Hello,

My name is Nina Møller and i am one of the counselors for this year’s World Campus Japan program. I come from the land of fairy tales – Denmark. I’m currently living in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. I also study at the University of Copenhagen and am finishing my bachelors degree in Japanese.

In Denmark, Japan is a very exotic country and a lot of people love Japanese food, history and sports. But that’s not what caught my attention; I have always loved to study advanced language and when I heard Japanese for the first time, I just fell in love with it. I therefore decided to study Japanese, and after 2 years of practice, I travelled to Japan for the first time with World Campus International, Inc. in the summer of 2011.

I had heard a lot about Japan from my classmates; they all said that Japan was unlike any other country and that it was amazingly different- in a good way. It all sounded very good but I didn’t have high expectations since I hadn’t been there before. I could never have guessed that this trip would change my life forever.

I had never travelled alone before, so travelling all the way to Japan -on my own, was something that I needed to overcome. I had also never had a long conversation with a Japanese person, so it occurred to me; what if they couldn’t understand me? And when I suddenly arrived in Arao and met my host mother, I found out that she only spoke Japanese. Outgoing as I am, I normally say something to start the conversation. However because my Japanese vocabulary was kind of limited, and since “steering wheel” wasn’t exactly a part of my vocabulary, I didn’t know how to tell her that in Denmark, the steering wheel is normally in the left side of the car. So how could I explain what I meant with my incomprehensible babble? I ended up doing what most of you will probably try using one day; body language. And it was the perfect way for her to understand and she quickly responded with a “really?” In Japanese. This was a situation I was very proud of and I will always recommend you guys to use it, whether or not you know Japanese.

In Japan I had amazing host families, I made friends for life, and I met my current Norwegian boyfriend Ola. As I said before- it really changed everything for me.

My wish for this program is to be able to show you guys all the amazing things Japan and World Campus International has to offer. I want to teach you how to get all the little details to remember the wonderful places you’re going to visit. I want this trip to be as wonderful for you as it has been for me.

I can’t wait to meet all of you guys this summer and get to know you.

また ね(Japanese for see you soon)

Nina Møller (Denmark)

Hey there everyone!

My name is Daniel van Delft, but you may call me Dan. I come from a small village in the south of the Netherlands, famous for it’s high quality and delicious beer. When I was deemed old and wise enough to attend university, I traded my peaceful village for the lively city of Leiden, in the west of the Netherlands. This is where I started studying Japanese. And now, I’m in my third year of university and getting ready to be a program counselor for World Campus – Japan (WCJ) this summer!

Up until two months before my graduation from highschool, I always wanted to become a physicist or a chemist, but math wasn’t exactly my strongest point and I realised I should probably strive for something more realistic. I had this minor interest in Japan, which started to become more prominent after talking to some friends, who showed me the country’s pop-culture. So even though I was never particularly good at learning languages, I (quite impulsively) decided to give “Japanstudies” a try. Boy, did I make the right choice! Like I said before, I’m in my third year now and I’m having a blast! I like Japan’s pop-culture, but I’m also drawn to it’s old traditions. During my freshman year I have also grown to love the Japanese language. I’m very interested in kanji in particular, because they are what makes Japanese so different from any Western language. Another aspect of Japan that I appreciate a lot, is something that I experienced with WCJ, namely the Japanese people. The host families, but also the people that I met on the street by chance were so hospitable and eager to help out a weird foreigner like myself. Also, their mentality in dealing with others and their sense of community is something that, I think, many people in my country would benefit from, if they took it as an example.

As a rather shy freshman, I decided to go to a WCJ presentation and I got interested pretty much right away. I acted on this interest and that summer I went to Japan for the first time. I guess one can imagine that I was quite happy being in the country that I had been studying for a year and that amazed me to no ends. But this happiness and what was supposed to be a great experience turned out to be even better. The things that I have done, seen, tasted, heard, smelled and felt during those 2 months were indescribable. Due to a series of events, the group that I was traveling with at the time got so close, it was like being in a family. This also made all the activities that we were involved in together even more memorable. Besides all the frst hand experiences, I also learned a lot about myself during the program. This might sound strange, but I got a lot more confident by just traveling with WCJ. I suppose this was because as a participant I really had to step out of the infamous “comfort zone”, by staying with strange people, eating strange things and performing in front of an audience. Also in this perspective, WCJ is a great program, so depending on how much you’re willing to try things and “Go for it!”, you’ll be able to get much more out of your Japan experience than just an (already) awesome tour. I haven’t discussed the individual activities, the amazing Japanese people or the satisfaction of the arigatou event, yet, but I’ll leave that for you to experience yourself. Besides, this post would take hours to read if I were to write it all down. You’re always welcome to talk to me personally though!

Anyway, because of the incredible impact WCJ had on me, I decided to go to Japan again with said program. However this time I went as a program counselor and, again, the time I spent in Japan was something I will never forget. And well, here I am again! I’m ready to create another amazing summer with every one of you! As a counselor my goal is to be someone you can depend on, so if there’s anything you need, you’re welcome to ask me. I also like to think I’m a good listener, so if you just feel like talking to someone I’d like to be there for you. Don’t hesitate to approach me!

I can’t wait to meet you all and I hope you’re as psyched as I am about our upcoming adventures!

Daniel van Delft (The Netherlands)

Hello!

My name is Ola, and I’ll be working as a counsellor for World Campus International, Inc. this summer. I come from Norway, but I’m currently living in Denmark studying psychology.

