The following reflection was written by Ayane Wakabayashi, a recent recipient of JICUF’s Study Abroad Scholarship. Ayane is an undergraduate student at ICU majoring in linguistics. 

“My Wonderful Journey in the UK”


Beautiful UEA campus! It looks a bit like ICU campus.

Introduction

I joined ICU’s exchange programme in 2023-24, and studied at the University of East Anglia (UEA), which is located in Norwich, UK, for about nine months. It was an unexpected situation because before I entered ICU I promised my parents that I would never study abroad. I didn’t want to burden them financially. In addition, I didn’t think I needed to study abroad at all.

However, my views changed after I entered ICU. I eventually persuaded my parents that I really wanted to study abroad in order to explore sociolinguistics/applied linguistics outside Japan. Sociolinguistics was such a fascinating field of study that it made me feel this way. Since I had never been abroad, never flown, and never left Japan’s main island (I had never even been to Hokkaido or Okinawa) until then, this exchange programme was the biggest challenge of my life. In order to pass the exchange programme application and study abroad, I decided to postpone my graduation, took a leave of absence, improved my English skills, and worked almost every day to earn money. Having achieved my goal and returned from the UK, I am now delighted to share my wonderful experience with you.

The desk in my room. There are lots of memories in this room. I prayed before I left that the person who will live in this room next year will enjoy his/her life.

Journey of Study

I primarily studied linguistics at UEA to explore how people used their language in society. The course on British Sign Language (BSL) was particularly interesting. It was not easy to learn sign language in a foreign language. However, it was a good opportunity to take the course because when I thought about “language,” I always only considered spoken language at ICU. The professor said “Please remember that for the deaf people, their first language (language of the heart) is BSL (British Sign Language) and English is their second language. ” and “Just learning a language (learning vocabulary and grammar) is sometimes not enough to communicate. We should also learn about the culture and what is acceptable or not in that culture.” By learning grammar, vocabulary, history, and manners, I could widen the concept of language and consider how people use language from different perspectives.

The hardest thing about studying outside of Japan was that I tended to equate language skills and intelligence. I thought those who could speak English fluently had higher intelligence; therefore, all the people around me seemed much smarter than me. And I was so frustrated when I could not express what I wanted to say in class. Every time I felt frustrated, I wrote and analyzed my feelings, why I felt that way, and what I could do in the future in my diary. Although my English did not improve dramatically in nine months, I overcame my frustration and learned how to express myself with a limited vocabulary.

Journey in Christianity

One of the biggest changes during my stay in the UK was that I started my journey in Christianity. Some people encouraged me to join Bible study and to visit church in Norwich, but I didn’t have the courage to do so. However, there were several turning points. The first invitation to Christianity was in Amsterdam. In February, I visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Even though there were many works by Van Gogh, the one titled “Still Life with Bible” caught my eye.

I thought I should read the Bible as soon as possible because it seemed to have the power and to convey some message to me. The week after I returned from Amsterdam, I joined Bible study for the first time. Furthermore, I joined an event held at the university in March (similar to ICU’s C-week), Sunday service, Alpha course, and life group. I also got the English Bible to learn more about Christianity.

During my journey in Christianity, I met wonderful friends and church families. The messages they wrote to me in the Bible before I left the UK are a treasure. I thought faith had nothing to do with me before, but I realized that God knows me, cares for me, and guides me in the right direction. I decided to keep exploring the Bible and enjoying the journey in Christianity.

My wonderful flatmates and I celebrated each other’s birthdays. (Ayane is in the center of photo on the left, and front left in the photo on the right.)

Conclusion

In this age of the internet, it is easy to know the unknown. The internet can quickly tell us what we do not know, and we can learn about a place without visiting it in person. But I chose to leave Japan and live in an unknown place. Traveling is opening oneself up and accepting unpredictable change. By jumping out of my comfort zone, I realized that I did not have to try to control everything in my life to make my days go well. I also learned that God placed me where I was meant to be. My study abroad experience was shaped by all the people whom I met in the UK, and they made my time in Norwich wonderful. I am grateful that I was placed in UEA for my study abroad. Although my exchange program is over, as a next step, I will share what I learned with people around me, so in that sense, my study abroad will continue to impact me forever.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who supported my study abroad through the scholarship. Without this scholarship, I would not have been able to participate in the exchange programme. In the near future, I would like to support students who would like to study abroad. And I hope I can share my experience in the UK with you in person next time.

My favorite place in Norwich, “The Plantation Garden”