Islam & the Globalizing World;
From an Indonesian Perspective

I decided to participate in this program because I am interested in the theme of "Religion and Globalization" and I hoped to be able to deepen my understanding of the diverse religions of the world. My accommodation at the Universitas Islam Indonesia certainly had an atmosphere of Islamic religion, but as a person who is not conscious of religion while in Japan, I felt the differences in everyday life between Japan and Indonesia very strongly, as religion is rooted in everyday life in Indonesia.
To see and experience with my own eyes is more real than studying any kind of literature. For example, I learned that Indonesia supports the separation of church and state, and in educational institutions funded by the NU (Nahdlatul Ulama) the religious atmosphere is not particularly strong. These were just some of the issues I was able to learn about firsthand while on this field trip.
Impossible to experience on an independent trip, I was able to visit schools offering religious education, such as "madrasah" and "pesantren", and this is one of the advantages of participating in the field trip program. Through religion I was able to deepen my interest of viewing the world and it was a great experience to help me gain a wider international perspective.

Mongolia's Role in Northeast
Asia's Strategic Studies

I decided to participate in this project because, being Korean, I am very interested in Mongolia as a country that has diplomatic relations with North Korea.
The 'Academy of Management' organization that I visited, functions not only as a university but also as a government agency; therefore I was able to attend lectures given by staff from the foreign embassy and people engaged in diplomatic relations for Mongolia. Mongolia has achieved rapid economic development, but if you make a side trip out to the countryside, you can see it is a country rich in beautiful scenery with wide grassy plains.
I felt that if I didn't actually go and visit the country then I wouldn't be able to confirm the accuracy of the knowledge and information on the real conditions that I have been studying. If I have another chance, I would like to actually go there to study, but only after furthering my knowledge by investigating past issues connected to this project and Mongolia as a whole. Before going on my field trip, I thought little about what I would like to do as a future career, but now I think that I would like to work for an NPO or an NGO in the future, as I have come to realize that there are many valuable experiences which can only be had by actually working on-site.

National University of Singapore (NUS)
English Immersion Program

Through the classes at NUS, I was able to open up and develop personally, for the focus of this program was to teach neither spelling nor grammar, but how to express the actual things that I wanted to say.
The main emphasis of this program was how to plan and make presentations, and the course content included practical study with students making presentations every week. Over the natural course of time I was able to improve my listening and speaking skills and realized that I was able to absorb real English.
As my English proficiency improved, I was able to participate more actively in sports events and parties that I was invited to by other NUS students. Interaction with students of a similar age broke down the barriers within me of my fear of all things foreign.
I had never been abroad before and this experience built up my confidence greatly and I believe that I will now be able to spend my student life more proactively as a result. Study Abroad programs are a wonderful experience if you have high aspirations and set goals for yourself. From now on I intend to continue studying with my goal being to study abroad on a long-term basis in the future.

I did my internship in the Personnel Department, where two aspects of training are carried out: cross-cultural communication training, and the "Lead China" training program which is centered around the company's Chinese staff.
I was active in a supportive role, which involved compiling various materials and questionnaires for each training program, arranging staff accommodation, and assembling reports and questionnaires post-training.
There were difficult aspects to the job, but because the staff were very conscientious in training me, I was able to rise to the challenge and it proved to be a great learning experience. For example, when I sent a simple email, I was given detailed advice on how to use the appropriate Japanese expressions depending on whether it was internal or external correspondence. Also when submitting reports, I was given good advice on how to revise and improve the content that I had written, and I learned that there are many differences between school and the workplace.
Through my work placement experience, I was able to gain an understanding of the subtleties of dealing with others in the business world. Furthermore, I often discovered a better course of action through discussions and I thus developed an appreciation for the importance of communication and discussion with my colleagues. To expand upon this experience, I am thinking about taking up a job connected with Japan and Vietnam after graduation.

While acquiring international experience at APU and having an interest in the role of planning international events, I applied for an internship at the Japan Foundation.
For my internship, I was assigned to the Japan-China Exchange Center where my main task was related to the Chinese High School Student Long Term Study Program. Providing support on the administration side, there were many different tasks involved even to invite just one foreign student, and I then realized it was more difficult to work in a people-orientated job than I had imagined.
In this experience the thing I felt strongest was the weight of responsibility. For example, when I input the foreign students' information onto the computer, it was stringently checked again by two or three more people. By observing other staff members carefully checking even work that seemed simple, I also endeavored to carry out my work diligently, while sensing that "taking responsibility" were words not to be used lightly.
I then became very aware of what I want to do. Through this experience, I have been able to reflect on myself and I am eager to pursue the things that I do not yet possess. I am giving thought to my hope of playing an active role in the international arena, and while facing every day on my own, I also intend to study hard with my friends from now on.
The staff at the Japan Foundation took very good care of me and I still keep in contact with them; I value very much the irreplaceable network of contacts that I made through this experience.