Yuka from Japan, June 2019

Three years of staying and studying in Canada was a significant experience for me and it helped me to grow a lot.

Comments

Three years of staying and studying in Canada was a significant experience for me and it helped me to grow a lot. I had many new experiences and accomplished many things of which I am proud of. I am grateful for the having had the opportunity to be part of the international program, and feel that it will continue to benefit me in the future. I had many opportunities to try new things that I had not experienced in Japan before. For example, I was able to experience living in a Canadian style. Living with a Canadian family for three years taught me to be more independent. When I was in Japan, my mother did everything for me and my family. She woke me up every morning with my breakfast ready, and cleaned our house including everyone's bedrooms. Being part of a Canadian family meant I had to adjust to doing household chores. I wake myself up in the morning, clean my room, help clean the dishes after meals. I think I became more mature.

Also, I volunteered for the first time as I did not have many volunteer opportunities in Japan. I was influenced when I came here and saw many friends volunteering. Once I did volunteering, I got to know that serving others is rewarding because I feel that what I am doing is of value and could enhance someone’s life.

I really enjoyed studying in Mouat. As an English Language Learner, I did not do well in English classes compared to other subjects like Science and Math in which I got really high grades. For Pre-calculus 11, I was able to enroll in the honor’s class. I enjoyed this class with my like-minded classmates who were strong in math and who I could compete with. Even with some bonus, high level questions in this class, I still managed to keep my grade in the high 90 percent range. The teacher sometimes gave us assignments that were more like brainteasers, or riddles, which normal math classes never get. This stretched my thinking. This class was well worth it and it made me like math more than I did before. It led me to continue taking, and learning Calculus. After graduation from Mouat Secondary, I plan to go to university in Japan. Most of the universities have not started their applications yet, so I still do not know which university I could enroll to. But I would like to continue studying to further develop my English skills that I gained from three years of studying abroad. At the same time, I would like to pursue my interests in computer programming and drafting which I began to be interested in after I took those courses in Mouat. I believe that living and studying abroad has given me perspective and values which I would like to share with other students in Japan in an academic learning environment.

Post-secondary plans

I plan to apply for: University of Tsukuba (International Social Studies) International Christian University Kwansei Gakuin University (Policy Studies) Yokohama City University (Faculty of Liberal Arts and International Studies) All the universities are in Japan and most of the universities' applications will start in June or August. After the post-secondary, I intend to work internationally. I envision myself using my English skills as well as skill that I can see things from different perspectives which I gained from my experience of three years studying abroad in Canada. I would like to help connect Japan with the world.

Activites

August 2016 Volunteered at BC Summer Game (catering)
June 2017 Volunteered at International Year End Party (running games)
May 2017 Volunteered at Barrowtown (running games)
September 2018-Current Member of Key Club at W.J. Mouat Secondary (fundraising Event in school, volunteering at Food Bank, tulip festival)
November 2018 Helped out Mouat leadership when they were welcoming and giving a tour to group of students from Japan