My name is Shinju Sato and I am studying at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. The Philippines is currently in the midst of the much-awaited holiday season, and everyone seems to be in a mildly festive mood.
 
UP Diliman's campus is 4.93 square kilometers, which is about 24 times the size of Akita University’s Tegata campus. The campus is characterized by a lot of greenery, with acacia and palm trees protecting the campus like a ward against the exhaust fumes of Metro Manila.
 
I took anthropology and sociology classes here. One of the most memorable classes was an applied anthropology class in which we participated in the activities of a non-profit organization in the Philippines. I visited a community of the urban poor in Manila and participated in a “tambayan” meeting. In Tagalog, tambayan is a resting place where people relax and hang out. In casual conversations at the tambayan, people talked about daily hardships, corruption among public officials and illegal drugs. In the midst of the drug war in the Philippines, the care of the poor and addicts, who lack emotional support, is also an issue, and this experience was enough to convince me that this is an urgent issue.
 
In every class I took, I felt that the students were highly motivated to learn. From the way they took the initiative in class to the amount of knowledge they had, UP students were thoroughly aware of the importance of “learning.” On the other hand, at the dinner table, UP students would have a lot of fun talking about trivial things with their friends. There seems to be a sense of distance between friends that is somewhat loose and carefree, sometimes loud, and always close enough to touch.
 
There are many choices for daily meals. Many of the Filipino dishes are meaty and rice-savory, and my favorite, the sour sinigang soup, is a welcome respite from the heat. You can also find Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Western, and other international cuisine inside and outside the university and in the various shopping malls. It's a great food environment as long as you take care to eat your vegetables. Personally, I have a sweet tooth, so I enjoy the custard pudding called leche flan, ice cream sold on the streets, and sweets like fried banana and jackfruit spring rolls called tulong. Eating with friends was one of the most enjoyable occasions during my study abroad.
 
The Philippines is a country of many cultures, but the sense of hospitality that respects and embraces different cultures seems to avoid unnecessary conflicts. For example, in the city of Itogon, Benguet Province, where I stayed, people from Luzon and other parts of the country gathered to form a community, relying on the gold mining business led by the United States in the past. People of different ethnic backgrounds respect each other's culture and live without conflict. When it comes to festivals, the dances of each ethnic group are performed, and pork is shared by all the participants of the festival. When I was there, I was greeted with the phrase, “Annyeong” and offered a meal (I was often mistaken for a Korean person during my study abroad). I respect the hospitality of the Filipino people, and I will always remember how they accepted me, a stranger, as if I were family.
 
In the past, in times of war, Japan committed acts that hurt the people of the Philippines. I would like to face up to Japan's past and call myself a responsible Japanese, and I would like to continue to nurture friendships with the Filipino people without forgetting to respect them.
 
I was blessed to be able to make lifelong friends through this study abroad program. Fortunately, the Philippines and Japan are very close to each other, so I believe that there will be many chances for us to meet again. I look forward to the day when I will be reunited with the people I met in this study abroad program, whether in the Philippines, Japan, or somewhere else. First and foremost, I would like to continue enjoying this study abroad experience right until the end.

Click here for the study abroad experience reports of the Akita University ‘Miraisozo Fund’ overseas student study support program.