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)

I think back on my World Campus International trip on a regular basis, and each time feels like a dream. It’s hard to believe all those adventures actually happened. Swimming in rivers, doing meditation techniques, seeing Tokyo to its fullest extent, and so much more. Ever since I was in middle school I wanted to go to Japan, and now that I’ve gone there I can’t think of any other way of going other than WCI.

While waiting to board the plane to Japan, I can honestly say this program was not what I was anticipating in any way. I was expecting to meet students who were also interested in Japan and to explore the language and culture and get immersed, but what happened was about a million times better. From my 2 sessions there I made some of the best friends on this earth and shared some really intense experiences. We formed bonds through hardships, laughter, and adventure, and I will never forget it or any of them. The easiest way to describe it is each day we get to go some place or do something amazing, all the while in the midst of friends who are all laughing and having the best time of their lives. All of this happening while learning Japanese, getting to know the culture, and the every day lives of the citizens there.

Going to Japan was a life changing experience for me and I will never forget it or the friends I made from different countries, or the connections of the families I lived with and became part of. Thank you World Campus International, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Morgan McCulloch (U.S.A)