by Humza Qazi
Having received the Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou Scholarship in support of my studies at the University of Tokyo, I am now writing this report to recount my academic achievements and how this study abroad program helped me to accomplish my goals. First, however, I would like to express my utmost gratitude toward Hsun Kwei, Aiko Takizawa Chou, and Friends of UTokyo, Inc. for awarding me this beyond generous scholarship; I am honored to have been selected from such a talented pool of students.
In terms of my academics during my time at the University of Tokyo, it was my “Japanese Beginning-1” language course that undoubtedly proved to be my most difficult undertaking. This is not to say, however, that the course was not immensely rewarding. There is, after all, something profound about the undertaking of “learning on the job,” so to speak; with each passing day I spent in Japan, what were once incomprehensible jumbles of hiragana and katakana slowly but surely became semi-digestible billboards, menu items, etc.
When confronted with the prospect of my end-of-semester final presentation, I was afforded the opportunity by my exceedingly kind professors to speak about something — or rather, someone — that I am infinitely passionate about: Spider-Man; I wanted to explore beyond the simple confines of the textbook for my final presentation, with my professors graciously supporting such creativity. Having rehearsed my presentation several times according to my professors’ potent feedback, I was confidently able to speak about my favorite super hero in front of my class, entirely in Japanese. This is my proudest academic achievement while at UTokyo.
And so to conclude, I would like to thank my Japanese language professors for what was nothing short of an excellent classroom experience; they provided an appropriate blend of patience and “tough love,” so to speak, never letting my peers or I settle for anything less than our absolute best. Their instruction has inspired me to continue studying and learning Japanese language now that I have returned to the United States; I only hope that my future instructors are as amazing as they were.
