What’s it like to be a foreign exchange student?

BY Blake Echt

Blake Echt
Teen Columnist, The Friday Flyer

I would like to introduce Risa Koeda, a foreign exchange student from Japan. First of all, Risa, with all due respect, deviates from the norm. She’s a high school senior much like any other; but for her, this year has been not only an educational year, but also a culture shock that’s left her somewhat dismayed to be leaving so soon.

Being from another country, Risa has faced and currently faces challenges from the most simple of questions in conversation to learning about the complexities of American government and economics.

My friend comes from a city in Japan known as Toyoma, a town Risa has described as a bit sleepy and small.

I asked the obvious question first: “Why Lake Elsinore? Why not one of the larger cities in America? It was a somewhat unprecedented question, you see, as she looked at me with her big eyes while eating her sandwich.

She elegantly finished the bite and responded in a flurry of hand motions, facial expressions and well-commanded English: “I have been to Seattle before, but I didn’t really like it. I wanted to go to the East Coast. One of my friends actually told me to go to South Carolina because of the distinct American culture there. But there were no host families there that would take me for so long. I didn’t actually know much about California, but there was a host family here willing to house me for the school year, so I decided to try it out. California has actually treated me well, and my host family has been really adamant about showing me everything they can. We go everywhere!”

Oh buddy, it was on. I waited for the sandwich to be eaten, then the strawberries; and right before the apple, I cut her off, challenging her. My question jabbed at her, “So what was the first thing you did when you got to California?”

She expertly parried, “We went out to get pizza! I really love pizza, but in Japan there aren’t very many places that sell it. Back there, I maybe had a slice of pizza a year, but here it’s everywhere, and there so many kinds too.”

I attempted to keep my momentum and not lose to the apple: “So, what have you done outside of school with your host family? What have you done here?”

She replied, “I told you that me and my host family do a lot and we go out a lot, but we always go out to malls. A lot of shopping and a lot of malls, which I admit that I really like. In fact, one of the trips I enjoyed the most was when we went out to Santa Monica. There was this store there that sold the brand of clothing that I especially love, and I spent a lot of money and bought a lot of clothes. I really liked the area. And though I can’t remember the name very well, there was an amusement park and I took pictures – so this was a really neat day.”

She added, “We explored Hollywood; we’ve gone to the beach a bunch of times; and just gone to see a lot of places. I post it online and all my friends in Japan get really jealous.”

The next series of questions were a bit more serious, but something worth understanding.

“What’s been the hardest part about coming here? Why did you want to come to America in the first place?” Her reply was given with a gentle smile, as she explained that her reason for coming to America is two-fold.

First, Risa has always loved the English language. English is something that Japanese people, according to her, all strive to learn and it’s seen positively when a Japanese student can speak it fluently. English to her means more than just communication, though; it also means freedom.

She said to me that, in Japan, there are strictor social guidelines. Learning English means that she could perhaps adapt to a more Western way with her life. When young, she wished to be a flight attendant to see the world with her own eyes, and conforming to her own standards.

As for the unanswered bit, Risa was still gentle, and she even smiled, but there was something in her voice that made me a bit hesitant. She said that her hardest struggle has been trying to learn not English so much as communication in English. She was not able to easily make friends because she couldn’t understand them at first, and the language barrier seemed to tense up. Many didn’t attempt to understand her, due to the same reasons.

Her command of the language is strong now, but she admits that it wasn’t before. Pronunciations still trouble her, and Risa knows that, in order to truly conquer the language, she will need to master the sounds. All of this has made it difficult to truly merge with this American culture.

After such serious conversation, we got it on the light-hearted track. I know that this young woman has come very far and has struggled, but I also know that she has a wonderful host family making the most of her limited time, and several friends who are as interested in her as she is them. Interested enough, I suppose, to write an article about her.