Cholpon Dzhakipova: The endless discovery of Japan

October 6, 2022

Cholpon Dzhakipova is a senior student majoring in Economics who spent her junior spring semester as an exchange student at Yokohama National University in Japan. “In a few words, this is how I remember Japan: beautiful natural scenery, mesmerizing old streets and houses, unique and exciting culture, and delicious food. And yes, the slogan of its tourism industry is absolutely correct: Endless discovery.” - shares Cholpon.

Cholpon believes that the exchange program was an excellent opportunity to experience an absolutely new way of life and see the world from a new perspective. She shares that Japanese culture is different in ways that are quite difficult to explain. While at Yokohama, she took courses in the Japanese language that are provided for exchange students at YNU. She noted that the language and various levels of formality definitely define a part of Japan’s mentality. When talking about the people in Japan, she delightedly shared: “I have never seen such calm, kind and polite people. They are extremely welcoming to foreigners, always smiling and ready to help.” Cholpon also adds that she has never felt so safe in any environment as she did in Japan. “Japanese people are not confrontational people at all. You will never see someone arguing or stealing anything from one another.” Reminiscing about the time of her stay in Japan, Cholpon added: “Japan has the best food, I miss it a lot”.

While in Japan, Cholpon had an opportunity to have a personal tutor provided by the program. “My tutor was a Japanese woman who was helping me with my Japanese homework. We talked a lot about the culture and different locations in the country that are worth visiting. Sometimes we would spend hours talking about Japan over dinner at her house.” When asked about the best moment experienced during the exchange semester, Cholpon found it difficult to highlight a particular situation. “The whole semester was one huge highlight, if I had to choose, traveling would be one of the things I enjoyed the most. There are so many sightseeing spots in Japan, lots of shrines, temples, and parks, so we were always exploring new places.”

Cholpon believes she made the right decision by choosing Japan and Yokohama National University. “First of all, Japanese culture is unique, interesting, and distinct from the cultures elsewhere. The other reason is my major, YNU provides numerous courses in English specifically for my major. They helped me deepen my knowledge in the economic field of study.”

“I am very grateful to AUCA for the opportunity to participate in the exchange program. I believe that during these few months of studying and living in Japan, I learned a lot about the economic situation in Japan from local people and professors. Additionally, the experience helped me become more confident, flexible, and open-minded."

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