My name is Ayaka Sato, and I studied abroad at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, USA. I would like to introduce my campus life there, and my life in the United States.
 
The classes I took were mainly related to my major, education. Even though I was an international student, I was able to observe actual ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and work as a TA (Teaching Assistant), which allowed me to learn about English education in a more practical way. I was also particularly impressed by the phonetics class. In this class, I learned how to teach pronunciation to learners of English as a second language by comparing my own pronunciation with that of native speakers. Using a speech analysis program, they were able to identify the sounds that the learners had problems with based on a variety of data, and discovered trends by comparing them with those of students from other countries. This was a field that I could not study at Akita University, so I felt very lucky to have been able to study abroad.
 
There were many facilities on campus, including a large gym, a store selling university goods, and a building where I could freely use the piano. I took advantage of the time in between classes to go to the gym and to also play the piano. Also, since I was living on my own, I went shopping every week and cooked every day. As I was in the dormitory kitchen on a daily basis, I got to know other dormitory students better, and we sometimes cooked Japanese food together or went out for fun. As for other activities outside of class, I participated in events organized by the university’s Japanese community, played the piano and took part in a project to visit a local elementary school. There were many things I learned from these activities in cooperation with the local students and international students from various countries.
 
Throughout my study abroad experience, it was not all fun and of course, there were times of hardship. However, overcoming these difficulties gave me more confidence and motivated me more than ever to improve my English. I think it is because of this study abroad experience that I am able to always aim higher and not be satisfied with the status quo. I would like to continue to challenge myself in various ways without forgetting not only the happy memories but also the painful feelings of regret.