Japanese students visit UNG for two weeks

A group of 15 students from Nanzan University, which is in Nagoya, Japan, visited the University of North Georgia (UNG) for two weeks as part of an annual Cooperative Online International Learning (COIL) project. Dr. Tomoe Nishio, UNG associate professor of Japanese, hosted the group.

"UNG has utilized for the past several years an innovative method of connecting classrooms across the globe," Nishio said. "COIL courses are actively incorporated into some upper-level courses in Japanese and East Asian studies every semester, fostering collaborative online projects in various subject fields. While most projects are fully online, there is a hybrid one where students collaborate both online and in person every spring." 

These courses allow students to connect for language exchange with native speakers to work together as one of the main learning outcomes. As a special function of these COIL projects, Nanzan students visit UNG for two weeks to complete the projects in person, following the virtual exchange period.

"COIL allows UNG students access to global learning and creates cross-cultural relationships that result in long-term friendships," Nishio said. "Many of the students in past COIL projects have decided to study abroad at UNG or Nanzan and arrived with friends in the country to assist with their transition. It is a win for all students involved."

"We were all very stressed out about the speech assignment. When using our selected target languages, we were often clumsy, but despite that, both groups remained very patient," William Homiller said. "The Nanzan students were very kind, and they were interested in me and what being a UNG student is all about. I ended up making friends."

Homiller is a UNG junior pursuing a degree in English with a literature concentration minor in Japanese. He is from Ball Ground, Georgia. He said he hopes to become a teacher, and the experience helped him see how teaching a second language could be done.

Emilie Balli, also a junior at UNG, is from Sugar Hill, Georgia. She is pursuing a degree in East Asian studies and  plans to apply to the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and teach English in Japan. This experience reassured her about the decision to apply because she enjoyed her engagement with the Nanzan students.

"I was surprised the most by how willing and excited everyone was to experience American culture and food. It was fun to see, as an American, and I felt so happy that they all were able to have fun trying different things," she said. "I did actually notice a lot of similarities. Everyone liked to interact with and tease their friends in the same way, and lots of students' speeches covered similar subject matter. There were also lots of students with similar interests, hobbies and pastimes. It felt like we thought about many things in the same way. It was really cool to feel understood by fellow students from a country so different than the one where I've lived my whole life."

Nanzan student Saya Ogawa decided to participate in this study abroad program because she wanted to have more intercultural experiences than just volunteering for international students at her home institution.

"I wanted to be able to interact with Americans. In fact, when I came to UNG, I was able to interact a lot, and I got along very well. It is a very fun memory," she said.

She enjoyed the cultural aspects of visiting tourist attractions and restaurants and encourages others to participate.

"I was moved by the very kind people, taking the initiative to open the door and talking to me in a friendly manner," she said.

Manato Miwa, a sophomore at Nanzan University, noted a striking difference within the mindset of UNG students.

"I felt the difference of culture between Japan and America," he said. "The most surprising thing is that students are very interested in their majors. Students always study hard. There are many students who try new things actively and actively communicate with new people. By entering this environment myself, I have changed to be more proactive in doing things as a student."

Both Ogawa and Miwa were pleased with their decision to participate and encourage others to do so.

"I'm really glad I applied for this program. There were a lot of very fun things. I also made friends. If you want to interact with Japanese people, please apply for this program," she said.

Miwa noticed he became more proficient with speaking English as a result of the experience.

"Participating in this program has greatly broadened my values and perspective. In Nanzan University, I thought I wasn't good at speaking English, so I didn't speak English anymore," he said. "However, through the experiences that I could communicate with many UNG students, I came to speak English more and communicate with many people more."