Being the new kid at a school is never easy. Navigating unfamiliar hallways to try to make friends from complete strangers, while also trying to find your place can be both intimidating and stressful. Now, imagine doing all of that not only in a new school but also in a new country thousands of miles away from home. For foreign exchange students such as Chisoto Nakagawa, this is their reality. Immersed in an unfamiliar culture, speaking another language without being fully fluent in it, and surrounded by strangers at every turn, it is a reality full of both adversity and excitement.
Chisoto is a foreign exchange student from Japan, who has come to the United States to learn English through cultural immersion. She will be a student at Austin High for 10 months while experiencing what it is like to live as an American teenager. With each passing day, she is adjusting more and more, but there are still many things that have taken her by surprise.
“It’s really big, bigger than Japan,” she shared with a smile, referring to Texas’ sprawling roads, massive portions of food, and large schools. Texas has already left quite an impression on her. One of the most exciting differences for Chisoto is the American holidays, many of which are not celebrated in Japan. She is particularly looking forward to experiencing Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday that showcases the country’s culture and traditions. She is also eager to experience Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Halloween, holidays that are not as widely celebrated back home in Japan.
Of course, being away from home comes with its challenges. One of the hardest parts for Chisoto is being separated from her friends and family. While she can still email and call them, the time difference makes it difficult to stay connected in real-time, missing that in-person connection. Along with missing the comfort of home because of her friends and family being there, she also longs for some of the tastes and traditions of Japan. “I like the Japanese taste,” she said, reflecting on how much she misses certain foods as she compared them to American food. She also spoke fondly of some of Japan’s unique holidays such as “Boys’ Day” and “Girls’ Day,” springtime celebrations that honor the health and bravery of children.
Despite the challenges, Chisoto is very excited about her time in the U.S. and is eager to explore more of what America has to offer. But her aspirations do not stop just there. Her curiosity extends beyond the borders of the U.S. to places including Korea, Mexico, and Spain. “I want to travel around the world and I want to experience a lot of things,” she explained. She dreams of meeting new people, learning new languages, and immersing herself in diverse and foreign cultures as a student of the world, with her first stop being here in Austin, Texas
