My Life in the USA
By Mari Sato
|
|
Alice in Wonderland is one of the best-known children stories in the world. One day, Alice goes into Wonderland through a hole, in which everything is upside-down. She was surprised, excited, and also frustrated. Sometimes, I feel that I’m living in my own ‘wonderland’ now.
It has been eight months since I arrived at Michigan State University (MSU) as an exchange student from the Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA). TUA provides opportunities to study in other countries universities. I chose to study at MSU because I wanted to improve my English communication skills and MSU is famous for its agricultural education. My biggest motivation was to expand my horizons by experiencing a different culture.
I was nervous before I came here because I had never lived alone, and didn’t have any friends at MSU. It was difficult leaving my home but after a long fourteen hour flight, I arrived safely at the Lansing Airport. My Academic Advisor, Joe-sensei, and Jerry-san picked me up from the airport and took me to my dormitory, McDonel Hall. This was the beginning of my student life in the United States!
McDonel Hall, Michigan State University
The first event I attended was the International Student Orientation. The faculty and staff explained how to succeed at Michigan State University, however, I had a difficult time understanding the language. Needless to say, this experience was quite frustrating and afterwards I felt strongly that I had to become more proficient in English. I was very much looking forward to having a roommate at MSU as living alone is lonely and boring. I waited for my roommate to arrive for three weeks, but she never appeared. Finally, I decided to move to another room so that I could have a roommate.
English Language Center class, Michigan State University
My English Language Center (ELC) classes soon began, and I began adapting to my new environment. Then a month into the semester I became ill with a high fever and went to Olin Health Center. Because of my limited English skills I was unable to explain my problem to the doctor, and did not understand the medical vocabulary. I was sent home but awoke in the middle of the night with nausea and extreme stomach pain. I asked a friend to take me to the emergency room. I thought a doctor would treat me immediately, but we had to wait for eleven hours since there were many critically ill patients. I then realized that American emergency rooms are not always “emergency”. Fortunately, I had insurance, so I did not have to pay the $1000 medical bill. This was a terrible experience, but also a good lesson: it is extremely important for me to be able to communicate effectively in order to survive here.
Through the fall and spring semesters, my English improved dramatically. I had studied English grammar and vocabulary from middle to high school, but did not have many opportunities to speak the language and I soon forgot. In contrast, I cannot live without English here.
ELC class was interesting; I especially liked to read novels. Last semester I read two; The Giver and The Outsiders for my class which helped me learn more of the spoken language and about American culture. The other skill I acquired was writing academic essays. Although this is considered a basic skill at US universities, it was not emphasized in Japanese education and I found that it to be quite useful.
ELC also promotes the understanding of American society and culture through extracurricular activities. On Martin Luther King Day, we had the opportunity to learn about discrimination and American society. Before I came to MSU I had never spoken with people of other races or those who do not speak Japanese, so I had not thought about racial and cultural issues very seriously. However, I have come to learn that there are still problems with race relations in this country.
English Language Center class, Michigan State University
Another activity was a storytelling project where we went to a local high school to tell some of our countries’ folktales. I thought American students would make fun of my English, but most of them enjoyed our stories and it was a good experience to converse with American teenagers.
I’ve experienced a lot outside of the classroom as well. An American friend invited me to dinner for all the major holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I was especially impressed with Christmas. I received lot of gifts from her family placed under a fir tree. 
At Halloween, I carved pumpkins with friends for the first time, which was really fun. Through these experiences, I was introduced to the American traditions during the holiday seasons.
I have traveled to two states so far and have been to Chicago twice; the first time was with my friend, and the other was with my family visiting from Japan. When my mother and sister came to visit, I had to manage the travel myself since they cannot speak English and this gave me more confidence in my English ability.
In Chicago there are many museums, one of which is The Museum of Science & Industry. My second major in is in the field of museums, so I was excited to visit an American museum. There were a lot of exhibits that were divided by variety categories. American museums tend to be more focused on entertainment than those in Japan.
During spring vacation, I went to Florida, Disney World. I was tired of Michigan’s cold winter and so really enjoyed Florida’s warm weather. I would like to travel around to as many as states as possible during the three months I have left here.
Mari Sato and Joe Cousins, TUA Exchange Program Coordinator, upon her finishing her program
Whenever I had a problem or was frustrated by culture shock, my adviser, teachers, boyfriend, classmates and friends all helped me along. I am so thankful to everyone, especially my family, who were supportive of me during my stay at MSU and in the US. This has been a very valuable period in my life and I would like to experience as much as possible in this ‘wonderland’, and enjoy life as Alice did. -Mari Sato
Mari and friends, East Lansing, Michigan
