Sophia Magazine vol.4 / WINTER 2016

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Ayaka Sakatahen I was in junior high school, I saw photos of historic remains in Mexico and became al-lured by archaeology. That was one of the reasons I desired to learn about the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries which led me to study the Span-ish language. Therefore I decided to participate in a summer school program at Javeriana University in Colombia. There in the mornings, I took a textbook-based lecture class. In the afternoons, my time was spent mostly outside the school to interview local students, and this enabled me to learn much about Colombian culture and people. Since I had only learned basic Spanish grammar at Sophia Univer-sity, at rst I had a little difculty communicating with locals, but I was able to improve my Spanish speak-ing ability in the course of my stay. At the lectures, not only Spanish language, but also political topics, such as anti-government organizations in Columbia, were discussed and I had to present my opinions. All these experiences helped me to gain condence and as result my Spanish improved. After returning to Sophia, I have begun my research on Spanish folklore as a part of my study in Spanish history class. Many ancient tales of Latin America have their roots in the people, spirituality, and lifestyles of Spain. The cultural fusion of Spain and Latin Amer-ica fascinates me greatly. I wish to return to Latin America to do further research on related subjects, including interviews with the elderly in order to dis-cover nearly forgotten ancient tales.W➣ DEPARTMENT: Department of Hispanic Studies, Faculty of Foreign Studies➣ YEAR: Senior➣ DESTINATION: Ponticia Universidad Javeriana ➣ LOCATION: Bogotá, Colombia➣ PERIOD: From August 13th to September 13th, 2016 LAP (Sophia-Nanzan Latin America Program), a student exchange program started in 2015, has established partnerships with 13 universities in six countries in Latin America. The program offers a variety of options such as short stays and study tours during spring and summer vacations, exchange program, and service learning for local Japanese communities. BACKGROUNDKazunori Hayashi➣ DEPARTMENT: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics➣ YEAR: Senior➣ DESTINATION: University of Shefeld ➣ LOCATION: Shefeld, UK➣ PERIOD: From September 2015 to June 2016 hen I was a child, I had several opportunities to visit foreign countries as our family took va-cations overseas at least once a year. Such experi-ences contributed to my hope to work in a global setting in the future. I decided to major in business administration for my undergraduate degree at So-phia and decided to study in the UK in the inter-national exchange program. During my study at Sophia, I came to greatly admire upcoming UK com-panies such as the vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson and the LCC airline EasyJet. These companies braved oligopolistic markets with striking success. I felt fortunate to get involved in many case studies at the University of Shefeld which gave me opportuni-ties to look into companies of interest in great detail. I vividly remember heated discussions assessing businesses based upon extensive research on the differences between continental Europe and UK markets as well as in consideration of the current hot topic of Brexit. It was surprising for me at rst to have serious academic discussions and debates among friends outside the classes but it occurred quite often, and I enjoyed taking part. My time there gave me the condence to work outside Japan. However, I decided to build my career in my country’s best interest after returning home. I received a job offer from a Japanese company specializing in worldwide oil development. As I look forward to working over-seas, for now, my foremost aim is to contribute to securing a stable energy supply for Japan. WEstablished in 1905, the University of Shefeld is one of the UK’s leading and largest universities, with over 27,000 students from over 140 countries. The university is a world top-100 university with a globally renowned academic community that strives to solve society’s greatest challenges through unique teaching and outstanding research.BACKGROUNDfrom “SOPHIA” to“UK”from “SOPHIA” to“COLOMBIA”25Voice

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