Vol.10 Ha kim Mi（TAKUSHOKU UNIVERSITY）
"I wasn't sure if I should go to college, but something happened that made me want to challenge myself." We interviewed Kim Mi, who is not used to living alone and struggles to find a balance between studying and working part time.
【Profile】
Ha Kim Mi（Vietnam）
March 2021 Graduated from Tokyo World Japanese Language School
April 2021 Entered Takushoku University Department of International Japanese
I came to Japan to go to university, but in reality...
I came to Japan because I wanted to go to a Japanese university, but I experienced a lot of pressure after coming to Japan. This is my first time living away from my family, so I have to do everything myself. I feel lonely and sick every day because of the hardships of living in Japan and the culture shock between Vietnam and Japan. To be honest, when I finished studying abroad, I thought about going back to Vietnam without going to university in Japan.
Many foreign students who sit for entrance exams for Japanese universities take the EJU (Japanese University Admissions Examination for International Students). I went to the venue intending to take the exam for a while, but what happened there changed my mind 180 degrees.
It doesn't matter how old you are! Everything will not start without a challenge
I still can't forget, there was someone I met in the elevator at the EJU exam hall. They are also an EJU student, and I happened to see the documents they had. When I looked at it, the document said "1989", which was the year the person was born. It was very surprising to me that they were was still trying to get into university despite being too old to be a student. From the experience of that person who is still not discouraged, I also want to challenge myself to try to get into university.
The exam and coronavirus
I worked hard to study for college. Especially for international students, Japanese language ability is important, so I'm trying hard to learn Japanese. The teachers at the Japanese language school at that time also supported me enthusiastically.
"My first EJU score wasn't very high." So, I was determined to study harder and score better next time, but EJU in July 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus. From there, I hurriedly looked for a school where I could take the exam without using the EJU, and prepared for the exam by preparing English and Japanese writing and interview steps.
A new start after entering Takushoku University
Takushoku University has a high percentage of international students and has an international atmosphere. Most of all, I was interested in becoming a Japanese language teacher, so I was looking for a school where I could study Japanese language, Japanese culture and the international community. Under these conditions, there were only Meiji University and Takushoku University. Meiji University needed an EJU so I decided to go to Takushoku University.
At Takushoku University's Department of International Japanese, you can not only study Japanese, but also study Japanese culture, Japanese teaching methods and international themes. So, in the future, apart from being a Japanese language teacher, I also have the option of working as an interpreter, translator, or publisher. This is interesting because the students are about half Japanese and half foreign students.
I'm the type of person who likes to talk and communicate with people, and when I'm in Vietnam, I get along with everyone. However, after coming to Japan, I was worried about the future and I didn't actively try to engage with people because of the stress of many days. I want to go back to Vietnam! On days when I think, I get depressed because I am a person prone to stress.
But I can't do this anymore, and now that I'm a student, I want to change, so I'm currently joining VYSA, an organization for Vietnamese international students, and an organization that contributes to society. There are many international students like me, so I feel comfortable and enjoy my activities.
To everyone
I realized that new doors opened when I tried to do things I thought I couldn't. At first I didn't like it, and I thought it was scary, and almost gave up, but I decided to try it. If you try it and it doesn't work, you should stop in the middle. But if you don't try, you won't be able to meet the new you.