Submitted by Carolyn Boyser on the 2012 summer session program in Kobe, Japan sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
The end our trip has come upon us, and we spent our last week in Japan cramming in all the last minute wants. We revisited some areas we loved, such as Osaka, and Sannomiya, which is a very interesting shopping district only two train stops away from us. We also spent a lot of time with our language partners before we had to say good-bye to them on Friday at the farewell party they threw for us at Shoin University. We made them a special American breakfast-for-dinner party one night, and they thanked us for that by making us Omurice (a delicious omelette filled with flavored rice) one night a few days later. We have all learned so many things on this trip, about the people, about the culture, and about ourselves. Yes, we learned textbook grammar and things in classes too, but I maintain that we learned far more outside of the classroom than in it during this experience. I loved Japan and all of the friends I made here, and I didn’t want to come home. But alas all good things do come to an end, and I had to say goodbye to everyone and everything. But that doesn’t mean I can’t come back someday, and I certainly intend to do so!