Hi everyone, my name is Momo and I am a freshman in ICU, Tokyo, Japan since this April! Today I am going to share my experiences and thoughts I had during the first term from April to the end of June with you.
So Much to Do, with No Time!
After the entrance ceremony, my life became a random mix of exhaustion and fun. Opportunities to meet new people, things, and lifestyle have been packed in my life, and I barely could follow all of them. I started working this spring, and I had so much to do while making myself getting used to my new routine. Now that I finally have time to breathe, April was such a tough month. I caught two minor colds and needed to skip some classes. May was also a mess because many club and circle activities started and I was assigned to them. Meanwhile, however, I also had so many opportunities to get to know others and start to build a profound relationship with them! Looking at the packed schedule, I always hated myself and tried to fix it many times. But now I know that it was my choice and my responsibility. Immediately after I realized it, I came to acknowledge myself and I finally felt more at ease with my schedule. It took a little while for me to get used to the new life with new people, but it was definitely worth it.
New meeting and good-byes
I am so blessed to have met so many wonderful people this term. Some of them are now my warm-hearted supporters, and some of them always make me smile with their unique ideas and humor. When I was in my high school, I hadn’t experienced class changes and different groups or separated from my best friends. At first, this background was enough to make me fear university life filled with broad relationships and so many people from varieties of backgrounds. My friends at ICU brightened my days, however. My friends, they are bright, interesting, humorous, intelligent and warm-hearted. Moreover, along my paths, I came to know a lot of OTR students, who are going back home after three months. I even formed a band with them and very much enjoyed practicing and performing together. I had dinner and went to cafes with them, and both are very relaxing and fun! Now I need to say good-bye to all my OTR and OYR friends, which is so sad. I just sincerely hope they’ll have an amazing time with their homies back home, and I am going to miss them so much! Hopefully, we will see each other again someday somewhere.
Another good-bye was for my grandfather. He unfortunately passed away at the end of the term, but there is one thing I want to tell my grandfather. That I respect him so much and have learned a lot from him and am still learning, and I want to be a person like him! My grandmother always told me about her husband’s amazing features, endless kindness, and strong patience. His kindness and words of wisdom I received are never forgotten, and I love my grandfather.
Experiencing a lot of new meetings and some good-byes, I came to feel like I learned a lot from both. The beauty of meetings and relationships healed my tough days, and I am truly grateful for everything I have today. Now I know the mind of someone who cares about people far away from them. Saying goodbye hurt me a lot, but at the same time, taught me a lot and helped me grow.
After the first three months, I am grateful for what I enjoy today. I am already too excited for my next term and all the activities. I hope everyone had a precious term. Thank you for reading, and see you next month:)