Hi. My name is Kaichi U. from Japan. Now I have been here for more than half a year though I really don’t feel so. Through the experience in a totally different world, I’ve not only got my viewpoint extended so much but also made amazing memories. Let me explain some of them in here.
On the airplane, while I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak in my mother language and the accidents I would encounter, I was excited about the biggest adventure in my life. As expected, at the beginning, everything was fresh and different from the world I knew, such as architecture, the appearance of people, and not to mention the language. I feel as if I were in a medieval world when I visit Prague every time, even now. By the way, I love Czech domestic cakes, let’s say bábovka, which have a unique shape and a great mild taste. On the other hand, to be honest, it took some time for me to get used to oily and heavy Czech cuisine: fried meals, huge amounts of potatoes, and no vegetables though smažený sýr is already one of my favourites 🙂
To reflect on the whole experience, I realized that the most significant differences and valuable discoveries are always hidden in invisible parts of life. In my point of view, that is why this experience is a precious opportunity for us since we cannot get such information from other sources such as the internet. In spending time with Czech people, I found out that Czech lazy characteristics eventually lead them to have great creativity which has yielded revolutionary inventions historically: contact lenses, microwaves, and so on. Besides, probably you will notice how conservative you used to be. I didn’t know that generally people don’t notice my thoughts unless I claim and empathize with my opinions because in my country, Japan, people tend not to talk with people and read between the lines as much as possible so they can get to know what people are thinking without conversation because of their shyness. It seems quite common and everyone knows, but I hadn’t noticed until my host mother pointed it out. Although the discovery might be different depending on who you are, you would realize that you have unconsciously accepted a „stereotype“ as common sense.
At the same time, it is a pretty good chance to recognize and confront your shortcomings. I found not only technical problems like language skills but also bad habits and characteristics. For example, I used to postpone many tasks to look away from them, therefore I made many people confused, in particular my host mother. I could mention previous bad behaviors nearly unlimitedly here if you wanted. In any case, our growth starts to accept our mistakes or bad habits and try to improve. As there isn’t your family from your country during this program, no one can spoil you and only you can change yourself. In other words, you would be truly independent, responsible and have to revise your mistakes on your own. Of course, I’m still trying and it is not easy. However, certainly, this effort will help you somehow in the future after this program when you are in a tough situation.
I am really thankful to be here thanks to many supporters. Czechia is already my second homeland. I am sure that I got a lot of irreplaceable treasures and will be able to overcome difficulties in the future with lessons from this Czech life. I will absolutely miss the beautiful abundant nature, the unforgettably delicious taste of Czech sweets, and the funny, but creative people. I keep my finger crossed so you would enjoy this wonderful adventure as well.