Milena Naitoh: What was your goal when applying for the Peace Bell Scholarship to study at ICU for 4 years?

Nolan Bunes: My main goal when applying was to lessen the financial burden on my parents and on myself with going to school in another country. In fact, without the Peace Bell Scholarship I don’t think I would have been able to study at ICU in the first place.

MN: What made you choose ICU?

NB: I chose ICU because I had a strong desire to become fluent in Japanese and experience everyday life in Japan, ever since I started taking Japanese in high school. In addition, every year, admissions recruiters from ICU would come to my Japanese class and speak about ICU and answer any questions I had. This not only gave me more scope into the kind of bilingual education that ICU offers, but also dissolved many fears my parents and I had about the possible difficulties of studying abroad. Out of all the international universities in Japan, I would say that ICU is the best at accommodating for foreign students wanting to come and study there.

MN: What made you decide you wanted to study for all four years, as opposed to one year, abroad?

NB: As mentioned before, I was very motivated to learn Japanese so I figured that the best way to learn it would be to stay for a full four years instead of just one. Also, I felt that it would be a good transition into working in Japan, which was another one of my goals from the start.

MN: Had you been to Japan before attending ICU?

NB: Yes. I visited a small city called Toyouka-shi (豊岡市) in Hyogo prefecture the summer of 2011 before I entered ICU. The March before I had participated in my state’s Japanese speech contest and won first place and thus was awarded a week-long trip there.

MN: What was the transition to life in Japan like for you? What was the hardest part of it?

NB:The transition for me has been very varied. In the beginning I would say that I had a hard time getting used to living in a different country without my parents. Since I had to depend on myself for getting and/or cooking meals, the first few months I had lost about 10kg and was practically skin and bones. Needless to say, I have learned since then.

However, I have to say the hardest part about transitioning to life in Japan was the language barrier. In my first year, there were many times when I could have gotten things done more efficiently and faster had I known how to communicate properly and clearly in Japanese. The most frustrating part was having to wait to pick up the language and burden people with my not so good language skills.

MN: What are you studying at ICU?

NB: Currently I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Media, Communication, and Culture (MCC).

MN: Are there any requirements for your Peace Bell Scholarship after you received it?

NB: I am required to send out my grade report as well as a short summary of how my studies and extracurricular activities are doing every semester. Also, I am asked annually to write a page long report to my teacher who wrote me a letter of recommendation for the scholarship.

MN: What extracurricular activities at ICU have you participated in?

NB: Wadaiko (Japanese drumming), Sumposium (LGBTQ club), and the Spanish Speaking Society.

MN: What are some of the things you like the most about living in Japan, and are there any downsides to it?

NB: Some of the things I like are the politeness and modesty of people here, being able to use the language everyday, and the overall safety of the country. One downside is that a lot of people are afraid to speak out and share their ideas. While I understand that, culturally, people are less willing to express their opinions in order to keep the 和 (“harmony”), I find it sad when people are so silenced to the extent that creativity and innovation can’t flourish.

MN: What are some of your interests that you hope to apply your experiences at ICU to pursue in the future?

NB: I have a big interest in music and recently have been wanting to start up piano again. I’m not planning to get a career in music, but possibly it could open some doors for me in the future if I continue with it.

MN: Do you plan on living in Japan after graduation?

NB: Yes, hopefully. I plan on furthering my studies by going to graduate school to become a teacher or attending a translation school to become an interpreter.

MN: What have you gained from your time at ICU?

NB: I have gained a realization that people and relationships matter more than individualistic desires. I came to Japan wanting to get better at the language and visit the country for my own personal gain and interests, but what I have come to realize from my study at ICU through Psychology classes and everyday life experiences is quite the opposite. The A grade I get in a class weighs far less in comparison to the consolation I get from a dorm-mate in a time of need.

MN: How has your experience in Japan shaped your life, overall?

NB: It has shaped my life by teaching me to be patient and understanding when interacting with others. For instance, I cannot begin to count the number of times in conversation I have thought a Japanese person meant something one way, but it turned out that they meant something completely different. Through experiences like those and more, I now try to keep a critical eye out for misunderstandings led by my own lack of cultural knowledge and attentiveness.

MN: Would you have done anything differently since starting school at ICU?

NB: Although it sounds a little cliché, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I think that there’s value in bravely going head-first into something and being willing to fail and make mistakes. You can’t begin to succeed if you don’t get comfortable with failure.