Why Did I Apply?

I wanted to study abroad and applied for International Student Shared House to study English. A friend of mine who is an international student recommended Share House to me and I found out about it.

Atmosphere and Daily Life

The atmosphere in Share House is fun. I lived with my roommates, eating meals and playing games with them. I was able to experience the food culture of my roommates. At night, we sometimes have parties with about 10 people. When I had a cramp in my leg, my American roommate would sometimes give me pickle juice to drink. “Roommates were so noisy until midnight that you can’t sleep.” “They eat the food in the fridge without permission.” I was worried before I entered the dormitory because there were rumors like these, but I have never had such problems. They were all very kind people.

Good Things about Living in International Student Shared House

Living in Share House will allow you to experience excitement like you have never felt before.
You will be able to use English in your daily life because you get to converse in English. At Kuwanoki Dormitory, there are study rooms and ping-pong tables for residents. I could also think about studying abroad. By living in Share House, I was able to make up my mind to take a leave of absence from Okayama University to study abroad. I have also decided what my goals are for my future university life. I decided to study abroad and travel around Japan during my leave of absence. I now understand more clearly than before the need to study English for study abroad and to study for the teacher employment exam, and I enjoy studying.

Difficulties and Failures

About a month later, when the Okayama Marathon was held and I was on a restricted diet, my roommate invited me to go out for a drink or to karaoke, but I declined. Looking back, I would have been able to have more conversation and learn more about Western music if I had gone to karaoke or had a drink instead of running the Okayama Marathon. Once you decline an invitation, it is unlikely that you will be invited back, so if you are invited back at the beginning, immediately say yes. let’s go!. 

How Do I Want to Use This Experience in the Future?

Living in Share House made me interested in foreign countries. I was also able to get an idea of studying abroad. It was a good time for me to think about my career path. When I go to study abroad, I will use the greetings and speaking skills I acquired from talking with my roommates. When I went for a drive to Kagawa with my French and Chinese friends, they told me that they had been to Okinawa, Kyushu, Honshu, and Hokkaido. At that time I realized that I had never visited Hokkaido, Tohoku, Okinawa, etc. and that I knew nothing about Japan. My desire to study abroad and learn more about Japan became stronger, and I set a goal of going abroad to study and communicating with various people, as well as a goal of traveling around Japan.

Message to Applicants

I’m sure you have many concerns about living in Share House and how you should live your college life. I think you don’t have to worry about that at all. I could not speak English at all and could not understand it, but I was able to go out to dinner with my friends and drive with them.
Please enjoy your short college life by challenging yourself and doing what you want to do without fearing failure in anything. If there is something you want to do now, I think you should act without hesitation. There may be things you can’t do because of money, club activities, circles, or studies, but if there is something you really want to do, you should do it even if it means sacrificing something. You can get it back later, surprisingly. Enjoy your short life.