＊手紙と写真の掲載については本人の了解を得ています。
The letter and the picture are used with the permission of the graduate.

Oana Apostol

（Graduate of Japanese and Japanese Culture Study Program, September 2004）

Every time I tell somebody that I had the great chance to study one year in Japan I am asked to give a brief account of my experience there. I try every time to select the essential, but I have come to realize that all the things that I experienced, lived, felt are so numerous that, even if one year had already passed since I returned in my country,　I still have stories that I have never had the chance to share with my friends. Studying and living in Japan enriched me with so much knowledge, feelings， memories and thoughts that I feel blessed.

Studying Japanese in Japanese –I think- is the best method for a student to become familiar with the language. Besides, I really loved the conversations classes and reading classes when I could not only exercise my skills, but also become acquainted with the modern Japanese society issues through the newspaper articles and magazines that served as work material. The cinema class and the mukashi banashi class were also very useful as I am not able to enjoy such classes in my university.

Living in Higashi Kurume dormitory was also a heck of an experience. The Japanese students there were so warm and willing to make friends with us, that we did not feel the culture shocks as strongly as other foreigners feel. Making parties together, sharing music, food, customs etc. not only gave me a glimpse of the young Japan, but also the opportunity to build strong friendships.

On the other hand, coming back to my country and getting used to the old habits again was hard. But soon I came to realize that the classes of the 3rd and 4th year that I had to attend were not difficult anymore; I could read, write and speak much better and easier than before going to Japan. Thus, I could finish my university years with best results. Being one of the best students of my university I was selected by the Romanian Foreign Ministry to be part of the team that organized the Romanian pavilion within the World Expo 2005, Aichi ,Japan. I went to Japan again having the unique chance to work and enjoy the expo. After coming back home, again, I started to work within the Japanese embassy in Romania, being a great opportunity for my career. At present, I have two great job offers: to be a teacher of Japanese within a famous language center from my university or translator of Japanese-Romanian within a prestigious Japanese company in Romania.

The job opportunities simply came overwhelmingly…

In other words, studying and living in Japan gave me the opportunity to live the excitement of a big-city life, among the most friendly and helpful people, in one of the cleanest, safest, and most developed countries of our time. It was a challenging, life-changing experience-a unique opportunity to develop human relations, global perspectives and immerse myself in another culture.