Daring to be Unique and Facing Oneself in a New Environment

I graduated from a college-affiliated school system, where the junior and high school are managed by and closely connected to a University. As my years in school went by, conversations with my classmates naturally became more and more about future career paths, prompting me to think more seriously about where I wanted to go to school and what my future would look like.

The most natural choice for me as a student of a college-affiliated school was to continue on to the affiliated college. However, as I thought about what I wanted to do and what my goals were, I realized that I wanted to put myself in an environment different from where I was born and raised and where I could challenge myself with something new; I took the necessary entrance examinations and went on to university in Tokyo.

I chose Sophia University because it would allow me to study across a variety of academic fields. I was particularly interested in area studies at the Faculty of Foreign Studies. As someone who studied abroad in Canada for a year during high school, I thought this program would be the perfect fit for my desire to learn and see the world from multiple academic disciplines, such as sociology, political science, and economics.

Although other universities in the Kansai region (where Kyoto is located) offer area studies, Sophia’s Faculty of Foreign Studies became my first choice for its many attractive features like its unique environment where both arts and science faculties study together on the Yotsuya campus, the low faculty to student ratio, and the professors who are leaders in the field of area studies.

Embracing Solo Living: Discovering Your Pace and Creating Routines

Having lived with my parents for the past 18 years, I was very anxious about living alone in Tokyo, which was a very unfamiliar place to me. My family and friends asked me, “Are you sure you can live alone in Tokyo?” But when I passionately told them about how much I wanted to study in Tokyo and at Sophia University, they warmly encouraged me in my decision. I am very grateful to my family and friends who gave me their support in that moment.

Housework, which was my biggest concern about living alone, was really tough during my first month because everything about it was completely unfamiliar to me. I made mistakes, but I also  gained experience as time went on, getting the hang of things and working at my own pace to now be at the point of having no issues in getting it all done on my own.

Unlike living at home, living alone allows you to choose when you wake up and when you want to eat. Although this requires self-control and discipline, there is joy in being able to do what you want, when you want to. For me, the flexibility has been the best part of living alone.

But, freedom requires responsibility. On some days, I need to be up by 7:30 a.m for an early class, and even on weekends, I have to get up early to be on time for morning club practice. I also always remember not to neglect my studies for any of my club activities. While I choose to dedicate some of my time to club activities, it is no excuse to slack off on studying. Because of the freedom I enjoy, I am conscious that self-discipline is required. Although there is tension in this balance, I feel that I have grown much more independent because of it compared to before I entered Sophia.

Incorporating Portuguese Practice into Daily Life with Fencing Teammates

I’m a member of the Sophia University Fencing Team. I have no prior experience fencing, but I entered Sophia with the enthusiasm to take on new challenges, so I decided to join the club without any consideration of previous experience and instead prioritized my desire to give it a try.

Since Sophia does not have student-athlete-specific admissions, it’s a great environment to start a new sport as everyone is there for the enjoyment of the sport and team. In keeping with that spirit, more than 90% of the Sophia fencing team only started fencing upon entering university!

Our club members come from different faculties and grades. While most members are Japanese, there are also students from France, East Timor, Indonesia, and other countries, so many different languages are spoken during practice.

Right now, I am learning Portuguese, so I speak Portuguese with the students from East Timor, and I’m able to work on my conversational skills between fencing sessions. Of course, I’m often unable to convey all that I want to say when communicating in Portuguese, but because we’re all members of the same club and I don’t want to be limited in what I can convey to my teammates, I’m very enthusiastic about my studies and improving.

While I am in the Department of Luso-Brazilian Studies where I study Portuguese, I am also interested in international business. Before entering the program, I did not have clear goals for my future, but every time I learned something about Portuguese-speaking regions such as Brazil and East Timor and spoke with international students, I became more and more interested in pursuing a career that would involve those regions.

Now, I am focused on being able to use Portuguese to work in global business, especially trade. Thankfully, the Faculty of Foreign Studies has many graduates who are active in global business and passionate about sharing their knowledge with current university students. I plan to work hard to achieve my dreams and have opportunities to interact with these people.

*Please note that the content of this article is current as of July 2023.