I travelled with WCI during the summer two years ago. I had been to Japan once before to visit my brother, so I thought I knew what I could expect from the programme. I decided to participate with 3 of my classmates from the Japanese class I was taking at the time. We had all agreed that it sounded interesting, with being a part of the local communities and such, and we were all very excited. When we finally arrived in Arao that summer, I had no idea about what I was about to experience. You could say that I was blown away, though that might be an understatement. Everything surpassed my expectations. Everything from the other participants to the staff and host families was far beyond what I had imagined.

Let me just say that I’m quite introverted; I usually don’t talk much with someone I’ve never met before, since I don’t see myself as being incredibly interesting or I don’t really know what to talk about. I like to be alone at times as well, so I can relax a little by myself. As a result I was quiet in the beginning, I didn’t say much to anyone beyond my classmates. Then things started to change. Already on the second or third day, our group had started to grow closer to each other. I came to know the entire group better and better, until I saw them all as my friends. Truth be told, I met my current girlfriend Nina, that summer. I got to know my host family better and better, and I was a bit disheartened when we left for the next city, since I felt that I hadn’t been there long enough. And I don’t usually bond with people that quickly. It might be hard to leave one host family, but you’ll be able to stay in touch if you want to. And you will meet other host families you’ll become fond of. You’ll experience a lot, but you’ll experience it with friends. And believe me when I say that you’ll laugh a lot.

What I’m trying to say is that even if you have difficulties getting close to others, even if you prefer to be alone, you will most likely grow to enjoy the company of your host families and your fellow participants. You will become a part of a tight-knitted group of people, a part of several Japanese families and local communities, and a part of the ever growing World Campus Japan community. You will gain friends from all over the world. You will learn, and you will grow. You will learn about Japanese culture, about other people, about yourself and, as a result, grow as a person.

My fellow counsellors and I will be there to guide you, and help you if there is a need for it. We’ll help you get the most out of your stay, we’ll be there when you’re having a great time, and we’ll be there if you’re down.

And as Marjike says further down on the page: try everything. You won’t regret it. Trust me.

Looking forward to seeing you in Japan!

Ola Johannessen (Norway)

I’m Maki Honda from Japan and I’ll be one of the counselors for this summer. This is my second year to travel with World Campus-Japan program. I’ll be working for logistics and guiding you as the interpreter during the program. I hope you will have great experiences while you stay here in Japan, so please don’t hesitate to talk to me when you need some help.

I’m from Kumamoto city, and I’ve spent most of my life in there. I graduated from a university in Kumamoto city then I started working at the local radio station. I enjoyed working with creative people and learned a lot of things from my first job. After three years of working at the station, I joined the whole tour of World Campus-Japan program as one of the Japanese staff member. Traveling around with the international group of people, staying with the host families, and learning about their cultures and themselves…all of my experiences with World Campus International, Inc. gave me a great opportunity to rediscover my own cultures and helped me to be a grovel citizen.

Welcome to Japan! I’m so excited to receiving all of you and have this amazing adventure together!

Maki Honda (Japan)

Hi, my name is Marijke, and I’ll be one of the counselors for this year’s World Campus Japan program. I live in Leiden, a rather small city wedged between Amsterdam and The Hague. I was born and raised in Groningen, in the north of The Netherlands.

When I joined the World Campus Japan program last year, it was the first time I had ever been to Japan. I sort of knew what I was getting into; I studied Japan Studies for a year, so in theory, I knew the Japanese culture. I joined the second and third sessions, so I arrived in Fukuoka. Everything was different; the money had holes in them, cables ran through the sky (in Holland, everything is underground), and bicyclists rode on the sidewalks. But, when I got lost, I also discovered the kind nature of random Japanese people. They stopped me, and helped me, without me even asking. And in their best English (which doesn’t mean a lot, but they tried).

The two sessions were the most awesome time I’ve ever had. We did the most amazing activities, like a tea ceremony, karaoke, and zen meditation. My all-time favorite experiences were the Host-family days. I’ve had five families in total, and had four Host-family days. Your Host-family will try to move heaven and earth to make this a special day, for you, but also for themselves. I went to a studio park, had a bbq with family friends alongside a river, and shopping. Just shopping with my family was the best bonding experience of all. You get to show them what you like and you get to see what they like. Your time with the different families is pretty short, and leaving them will be really hard (and I am the worst at it; I cry my eyes out every time), but it’s those small things that make you close to these kind people who take you into their homes voluntarily.

I look really forward to being a counselor this year. Last year’s counselors really helped me to not only experience everything, but really think about it, so I still remember a lot of it now. If you just live through it, you’ll forget so much, because the program moves so quickly, and one impression will be followed by three more, all even more impressive. It’s a good thing to sometimes stand still and think about what you just did, see, and hear. And what it did to you. And I’ll be honest; there will be things that will push your comfort zone, or that aren’t as fun as the others. We’ll be there to help you through these situations, and hopefully make you complete the program with a satisfied feeling.

My advice to you would be just to try everything. Go to a public onsen (hot spring), have dinner in a more obscure restaurant, amongst Japanese businessmen who just finished working, and learn the other participants and your families about your country and its habits. After this program, you’ll have new friends, both from all over the world, but also people from your own country. And even though these people may look all different, and seem to be as far apart as types come; the fact that you all joined this program means you have at least that in common. So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t think you don’t belong in the group. You’ll get a chance to introduce yourself, be yourself and have the best time of your life with people you didn’t know they existed just a week earlier.

Let’s make this a summer that you’ll remember for a very, very long time.

Marijke Langevoort (The Netherlands)