NEWS

　On Monday, August 6, 2018, the Global Education Center Final Presentation Ceremony was held at the Shinshu University Matsumoto Campus, School of General Education.

　51 international exchange students from 14 countries including the United States of America, Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand hold presentations on topics of their interest such as their hometowns, study subject, and other themes.

　The exchange students who completed their half- or full-year study abroad program and international students who finished the half-year Intensive Japanese Language Course and plan to enter an undergraduate course or the graduate school at Shinshu University, joined the event.

　Regardless of the various Japanese language abilities, all students made excellent use of the newly acquired Japanese and gave their best to express their thoughts and feelings within several minutes. The students used a lot of time to prepare their speeches, beginning with the decision of the topic, followed by the creation of outlines and manuscripts, memorizing of the text and finally speaking practice.

　Beginner-level students introduced their hometowns or talked about the differences between Japan and their own countries. It was very impressed to see how the students used the expressions they had just learned to convey the positive aspects of their countries. It was a good opportunity for all participants, especially for the Japanese guests, to get a better idea of each other's country through the point of view of each student.

　Then, the advanced students delivered impressive speeches on a wide variety of themes such as their study abroad experiences, their field of study, their opinions about social issues or even the meaning of life.It was well worth listening to because there were also serious themes related to human rights or international relations.Many students talked about the personal growth they made thanks to their study abroad experiences. It became clear that studying abroad is not only an opportunity to gain knowledge about a chosen country or language but also to get to know yourself much better.

　Japanese students, tutors, Japanese language instructors, other teaching or staff members and also local citizens took actively part by posing various questions to the presenting students. There were funny scenes, such as when the audience burst out into laughter, but also emotional moments when students or questioners in the room could not continue because of their emotions in face of the close goodbye from the newfound friends and Japan.

　This Final Presentation Ceremony served to showcase the accomplishments the students had achieved during their time in Japan. Also, this is a great opportunity for Japanese students and local citizens to gain an inside into the ideas and thoughts of our international students. The next Final Presentation Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5, 2019, and the Global Education Center is looking forward to welcoming many interested people again.