I had a feeling of arrogance in Japan. My grades were good. I had good friends. I thought I could survive anywhere and then I came to the U.S. being so far from what you know crushes you! It makes you stronger though, both physically and emotionally.

JICUF: Wow! Thank you for sharing so much, Yuki. I know that the ICU community will enjoy reading about your experience.